Comics UK

As feathered creatures in comics etc have been mentioned in the current Topper/Beezer strand I thought it might be interesting to start a seperate strand
devoted to the avian fraternity.
Off the top of my head
The Crows in Valiant.
Polly the parrot. Mickey the Monkey's constant companion and severest critic in Topper.
Harrk the giant albatross in Bird Boy in the Beano
Kanary in Kat and Kanary also in the Beano.
Pip the Penguin in Bimbo.
Talons of Vengeance a picture strip in Victor in the mid 1960's based on an earlier prose story.
The Voice with Wings a prose story in Rover & Wizard also in the mid 1960's but reprinted from earlier.
The Raven Talks. Several series of detective prose tales from the Wizard in the 1940's that were reprinted several times.
The Skuas Came Screaming - It's the title of this prose story that sticks in my mind.
I'm not sure whether it was a full series or a complete ( it could have even appeared in an annual) but I do seem to think that the heading block illustration that I have in my minds eye was drawn by Bill Holroyd.
There must be loads more. Over to you to expand on the theme...

I remember the Bash Street Birds appearing once (usual image - each bird looking like his human counterpart ala Pup Parade) I actually wrote a script featuring them but then realised I had got the premise wrong (my script had them as friends of the kids but I seem to remember their one appearance had them as foes). Perhaps Kashgar can confirm their appearance and provide an issue number. (Not asking for much). There was also that Wee Jock Sparra character drawn by Bill Ritchie that was in those colour Broons pages I put on here a few weeks back. Did you mention the Gobbles, family of Vultures?

Red Rory of the Eagles in The Beano. Joe the Crow, the pet Roger the Dodger had before Dodge Cat. The Buurd and Marvo the Wonder Chicken in The Dandy.

...Of course, one shouldn't forget Carl Barks's epic Donald Duck stories which turned up in various British comics over the years!

Also, 'The Birdman from Baratoga' in Smash! and 'War Eagle' in Comet.

- Phil Rushton

Wasn't there an IPC bird character called "Crowjack (or something similar - a parady of Kojak - Big Eggo (Beano) -I think there was a Birdman ( a French Reprint in the Buster in the late 60s early 70s) - Mike Higgs Moonbird - Birdman & Chicken (from Krazy) and I seem to recal a strip called Jail Birds (though just the name so might not have been about "birds")

Big Fat Boko out of TOPPER seemed to have an ever-present black crow companion.....at least in some of the stories.

The first appearance of Jacky Daw (with, of course, Maw and Paw) from Beano 1768 dated 5th June 1976. This was the first issue to feature the coupon to join the Dennis fan club.

stevezodiac wrote:I remember the Bash Street Birds appearing once (usual image - each bird looking like his human counterpart ala Pup Parade) I actually wrote a script featuring them but then realised I had got the premise wrong (my script had them as friends of the kids but I seem to remember their one appearance had them as foes). Perhaps Kashgar can confirm their appearance and provide an issue number. (Not asking for much).

I'm pretty sure they were semi-regular when i was getting The Beano (1991-98). They appear in some 90's annuals too.

Kashgar wrote:The Skuas Came Screaming - It's the title of this prose story that sticks in my mind. I'm not sure whether it was a full series or a complete

Just to clarify, Ray, the actual title was The Black Skuas Came, Screaming and the serial appeared in The New Hotspur 36 (Jun. 25 1960) - 43 (Aug. 13 1960). It was a text repeat of Talons Of Terror from The Wizard 1386 (Sep. 6 1952) - 1393 (Oct. 25 1952). There is no connection with The Talons Of Terror which starts in The Victor 399 (Oct. 12 1968).

Kashgar wrote:Talons of Vengeance a picture strip in Victor in the mid 1960's based on an earlier prose story.

The Talons Of Vengeance was in The Victor 340 (Aug. 26 1967) - 356 (Dec. 16 1967). This serial was a repeat of The Swooping Vengeance from The Hotspur 1 (Sep. 2 1933) - 17 (Dec. 23 1933), a story I referred to earlier.

