Was there ever a strip about Speedway?

[felneymike]

Hi, I'm trying to find out if there was ever a strip about Speedway (or if mine is the first!). I know the sport was most popular in the late 40's when the text-only papers were still just about in charge, and there was certianly a lot of text stories about it. But did any of these make the leap into pictures?

[Raven]

Hi, I'm trying to find out if there was ever a strip about Speedway (or if mine is the first!). I know the sport was most popular in the late 40's when the text-only papers were still just about in charge, and there was certianly a lot of text stories about it. But did any of these make the leap into pictures?

Valiant beat you to it from 28th December 1974 with Whiz-Along Wheeler, about young speedway racer Willie Wheeler who lives in a small, tatty circus with a pet brown bear named Humbug, where he rides the Wall of Death; he wins local speedway contests to make money to keep the circus going, but the Loxton Lions want him to ride full-time for them. Nicely drawn by Mike Western.

[philcom55]

I think there were quite a few Speedway strips in Tiger, which tended to specialize in sport of all kinds - for example Joe Colquhoun's 'Knight Riders' series that ran from June 64 to May 65.

- Phil Rushton

[steelclaw]

Waif Of The Speedway
Appeared in Wizard in 1970.

[felneymike]

Ah OK. I'll have to think of something else to put in the editorial then!

[Phoenix]

There was also The Black Streak, which ran in The Hornet 478 (Nov. 4 1972) - 487 (Jan. 6 1973).

[steelclaw]

Hi, I'm trying to find out if there was ever a strip about Speedway (or if mine is the first!).

What I'm I missing here?
Have you done a strip on Speedway for a comic or something?

[grumpy old man]

Skid Kid ran (or rather raced) in the Hotspur in 1971

[felneymike]

Hi, I'm trying to find out if there was ever a strip about Speedway (or if mine is the first!).

What I'm I missing here?
Have you done a strip on Speedway for a comic or something?

Yes, and I couldn't recall seeing one before so I wondered if I could boast about "the first Speedway strip!" in the editorial. Even though it's only 3 pages and highly cheesy.

[philcom55]

In that case I'm pretty sure it'd be the first one involving cheese!

...Seriously, when can we hope to see this strip Mike?

- Phil Rushton

[felneymike]

Weelllll there appears to be no other small press conventions that are affordable/close enough/have tables left happening before August, in which month I hope to emigrate. So quite possibly never... or not for several decades. I'm wary of setting up an online store because my comics also feature Sexton Blake, who I thought at the beginning was in the public domain but he isn't. IPC apparently don't mind "non profit" fan fiction of their characters, which is the kind of profit you make at carbootey conventions, but selling things online seems a bit more dubious to me.

[paw broon]

Bit late getting to this but there were speedway stories in Champion, here:-
http://www.friardale.co.uk/Champion%20L ... ibrary.htm
Although they seem to be text, you can have a look at the covers, always useful for reference.

[felneymike]

Ahh Friardale, is there nothing they can't do? My own comics wiki (the original and least promoted!) was supposed to do what they do in a slightly clearer format. I'll probably delete it soon, mind.

Anyway Champion seems to have been all text so I suppose it's "Library" was too.

Anyway I finally finished the comic in question and there's some photos here: http://blog.crystal-knights.co.uk/2011/ ... e-issue-4/
Including part of the speedway story