Available indexes?

[Kashgar]

I've always thought that Steve's 'Fleetway Companion' is a monumental work. Which, despite it's occasional error and omission, was audacious in a way that I couldn't have thought to countenance in one of my own efforts. Not being an avid collector himself (no comics in the oven like Denis Gifford) Steve often relied on the collections of others to source his material which was not the way I liked to work at all. He was always the comics historian first and a collector second while for me it was the other way around.
Steve just went for it and the result was 'The Fleetway Companion' a huge invaluable catalogue of that publishers boy's titles. I could have done the same with the DCT titles but Steve and myself are cut from different cloth. Dammit!

[Kashgar]

From memory Steve's indexes include -

The Fleetway Companion - A fact-packed 'work in progress'. Errors and omissions certainly but still a brilliant book.
The Lion Index - Much more rounded and concise offspring of the above.
The Valiant Index - Ditto.
The Buster Index (avec moi) Ditto (Lew did foreword for this)
Tiger Index - Would have been the same as above but never published. Still in loose-leaf A4 format somewhere in my study.
The Power Pack - Steve's index of the Odham's titles in the 1960's (He never liked the title by the way which was Bryon Whitworth's idea. I've always thought it was rather apt myself)
The Sun Index (with David Ashford) Catalogue of the AP title.
The Comet Index (with David Ashford) Ditto.
Super-Detective Library Index (with David Ashford) Ditto.
Dixon Hawke Index - a catalogue of the stories in the Dixon Hawke Library and Dixon Hawke Casebooks
Mike Western Index - a pretty concise catalogue of the work of one of AP/Fleetway's most distinguished artists.

There are more but the above are the ones that have immediately sprung to mind. The ones at the top of the list are the ones I personally had most input into either with info or actual introductions to the books themselves.

[Kashgar]

I'm sure Steve has long since corrected any such errors or omissions on his databases. You have to remember that in the days when those first lists were compiled there was no such thing as the internet - nor even crude home-computers - and any information had to be pooled via the Royal Mail by a handful of enthusiastic volunteers (at first many of the artists were simply referred to by nicknames such as 'Scarback' based on nothing more than a recognizable style!). Also, there was no e-bay on which to acquire old comics. In fact Steve has always been one of the most expert researchers around and I doubt if anyone could have done the job better at the time.

- Phil Rushton

Absolutely Phil. Everything was such a drawn out process in those days. First-off you had sharpen your quill pen.....
Ah Scarback! There's a blast from the past. It was actually Sam Fair.

[toxteth o'grady]

Do Web Sites count as indexes (indices when I were a lad)? The Buzz comic website http://home.btconnect.com/thetopper was inspired by Ray/Kashgar's 'Topper Tales' and 'Book of the Beezer'. Thanks again Ray for providing the artist info.

I wish I'd been able to pick up more of the indexes. I take it they're all out of print now. I'd be interested to know how long the print runs were and if there's any chance that some would be reprinted.

[STARBOY]

I got the The Power Pack index a few years ago , it's an excellent read and has some good info on those old Odhams titles well worth looking out for any Odhams fans. Has A B Whitworth stopped publishing the UK Comic Journal?

[ROY ROGERS]

A copy of the Power index is on ebay at the moment with a bid of £20 and 8 days to go also a copy of the Classic comics index has been listed

[Digifiend]

Toxteth, the Beano Index was reprinted just last year in The History of The Beano, updated to August 2008. The Dandy was supposed to get something similar in 2007 but it was cancelled. The others are unlikely to see a reprint anytime soon, unless Ray and the other index compilers are hiding something from us. Try Ebay.

[STARBOY]

£20 thats not bad pity my issue is so dog eared, but happy to hold onto it at present - a lot of work went into that book (and no doubt others)

[Kashgar]

Steve also did the following (all with David Ashford)
Cowboy Comics Library - An Illustrated Guide
Thriller Picture Library - An Illustrated Guide
The Knockout Index (also with John Allen Clark)

An index is an index wherever it appears TO.

[Captain Storm]

Chatting To Steve Holland a good while back,I asked about the possibilty of reprinting his old Index series,albeit updated and corrected.He did say that time permitting he would revisit them,but at the moment is extrememly busy with his book projects.I and a few others have been supplying data on certain character indexes as a way of updating them.I believe 2 characters I have particular interest in are complete and factual,with no omissions.

Yours in comics,

The Cap.