Comic archivist Alan Clark has just published two new books in his ongoing quest to chart the history of British comics, this time offering two limited run volumes covering British Comic Papers of the Silver Age (1950-1969) in two bumper volumes.
These short run, non-profit books are available to order as one bundled item now from his eBay store.
The British Silver Age of comic papers, defined for these titles, and by many other researchers, as 1950- to 1969, was a period of creative advancement and commercial success. It began with the launch of Eagle in April 1950 and tapered off some twenty years later, with the takeovers and consolidation of the publishing industry which led to the creation of International Publishing Corporation (IPC), and its move away from Lord Northcliffe’s iconic, soon demolished, Fleetway House on London’s Farringdon Street.
Paper rationing had been introduced on 1st July 1940, nine months into the 1939-1945 war, and didn’t completely end until around the time of the Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation in 1953. Despite the government paper quotas, Eagle’s first issue printed and sold upwards of 900,000 copies. It was an immediate success and other publishers inevitably leapt in to attempt to imitate the inimitable. Notable was Amalgamated Press’ Lion which, despite its smaller size, rougher paper and printing and unsophisticated frontpage artwork, turned out to be a winner.
Encouraged by this the Amalgamated Press (AP) launched new titles and rebooted others. AP’s Tiger was another success, selling 450,000 copies a week at one stage. It’s métier was sports, and spawned the iconic football star “Roy of the Rovers”, initially written by the great Frank S. Pepper, and drawn by the masterful Joe Colquhoun. Early stories have been republished by Rebellion. Tiger ran for over 30 years and Roy Race got his own title in 1976-1995.
A new realism was evident: Roy got married (his wife later left him), had children; he left Melchester Rovers (rejoining later) and was shot by an aggrieved actor. More followed, the ultimate being when Roy’s playing career concluded with him losing his foot in a helicopter crash. All of this a huge credit to Barrie Tomlinson, who became editor in 1969, and his team of creative pioneers. And the Silver Age was just starting! More was to come. Much more…
Both short run non-profit books run to 308 pages and come fully illustrated, charting an energetic period of British comics history. Both feature scores of artists and writers’ biographies including Leo Baxendale, Frank Hampson, Mike Higgs, Terry Wakefield, Dudley D. Watkins, with many photos of same. It’s always interesting to put a face to the name of work enjoyed down the years!
British Comic Papers of the Silver Age (1950-1969) Book One features Eagle, Dan Dare, Lion, Tiger, Sun, Comet, Gerald G. Swan, Scion, Streamline, King Ganteaume, Marvelman, Cowboy Comics, Thriller Picture Library, Super-Detective, Sexton Blake Library, Schoolgirls’ Picture Library, Girls’ Crystal, Schoolgirls’ Picture Library, School Friend, T.V. Boardman, Denis Mcloughlin, Knockout, Billy Bunter and more…
British Comic Papers of the Silver Age (1950-1969) Book Two features The Broons, Oor Wullie, Black Bob, Dennis The Menace, Little Plum, Leo Baxendale, Minnie The Minx, The Bash Street Kids, The Beano, Ken Reid, Jonah, Allan Morley, Dudley D. Watkins, Desperate Dan, Paddy Brennan, James Crighton, Topper, The Beezer, Tom Bannister, Hotspur, Victor, Hornet, The Wizard, Sparky, Wham!, Jasper The Grasper, Frankie Stein, Smash!, Pow!, Fantastic, Terrific, The Cloak, Judy, Mandy, Princess, Tina, June, Tammy, TV Comic, Muffin The Mule, TV Fun, Supercar, Danger Man, TV Tornado, The Avengers, Doctor Who, TV Express, Valiant, Hurricane, Roy Of The Rovers, Champion, The Phantom Viking, Robot Archie, Texas Jack, The Spider, Gadgetman & Gimmick-Kid, Jeff Hawke, Journey Into Space, Galaxus, Zip, Rocket, Ranger, The Trigan Empire, Wrath Of The Gods, Battle Picture Library, War Picture Library, Classic In Pictures, Alan Class Comics, Thorpe & Porter, Biggles, The Saint, Ace Hart, Super Thriller, World Distributors, Atlas, Captain Atom, Lone Star, and more…
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Books, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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