British Comics Reference: A Guide to the publications of The All Devon Comic Collectors Club

Collection of the “Garth - Daily Strips” books published under license by the All Devon Comic Collectors Club

An offshoot of the old South West Comic Collectors Club, the All Devon Comic Collectors Club, which closed its doors in 2016, was mainly centred on the Exeter area, searching for prime quality images for the (complete) British story booklets that is their raison d’etre.

The desire of elder members to see old newspaper strips again, linked with the poor quality of the yellowing photocopies that were doing the rounds, provided the impetus for the club to decide to track down and reprint ‘lost’ Garth strips. A search for other British titles naturally followed, including good quality prints of Romeo Brown, Paul Temple etc.

Former co-ordinator Dave Westaway (who died in 2014) had been searching for Matt Marriott strips for some time. Artist Tony Weare produced what is generally considered the most authentic Western stories in black/white for over 22 years from 1955-1977. Never reprinted in the UK, the club eventually managed to track down the recipient of much of his artwork through his estate and have purchased 15 of his original scrapbooks, each with one story in sequence, from the third story onwards.

Although these are newspaper clippings rather than printers proofs the results are still quite acceptable. In addition several other stories have been bought in, taken directly from original artwork. The first two stories in the series were reprinted in 1960 in Knockout.

The club also gained access to artist Jim Holdaway‘s Romeo Brown printers proofs – a club member tells me the original artwork was all destroyed by a managing director who didn’t find them funny – and also gained permission to reprint the Carol Day strips for the first time.

As a small club and having restraints from Mirror Group (now “Reach”) as to how many copies per title could be made available to members, they tended to struggle with their cash flow a bit so relaxed membership to allow ‘remote’ members in. The group put out 10 booklets a year to full members of which at least six were reprints of Garth. John Dakin was among those involved in handing orders.

In 2011, running of the club passed to Paul Trotter, editor of the i-monthly Newspaper Strip Gazette, as Dave Westaway was no longer able to continue his duties with the ADCCC.

Sadly, the closure of the ADCCC and the Newspaper Daily Comic Strip Library was announced in January 2016 after Paul was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

“Between 2010 and 2015 it has been a joy to be a part of reproducing these forgotten comic strips from newspapers and visiting the British Library in London to track down missing strips or stories,” said Neal Trotter. “My Dad’s dedication and enthusiasm has been paramount throughout and we will sorely miss sharing your  interest in the adventures and tales of these comic-book characters.”

The ADCCC booklets published are anything between 20-40 pages usually carrying one complete story and their aim with Garth was to reprint all stories from 1943 up to about 1975/76.

