Picked this up from Forbidden Planet the other day; the latest release from Titan Books, - and what a classy book it is. The Misadventures of Jane is a quality hardback, with dust jacket, presenting classic strips from World War 2 and additional features not seen for over 60 years.
As every schoolboy (over the age of 70) knows, Jane was the Daily Mirror's popular cheesecake serial strip written by J.H.G. ("Don") Freeman and illustrated by Norman Pett. Jane's misadventures, which inevitably led to her being in a state of undress or nudity, seem very tame and quite refined today, but in the 1940s were considered to be quite racy. Yet even back then I understand the strip was taken in good humour by all, which of course was its intention.
The book contains two long black and white complete serials: N.A.A.F.I. Say Die! and Behind the Front from the war years plus a great selection of bonus features from Jane's Journal which have never been reprinted before. These include pin up art and an eight page full colour adventure. There are also rare photographs of artist Norman Pett at work with his model Chrystabel Leighton-Porter.
The black and white strips were previously reprinted in the softback Jane At War many years ago, but this time the strips are printed on far better paper with better reproduction.
Edited by David Leach, The Misadventures of Jane is another top quality book from Titan that is sure to appeal to aficionados of newspaper strips, glamour art and wartime memorabilia. At the height of the strip's popularity it was read by four million people a day! At the R.R.P. of £12.99 it's well worth the money, and Forbidden Planet are currently selling it even cheaper at an excellent discount on their online shop HERE.
The latest Viz Annual has just been published and once again is a chunky 160 page hardback similar to the British annuals of yesteryear. Viz: The Council Gritter is a collection of strips and features from issues 162 to 171 of the regular monthly, with its non-stop adult comedy showing why Viz is still the UK's best selling original comic.
With its format spoofing the 1950s style of 20 panels a page, the book is packed with strips including The Fat Slags, Roger Mellie, 8 Ace, Suicidal Syd, Major Misunderstanding, and many more including the hilarious Black Bob spoof Black Bag, The Faithful Border Binliner.
Parodies of redtop newspaper stories are also included, as are the hilarious "reader's letters" and spoofs of Miriam Stoppard's agony column.
Contributors include Simon Thorp, Davey Jones, Graham Dury, Alex Coller, Simon Ecob, Cat Sullivan, Paul Palmer, Christina Martin, James MacDougall and many others.
Viz: The Council Gritter has a R.R.P. of £10.99 but is currently available from Amazon at £6.04.
News just in: here are the covers and plot details of the four issues of Commando in shops tomorrow, and on sale until 7th October, priced £1.30 each. Thanks to Commando editor Callum Laird at D.C. Thomson for the info...
Commando No 4231: THE KING’S COSSACK
Charging across the Russian steppes with sword in hand, Major Jack Faraday was in his natural element, eager to get to grips with the enemy. But how did a British army officer come to be leading a wild Cossack squadron anyway?
Jack’s companion, Trooper Tom Tuttle, was wondering the same thing himself as he clung desperately to his saddle, too busy trying not to fall off to worry about such details as shrapnel and flying bullets!
Story: Alan Hemus
Art: Janek Matysiak
Cover: janek Matysiak
Commando No 4232: R.A.F. COMMANDO!
The wartime exploits of Britain’s Royal Marine and Army Commandos are world-famous, but the Royal Air Force had their Commando units too. These were the RAF Servicing Commandos, a highly-trained elite who served on recently-captured airfields, readying aircraft for battle, often under enemy fire…and sometimes having to fend off counter-attacks from those determined to get their old airstrips back!
Story: Ian Clark
Art: Gordon Livingstone
Cover: Gordon Livingstone
Commando 4233: MESSERSCHMITT STORM
In July 1939, RAF Flight Lieutenant Mike Storm was posted to Yugoslavia to instruct that country’s pilots to fly Hurricane fighters. He soon clashed with a Luftwaffe rival, Hauptmann Konrad Schwarz, an expert but ruthless Messerschmitt Bf109 pilot.
Years later, with World War Two raging, their paths would cross again. This time Mike somehow found himself flying Yugoslav 109s against their German counterparts.
The skies soon erupted in a MESSERSCHMITT STORM
Story: Alan Hebden
Art: José Maria Jorge
Cover: José Maria Jorge
Commando 4234: OPERATION STEAMBOAT
Burma 1945. First Lieutenant Jack Hibbert had a reputation for being unorthodox, much to the annoyance of his superiors.
However, when a strategically important bridge must be secured, Jack is the one who gets the job. Will he play by the rules this time? It doesn’t look like it when he commandeers an ancient paddle steamer to embark on
OPERATION STEAMBOAT
Story: Ferg Handley
Art: Olivera
Cover: Ian Kennedy
Visit the Commando website to subscribe: http://www.commandomag.com/
Toxic, Egmont's popular long-running comic-mag for boys, will be exhibiting at this year's British International Comic Show at the ThinkTank, Millennium Point in Birmingham on October 3rd/4th.
Toxic will have a table at the show, and visitors will be able to meet editors and artists/writers on the comic including Robin Hoodie artist Laura Howell, editor Andy Davidson, sub-editor (and small press writer/artist) Luke Paton, and myself at various times over the weekend, chatting and sketching.
For more details of the show (and the many more guests and events that will be featured there) visit the website at:
http://www.thecomicsshow.co.uk/
Meanwhile the latest issue of Toxic is out today with a load of free gifts....
...and features Team Toxic facing the threat of the SOCK HORROR...
On sale now at all good, bad, and average, newsagents, supermarkets etc.
Official Toxic website:
http://www.toxicmag.co.uk/
Realising that the old Pathé newsreels were now available online, I thought I'd have a quick search to see if they ever ran items on comics, - and indeed they did!
In the days before most people had television (and even before the invention of tv) the short weekly newsreels from British Pathé, shown before a film at the cinema, were the only way for the public to see news footage. Often the items included lighthearted subjects, just as the tv news does today, to lift the spirits of the viewers.
There are some brilliant finds on the Pathé news website http://www.britishpathe.com/ including several items on comics and associated media. Here's a few of the fascinating items I found. Click on the text links after each picture to visit the site and view the actual footage....
From 1937, an enthusiast who pre-dates fandom! Music hall comedian Barry Ono talks about his passion for collecting Victorian Penny Dreadfuls. Ono knows his stuff, his theatrical experience making him a good speaker, and it's a pity the footage isn't much longer as I'm sure his full lecture was fascinating. (Someone invent a time machine and invite this bloke to the next comic con.) He would eventually bequeath his large collection to the British Museum.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=36630
1943: Daily Mirror cartoonist Norman Pett talking about his work as he draws the latest Jane comic strip.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=38352
1946: Frank Richards, creator of Billy Bunter, at home in his study.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=46471
1955: End of the four-month national press strike, with some nice footage of newsagents shops of the period (no untidy bagged comics back then).
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=39246
1956: Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson at home working on the latest Eagle strip, with the family and friends he used as models for his work.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=556
1968: The Roy Lichtenstein exhibition at the Tate gallery, and how comics appealed to the whole family.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=45036
Picked this up from Forbidden Planet the other day; the latest release from Titan Books, - and what a classy book it is. The Misadventures of Jane is a quality hardback, with dust jacket, presenting classic strips from World War 2 and additional features not seen for over 60 years.
