mighty one - my life inside the nerve centre - steve macmanu

Discuss or comment on Britain's sole surviving boy's comic from the 1970's. The home of Judge Dredd, Slaine, Nikolai Dante, ABC Warriors and Sinister Dexter. Has been running since 1977.

Moderator: AndyB

Post Reply
geoff42
Posts: 671
Joined: 18 Apr 2014, 00:48

mighty one - my life inside the nerve centre - steve macmanu

Post by geoff42 »

I've just received this book today. I was surprised by its size at first; basically a paperback novel. Compared to David Bishop's tome (Thrill power-overload) I was initially disappointed. But, on reading the initial chapters, I take everything back. Already, I have engaged with the author's memoirs and can't wait to carry on. This book is a far more personal take on 2000 ad than Bishop's. I have only read Steve's early experience with Fleetway as regards his time with Valiant, Battle, and Action; and i'm hooked. Very well written and offers a lot of humour. This is the kind of book that anyone with an interest in Fleetway (ala 1970's) should read. This makes me think if only the likes of Sid Bicknell and Jack Le Grand could have wrote their memoirs of Fleetway of the sixties and early seventies. What about D C Thomson: how many editors of that epoch could have written such memoirs - lost memories... sigh :headbash:

User avatar
colcool007
Mr Valeera
Posts: 3872
Joined: 03 Mar 2006, 18:06
Location: Lost in time, lost in space
Contact:

Re: mighty one - my life inside the nerve centre - steve mac

Post by colcool007 »

geoff42 wrote:I've just received this book today. I was surprised by its size at first; basically a paperback novel. Compared to David Bishop's tome (Thrill power-overload) I was initially disappointed. But, on reading the initial chapters, I take everything back. Already, I have engaged with the author's memoirs and can't wait to carry on. This book is a far more personal take on 2000 ad than Bishop's. I have only read Steve's early experience with Fleetway as regards his time with Valiant, Battle, and Action; and i'm hooked. Very well written and offers a lot of humour. This is the kind of book that anyone with an interest in Fleetway (ala 1970's) should read. This makes me think if only the likes of Sid Bicknell and Jack Le Grand could have wrote their memoirs of Fleetway of the sixties and early seventies. What about D C Thomson: how many editors of that epoch could have written such memoirs - lost memories... sigh :headbash:
Geoff, as you are enjoying this, I can heartily recommend Eagle Daze, a series of articles written by the late Roger Perry of his days working for Eagle.

And I am so glad that you are echoing Richard and I in how great a book this is. Hope you enjoy the rest and watch out for the heady days of the 1980s when pop culture really went Zarjaz for 2000AD!
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!

geoff42
Posts: 671
Joined: 18 Apr 2014, 00:48

Re: mighty one - my life inside the nerve centre - steve mac

Post by geoff42 »

Hi, Col, I've just finished reading the first three articles of Eagledaze and find them really good. At the end of the third, with the typewriter prank, I was practically heaving in my chair with tears rolling down my cheeks. I could quite clearly visualize the whole thing. Wonderful.

geoff42
Posts: 671
Joined: 18 Apr 2014, 00:48

Re: mighty one - my life inside the nerve centre - steve mac

Post by geoff42 »

I really enjoyed Roy Perry's jaunt in the usa with Leonard Matthews and Eliazabeth Flowers. Now the both male protagonists have died, I kind of hope that Elizabeth is still alive just to keep that trip ongoing in someone's memory. I always find it sad that the last person to have recorded such a trip has died. That's why we need memoirs.

User avatar
SID
Posts: 1744
Joined: 02 Oct 2008, 22:53
Location: Mancave.
Contact:

Re: mighty one - my life inside the nerve centre - steve mac

Post by SID »

Well I bought the Steve MacManus book the other week and I read it in a day, it was that interesting/enjoyable.

A great insight into the runnings of IPC/Fleetway and the swansong of the 60s/70s/80s comics (apart from 2000AD that is).
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

Post Reply