Daily Strips: Collectors Club Editions Full List
Last Updated: 13th April 2011

No.1 Garth: Bride of Jenghiz Khan (Bellamy)
No.2 Romeo Brown: Arabian Knight (Holdaway)
No.3 Garth: Spanish Lady (Bellamy)
No.4 Garth: Sapphire (Asbury)
No.5 Garth: Meets Jack the Ripper (Dowling)
No.6 Romeo Brown: Where there’s a Will (Holdaway)
No.7 Garth: The Doomsmen (Bellamy)
No.8 Garth: Mr. Rubio Calls (Asbury)
No.9 Garth: The First Story. (Dowling/Allard)
No.10 Garth: Children of the Dawn/The Island Laboratory. (Dowling/Allard)
No.11 Dick Turpin: The Ride To York (Eyles)
No.12 Garth: The Saga of Garth (Dowling/Allard)
No.13 Garth:The Angels of Hell’s Gap (Bellamy)
No.14 Romeo Brown: Lord of the Fiery Dragon (Holdaway)
No.15 Paul Temple: The Aphrodite Affair
No.16 Garth: The Awakening of Garth (Dowling/Hailstone)
No.17 Garth: Freak Out to Fear (Bellamy)
No.18 Romeo Brown: The Fightin’ Females (Holdaway)
No.19 Garth: The Beautiful People (Bellamy)
No.20 Tug Transom: The Lady In The Tower (Sindall)
No.21 (Paul Temple: Gun Runners**) WITHDRAWN
No.22 Billy the Bee: Billy and the Beast (Smith)
No.23 Garth: The Wreckers (Bellamy)
No.24 (Paul Temple: Operation Shrike**) WITHDRAWN
No.25 Garth: Voyage into Time (Allard/Asbury)
No.26 John Wayne: Red River
No.27 Romeo Brown: The Trouble With Tania (Holdaway)
No.28 Garth: The Bubble Man (Bellamy)
No.29 Garth: The Fantastic Doctor Quyn (Dowling/Allard)
No.30 Jane: P. C. Jane (Mike Hubbard)
No.31 Garth: The Big Joker (Dowling/Allard)
No.32 Romeo Brown: The Gipsy’s Curse (Holdaway)
No.33 Tug Transom: The Lost Tomb of Topicaca (Sindall)
No.34 Matt Marriott: Overland (Weare)
No.35 Garth: The Troll (Dowling/Allard)
No.36 Garth: The Crystals of Camelot (Dowling/Allard)
No.37 Garth: Lord of the Computers (Dowling/Allard)
No.38 Garth: The Wakening (Dowling/Allard)
No.39 Monty Carstairs Casebook (Bellamy)
No.40 Garth: The Invaders (Dowling/Allard)
No.41 Susie of the Sunday Dispatch (Pett)
No.42 Garth: Selim The Slaver (Dowling/Allard)
No.43 Garth and the Glove Game (Dowling/Allard)
No.44 Paul Temple and the Runaway Knight
No.45 Buck Ryan: The Case Of The Broken Thistle (Monk)
No.46 Garth: Space-Time Rivals (Dowling/Allard)
No.47 Garth: Flight Into The Future (Dowling/Allard)
No.48 Romeo Brown: Gigi and the Head-Shrinkers (Holdaway)
No.49 Garth: The Phantom Pharaoh (Dowling/Allard)
No.50 Ruggles: A Ruggles For All Seasons (Dowling)
No.51 Romeo Brown: The Missing Ming Vase (Holdaway)
No.52 Garth: Wings Of The Night (Dowling/Allard)
No.53 Garth: Invasion From Space (Dowling/Allard)
No.54 Romeo Brown: The Frolics of Fifi (Holdaway)
No.55 Garth: The 7 Ages of Garth (Part 1) (Dowling/Allard)
No.56 Garth: The 7 Ages of Garth (Part 2) (Dowling/Allard)
No.57 Garth: The 7 Ages of Garth (Part 3) (Dowling/Allard)
No.58 Paul Temple: Death Sitting Down
No.59 Romeo Brown: The Empress’s Garters (Holdaway)
No.60 Garth: Outlaws (Asbury)
No.61 Garth: The Brain (Dowling/Allard)
No.62 Garth: The Web of Dionara (Dowling/Allard)
No.63 Garth: The Glenoig Miracle (Dowling/Allard)
No.64 Garth: Exiles (Allard)
No.65 Garth: The Teenager (Dowling/Allard)
No.66 Garth Meets Hitler in: The Rebels (Dowling/Allard)
No.67 Romeo Brown: The Secret of Black Barbary (Holdaway)
No.68 Paul Temple: The Affair Of The Tired Tiger (Mazure)
No.69 Tug Transom: The Sun’s Anvil (Sindall)
No.70 Jane: Georgie Tries Again (Mike Hubbard)
No.71 Romeo Brown: Romeo The Ruthless (Holdaway)
No.72 Garth: The 13th Man (Dowling/Allard)
No.73 Romeo Brown: The Girl and the Ghoul (Holdaway)
No.74 Garth: Meets the Werewolf: Wolfman of Ausensee (Bellamy)
No.75 Garth: The Wonder Women (Allard/Dowling)
No.76 Garth: Man Hunt (Allard/Dowling)
No.77 Romeo Brown: The Con-Man (Holdaway)
No.78 Matt Marriott: Showdown In Dodge City (Weare)
No.79 Garth: The Hand Of Attila (Allard/Dowling)
No.80 J. G. Reeder Terror Keep – Edgar Wallace (Monk)
No.81 Moomin and Family Life (Tove Jansson)
No.82 Garth: Blood Sport (Asbury)
No.83 Romeo Brown: Romeo Goes West (Holdaway)
No.84 Paul Temple: The Cabloni Affair
No.85 Moomin and the Brigands (Tove Jansson)
No.86 Garth: Vengeance of Venn (Asbury)
No.87 Romeo Brown: The King of the Beatniks (Holdaway)
