Comics UK

Peter Gray wrote:What's your favourite in Valiant..also fun to reread these posts..

also whats your favourite annual of Valiant

My favourites are still Raven on the Wing and The Ghostly Guardian (the weekly comic versions).

All the early to mid Seventies annuals are very nice. I'm fond of the 1973 one, which has some appealing strips, including an eight page original colour Janus Stark (Janus in Egypt), an eighteen page Kelly's Eye (Kelly v. killer bats!) reprint of a weekly serial, and a nice, blue-tinted Tuffs of Terror Island.

I started getting Valiant in October '69 so from then up to the merger with Smash! would be my favourite period. I think the '70s mergers slowly diluted the comic - never cared that much for Janus Stark or His Sporting Lordship - and even Kelly's Eye, my favourite strip, began to look a little tired (I did enjoy the evil double storyline though). I hated the merger with Lion and it was never the same for me after that, although I stuck with it till the bitter end.

Having since read many of the '60s issues I think it was stronger on the whole during that decade. After an average first few months, the merger with Knockout gave it a real kick-start and it steadily grew in strength as various classic strips joined the line-up, probably reaching it's peak around '68/'69.

The annuals never lived up to the weekly in my eyes.

Edited to add: I think Valiant had the best roster of artists as well - Mike Western, Solano Lopez, Eric Bradbury, Jesus Blasco, Bill Lacey. Lovely stuff!

I love The Ghostly Guardian. Here - from the first installment in the 23rd May 1970 issue - is young runaway Jim arriving at his family home Masthead Manor, to discover it was designed in the shape of a pirate ship! Beautiful artwork by Julio Schiaffino. And well written by Tom Tully.

And here's some dynamic Firebrand-type punishment from 11th July 1970.

You also get lots of great Swots and the Blots madness from Leo Baxendale in Valiant and Smash, Peter!

Note the rhyme: "I am a hippy spider/ an' I sat down beside her/ on a super motorbike/ like they have in Easy Rider.'

I loved the Crows. Poor dad crow always came a cropper. One Eyed Jack was great as I have always been a big Clint Eastwood fan. Drawn by John Cooper in Bellamy style.

Peter Gray wrote:What's your favourite in Valiant..also fun to reread these posts..

also whats your favourite annual of Valiant

Kelly's Eye, and the 68 annual for this colour story.

There's a nice colour Kelly's Eye strip in the 1970 annual, too.

Raven wrote:There's a nice colour Kelly's Eye strip in the 1970 annual, too.

Is that the one with Romans in it or am i getting confused with something else?

I must get a copy of that annual.

matrix wrote: Is that the one with Romans in it or am i getting confused with something else?

I must get a copy of that annual.

No Romans. Kelly fights a monster octopus, then ends up on a South Seas island, and has a close encounter with a volcano.

Thanks for the info on that annual Raven. After further research the story i am thinking of is from the 74 annual, where Kelly is with Dr Diamond in the time clock going back and fighting Romans, lovely artwork as well.

Is Solano Lopez the artist of these Kelly's Eye coloured strips?

matrix wrote: Is Solano Lopez the artist of these Kelly's Eye coloured strips?

The 1968 and 1970 ones are drawn by Carlos Cruz; they're actually signed in a few places. I don't have the 1974 annual.

Raven wrote:

matrix wrote: Is Solano Lopez the artist of these Kelly's Eye coloured strips?

The 1968 and 1970 ones are drawn by Carlos Cruz; they're actually signed in a few places. I don't have the 1974 annual.

Thanks again, id better get some new glasses i found three captions signed!

Just read the Wild Wonders a strip with a serious and lead characters in a cartoon style a bit like the Roy Wilson one mentioned on Lew's Blog recently...
Mike Western drew it,,,
I like quirky strips...

I have a bunch of consecutive early 70's Valiants somewhere, and the Wild Wonders was a highlight for me too.

I just regret Captain Hurricane, which besides being in poor taste and a waste of five good pages, seemed out of character for this great comic.