Comics UK

wilsia wrote: The merger of Cor in Spring 1974 and then Monster Fun a few years later stripped Buster of its personality and it became more like its companion papers Whoopee and Whizzer and Chips.

I thought Buster and Cor!! and Buster and Monster Fun were both strong comics, and adventure strips did remain. There's not really any difference in Buster and Cor!! particularly, which had the adventure strips Pete's Pocket Army, Uncle Ironsides, Marney the Fox, Sammy Brewster's Ski-Board Squad, and Fishboy (and, initially, a Charlie Peace pull out booklet), the same set-up of about five adventure strips per issue.

Raven wrote:

wilsia wrote: The merger of Cor in Spring 1974 and then Monster Fun a few years later stripped Buster of its personality and it became more like its companion papers Whoopee and Whizzer and Chips.

I thought Buster and Cor!! and Buster and Monster Fun were both strong comics, and adventure strips did remain. There's not really any difference in Buster and Cor!! particularly, which had the adventure strips Pete's Pocket Army, Uncle Ironsides, Marney the Fox, Sammy Brewster's Ski-Board Squad, and Fishboy (and, initially, a Charlie Peace pull out booklet), the same set-up of about five adventure strips per issue.

I must admit that, like wilsia, I also had the impression that Buster moved closer to being a humour comic with the absorption of Cor!! I think what gave me that impression was that the choice of adventure strips were mostly of the lighter variety. Not as gritty (for want of a better word) as Maxwell Hawke or Von Hoffman's Invasion for example. Although Buster had been heading that way for a while.

Lew Stringer wrote:I must admit that, like wilsia, I also had the impression that Buster moved closer to being a humour comic with the absorption of Cor!! I think what gave me that impression was that the choice of adventure strips were mostly of the lighter variety. Not as gritty (for want of a better word) as Maxwell Hawke or Von Hoffman's Invasion for example. Although Buster had been heading that way for a while.

Well, yes - most of those adventure strips were in Buster before the merger with Cor!! (Sammy Brewster's Ski-Board Squad, Pete's Pocket Army, Fishboy).

Most of Buster's adventure strips were not especially gritty, though: back when you had Von Hoffman's Invasion in Buster, you also had George and the Dragon, The Sludgemouth Sloggers, The Wizard of Football and Sam's City Jungle. It was just that some - or most - of Buster's adventure strips tended to have a slightly more 'older reader' look to their artwork, I felt.

For Maxwell Hawke you're going back a long way, of course, but even he shared with Champion the Wonder Horse!

Raven wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote:I must admit that, like wilsia, I also had the impression that Buster moved closer to being a humour comic with the absorption of Cor!! I think what gave me that impression was that the choice of adventure strips were mostly of the lighter variety. Not as gritty (for want of a better word) as Maxwell Hawke or Von Hoffman's Invasion for example. Although Buster had been heading that way for a while.

Well, yes - most of those adventure strips were in Buster before the merger with Cor!! (Sammy Brewster's Ski-Board Squad, Pete's Pocket Army, Fishboy).

Most of Buster's adventure strips were not especially gritty, though: back when you had Von Hoffman's Invasion in Buster, you also had George and the Dragon, The Sludgemouth Sloggers, The Wizard of Football and Sam's City Jungle. It was just that some - or most - of Buster's adventure strips tended to have a slightly more 'older reader' look to their artwork, I felt.

For Maxwell Hawke you're going back a long way, of course, but even he shared with Champion the Wonder Horse!

I'm sure part of my impression of it was due to me getting older at the same time Buster was moving slightly younger in tone. I gave up on it (and other UK humour comics) not long after Cor!! merged into it and I didn't come back until 1980, by which time I viewed it in a different light.

You missed Monster Fun!

Raven wrote:You missed Monster Fun!

I bought the first issue but I'd just left school by then and was putting aside kids' comics.

Lew Stringer wrote: I bought the first issue but I'd just left school by then and was putting aside kids' comics.

And you're still kicking yourself to this very day ...

Raven wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote: I bought the first issue but I'd just left school by then and was putting aside kids' comics.

And you're still kicking yourself to this very day ...

Seriously though, although I bought every IPC humour comic from 1969 to 1975 I'd had enough of them by the time I was 16. I threw most issues out and have never regretted it. By the time I started buying them again in 1980, with a view to working in comics, they seemed a bit fresher.

Raven wrote:

Tammyfan wrote:Does anyone know what happened in the last episode, published 15 June 1974 in Buster? Did it come to a definite close with the kids finally escaping (as Schoolditz did) or the camp getting liberated or something?

No, one of the boys managed to escape, but it was a regular instalment, no definite close.

Thanks. I'm not really surprised it ended like that. Maybe they left it open in case of revival. Or maybe they didn't like closed endings.

Raven wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote: I bought the first issue but I'd just left school by then and was putting aside kids' comics.

And you're still kicking yourself to this very day ...

All too familiar story - you throw them out and then you regret it later on. I've done it.

I have some early issues for sale including no1 2 and 3 if you interested

Tammyfan wrote:

Raven wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote: I bought the first issue but I'd just left school by then and was putting aside kids' comics.

And you're still kicking yourself to this very day ...

All too familiar story - you throw them out and then you regret it later on. I've done it.

Well, in my case, as I said in my reply, I've never regretted it at all.

Lew Stringer wrote: Well, in my case, as I said in my reply, I've never regretted it at all.

Some people wouldn't - especially if they made a good sale on it.

Tammyfan wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote: Well, in my case, as I said in my reply, I've never regretted it at all.

Some people wouldn't - especially if they made a good sale on it.

Far from it. I binned them back in the late seventies, early eighties. Also gave a few hundred comics to the RSPCA for them to sell. Still no regrets though.

30tge Century Comics just acquired a nearly full run of Jet. They warn to move fast if you're to grab them!