This week in 1947: WONDER

Starting out as The Funny Wonder in 1914, the comic simplified its title to Wonder in 1942. That Hitler. Not content with causing paper shortages... Anyway, whatever the reason for losing its Funny, Wonder carried on until 1953. 

This issue, which was published this very week in 1947, showed how Amalgamated Press were not only trying to survive post-war Britain but also trying to survive the stiff competition from Dandy and Beano. Still retaining its original 8 page format (albeit now smaller than its old tabloid size) Wonder was looking old fashioned compared to its Dundee rivals. The cover was a desperate attempt to grab attention with not one but three strips, although they were admittedly of the highest quality. The main strip looks like the work of George Parlett. Some excellent lettering as well as superb cartoon work. (The other two strips may also be his work but I think they're reprints.)

The contents were the traditional mixture of prose stories and humour strips. Here's Sonny Day and Whiskers the Wizard, drawn by Reg Parlett (George's brother)...

I'm not sure who drew this Mississippi Max and his Axe episode but it features three things that wouldn't be allowed in a children's comic today: racial stereotyping, smoking, and smacking someone in the face with an axe!

 
Ron Roy - The Rubber Boy had formerly been Ronnie Roy the Indiarubber Boy, but the simplified title was far better. According to one of Denis Gifford's books, this was drawn by Harry Parlett (Reg and George's father). Looks more like George's work to me but I could be mistaken as the Parlett styles are very similar...

On the back cover, the sole adventure strip. Westerns were massively popular in the late 1940s and Roy Rogers was the biggest Western movie star of the day so a comic strip starring the actor was an obvious way to attract readers. 

Although not an outstanding comic by 1947, Wonder still packed some quality work into its 8 pages. Printed on cheap newsprint too, which still looks almost brand new today, 65 years later. They built things to last back in those days, even disposable comics!

Daleks in the 21st Century

The Daleks return to our TV screens on Saturday night (September 1st, 7.20pm, BBC1) in the start of a five week run of Doctor Who. It occurred to me this week that I've actually seen every Dalek story that's been televised. Yes, I'm that old. 

Back in 1965, or 2065 as the comic insisted, TV Century 21 ran a regular Daleks comic strip on its back cover. For me, this was an even bigger draw than the spectacular strips inside which featured Fireball XL5, Stingray, Lady Penelope and others. I was therefore over the moon when TV21 No.23 featured The Daleks as the main cover feature. I'm pretty sure this is the first time The Daleks dominated the cover of any comic, so it's little wonder that this issue is highly collectible.

Covers of TV21 at this time always featured Gerry Anderson characters, so this issue (and a subsequent one which also featured Daleks) were very unusual. The reason they were featured was to promote "the exciting Dalek film being made by Regal Films International". You'll note there's curiously no mention of Doctor Who, even though the movie would be released as Dr.Who and The Daleks. 

The other reason for the cover feature was because that issue featured a competition to win an Inflatable Dalek by giving a name for the Red Dalek. All readers had to do was explain why they chose one of the six names listed. Interestingly, the comic strip had already featured a red Dalek with a name, - Zeg, - which was a far better than any of those names listed. 

Want to see what that issue's Dalek comic strip was like? Here you go...

Script: David Whittaker. Art: Richard Jennings.

This strip made such an impression on me when I was six that I distinctly remember making little Plasticine models of the Daleks, their flying saucer, and the snake creature so that I could re-enact the story.

What's great about The Daleks is that even today new generations of children find them just as fascinating as we did when they first appeared. TV21 was set in the 21st Century and now here we are in the real 21st Century and Daleks are still around. Long may they rule!

Commando Nos. 4527 to 4530

The latest four Commando comics, - out now! Thanks to Scott Montgomery at D.C. Thomson for providing the info. 

 

Commando No 4527 – The Leopard Commander

 It sounded almost cute and cuddly, an Italian commander named for a big cat. But his British adversaries in East African were under no illusions, they knew that, like his namesake, he was fast, agile…and deadly!

Story: Alan Hebden
Art: Keith Page
Cover: Keith Page

 

Commando No 4528 – The Doomed Legionnaires

Men from all over the world, men with secret shameful pasts, men who had no place in their home countries. Here they were, gathered together to fight an implacable enemy, for a flag that was not their own.
   And because they were foreigners, they had been handed a suicide mission. They were indeed

The Doomed Legionnaires

Story: Steve Coombs
Art: Benet
Cover: Benet

Commando No 4529 – Take No Prisoners!

SKULL and CROSSBONES…
Ten British prisoners lay dead — shot down in cold blood. And there were no witnesses to the terrible crime.
   The only clue to the killers lay there in the blood-stained dust — a German helmet bearing a skull and crossbones emblem…an emblem which from that day on was to be a death warrant to every Nazi who wore it.

Introduction

Ask most people about Commando and they’ll tell you about nasty Nazis and clean-cut fair-playing British. Yet this story from 1962 shows that those assumptions, like all generalisations, don’t stand up to scrutiny. Sure there are nasty Nazis but after that things become a bit more hazy and there’s a moral ambivalence amongst the British.
   But don’t let that put you off! As ever, Eric Hebden crafts a great story behind Ken Barr’s intimidating cover, and Casarubio’s strong and confident black linework complements the atmosphere very well.
   All in all, this commando takes no prisoners. Sorry.

Calum Laird, Editor

Take No Prisoners! originally Commando No 25 (June 1962)

Story: Eric Hebden
Art: Casarubio
Cover: Ken Barr

 

Commando No 4530 – The Deadly Deal


There are good deals, bad deals and deals like the one Jan de Groot made. He agreed that he would work as an agent in enemy-held territory where the slightest slip-up would lead to arrest, torture and probably death.
   It was going to take all his courage to keep
THE DEADLY DEAL


Introduction: 

Our main character, tough-as-nails Dutchman Jan de Groot is a hot-headed hero, which also makes him a flawed hero — and this twisty-turny yarn is an excellent example of a Commando espionage story done well. It’s complemented by veteran interior illustrator Cecil Rigby’s artwork, which is chock full of icy black waters and moody nightscapes.

Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor

The Deadly Deal, originally Commando No 2145 (December 1987)

Story: Allan Chalmers
Art: Cecil Rigby
Cover: Jeff Bevan

Pimples for sale

If anyone's interested I have a few more pages of my original artwork for sale up on eBay. This selection includes the 1987 Pete and his Pimple Christmas story from Oink!, a Combat Colin penciled page from Transformers, and the first Specky Hector's History of Comics from Buster. 

Auction ends on Sunday. Good luck! 
See the items by clicking HERE.

Are You Ready?

As I reported back in May, there's a brand new weekly comic heading your way soon from David (V for Vendetta) Lloyd and an all-star line up of comic creators, with all-new full colour content at an affordable price. Aces Weekly makes its digital debut on September 30th!

More news here:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/combat-colin-back-in-action-this-summer.html

And don't forget to bookmark the official website:
http://www.acesweekly.co.uk/