Thunder's Merge With Lion

[alanultron5]

The `White Eye` gas turned even the mildest of fellows evil (Including one of the schoolboy `heroes`) funnily though, it didn't changed Ezra Creech's mind as he was a very naughty fellow anyway!

[Raven]

Were the 1970 strips Flame o' the Forest, Britain A.D. 2170, and General Johnny any good? The first two sound especially interesting.

[steelclaw]

Were the 1970 strips Flame o' the Forest, Britain A.D. 2170, and General Johnny any good? The first two sound especially interesting.

Raven I don't have many 1970 Lion's but these scans might give you an idea of what there like.

It even mentions Raven at the top of the strip, so it must be right up your street.

[steelclaw]

The 4 page pull out Ad for 'Thunder' from 'Lion' October 17th 1970.

[Digifiend]

So they saw General Jumbo, thought "right, what's better than toy soldiers? real soldiers!" and came up with General Johnny, did they? The name at least must've been inspired by the Beano character.

[steelclaw]

So they saw General Jumbo, thought "right, what's better than toy soldiers? real soldiers!" and came up with General Johnny, did they? The name at least must've been inspired by the Beano character.

Probably good init.

[Raven]

Thanks for those, Steely - very nice of you. All seem like good and well drawn storytelling; much better than most of what I'd been seeing in the later Lion and Thunders overall. Perhaps 1970 was a bit of a peak year for latterday Lion. The lucky urchins of 1970 who got both Valiant and Lion through their letter flaps certainly wouldn't have been short of thrills and derring-do.

Does anyone know who drew General Johnny? Some very lively panels there with quite dynamic perspectives changing from panel to panel.

Nice how it's just assumed that the readers of Flame o' the Forest will know about Saxon England and the Norman invaders.

[steelclaw]

Kid's in 1970 never had it so good with comics, I think I took comics for granted(Lion,Valiant,Knockout,Whizzer & Chip)always thinking they would be there, I suppose they are in away just buy them on ebay.

The first panel of 'Flame o' the Forest is sublime.

[Raven]

It's amazing how much great stuff there was - lots of amazing craftsmanship and inspiration for just a few pennies a time. And, of course, totally taken for granted and widely considered disposable trash.

[Lew Stringer]

I'm not sure who drew that General Johnny episode but it's an artist sometimes confused with Geoff Campion.

Britain AD2170 was of course drawn by Solano Lopez (or his studio) and Flame O' The Forest by Massimo Belardinelli, later to work for 2000AD.

Lew

[steelclaw]

I'm not sure who drew that General Johnny episode but it's an artist sometimes confused with Geoff Campion.

Britain AD2170 was of course drawn by Solano Lopez (or his studio) and Flame O' The Forest by Massimo Belardinelli, later to work for 2000AD.

Lew

Thanks Lew,
Massimo Belardinelli is now in my top 3 artists.

The Flame O' the forest first panel,
is a like a Prog Rock cover on the Vertigo label from 1970.

[philcom55]

The General Johnny episode looks like the work of Italian artist Renato Polese (though I think Ted Kearon drew the initial storyline). To be honest I never thought too highly of Massimo Belardinelli, but purely as an inker I have to admit that his brush virtually made love to a page in a way that nobody else has ever equalled!

- Phil Rushton

[Raven]

A UK checklist webpage for Renato Polese does credit him with drawing General Johnny - "(with Edward Kearon)."

It also credits him with drawing the Lion strips Andy's Army, Code Name - Barracuda (with Antonio Sciotti) and The Speed Kings.

I have an early 1970 issue with Andy's Army - "Schoolboy Andy Campbell and his 'army', three tough criminals he had released from a military prison, had returned from behind the World war II battle lines to Germany ... " Looks quite similar to General Johnny.

[Peter Gray]

inspired by Lew's blog post..
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/ ... under.html

I bought my first Lion and Thunder 1971 8th May

I enjoyed best Black Max
The Jigsaw Journey the octopuses ar eplaying football!!
Spellbinder was great fun with the giant man..
Adam Eterno in the future
and of course Mowser..

Phil the Fluter didn't do much for me..prefer Stopwatch Stan by Reg Parlett in Buster:)

So I like the classic strips best..