Comics UK

philcom55 wrote:'Blighty' is new to me and sounds fascinating - what strips (if any) were included?

Info on Blighty here, Phil:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=blighty

Thanks Lew! The description of it as a comic threw me for a while, but now I think about it I'm pretty sure I've got a few copies myself somewhere. Wish I'd picked up some Arthur Ferrier artwork when it was going cheap a few years ago!

philcom55 wrote:Thanks Lew! The description of it as a comic threw me for a while, but now I think about it I'm pretty sure I've got a few copies myself somewhere. Wish I'd picked up some Arthur Ferrier artwork when it was going cheap a few years ago!

Yes, definitely not a comic but it did feature some short humour strips on some pages. I'm not sure it was a "Forces only" mag. I think it was sold on bookstalls along with other mags of its type. They were the precursors to "girlie" mags. Blighty eventually became Parade.

hook jaw iss 1 and wwe comic from boom

I just mangled the old adage of be careful what you wish for. In our internet savvy days, this should now read be careful what you bid on, you just might get it!

I won the mixed batch of 1960 to 1963 Wizards from Mr Shrimpton so that should be some more gaps filled in

Lew Stringer wrote:

philcom55 wrote:Thanks Lew! The description of it as a comic threw me for a while, but now I think about it I'm pretty sure I've got a few copies myself somewhere. Wish I'd picked up some Arthur Ferrier artwork when it was going cheap a few years ago!

Yes, definitely not a comic but it did feature some short humour strips on some pages. I'm not sure it was a "Forces only" mag. I think it was sold on bookstalls along with other mags of its type. They were the precursors to "girlie" mags. Blighty eventually became Parade.

Reminds me of Punch Magazine. alot of adverts at the back of it. never seen it before so it was cheap enough to give it a try.

A quieter period for me as I've lost out on dozens of auctions both on Ebay and elsewhere. Prices seem to be still increasing.

I still managed to pick up:

Forbidden Worlds #1 - T&P - 1950
Side Show Comics #1 - Pan Graphics - 1987
Purple Hood #1 - Spencer - 1965 - Rubbish artwork and pretty poor story lines but it joins the #2 I picked up before Christmas and I still found it strangely entertaining!
Eagle #1 + free gift spinner - IPC - 1982
Black Knight #1 - L Miller - 1955
Casper the Friendly Ghost #1 - Harvey - 1973
Jackpot #3 + Free gift - IPC - 1979
In Orbit - #1 of 1 - Turton - 1960

Probably a bad idea but I decided to keep a tally of what my net spend on comics is this year and was very pleased that after all costs I managed to only spend £5 net on comics in January. My beloved is pretty sceptical as the postman is forever delivering parcels but I've managed to load quite a few duplicates on Ebay this month so I've got to try and keep it going.......until that "must have at any cost" comic is up for grabs!

Adam Eterno wrote: Purple Hood #1 - Spencer - 1965 - Rubbish artwork and pretty poor story lines but it joins the #2 I picked up before Christmas and I still found it strangely entertaining!

Just a slight correction for your records, but that was published in 1967. Agree with you on the art and story but there was a certain charm to it when I bought issue 2 back in the sixties. I liked it because it was cruder than other comics.

The same publisher did a few other titles in that format, around the same time, all drawn by the same artist, (Michael Jay), which might explain why they all look so rushed.

Lew Stringer wrote:

Adam Eterno wrote: Purple Hood #1 - Spencer - 1965 - Rubbish artwork and pretty poor story lines but it joins the #2 I picked up before Christmas and I still found it strangely entertaining!

Just a slight correction for your records, but that was published in 1967. Agree with you on the art and story but there was a certain charm to it when I bought issue 2 back in the sixties. I liked it because it was cruder than other comics.

The same publisher did a few other titles in that format, around the same time, all drawn by the same artist, (Michael Jay), which might explain why they all look so rushed.

Thanks for that. The comics don't have any dates on them so I checked the Grand Comic Database which has them as '65. It's a good thought that the crudity is the reason why I have enjoyed them so much!

I've got Fantasy Stories #1 and Strange Stories #1 as well but haven't got the #1s for Macabre Stories, Mark Tyme and Spectre Stories. Half way there!

Adam Eterno wrote: Thanks for that. The comics don't have any dates on them so I checked the Grand Comic Database which has them as '65. It's a good thought that the crudity is the reason why I have enjoyed them so much!

I've got Fantasy Stories #1 and Strange Stories #1 as well but haven't got the #1s for Macabre Stories, Mark Tyme and Spectre Stories. Half way there!

Back in those days, independent UK comics and American comics would hang around the shops for years. I first discovered The Purple Hood with No.2 in 1969 on a holiday to Blackpool, although I later found out it was published two years earlier. I didn't see Mark Tyme in a newsagents until 1975, when it was presumably reissued from old warehouse stock with a 5p sticker obscuring the 1967 1/- price. (I've since bought a few of the other John Spencer comics over the years from eBay.)

Don't know if we've already mentioned this- it seems familiar - but John Spencer & Co. also published Spectre Stories in 1967 and the art is not by Michael Jay. A number of the stories bear the credit, "Mick Anglo - London". The remainder bear no credits and a couple look like European reprints, but I could be mistaken.
There were 6 issues in the series according to the Price Guide. Hope that adds to discussion.

Just under 50 issues of Smash! from March 1969 until Christmas 1969.

Actually, it was yesterday, but I picked up 8 Commandos, 1 War PL and three Battle PL Holiday Specials. And I picked up the Titan issue 1 of Hookjaw with the Brian Williamson cover so I now have the pencils and finished article!

paw broon wrote:Don't know if we've already mentioned this- it seems familiar - but John Spencer & Co. also published Spectre Stories in 1967 and the art is not by Michael Jay. A number of the stories bear the credit, "Mick Anglo - London". The remainder bear no credits and a couple look like European reprints, but I could be mistaken.
There were 6 issues in the series according to the Price Guide. Hope that adds to discussion.

2, 3, 4 & 5 are for sale on Ebay and have been for some time. I haven't seen the #1 for sale for at least 2 years. I didn't realise the artwork wasn't by Michael Jay.

Valiant Summer Specials for 1970 and 1971. That makes 10 I have now but still a few to go to get them all