STORY 1
"THE HONEST SPY"
ARTISTS:JOHN BADIA AND VINCENT ALCAZCU
WRITER:ALAN FENNELL
ISSUES 1-7 (1971)
Trying to locate the route used by foreign agents to take spies out of Britain,MI6 arrange for convicted traitor John Strathmore to escape from prison.
Strathmore is helped by the foreign agents and leaves a trail that Major Graham and the Freewheelers follow to a disused tin mine in Cornwall.
FREEWHEELERS:THE LOOK-IN STRIPS CHRONOLOGY
Moderator: AndyB
Re: FREEWHEELERS:THE LOOK-IN STRIPS CHRONOLOGY
STORY 2
"THE MOUNTAIN SECRET"
ISSUES 8-15 (1971)
ARTIST:BRIAN LEWIS
WRITER:ALAN FENNEL
Led by Carlos Frangier, rebels have taken control of a small oil sheikdom.
Major Graham is strangely worried about the switch of power and asks the freewheelers to pose as tourists and get information.
They find that Sheik Kalif has stood down because Frangier is holding his daughter captive.
There is a secret behind the British involvement.
WOW!!! What a MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT this strip is on the previous strip!!!
I have no idea whether it captured the characters of the show better as have never seen the tv show but as a comic strip it's miles ahead of the first story. Genuinely enthralling, page turning stuff.
A really great strip, drawn by the legendary Brian Lewis of Tiger,Buster,Eagle,2000AD,Countdown ETC... fame.
One curiosity: Part 4,page 2,panel 4 depicts Sue in bra and knickers after swimming and seems to suggest stockings!
Obviously the artist would argue that this was shadowing but in reality is an amusing adult input that he deliberately placed for laughs!
"THE MOUNTAIN SECRET"
ISSUES 8-15 (1971)
ARTIST:BRIAN LEWIS
WRITER:ALAN FENNEL
Led by Carlos Frangier, rebels have taken control of a small oil sheikdom.
Major Graham is strangely worried about the switch of power and asks the freewheelers to pose as tourists and get information.
They find that Sheik Kalif has stood down because Frangier is holding his daughter captive.
There is a secret behind the British involvement.
WOW!!! What a MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT this strip is on the previous strip!!!
I have no idea whether it captured the characters of the show better as have never seen the tv show but as a comic strip it's miles ahead of the first story. Genuinely enthralling, page turning stuff.
A really great strip, drawn by the legendary Brian Lewis of Tiger,Buster,Eagle,2000AD,Countdown ETC... fame.
One curiosity: Part 4,page 2,panel 4 depicts Sue in bra and knickers after swimming and seems to suggest stockings!
Obviously the artist would argue that this was shadowing but in reality is an amusing adult input that he deliberately placed for laughs!
Last edited by jim244 on 11 Jun 2024, 23:58, edited 1 time in total.
Re: FREEWHEELERS:THE LOOK-IN STRIPS CHRONOLOGY
STORY 3
"Flight Into Danger"
ISSUES 16-19 (1971)
ARTIST:MIKE NOBLE
WRITER:ALAN FENNEL
The Freewheelers and Major Tom Graham are travelling to America where the major has to identify a spy,who is believed to have had plastic surgery,Ivan Nietsen.
They discover that there is a traitor in their organization.
The jet liner is hi-jacked and everything is against them.
An absolutely brilliant 4 parter,told bizzarely in a mixed format.
Each part starts with and ends with a line of comic strip panels.
In between is text.
Now,I don't know the reason for the change,it's possible that art was delayed,that Look-in was trying a new format or even that the editor of the magazine was testing public reaction to a written Freewheelers story,Alan did go on to write two Freewheelers paperbacks.
Either way:Excellent.
"Flight Into Danger"
ISSUES 16-19 (1971)
ARTIST:MIKE NOBLE
WRITER:ALAN FENNEL
The Freewheelers and Major Tom Graham are travelling to America where the major has to identify a spy,who is believed to have had plastic surgery,Ivan Nietsen.
They discover that there is a traitor in their organization.
The jet liner is hi-jacked and everything is against them.
An absolutely brilliant 4 parter,told bizzarely in a mixed format.
Each part starts with and ends with a line of comic strip panels.
In between is text.
Now,I don't know the reason for the change,it's possible that art was delayed,that Look-in was trying a new format or even that the editor of the magazine was testing public reaction to a written Freewheelers story,Alan did go on to write two Freewheelers paperbacks.
Either way:Excellent.
