TV Tornado (1967)

There were a number of TV related comics published back in the sixties, some are remembered better than others. Indeed some were more successful than others. The longest running was TV Comic (see post below) which was aimed at a younger audience. Probably the best  of these was TV Century 21 which mainly specialised in Gerry Anderson puppet based stories.

Then there was TV Tornado.

This comic which lasted for 88 issues was a more general adventure strip based title which featured The Saint, The Lone Ranger and Tarzan along with text stories for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Other features included The Phantom, Magnus Robot Hunter and The Green Hornet. The latter being the only one of the three that appeared on TV.

I do recall seeing this comic when published, but back in the day with limited pocket money and a  huge range of better British comics to choose from (let alone the American ones I picked up) it was one that did not really appeal.

And still doesn't I'm afraid. Nostalgia for some of the TV series featured aside, TV Tornado is not a very strong title but may appeal to some.

Later issues included The Mysterons which transferred over from Solo when that title merged. This is actually quite a good story and issues featuring it both here and in Solo attract higher prices.



TV Tornado ended up merging with TV21 in 1968.

 

See also: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Then and now on my other blog.

TV Comic Annual 1970

One of the longest running TV related comics was simply called TV Comic which ran from 1951 to 1984 for 1697 issues. The annuals ran from 1954 to 1985. This one cover dated 1970 would have actually appeared in the run up to Christmas in 1969 and contains many features I remember from this wonderful little title.

Most famous for it's Doctor Who strip (This Annual contains two short stories featuring Patrick Troughton's incarnation) there are others that may bring back memories to a certain generation.

Features include Basil Brush, Ken Dodd's Diddy Men, Popeye, Bugs Bunny and Bob Monkhouse's Mad Movies. Remember his show where he played old comedy reels from the silent era including the Keystone Cops?) and Laurel and Hardy.

There were of course other strips such as Mighty Moth which I seem to remember more above some of the others along with TV Terrors and Beetle Bailey.

Later issues would include Tom & Jerry which despite the efforts of Mary Whitehouse was a major viewing attraction before the early evening news for many years.

On and there's also an appearance of Skippy (The Bush Kangaroo) and a text feature of The Avengers.

Great fun for a relaxing read.

 

First and last Annuals (1954 & 1985) above.

Valiant and Vulcan (1976)

Valiant was in many ways the flagship title for IPC but by 1976 it was struggling like so many British comics to survive changing tastes. Having already absorbed the equally old fashioned Lion it eventually merged with the short lived Vulcan (see post below). However the merged title was bit odd and may not have been to everyone's taste.

Instead of simply integrating stories from Vulcan, the publisher decided to run them as a pull-out in the centre pages. Fortunately for me whoever purchased the first combined issue back in the day did not take this out, but they do make for a rather messy reading experience as does the tiny font, too small for me, though perhaps younger eyes may not have had the problem reading these strips that I did.

There were a couple features continued from the comic of old, Captain Hurricane and Adam Eterno. Plus of course the long running Billy Bunter.

The comic kicked off with One Eyed Jack about a New York Cop which I seem to recall featured in the second volume of The Eagle in the eighties. Then there were the inevitable soccer stories of which then, like now I have no interest in whatsoever.

The other two copies I picked up lack any Vulcan stories at all. No pull outs.

Valiant only lasted a few more months until it met it's end and merged with Battle, part of the "new wave" of British comics.

Whilst these final issues may not have been up to the usual standard expected from this once great comic, Valiants 14 year run will be fondly remembered.

 

The final issue:

A British oddity: Vulcan (1975/76)

One of the more interesting comics was the experimental Vulcan comic launched by IPC . It was smaller, had a glossy cover and was in partial colour. I only discovered the existence of the fairly short lived Vulcan by accident whilst reading about comics elsewhere on the web. What attracted me to getting hold of the "first" issue was the reprint of The Trigan Empire an old favourite of mine from Look and Learn back in the sixties.



