What's your favourite comic?
Short blog post today. Do you have an all-time favourite comic? For me, it's a tie between Smash! when it was published by Odhams (1966 to '69) and TV Century 21 (1965 to 1969). I enjoyed many other comics too of course, with The Dandy from 1964 being a close favourite, along with Countdown (1971), Action (1976), Pow! (1967/68), the early issues of 2000AD and more.
Our tastes are often fuelled by nostalgia so my preferences are mainly comics of the 1960s to mid-1970s. Warlord was never a favourite though because I didn't like war comics, but it was an important influence on comics such as Action, Battle, and 2000AD so it has my respect for that.
Look-In was a comic I liked... for the first couple of years anyway (1971/72) but it was never a huge favourite. I preferred its rival Countdown/TV Action.
I was born too late to appreciate the original Eagle... and was too old to appreciate the revived Eagle in 1982, but I know many people did enjoy it. Which title did you enjoy the most, and for what period of its run? Let me know by posting a comment below...
(All comics photographed from my collection.)
25 comments:
For me, it will always be a split between the better humour books like Beano and Dandy and the more realistic titles such as Commando, Battle and 2000AD. Slim pickings in the early eighties The Netherlands, but thanks to "Uncle Steve", the husband of my mother's friend, who used to bring along a small pile with each visit.
Ramon
If its DC thomson it has to be The Beano loved Dennis and the bash street kids..etc..was reading from 1981-1988
Fleetway would be Whoopee!! Bumpkin Billionaires..1981-1985 my era.. of course love the older ones now!!
I'll be 64 later this year, so just a tad older than you Lew, and my favourite was The Eagle from 1965 to 1968, a big fan of "The Guinea Pig" strip which several artists did. However, TV Century 21, Wham! and Smash! would all be in my Top 5.
Without a doubt it would be 2000AD from the late 70s (I still get the comic today).
Followed by The Dandy, Cracker, Starblazer and plenty more.
Interesting replies! Keep 'em coming!
I read the Eagle from 1987-1994. I loved strips such as Storm Force (elite military unit battling all kinds of foes), Computer Warrior (a young male enters his computer to play games for real), the modern incarnation of Dan Dare, Doomlord, etc, etc.
It went glossy in 1990 and added features about films, pop music, TV, etc. All very good.
By 1991, it increased its page count, but went back to black and white. It also became around 90% reprints; if I recall correctly, and I may be wrong on this, only Computer Warrior and Dan Dare strips were original from 1991-94. Everything else was reprints. But this was a good way for me to read Eagle strips that had been originally presented before I started reading it.
Stephen Parry
I'm 55 so my peak comic reading time was 1970 - 1975.
My favourites were Beano and Dandy and then as I got older, Buster and Valiant.
But when I had extra pocket money there was the exciting chance to buy other comics - Whizzer & Chips, Cor, Shiver & Shake and the much under rated Sparky.
I never got into Look In or TV Comic as you could get 2 comics for the price of those!
For me, Oink! was the greatest kids' comic because it was so different. I was a big Fleetway fan: Buster, Whizzer and Chips, Whoopee. Comics with an edge.
By the way, have you ever considered publishing a book on the history of comics? You could incorporate your blog posts and illustrate it with your own artwork. In fact, you could actually tell the entire story from beginning to end in comic strip form. That would be such a lovely book.
I'm not sure if I qualify to write about the whole history of comics, I-G. I know about certain periods but there are others who are more knowledgeable about other times. That's why I never call myself a comics historian.
A history told in comic strip would be interesting, but very time consuming. At the moment I need to focus on my own career as there's not a lot of work around at present, so I'm cutting back on blog posts etc.
Good question. My tastes changed as I got older so in rough chronological order my favourites were: Victor, then Battle and finally 2000AD. I also have fond memories of Warlord, Tornado and Starlord too.
IFor me it has to be Smash (Odhams and IPC/Fleetway versions) and Mighty World Of Marvel, the latter title I still pick up now and then. As a kid I also loved the Dandy and Beezer.
I'd like to see Smash! revived as a special by Rebellion next year. A combination of the Odhams and IPC versions, with the Legend Testers, Janus Stark, Nervs, Simon Test, and Bad Penny all in one comic.
