Hawk Comics

[Richard S.]

Hawk Comics were an imprint of Hawk Books (best known for their series of Dan Dare reprint volumes in the 1990's) who puublished at leats 2 titles...The giant holiday adventure comic album...and...The giant holiday fantasy comic album. Both caem out in 1989, priced at ?2.99 and offered 288 pages of great holiday reading.

My question is were there any other titles produced in this series? I only picked up the above 2 titles recently so would be grateful for any tips.

Cheers


Richard Sheaf

[Shaqui]

Yes I remember those - if I recall correctly the fantasy one was almost a direct reprint of the 1967 Valiant Space Annual? I had one, possibly both, but don't recall ever seeing any more. i assumed they hadn't done that well to merit further titles.

[Peter Gray]

got the giant holiday fun comic album....?2.99
1989....288 pages of fun comic reading... hawk books

It has lots of the Cloak in order....the cloak versus the warlock..
Cloak v's the thing

also Queen of the sea in order
and lots of other gems...

[philcom55]

I'm pretty sure there was a girls' title as well!

Phil Rushton

[Lew Stringer]

I'm pretty sure there was a girls' title as well!

Phil Rushton

Yes there were four books in that series:

Giant Holiday Fantasy Comic Album

Giant Holiday All Girl Comic Album

Giant Holiday Fun Comic Album

Giant Holiday Adventure Comic Album

Ahead of their time, the books were like today's "Essentials" and "DC Showcase" softbacks. Printing was much poorer (ie greyer) than hoped, which was a big drawback.

They were collated and edited by Mike Higgs, as were all Hawk Books.

Other Hawk Books include the excellent Comics At War by Denis Gifford, (softback but quality paper and colour) and The Big Fat Bunter Book (hardback) on Billy Bunter.

The "Hawk" in Hawk Books stood for the publisher Patrick Hawkey, but all the praise should go to Mike for the hard work he put into designing and editing the books (not to mention providing cover art etc).

Hawkey isn't involved in books now but Mike has produced a number of books on comics since, such as Nostalgia About Comics (with Phil Clarke) and Fun Films (a book about the old music hall/ film comedians illustrated with selected panels from their comic strips).

His latest venture, with old comics pal Phil Clarke, was a compilation of their Phantom comics. Info at the top link here:

http://lewcomix.tripod.com/id5.html

They may still have copies of Nostalgia About Comics and Fun Films too if you ask.

Lew

[Richard S.]

Thanks for all that folks, very helpful. For those that are interested I thought I'd just list out the strips in the Adventure and Fantasy album, in case one of your favourite characters appears in it!

Adventure
Robin Hood's merry jest
Sexton Blake and the loch Kyle monster
Zip Nolan
Buck Jones and the pig-show pirates
Send for...Q-Squad
Master of the marsh
Dick Barton finds the city under the sea
The world-wide wanderers
Black axe
Dick Turpin and the secrest of wolf castle
Zip Nolan
The island of Fu Manchu
Kid pharaoh

Fantasy
Thunderbolt and the flying wreckers
Space family Rollinson
Janus Stark
Robot Archie and the mole men
The men from the stars
Maxwell Hawke in the ghost of gallows hill manor
Thr trouble seekers
Simon Test and the islands of peril
The return of the steel claw
The Marching Trees
Toby's timepiece
Thunderbolt Jaxon and the golden princess


Quite a variety of strips there then!


Richard Sheaf

[brisey]

Off topic slightly-Hawk also did the reprint of Captain Marvel and the Monster Society of Evil-a magnificent and rare project.

Whatever happened to them.They seemed to be producing books that people wanted

Brian