Comics UK

I've just got hold of - and have been reading through - some 1979 issues of Buster. It's filling with dated looking reprints at this point but was still worth buying, mostly for the dynamic, brilliantly illustrated three page adventure strips The Byrds of Paradise Isle and The Leopard From Lime Street - and also Ken Reid's Faceache.

There's an interesting new direction in these issues though, with some one-page-per-issue adventure serials.

The 13th January issue contains both Lennie the Loner and Yorky Grit, both of which seem to feature a homeless, shelter seeking boy and his pet dog, and also Keen and Mustard about a girl joining a school football team.

By February there's a new one-pager serial Featherweight Freddie, a boy who becomes lighter than air when he eats a magic sweet of an ancient Egyptian princess. This looks rather like those whimsical Sparky adventure strips of the Sixties.

In December, there's a new one-pager serial Seeker From Space about a boy who's absorbed an alien force, which looks a bit darker in the old-fashioned Buster style.

Did anyone like or follow any of these? I'd forgotten these adventure one-pagers; they make an interesting blend with the longer serials. I wonder if the editor was thinking this might be the way to go with adventure serials and was trying the format out.

Looks like those 1979 Buster would be good to hunt out, I only have one Buster from December 1979, it has a 1 page football strip called 'Keen and Mustard' plus a couple of the other strips you mentioned.

It should also have Seeker From Space. My December issue is the 22nd (nice Kid Kong carol singing cover) and features the possessed boy lapping up lots of the alien's favourite food - tomato sauce - and then seemingly attacking the sister. "NAIEEEEEEE!"

Does anything thrilling happen in yours - or do you have the same issue?

Lennie the Loner and Yorkie Grit are interesting in their 'plucky sensitive animal-loving loner orphans making a go of it' kind of feel, which perhaps seem a bit closer to girls' comics serial tropes.

Raven wrote:It should also have Seeker From Space. My December issue is the 22nd (nice Kid Kong carol singing cover) and features the possessed boy lapping up lots of the alien's favourite food - tomato sauce - and then seemingly attacking the sister. "NAIEEEEEEE!"

Does anything thrilling happen in yours - or do you have the same issue?

Lennie the Loner and Yorkie Grit are interesting in their 'plucky sensitive animal-loving loner orphans making a go of it' kind of feel, which perhaps seem a bit closer to girls' comics serial tropes.

My only issue from 1979 is dated December 29th.
Wow 1979 and still 4 Adventrue Stirps in Buster.

Great - the next instalments! Thanks for that.

I'd like to collect the whole run of The Byrds of Paradise isle.

Raven wrote:Great - the next instalments! Thanks for that.

I'd like to collect the whole run of The Byrds of Paradise isle.

"NAIEEEEEEE!" Jane loves saying that.

Do you know when it started and ended?

Paradise Isle?

According to the Buster Comic website: Launched: 1st July 1978, Ended: 29th March 1980.

Raven wrote:Paradise Isle?

According to the Buster Comic website: Launched: 1st July 1978, Ended: 29th March 1980.

I keep forgetting about the Buster site.

Is it my PC, when I try and click on the strips in the day by day section of the Buster site nothing happens all I see is the front page.

1 Year 9 months to collect, at least the price for them won't bet as much as the Buster & Jets I've collected from 1971-1974, I need 2 more to collect from 1973 I've just bought the last Buster & Jet on ebay from May 11th 1974.

I still don't have a complete Sam's City Jungle from early 1972 yet - another favourite - and that only lasted about 22 weeks.

I don't think the Page by Page section is finished yet. I get the same.

steelclaw wrote:I keep forgetting about the Buster site.

Is it my PC, when I try and click on the strips in the day by day section of the Buster site nothing happens all I see is the front page.

Hi. My debut post here.

There are a select number of issues that are covered that does have a linking page, but I'm sure the Bustercomic website is still in the process of uploading the pages.

G-Day to you and welcome..

Blimey - I thought my ears were burning!!!!

Firstly, please don't forget about us steelclaw...we've been kicking around for a number of years now! Try sticking a post it note to your computer or something!

As for the Page by Page yes, it's not fully up and running.

The idea was to list every strip of every issue and all of the storylines within.....and make it easier to show when stuff was reprinted etc.

The downside to this was it would take a whole weekend to list one issue, which was fine until I picked up two hundred odd comics from the 1970s at which point I needed to speed up the process somewhat.

So, I've resorted to listing the general overview of each issue I own. I fully intend to continue with the longer project, but it's a case of finding the time to do so. However, when it is working properly it should look something a bit like this: http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/281285.html

Finally, G'day Blaing....and well done! You know precisely what's going on in my head....which is rather disconcerting


Matt

Keep up the good work Bustercomic your doing a fantastic job.

I don't know how I forget about the Buster site I sent you some scans which you gave me a thanks mention.

I've bought a bunch of further 1978 and '79 Busters, including Yorky Grit's debut (27th May 1978). He's not an orphan, just a sixteen year old who leaves school and his jobless town "to seek a living elsewhere!" Girls serial-type bad luck and adult wickedness ensues.

And there's another one page-a-week serial starting that issue: The Carrier Bagges, about Barry and Bobby Bagges "who lived with their mother in the small industrial town of Hogdon." This seems to have turned into a full blown comedy with a rampaging elephant by July, but here their mum's crying because they can't afford the rent and face eviction. Again, rather girls' paper-ish.

Also found a two-pager serial I don't recall: Sidney's Stately Home, in which a kid inherits a dilapidated ancestral home and is helped to run it by his ghostly ancestor.

And one of these has the first episode of The Byrds of Paradise Isle, which is fab. I'm really growing to love Andrew Wilson's artwork.

Does anyone know if his 1980 serial Johnny's Journey - which I only know from its mention on the Buster site - is any good? Another homeless boy on the loose seeking a family, or something similar?

I followed all those serials in Buster, it was a 'golden era' (from my point of view).

Keen & Mustard was the longest lived of the one pagers, nice artwork - Danielle in the team added an extra dimension.

Johnny's Journey is a lovely story if you want to find out what happens (quite short) as is Lennie the Loner. Yorkie Grit I think was even shorter.

Seeker from space was a bit 'wooden'.

Featherweight freddie was also quite short but quite fun.

More of a humour story was 'Star Tour' as well which continued each week.

If any-one would like to know the endings, let me know and I'll tell you.