Howie's Top Ten British Comics #3 & #2

 

#3 Valiant

Of all the "Boy's Papers" (as they called them back in my childhood) Valiant was by far my favourite and was leaps and bounds above the rest, though Lion was a comic I did read on occasion whilst Tiger had far too much sport for my liking. In particular Valiant was home to the best "hero" strip in British comicdom, The Steel Claw which still fascinates me to this day! 

Valiant was launched in 1962 and ran as Fleetway's premier title for many years absorbing so many other titles including Lion, TV21 and Vulcan. Sadly it too fell for the chop as tastes in comics changed and it was absorbed by the more modern grittier Battle in 1976. 

I will always remember the adventures of Captain Hurricane and the antics of Billy Bunter amongst other stories such as Mytek The Mighty, Kelly's Eye and so many more which hopefully will be part of Rebellions Treasury of British Comics reprint programme.

There were quite a few summer specials including highly sort after Lion and Valiant editions which I remember buying and wish I still had! There were annuals and special books some of which I don't recall from the time but Valiant was big buisness and a comic that I certainly tried to keep with for most of the sixties.

#2 Wham!

One of my first solid memories of childhood (along with the first episode of Doctor Who) was my dad giving me a copy of the first issue of Wham! which enthralled me as a young lad. I was a fan of this comic until it's demise or rather merger with Pow! a few years later. 

At first this was a humour only comic obviously designed to compete with The Beano and was far superior with it's anarchic anti-authority humour. But that aside the strip I just loved was Georgie's Germs. Only a young lad would be bemused with such a notion but the memory of this strip stuck with me right through my adulthood to my second childhood in my sixties today!

There was also Eagle Eye Junior Spy, The Tiddlers, The Wacks and Frankie Stein who went on to appear in other comics.

Image: Blimey! Lew Stringer's Blog

Later on Wham! introduced the Fantastic Four to it's pages as it became part of the short lived but much loved Power Comics line! Not sure it really fitted but as  an FF fan I was happy at the time. Sadly the comic did not last despite being the first of the line in 1964 and after 187 issues disappeared in 1968 as the whole line of Odhams comics began it's implosion.

Return tomorrow for my personal Number One British Comic. Can you guess what it is boys and girls?