In fact the comic is full of classic reprints which makes it a great read. Robot Archie (Lion), Steel Claw (Valiant) Mytec the Mighty (Valiant if I remember correctly) and The Spider (Lion) amongst others.



Now I put "first" in inverted comma's as Vulcan has two first issues due to it being experimentally launched in Scotland first which is a bit confusing.

My only disappointment is that whilst it was great to see coloured versions of Robot Archie, the one strip that could have been reprinted in colour as it was originally produced, The Trigan Empire wasn't. Never mind the art and concept is still worth reading if you are not familiar with the story.

In total there were just 36 issues, 28 of which were in the national run plus one Annual. Vulcan later merged with Valiant (in quite an odd way) in 1976.

 

Valiant and Lion (1974)

Back in the day Lion and Valiant (along with Buster) were the mainstays of my reading after the demise of the Power Comics line, but by the time I left school in 1974 I was no longer reading many British comics and only occasionally reading American ones. So many other things in life were beginning to garner so it is a joy even in my late fifties to explore those titles I missed.

I knew Lion like so many other comics had disappeared at some point and it's merger with Valiant in 1974 comes as no surprise. I was lucky enough to be able to pick up not just the first "super combined" issue but the two that followed it.

  

These two comics were standard "boys" adventure comics for the time and Lion, despite it's merger with the short lived but excellent Thunder was not enough to save it. Valiant was always the stronger of the two titles and seeing Captain Hurricane team up with the Steel Commando was a joy to see from a long lost age.

Adam Eterno and Zip Nolan also made it through to the combined comic along with Mowser, a strip featuring an "aristocratic" cat.

Other strips in this new comic included Kid Pharaoh and there were new stories such as Valley of the Giants and The Trail to Nowhere.

Not forgetting Billy Bunter of course!

Who could forget Billy!

Valiant had already merged with Smash and TV21 and  another merger was to come before it to, fell prey to falling sales as tastes in comics began to change.

Watch this space.

  

Marvel UK: Star Wars Weekly (1978)

One the few British comics I read in the seventies was Star Wars Weekly published by Marvel UK. I came "on board" a little later than these issues illustrated but with their back up features this is certainly a title worth collecting.

The story picks up with Hans Solo and Chewbacca arriving on Adouba-3 where as outlaws they hope to hide out a while. Trouble is... they just can't stay out of trouble as Hans & Chewie decide to help out a local priest trying to bury a "borg" (no, not the ones from Star Trek) and the inevitable fight breaks out.

Continuing the action from the first movie the rest of the cast don't show up till a little later (#16 if I remember correctly) and Hans forms his own version of the Magnificent 7 (well 8 in this case) to help out some poor local farmers against an outlaw and his gang.

To be continued.........

I'll certainly be picking the next instalment as not only is this story worth reading you also get a reprint of the first appearance of Star Lord (of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) and the origin of the Watchers.

What else could a lad want. Three great sagas in one comic.

As a reminder of the period in which this was published there is a full page advert for Star Wars fans to "see the film at home" on projectors! Silent and sound versions available.

My, my... how times have changed.

 

May the force be with you frantic ones!

Marvel UK: Dracula Lives (1975)

During the seventies a relaxation of the Comics Code Authority allowed Marvel to start publishing a range of horror comics based on the beasties and villains we all knew and loved from the Hammer House of Horror, though with more than a touch of the olde "Marvel magic".

One of their more successful titles was Dracula and it wasn't long before Marvel UK adapted the comic for UK publication. I'm not overly familiar with the Marvel version having only ever purchased Giant Size Chillers featuring Dracula #1, so all this was new to me.

In back up features there's Werewolf by Night and The Living Mummy of which I possess a couple of the US editions but not the stories featured here.

Having been attracted by the promise on the cover, Now it begins: The War That Shook The World it was more than a little disappointing to find the Living Mummy story was in mid flow. However the Dracula story Where Lurks The Chimera did seem to start from the beginning.

These were the last three issues before the title co-featured The Legion of Monsters which is on my "must buy" list for the future.

Personally I find horror looks better in black & white.

But then I'm British!