Kashgar wrote:The Voice with Wings a prose story in Rover & Wizard also in the mid 1960's but reprinted from earlier.

The origin of this story was The Wizard 1186 (Sep. 18 1948) - 1195 (Dec. 11 1948). It was first repeated in Rover and Wizard (Oct. 1 1966) - (Dec. 3 1966), and then again in The Hornet 386 (Jan. 30 1971) - 395 (Apr. 3 1971), that time in picture form. The theme is used in a more humorous vein in Joey's Secret in Mandy 58 (Feb. 24 1968) - 63 (Mar. 30 1968).

Kashgar wrote:The Raven Talks. Several series of detective prose tales from the Wizard in the 1940's that were reprinted several times.

The first serial about the scientist Craig Crane and his pet raven Blackie was The Raven Talks, which appeared in The Wizard 1066 (Dec. 23 1944) - 1077 (May 26 1945). The pair returned in The Raven Talks Again in The Wizard 1136 (Jun. 7 1947) - 1146 (Sep. 13 1947). This tale is repeated, under the somewhat confusing title The Raven Talks, in text form in The Victor 73 (Jul. 14 1962) - 83 (Sep. 22 1962), and then again in The Wizard [picture version] (Jul. 13 1974) - (Sep. 21 1974).

Thanks for all the extra detail Derek. I seem to remember that the reason that The Raven Talks Again was subsequently reprinted as The Raven Talks and the original first series was ignored was that the first series was involved with war-time black marketeering and therefore considered somewhat anachronistic when it came time to begin reprinting stuff.
When I checked I also discovered that it was black skuas that came screaming but thanks for clearing that up. It also transpires that I was wrong with regard to the artist too. It wasn't Bill Holroyd but the recently departed Ted Rawlings who was also the artist on the Rover & Wizard version of The Voice with Wings and the Victor picture strip Talons of Vengeance.
So much for remembering stuff off the top of your head.
I have a feeling that Steve is remembering an earlier incarnation of the Bash St birds than the irregular series in the 1990's Mike but I could be wrong. I have a feeling they once used the Bash St birds as the premise for a strip in a Beano annual many moons ago but I could be wrong about that.

Kashgar wrote:So much for remembering stuff off the top of your head.

Don't worry about it. I had exactly the same problem trying to remember the details about The Frozen Man On The Mountain for Colin and JimTheBrit when I was down in Cornwall. Notes are crucial but they are not much use when you are an eight-hour train journey away from them.

As no one else is going to play the Alan Davies role I will. What about Raven on the Wing? Not strictlty about birds but what about Skyboy from Hotspur the story of “how” Icarus saved Create by defeating the Mycenaeans?

'Budgie Malone and Owl Capone' the Feathered fiends from 'Chick'-ago featured in our Scouse Mouse comic in 1988-1990 (Fleetway) and in 'Wanted' (1989-1990, Celebrity). They were based on 1930's gangsters (obviously) with a clever line in bird puns! In fact, they were very popular for about twelve days and we even had discussions about getting them onto TV! John Gorman (of Scaffold and TISWAS etc) was going to be the producer.

Bill and Coo from Wow a boy and his pigeon..

Beaky a kind of Rod and Emu type Whoopee comic

Ossie by Robert Nixon Wow comic..Big Eggo eat your heart out..

The Krazy Gang had a parrot Bluey..Freaky was replaced!!

The Red Rooster a Foxy spin off in Topper

felneymike wrote:

stevezodiac wrote:I remember the Bash Street Birds appearing once (usual image - each bird looking like his human counterpart ala Pup Parade) I actually wrote a script featuring them but then realised I had got the premise wrong (my script had them as friends of the kids but I seem to remember their one appearance had them as foes). Perhaps Kashgar can confirm their appearance and provide an issue number. (Not asking for much).

I'm pretty sure they were semi-regular when i was getting The Beano (1991-98). They appear in some 90's annuals too.

The 'Beano Birds' were in the 1994 annual, same annual as the 'Bash St Bugs'