Younger reader comics (the best of the rest)

[colcool007]

How many weeks was it before Candy's publisher City Magazines/Century 21 realised what an ill advised concept the creepy puppet photo-strip was, replacing it with artwork?

I'd like to know that too; Denis Gifford just says the format changed in 1968. In fact I can't help wondering why 'Anderson Fan Supreme' Shaqui Le Vesconte hasn't uploaded a detailed history of Candy onto his Technodelic website yet. Surely there can't be something about the subject matter that's putting him off...?

Come on Shaqui: it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it!

- Phil R.

They are hers, not hims...

[philcom55]

They are hers, not hims...

Since when?

[colcool007]

They are hers, not hims...

Since when?

Er..always.

[philcom55]

What about 'TV Land' does anyone know much about it? I get confused with all the tv comics where does this one fit in?

TV Land was a companion title to TV Comic and TV Express in the same way that Robin was related to Swift and Eagle/Girl, thereby encouraging children to progress from one comic to the next as they grew up.

I must admit that I've always had a special fondness for TV Land - especially the stories written and drawn by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. Interestingly, many of these were later redeveloped as episodes of their legendary TV series.

Unfortunately copies of TV Land rarely turn up so I've only been able to acquire a handful of individual issues. As a matter of interest do you have any of the later numbers featuring 'Noggin the Nog' Matrix?

- Phil Rushton

[philcom55]

They are hers, not hims...

Since when?

Er..always.

...Now I'm really confused. If he's a she why does Shaqui give her gender as 'male'???

http://downthetubes.ning.com/profile/ShaquiLeVesconte

- Phil R.

[colcool007]

Since when?

Er..always.[/quote]

...Now I'm really confused. If he's a she why does Shaqui give her gender as 'male'???

http://downthetubes.ning.com/profile/ShaquiLeVesconte

- Phil R.[/quote]Er, I am now the confused one! I assumed that the name was a girl's one and never seen anything to the contrary until now. So I'll be the one making a boo-boo...again!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Boo-boo was a boy, Phil and Col,, in YOGI BEAR......


---as if you ever doubted that!

[matrix]

Unfortunately copies of TV Land rarely turn up so I've only been able to acquire a handful of individual issues. As a matter of interest do you have any of the later numbers featuring 'Noggin the Nog' Matrix?

- Phil Rushton

No unfortunately not Phil I only have two copies, like you said they "rarely turn up".

Boo-boo was a boy, Phil and Col,, in YOGI BEAR......


---as if you ever doubted that!

Coincidently here he is with Yogi in TV Land, funny how these threads evolve!

[philcom55]

That's a nice, home-grown Yogi Bear strip, drawn if I'm not mistaken by British animator Chick Henderson, (aka A.W. Henderson). As with the Disney properties, however, the rights to Hanna-Barbera's popular characters tended to switch from one publisher to another quite rapidly during that period so that Yogi had to be dropped from TV Land when City Magazines acquired him for their new title Huckleberry Hound Weekly in 1961, before promoting him to his very own comic Yogi Bear's Own Weekly in 1962.



Aided by regular TV screenings of The Huckleberry Hound Show (and later The Yogi Bear Show) these two comics proved to be highly successful during the early 1960s, and they certainly qualify to be included amongst the 'best of the rest' of the UK's nursery comics. Unfortunately most of the content seemed to consist of second-hand material reprinted from American comic books produced by Western Publishing. Of course City Magazines later went on to create one of the most spectacular all-British comics ever in the shape of the legendary TV Century 21 so one can, perhaps, forgive them.


(They also published Candy...but that's another matter! )

- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

That's interesting thanks for all the info Phil. I must say I loved watching 'Huckleberry Hound' and 'Yogi Bear' in the sixties, not just for the animation, but also those great voices that went with it!

[stevezodiac]

I loved all of the 60s Hanna-Barbera shows - there were so many. Over at my mum's today and rooting through my comic cupboard for Charlton Ghost comics I came across a small bundle of comics called Playtime. They were an american comic sized version of The Rainbow in looks but aimed at the nursery market. I suppose the tabloid size would have been too difficult for toddlers to handle (which has made me think that Chick's Own and Tiny Tots were large sized but aimed at younger readers). I have them all in american comic bags and they look really nice.

[philcom55]

The advantage of the American material used in titles such as Yogi bear's Own Weekly was the fact that it adhered closely to model sheets employed by the original animators, as a result of which the characters were instantly identifiable. Unfortunately this was also something of a disadvantage in that it allowed little room for any artistic individuality.

Another similar title was the short-lived Tom & Jerry Weekly from 1974:



Sadly, the idea of importing readymade material for comics based on internationally-famous media properties proved to be the shape of things to come - to the extent that it now accounts for the vast majority of children's publications loosely described as comics (even though barely any of them feature any comic strip content).

At least in the case of Noddy and his Friends, also from 1974, the home-grown strip content was still relatively high. What's more, the adventures of 'Big Ears and his cat' had the added distinction of full-colour artwork by the excellent Andrew Wilson of 'The Happy Days' fame.





- Phil Rushton

[colcool007]

While it is not exactly my thing, I picked an interesting artist credit this weekend. Water-colour artist William Rudling mentioned that he drew Princess Robyn for Twinkle for two years in the late 80's. I am afraid that I do not have any of his work to show you, but I am sure that one of our stalwart younger comic fans may have an example of his work.

[matrix]

While it is not exactly my thing, I picked an interesting artist credit this weekend. Water-colour artist William Rudling mentioned that he drew Princess Robyn for Twinkle for two years in the late 80's. I am afraid that I do not have any of his work to show you, but I am sure that one of our stalwart younger comic fans may have an example of his work.

I don't collect this title so can't help with an example from the above quote. As it's been mentioned though I do have two copies from 1968. I wonder does anyone think Blasco did some of the 'Twinkle' covers as per example, also 'Patsy Panda' looks similar to some 'Teddy Bear' examples, possibly Bill Phillips? Anyone?

I like the 'Big Ears' Andrew Wilson example, he can't leave that check art alone!

[philcom55]

That's interesting about William Rudling - I was, of course, aware of him as the editor of Jeff Hawke's Cosmos but I had no idea he'd been a comic artist in his own right.

Patsy Panda was the work of Bob Dewar who also drew the character Bimbo for the comic that was named after him. I'm not aware of Jesus Blasco ever having worked for DC Thomson, and I'm pretty sure he didn't do that Twinkle cover. On the other hand it's certainly true that a lot of artists who'd previously been virtually exclusive to Fleetway/IPC later turned up in Thomson titles when the work began to dry up south of the border. One notable example was Tom Kerr who went on to become a major contributor to their nursery comics.

- Phil Rushton