Questions for John Stokes?

Digifiend · Post by **Digifiend** » 11 Oct 2010, 14:37

Which comic is that from?

crow · Post by **crow** » 11 Oct 2010, 21:29

Wow, Phil, I had no idea that Marney had made an appearence somewhere else! What lovely stuff it is, too. I wonder who the artist was? And did Scott have anything to do with it? What title was it featured in?
Sorry, I know that you are supposed to be asking me questions, but I was just amazed to see this stuff.
Warmest regards to you, Muffy, Lew and all the others who have taken an interest in this blog.
John.

Digifiend · Post by **Digifiend** » 12 Oct 2010, 00:43

Hmm, the last two posts are missing... still show up in the thread review when adding a reply though.

Digifiend wrote:Which comic is that from?

crow wrote:Wow, Phil, I had no idea that Marney had made an appearence somewhere else! What lovely stuff it is, too. I wonder who the artist was? And did Scott have anything to do with it? What title was it featured in?
Sorry, I know that you are supposed to be asking me questions, but I was just amazed to see this stuff.
Warmest regards to you, Muffy, Lew and all the others who have taken an interest in this blog.
John.

philcom55 · Post by **philcom55** » 12 Oct 2010, 02:44

The colour Marney strip appeared in a fortnightly title called Sunny that IPC produced for 'little children' in 1986/7. Unfortunately I don't have any information on writers or artists, though the cover of the issue I have seems to be by Ron Embleton. I wonder if John Stokes knew anything about it?

- Phil Rushton

Shaqui · Post by **Shaqui** » 12 Oct 2010, 05:52

Superb stuff, Crow. Very well done! Nice to have some reminescences like that. Keep up the good work.

John Stokes · Post by **John Stokes** » 13 Oct 2010, 16:33

I have remembered a job that didnâ€™t see print, Lew, but it was for Games Workshopâ€™s â€˜Warhammer Monthly, not IPC. I was taking over â€˜Hildebrand Grimmâ€™ from the Sharpe Brothers, and had finished and sent the first episode when the title folded. It was a pity, as it looked like being a really nice project to work on.

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 13 Oct 2010, 17:00

Thanks John. I know IPC did put together some dummy issues that never reached the publication stage but perhaps they only consisted of reprints.

Two dummy issues that did feature new material were Spitfire that Odhams put together in 1968 and Blackjack that Fleetway (or IPC) were developing around the same time. Neither of them were given the green light due to IPC taking over the comics and I think some material may have ended up in IPC's version of Smash in 1969. Sadly, some strips, such as a new one by Mike Higgs were never published anywhere. (And the artwork was destroyed years ago, so no trace of it exists now.)

Was Kangaroo Kid intended for Scorcher right from the start?

philcom55 · Post by **philcom55** » 13 Oct 2010, 20:55

John wrote:The only exception to this was in the mid to late sixties, when Fleetway experimented with a fluid, which, when painted onto line artwork, would print as a tone, a bit like zip-a-tone (remember that?) not in colour, but it gave the artist a greater control of the final pages. It must have presented printing problems, or was too costly, because it dissapeared before long.

I'm guessing this is what John means. The amazing page from his 'Crisis Carson' strip shown below appeared in Tiger during February 1964 while Fleetway were experimenting with grey-tone splash panels on nearly all their titles. From the original art I've seen this seems to have involved the use of separate (possibly special) pieces of paper for the relevant scenes. To my mind this period produced some of the best work ever to appear in the pages of Lion, Valiant, Tiger, etc. - it's a shame the experiment didn't continue, for whatever reason.

- Phil Rushton

felneymike · Post by **felneymike** » 13 Oct 2010, 22:22

I'm pretty sure i have that story in an annual, the artwork is indeed fantastic... i might have to search it out and re-read it.

Unrelated, but one thing i was wondering last night was about "painted" stories in some other annuals i have - mainly Warlord. Were these stories painted in colour and then printed in greyscale with additional one-colour areas? Or was the 'painting' also done in 'greyscale' (which would probably be more difficult and rather pointless to actually put down on paper). If the strips were painted in colour it might be high time they were somehow reprinted the way they are painted! If the originals exist anyway.

Shaqui · Post by **Shaqui** » 13 Oct 2010, 22:38

felneymike wrote:Unrelated, but one thing i was wondering last night was about "painted" stories in some other annuals i have - mainly Warlord. Were these stories painted in colour and then printed in greyscale with additional one-colour areas? Or was the 'painting' also done in 'greyscale' (which would probably be more difficult and rather pointless to actually put down on paper). If the strips were painted in colour it might be high time they were somehow reprinted the way they are painted! If the originals exist anyway.

Puzzled by your assertion that painting in 'greyscale' is 'probably more difficult and rather pointless'? I've painted in 'greyscale', and it's a damn sight easier than colour as it's simply tones instead of whole scales of hues! But perhaps that's just me!

You have to consider that a full-colour commission would be far more expensive than a monochromic one, be it just b/w line work, line and wash, or monochromatic painting. I suspect few if any comics would have the budget to commission full colour work just to print it 'greyscale'. I know of one example (as I own the original) where a strip page was commissioned in colour but printed b/w but suspect this was a decision made late in the day, and a relative rarity. Reprints in b/w are, however, a quite different matter.

John Stokes · Post by **John Stokes** » 13 Oct 2010, 23:01

Yes, Phil, That's it! But ( and bearing in mind we are talking about nearly fifty years ago!) I can't remember any overlays, just painting the tone onto the inked artwork, Maybe it was special paper, but I don't recall being given any, just a special fluid to dilute the Indian Ink with. I had also forgotten that it was only the introductory panel that was handled like that.
It's great to have the opportunity to talk to you all.
Warmest regards,
John.

John Stokes · Post by **John Stokes** » 13 Oct 2010, 23:07

Sorry, Lew, I forgot to pick up on your 'Kangeroo Kid' question. Yes, it was always designed for 'Scorcher' and, as far as I know, I was always in the frame to draw it.

steelclaw · Post by **steelclaw** » 13 Oct 2010, 23:21

This is another of Johns great Strips from a 1976 Buster.

John did you do any strips for Scorcher?

steelclaw · Post by **steelclaw** » 13 Oct 2010, 23:37

Sublime artwork
We need a book like 'Black Bob' for 'Marney the Fox'

Peter Gray · Post by **Peter Gray** » 13 Oct 2010, 23:49

What wonderful dark shadows and snow scenes in Marney..also a great pictures of an Owl..

Welcome to comicsuk forum John..

heres my picture of a fox..a friend for Marney..

People are always asking me to draw an Owl..so seeing that gem has inspired me..

Comics UK

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