Yes please to Janus Stark and Simon Test. And Cursitor Doom!
I was too young to read it at the time, but I have collected all of the IPC version since.
I should add that I've no idea of the range of projects that Rebellion have planned for 2020 but hopefully it'll include some 1960s material.
My all-time favourite British comic is issue 5 of Mal Burns' Graphixus.
After that, it would be Action and some of the items already listed: Pow! TV21/Countdown/TV Action and 2000AD (the issues where it merged with Star Lord were the absolute pinnacle IMHO).
Both Sparky and the John Wagner-edited issues of Valiant are criminally under-rated IMHO.
And let's not forget some of the more offbeat fare such as Escape and The Adventures of Luther Arkwright.
I'd have loved to see Alan Moore's Big Numbers complete its full 12-issue run.
I loved the Beano but my all-time favourite was Nutty. It spawned Bananaman and that in itself wins everything!!
I think many of us have our favourites from our youth and mine would definitely be Valiant and everything Marvel UK from the early/mid 70s (Superheroes, Captain Britain and Titans the most).
As I've got older, I've had the advantage of reading British comics from every era and found I loved early 2000AD, Action, Warrior, Smash, POW!, The Trigan Empire, Commando, Vulcan, the Red Dagger series and Battle to name a few. I also read a couple of very recent series on Lew's advice and loved Rok of the Rovers and Surface Tension.
My favourite overall......I don't think I have one as it all depends on what mood I'm in at the time!
Loved Eagle, but Valiant in the 1960s was my favorite far and away. Such a great lineup. I also enjoyed a lot of my sister's comics, such as Diana (IIRC).
The Beano and as I got older 2000ad. I really enjoyed the marvel UK titles, daredevils, mwom and captain Britain.
It's got to be Smash! for me, especially the first year or so when it had Moon Madness, Space Jinx, Queen of the Seas and the Legend Testers. A tough choice - I was tempted to go with Pow! just for the Cloak - but Queen of the Seas was Reid's masterpiece (my opinion anyway) and that swung it for me.
2000AD, of course. It's golden era was probably 1978 to 1984 but to this day it's never less than enjoyable.
My all time favourite comic (single issue) is Brainstorm 6 (I think it was 6 ?) from 1978 with the full length Omega Report / Amazing Rock'n'Roll Adventures by Bryan Talbot. It just turned up at the right time for me and was a seamless blend of all my teenage obsessions. I haven't dared re-read it in years because there's no way it can be as good as I remember.
Pow! was the one to make its mark on me. Later Smash around 1967-68 was so good that I read every issue over and over again. Then there was 200AD from start to mid-80s when I left for Spain. There were dozens of comics inbetween but those three stand out in my memories.
P.S Greatest strip of this century for me was My Own Genie in The Dandy. Pure genie-us by Jamie Smart. How I miss Lula, Brian and Clive! I wish there was a collection.
Early days for me were Whoopee! (brought number one, again about a year ago)and whizzer and chips.
But my favorite has to be Starlord, really brought me into comics, and yes moved me into 2000ad, still a subscriber.
Finally have a soft spot for Warrior.
Have had the joy of revisiting many I missed over the last few year as I rebuild an old collection. Sadly sold my original 2000ad collection in 1984 for £12, what can you do when a half pint of Courage light and bitter calls
beano, sonic the comic, 2000ad and the comic strip from doctor who as far as uk originals.
paninis line of marvel reprints as far as usa goes
Shiver and Shake without a doubt. I was "encouraged" by my mom to donate them to a boy scouts charity jumble sale when I later started collecting UK Marvel. Years later when Ebay had just started I dutifully bought a complete set of S and S. Just recently In tracked down the final Shiver and Shake special needed to complete the collection.
TV Century 21, no competition! Before that it was TV Comic for its colour Supercar centre spread and the Fireball XL5 strip, and then Wham! – the early 1964 editions in particular which had Biff on the cover, Eagle Eye Junior Spy in the middle pages, Georgie's Germs, General Nitt... I could go on and on. Also any Summer Special was a hit with me, especially Beano, Buster, TV21, which were perfect reading for those rainy seaside days.
Post a Comment