No.88 Garth: Warriors Of Krull (Dowling)
No.89 Romeo Brown: The Snow Maiden (Holdaway)
No.90 Garth in Hollywood (Allard/Dowling)
No.91 Paul Temple: The Au Pair Affair
No.92 Moomin On The Riviera (Tove Jansson)
No.93 Paul Temple: The Barracombe Boxes
No.94 Romeo Brown: The Missing Miss Peach (Holdaway)
No.95 Paul Temple: Meets The Erasers
No.96 Romeo Brown: The Richest Girl In The World (Holdaway)
No.97 Romeo Brown: Romeo On The Run (Holdaway)
No.98 Tug Transom: The Yokohama Frame (Sindall)
No.99 Matt Marriott: Belle Bensons Daughter (Weare)
No.100 Garth: The Last Goddess (Dowling/Allard)
No.101 Romeo Brown: The Baffling Ballerina (Holdaway)
No.102 Romeo Brown: The Nobblers (Holdaway)
No.103 Seekers: The Tracy Madison Affair (Burns)
No.104 Matt Marriott: Powders Nephew (Weare)
No.105 Garth: The Time Lock (Dowling/Allard)
No.106 Seekers: Goddess of the Seven Moons (Burns)
No.107 Garth: The Syndicate (Allard)
No.108 Seekers: The Man Who Died Twice (Burns)
No.109 Buck Ryan: The Laughing Killer (Monk)
No.110 Garth: The Great Beast (Asbury)
No.111 Garth: Nightmare In Paris (Asbury)
No.112 Garth: La Belle Sauvage (Asbury)
No.113 Garth: Hammer Of Thorwald (Asbury)
No.114 Matt Marriott: Pandora in Marshall of Fireweed (Weare)
No.115 Seekers: Legs On Broadway (Burns)
No.116 Seekers: Dead Girls Tell (Burns)
No.117 Garth: This Land is Mine (Asbury)
No.118 Paul Temple : The Great Jewel Robbery
No.119 Garth: Viva El Garto! (Asbury)
No.121 Garth: Tigress (Asbury)
No.123 Garth: Mistress Orange (Asbury)
No.124 Garth: Z File (Asbury)
No.125 Garth: The Picture (Asbury)
No.126 Garth: Dam Drivers (Asbury)
No.127 Garth: Winning is All (Asbury)
No.130 Seekers: Hoop Of Fire (Burns)
No.131 Romeo Brown: The Admirals Grand-Daughter (Holdaway)
No.132 Tug Transom: Home is the Sailor… (Sindall)
No.133 Carol Day: Carol Goes To Town (Wright)
No.134 Garth: Man On the Edge (Asbury)
No.135 Carol Day: Meets Edward Black (Wright)
No.136 Seekers: Murder In The Boneyard (Burns)
No.137 Romeo Brown: Fingles Follies (Holdaway)
No.138 Matt Marriott: Last of the Cattle Barons (Weare)
No.139 Garth: Days Of Doom (Allard/Asbury)
No.140 Seekers: The Missing Groom (Burns)
No.141 Matt Marriott: Last Days Of Augie Spencer (Weare)
No.142 Ruggles: Ruggles Goes To France (Dowling)
No.143 Seekers: Everybody Wants Cyrius (Burns)
No.144 Matt Marriott: Zincville Colorado (Weare)
No.145 Carol Day: Paris Episode (Wright)
No.146 Seekers: Art Theft (Burns)
No.147 Matt Marriott: Sheriff Hayden (Weare)
No.148 Garth: Finality Factor (Asbury)
No.149 Seekers: The Missing Golfers (Burns)
No.150 Garth: The Golden Slayer (Dowling/Allard)
No.151 Seekers: The Bookman Vanishes (Burns)
No.152 Garth: The Islands of Kaa (Dowling/Allard)
No.153 Carol Day: Problem Child (Wright)
No.154 Matt Marriott: Ghost Town (Weare)
No.155 Garth: Space-Time Traveller (Dowling/Allard)
No.156 Seekers: Red Elibank (Burns)
No.157 Buck Ryan: Brides of the Swastika (Monk)
No.158 Garth: Time Couriers (Dowling)
No.180 Four D Jones: The Coming of the Disc (Maddocks)
No.181 Buck Ryan: A Lady Disappears – Part one (Monk)
No.182 Buck Ryan: A Lady Disappears – Part two (Monk)
No.183 Scarth: Mars Slave (Roca)

CLUB SPECIALS
Captain Flame – rare Eric Parker 1952 Pirate strip. (Parker)
The Pathfinder – Story of Leonard Cheshire; Years 1917-1960 (Manwaring)
Mighty Joe Young 1949 (Robert Macgillivray)
Monty Carstairs and The Mystery Of The Black Pearls 1953 (Bellamy)
Billy Brave: The Secret On The Moors (Weare)
Judy Book 1: Murder In Paris (Wright)
Wes Slade : Dodge City (Stokes)
The Battle of BeecherÕs Island (Campion)
Judy Book 2: The Lost Treasure Of Zexitcico (Wright)
Gun Law – Seven Stories of Matt Dillon (Bishop)
Glory of the Fireships (Manwaring)
Garth – The Index 1943-2009

SPACEMAN SPECIALS

1. Bill Merrill of the Scientific Investigation Bureau Book One (Embleton)
2. Space Captain Jim Stalwart (Cornwall)
3. Captain Future (Light)
4. The Ghost World (Bellamy)

** = Withdrawn until better quality originals can be traced

Contact Neal Trotter for further information at: dscneal@aol.com

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