Reg Parlett on 'Bewitched Belinda' for Whizzer and Chips

[Peter Gray]

quote from comicsuk gallery on Swift comic

Swift
(20/3/1954 - 2/3/1963)
The fourth comic in the 'Eagle family' of comics and was aimed at bridging the gap between the nursery comic Robin and Eagle itself. It was edited by the founder of all the 'Eagle family' comics, including Girl, the Rev. Marcus Morris.

It had some fine artists working for it, including Frank Bellamy, who later drew Dan Dare in the Eagle, Don 'Trigan Empire' Lawrence who drew Wells Fargo in 1959 and Pony Express in 1961, and there was the brilliant Reg Parlett who drew 'King Leo' in 1963. .

Could someone please put up an example of Reg's King Leo here please...love to see it..useful for the blog..

[philcom55]

If I get chance I'll try to scan in an example Peter. Reg did lots of great work for Odhams which benefitted greatly from their high quality printing. To be honest, though, I thought that 'King Leo' - as well as 'Guy D. Guide' (his other Swift series) - were amongst the least successful. Far better to my mind were Eagle's long-running 'Fidosaurus' and 'XYZ Cars'; though Boys' World's all-but-forgotten 'Did You Know?' feature sticks in my memory best of all, even though it didn't contain any continuing characters. (And of course one shouldn't forget the one-off 'Offenbark' strip he did for the Boys' World Annual!)

Bearing all that in mind it's odd that I can't remember any of his work ever appearing in Odham's 'Power Comics' like Wham!, Smash! or Pow! until after they were taken over by IPC (although I think his brother George did draw 'The Tellybugs' in Smash!).

- Phil Rushton

[Raven]

I knew King Leo and Guy D. Guide from Whizzer and Chips reprints through the 70s. King Leo had been reprinted as King of the Jungle and Guy D. Guide as Guy the Guide a few times in the weekly in late 1970, but I think they turned up more regularly in sundry later summer specials. I thought King of the Jungle was pretty good.

The fabulously drawn 'Did You Know?' had regular 70s reprints, too. Hmm, but what in? Was it Buster specials ... ? (Or even the weekly?)

[Lew Stringer]

Bearing all that in mind it's odd that I can't remember any of his work ever appearing in Odham's 'Power Comics' like Wham!, Smash! or Pow! until after they were taken over by IPC (although I think his brother George did draw 'The Tellybugs' in Smash!).

- Phil Rushton

You're right, Reg never worked for the five "Power Comics". I understand Odhams paid less than Fleetway, which may explain that. Or perhaps Reg's style wasn't contemporary enough for those "with it" comics?

I'm not sure who drew The Tellybugs but you may be right. I'm sure Kashgar will help as soon as he is able to.

Lew

[philcom55]

I'm not sure who drew The Tellybugs but you may be right. I'm sure Kashgar will help as soon as he is able to.

I just checked and 'The Tellybugs' was indeed drawn by A.G.B. Parlett and written by W. Thorburn. I'm not sure what Fleetway's rates were in 1966 but George was apparently paid the grand sum of £16 per page by Odhams while Walter Thorburn received £6 and the letterer got 2 guineas. By contrast Ken Reid was getting £24 a page and Leo Baxendale got a pound more at £25 (they were each paid an additional £5 for scripting): amazing when you think what any one of those pages would be likely to fetch today on Ebay!

- Phil R.

[Lew Stringer]

Good rates for 1966, and higher than the average weekly wage IIRC. I seem to recall that Leo said in his autobiography that Fleetway paid even better rates than Odhams.

Lew

[Peter Gray]

I've found a new Reg Parlett page..
Reg Parlett- Big Boy
Found him in Whizzer and Chips 1973 Annual..

http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogs ... s-and.html

Anyone please put up the ghostly leg by Reg up...

The Ghostly Leg
Launched: 17th December 1977

Ended: 29th April 1978

Comic Launched In: Buster

love to see this..

[Kashgar]

Big Boy is a reprint of 'The Big One' Peter, the title character of the oversized broadsheet comic produced by Fleetway in 1964-1965. It was amalgamated with Buster after only 19 issues and I seem to remember that, unusually for a title character, that Big One didn't start to appear in the title until well into it's, admittedly, rather short run. After the merger Buster and the big lad shared the cover strip for a while.

[Peter Gray]

Thanks Kashgar...
didn't know Reg drew for the Big One..
I'll add your info to the blog post..

Is The Goodies and the Baddies a Whizzer and chips characters or from an even earlier comic?
This is also on the blog post..

http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogs ... curse.html
Found that Jim Crocker drew the last few of The Mummy's Curse..


Looking at my old Whizzer and Chips again I've spotted a Terry Bave one I've missed which is really good ..
Scribblers page.readers send in drawings of strange creatures and a story is made up about them...really good fun...
Also found a good raid in The Champ story in 22nd Nov 1969 issue.....someone had change the title to The Chump...pasting a letter U on it..) This was done again in the 80's when Jack was drawing it..)
I love comics...

[Raven]

Looking at my old Whizzer and Chips again I've spotted a Terry Bave one I've missed which is really good ..
Scribblers page.readers send in drawings of strange creatures and a story is made up about them...really good fun...
Also found a good raid in The Champ story in 22nd Nov 1969 issue.....someone had change the title to The Chump...pasting a letter U on it..) This was done again in the 80's when Jack was drawing it..)
I love comics...

Peter, didn't I say some time ago that late 60s/early 70s Whizzer and Chips was fab?! I have that issue too. Now tell me I'm not the only person who likes Terry Bave's Aqua Lad ...

PS: Isn't that Steadfast McStaunch puzzle page in Chips nice?

[Peter Gray]

Aqua Lad....has a fun octopus..yey you right I need to reread them again..
As Lew has said many times you like the era you had known as a kid..


Another Terry Bave one I've missed for the website..will do a post on this as well..

the greatest raid ever!!

[Raven]

I've found a new Reg Parlett page..
Reg Parlett- Big Boy
Found him in Whizzer and Chips 1973 Annual..

http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogs ... s-and.html

Are there any adventure strips in that 1973 annual, Peter? (I've been pondering lately on what forgotten treasures might be hiding away in various 70s Fleetway annuals ... )

[Peter Gray]

Mickey Marvel and his talking cat..
Wonder Car
The Puzzler's Christmas Crime
Jackie Spratt Cheeky ragamuffin of Victorian London..

[Raven]

Mickey Marvel and his talking cat..
Wonder Car
The Puzzler's Christmas Crime
Jackie Spratt Cheeky ragamuffin of Victorian London..

Ooh - sounds good. The Puzzler was great in the weekly. Wonder Car should - hopefully - have lovely Ron Turner artwork. And I don't remember Jackie Spratt Cheeky Ragamuffin at all! (But I do like the idea of a Victorian London-set strip in Whizzer and Chips.)

[Peter Gray]

If this is Ron Turner I'll put the whole story up as a blog post..