Re: FREEWHEELERS:THE LOOK-IN STRIPS CHRONOLOGY
STORY 4
"The Haunted Castle"
Issues 20-26 (1971)
ARTIST - John Badia
WRITER - Alan Fennel
Robert Dray,a secret service agent,escapes to England with vital film of names of the entire enemy spy system.
Met by The Freewheelers in a ruined castle,Dray is weak and helpless after his exploits.
Mike and Max go to the local village to try to contact Major Graham.
The foreign agents locate Sue and Dray.
This is the last story of the first run of The Freewheelers strips.
They would return in issue 50 (1971).
"The Haunted Castle"
Issues 20-26 (1971)
ARTIST - John Badia
WRITER - Alan Fennel
Robert Dray,a secret service agent,escapes to England with vital film of names of the entire enemy spy system.
Met by The Freewheelers in a ruined castle,Dray is weak and helpless after his exploits.
Mike and Max go to the local village to try to contact Major Graham.
The foreign agents locate Sue and Dray.
This is the last story of the first run of The Freewheelers strips.
They would return in issue 50 (1971).
Re: FREEWHEELERS:THE LOOK-IN STRIPS CHRONOLOGY
Story 5:
" The Fake"
WRITER: Alan Fennel
ARTIST: Carlos Pino
ISSUES 50 (1971) -1(1972)
The Freewheelers start their second Look-in run working for Colonel Buchan, due to personnel changes in the new series, Major Graham is nowhere to be seen.
The Freewheelers are helping Colonel Buchan and Dr Jo Bell to rescue a scientist who has been imprisoned for years in a hostile country.
They attempt to rescue Professor Stinesky from a castle tower but find the opposition has hoodwinked them into taking a decoy agent.
Not to be beaten,Colonel Buchan arranges an ambush when the professor is being transferred to a different prison.
A curious 3 parter and the weakest of the Freewheeler strips.
" The Fake"
WRITER: Alan Fennel
ARTIST: Carlos Pino
ISSUES 50 (1971) -1(1972)
The Freewheelers start their second Look-in run working for Colonel Buchan, due to personnel changes in the new series, Major Graham is nowhere to be seen.
The Freewheelers are helping Colonel Buchan and Dr Jo Bell to rescue a scientist who has been imprisoned for years in a hostile country.
They attempt to rescue Professor Stinesky from a castle tower but find the opposition has hoodwinked them into taking a decoy agent.
Not to be beaten,Colonel Buchan arranges an ambush when the professor is being transferred to a different prison.
A curious 3 parter and the weakest of the Freewheeler strips.
Re: FREEWHEELERS:THE LOOK-IN STRIPS CHRONOLOGY
STORY 6
"Robot"
WRITER -Alan Fennel
ARTIST - Carlos Pino
ISSUES 2 - 11 (1972)
The second story of the second run of this strip is also the final Freewheelers strip.
It's a confusing ten part epic.
Several businessmen have received threats that they are about to be assasinated.
Colonel Bucchan and Mike join a large group of policemen who are protecting Sir William Redmond,the latest industrialist to be warned.
Redmond is kidnapped and a humanoid robot is involved.
The Colonel and the Freewheelers quickly link the kidnappping with a computer expert and spy named Rudy Scriber.
Oceanologist Dr Jo Bell reveals that Scriber has been working on an underwater detection system.
This story starts in a wonderfully exciting way with victims not being killed but instead given notes saying "You have been assasinated".
Then introduces a humanoid robot.
HOWEVER...it all seems to be rather forgotten about by the conclusion.
This COULD HAVE BEEN so much better.
Carlos,great art as usual,was ex TV21 so no surprises there.
BUT OH MY GOD THE STORY.................
And here ended the Freewheelers in Look-in.
"Robot"
WRITER -Alan Fennel
ARTIST - Carlos Pino
ISSUES 2 - 11 (1972)
The second story of the second run of this strip is also the final Freewheelers strip.
It's a confusing ten part epic.
Several businessmen have received threats that they are about to be assasinated.
Colonel Bucchan and Mike join a large group of policemen who are protecting Sir William Redmond,the latest industrialist to be warned.
Redmond is kidnapped and a humanoid robot is involved.
The Colonel and the Freewheelers quickly link the kidnappping with a computer expert and spy named Rudy Scriber.
Oceanologist Dr Jo Bell reveals that Scriber has been working on an underwater detection system.
This story starts in a wonderfully exciting way with victims not being killed but instead given notes saying "You have been assasinated".
Then introduces a humanoid robot.
HOWEVER...it all seems to be rather forgotten about by the conclusion.
This COULD HAVE BEEN so much better.
Carlos,great art as usual,was ex TV21 so no surprises there.
BUT OH MY GOD THE STORY.................
And here ended the Freewheelers in Look-in.