Help Needed

[colcool007]

Can anyone help a friend who is trying to track down this comic?

A friend of mine has a seriously ill child and there's a comic he used to
read that helped him through his last bout of serious illness, but it was
lost and we're trying to work out where it appeared as he had a relapse and
we're hoping finding it will raise his spirits.

Here is what we know - or at least we think we know, some details may be
slightly wrong.

(1) This was a serious story - not intended as a funny one. Draw
realistically depicting a dramatic situation. It was probably three to six
pages long.

(2) We believe it appeared in a British comic annual in the 1970s or 1980s
- as there may be a reference to the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics, we are
thinking early 1980s is most likely.

(3) It was largely set in Eastern Europe, most likely East Germany.

(4) It was about a boy who was an athlete (a runner, we think) who obtained
an old bicycle from somewhere to help with his training.

(5) His parents escaped to the west in a small plane, but he was left
behind at the last minute.

(6) He rode to the border (probably Berlin) in order to make his own escape.

(7) He rode very fast towards the border (Berlin Wall) so was able to avoid
being shot.

(8) He may have had to sprint the last part of his escape on foot.

(9) We think the comic may have ended with him running up to the home of
relatives in the west and finding his parents there waiting for him.

Please remember - we are not certain on any of these points - but most of
them should be true and collectively they give a good sense of the story.

Simply finding out which book it was in, would be a great start.

Thanks for any help anybody can give.

[Adam Eterno]

If you don't get any joy from this, maybe we could try finding the story in another way by listing every possible annual it could be in and one by one, crossing them off as we check our collections, therefore narrowing down the search. It sounds laborious but it might work if someone doesn't manages to come up with an answer for you. Hopefully someone will!

[wilsia]

Sounds like Alf Tupper from Victor

[colcool007]

Sounds like Alf Tupper from Victor

It's not Alf as the only one that featured his parents had them die and he ended up being with his abusive Aunt Meg when she could be bothered to take care of him.