Comics UK

Adam Eterno wrote:Well done Geoff, you've just convinced me to part with my hard earned pennies to buy the first 43 issues!

I was lucky in that a seller from Newcastle was selling a box of comics with a very blurred picture and I could make out some early Warlord issues. And when I got the box to find it had six months of both Warlord and Battle, you could tell I was happy with it. And when you consider I only paid a fiver for it, you can tell I was chuffed with the deal.

hI, Col, I'm sure you have a good collection of Warlord comics, if my memory serves me right. How about you giving your ongoing experience of re-living Warlord? Could be interesting... especially with your knowledge of particular artists

Hi, Adam; it was over 14 months ago when I started reading Battle Picture Weekly from No. 1 - from experience, there is better to come but still, there are certain stories that still hold up. Now, if you can obtain the next fifty issues at a good price, you won't be disappointed.

geoff42 wrote:hI, Col, I'm sure you have a good collection of Warlord comics, if my memory serves me right. How about you giving your ongoing experience of re-living Warlord? Could be interesting... especially with your knowledge of particular artists

I will need to find the boxes first! I have them all from issue 1 to the last one of 1985 and I am still chasing the last year's worth. But that sounds like a great ongoing series for the blog!

geoff42 wrote:Hi, Adam; it was over 14 months ago when I started reading Battle Picture Weekly from No. 1 - from experience, there is better to come but still, there are certain stories that still hold up. Now, if you can obtain the next fifty issues at a good price, you won't be disappointed.

Sadly the next 50 went from the same seller for £20 but I was too slow!

colcool007 wrote:

geoff42 wrote:hI, Col, I'm sure you have a good collection of Warlord comics, if my memory serves me right. How about you giving your ongoing experience of re-living Warlord? Could be interesting... especially with your knowledge of particular artists

I will need to find the boxes first! I have them all from issue 1 to the last one of 1985 and I am still chasing the last year's worth. But that sounds like a great ongoing series for the blog!

You must have missed these last week then Col? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1986-WARLORD- ... SwmLlX--qR

Now I know you're after them, I'll give you a shout if I see them again!

For fun and those who like their "stats", I've compiled a couple of charts from the first one hundred issues of Battle. The first charts those strips that made the most appearances; the second shows the most prolific artists in terms of how many pages were contributed. This chart doesn't include art from either text stories or other non-strip features.

Most appearances:

1st - The Bootneck Boy (99 issues) 6th - Merrill's Marauders (20 issues)
2nd - D-Day Dawson (88 issues) 7th= The Team That Went To War (19 issues)
3rd - The Eagle (79 issues) 7th= Fighter From The Sky (19 issues)
4th - Rat Pack (63 issues) 9th - Lofty's One-Man Luftwaffe (18 issues)
5th - Major Eazy (45 issues) 10th - King Of The Yanks (17 issues)

The recurring strips hold the top five positions while the one-off serials accommodate the bottom five. Ironically, the only issue not to feature Bootneck Boy was the 100th edition. Were the chart compiled from the number of pages for each title, then Rat Pack would have run away with the lead, considering the usual quota of 6 pages that was afforded the strip.

Most pages drawn by Artist:

1st - Juan Giralt (300 pages) * 6th - Mike Western (160.5 pages)
2nd - Geoff Campion (235 pages) 7th - Massimo Belardinelli (138 pages) ***
3rd - Carlos Ezquerra (204 pages) 8th - Pat Wright (120 pages) ****
4th - Jim Watson (191 pages) 9th - Bill Lacey (97 pages)
5th - Colin Page (172 pages) **

* Exclusive to Bootneck Boy. ** Exclusive to D-Day Dawson. *** Exclusive to Rat Pack. **** Exclusive to Eagle.

A side note to the above chart is that both Jim Watson and Mike Western were relative late comers to the party - Watson's first art appeared in Battle's 37th issue; Western's appeared in the 44th issue although he did illustrate a text story in the first issue.

Adam Eterno wrote:

colcool007 wrote:

geoff42 wrote:hI, Col, I'm sure you have a good collection of Warlord comics, if my memory serves me right. How about you giving your ongoing experience of re-living Warlord? Could be interesting... especially with your knowledge of particular artists

I will need to find the boxes first! I have them all from issue 1 to the last one of 1985 and I am still chasing the last year's worth. But that sounds like a great ongoing series for the blog!

You must have missed these last week then Col? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1986-WARLORD- ... SwmLlX--qR

Now I know you're after them, I'll give you a shout if I see them again!

Adam, I was bidding on it but when it went over the £20 mark, then I called it there as I had already spent up to my comic budget for this month! But by all means give me a shout if you see any 1986 full runs going.

For some reason, I missed out Darkie's Mob on the aforementioned chart which has 25 appearances and would place it in 6th position. It's a good job that it was done only in fun

geoff42 wrote:For some reason, I missed out Darkie's Mob on the aforementioned chart which has 25 appearances and would place it in 6th position. It's a good job that it was done only in fun

Geoff, a wee bit off topic but I have sent you a PM

geoff42 wrote:hI, Col, I'm sure you have a good collection of Warlord comics, if my memory serves me right. How about you giving your ongoing experience of re-living Warlord? Could be interesting... especially with your knowledge of particular artists

Geoff, this idea has been going around my head for a few days now and I have dug through the boxes to find Warlord 1 to 130 and now my back really hates you! What I will be doing is when I have not got another article on the go is grabbing one issue of Warlord and doing an article on it.

I have already discovered a couple of things. One is that I still can't name all the artists. Two, Ron Smith did a Warlord story in issue 3. And the third thing is that the first full page of Ian Kennedy art was on the back cover of issue 5.

I have added it here as a treat.

Geoff, after this, 627 posts are your fault...

In Like Flint

Ha, nice one Col, I've just seen your posts for Warlord. I'm up at 4 o'clock this morning for work so I will have to wait till tomorrow to properly read them. With your scans and knowledge, i'm sure your project is going to be a hell of a lot more expansive than mine. Kind of envious but delighted at the same time as I have a whole bunch of Warlords from the first 2 years to read. Your posts may expedite my reading habits in the future

geoff42 wrote:Hi, Adam; it was over 14 months ago when I started reading Battle Picture Weekly from No. 1 - from experience, there is better to come but still, there are certain stories that still hold up. Now, if you can obtain the next fifty issues at a good price, you won't be disappointed.

My better half wouldn't agree but I do listen to people so have just purchased all of the issues of Battle Picture Weekly and it's reincarnations up until April 22nd 1978 (except for the 23rd July 1977 which was missing) as well as the 1976 Summer Special.

The first 43 are now duplicate after last week's purchase so will be back on Ebay to try and recoup some of my costs. That makes 163 of the first 164 issues. Not really that expensive as I estimate that after the 43 are sold, along with the special, I will have the 163 issues with the free gifts from the first 3, for about £55-£60 net after all ebay costs and including postage.

#1 and 2 were read last night.....

In my opinion Charley's War and Darkie's Mob are the two absolutely indispensable series to appear in Battle - and fortunately they are both available in separate collections. Nothing beats reading them in the original comics however.