First appearing in Fleetway’s Smash in “The Incredible Adventures of Janus Stark“, then joining the line-up of Valiant when the two titles merged, Janus Stark is a Victorian master escapologist with bones like rubber, able to contort in unbelievable ways and get through the smallest spaces or out of the tightest bindings.
The Character
Born in 1840 with bizarrely rubbery bones that enabled him to contort himself in ways no normal person could, orphan Jonas Clarke escaped the brutal regime of Simon Tragg’s orphanage and grew up on the streets, where he befriended the beggar Blind Largo. It was Largo who taught him his pickpocketing and lock picking skills, no doubt taking a leaf from the teen crime gang run by Fagin in Charles Dickens ‘s Oliver Twist.
As an adult, Clarke reinvented himself as the escapologist and showman Janus Stark, and became something of an amateur detective. Although he died in 1880, at the age of just 40, his unusual physiology proved to run in the family, as Janus’ brother’s modern day descendent John Stark possessed superhuman strength and was visited by Janus’ ghost.
Production Notes
Janus Stark was created by Jack Legrand, written by Tom Tully, with art at various times by Argentinian artists Francisco Fuentes Man, Francisco Solano Lopez and Juan García Quirós, with Reg Bunn and Tom Kerr filling in on some issues. He’s one of several British characters to develop quite a following abroad.
Running for four years in Smash! between 1969 and 1971, the character survived that title’s merger with Valiant in the same year and the strip continued there until 1973. It was reprinted in France by publisher Mon Journal in his own title, Janus Stark, a comic that also featured other British characters such as Adam Eterno and The Leopard from Lime Street from 1973 to 1989.
After reprinting his English language adventures for three years, the company commissioned new stories of the adventurer between 1982 and 1986. These stories, which have never been published in English, were written by Angus Allan and Scott Goodall.
Based on Angus Allan’s recollections, the first original French story was published in Issue 38, written by Scott Goodall, finally killing him off in Issue 89 in May 1986 after heroically saves his friend, Largo, from being crushed to death – and introducing his descendants.
These modern day characters only appeared in Janus Stark Issue 89 and the Janus Stark Special Issue 2.
“It was Scott who imagined the death of Janus,” Angus Allan acknowledged in a short interview he gave in 2002 after his retirement from comics (in French). “His death was written solely for French comics… Scott wrote the story because the editors of My Journal wanted to modernise the stories of Janus.”
Further reprints of earlier stories followed for three years, ceasing with Issue 125 in June 1989. (The comic itself continued for a further ten issues with Mandrake the Magician as its lead strip, ceasing publication in 1990 with Issue 135).
Trivia
• Janus Stark the comic character should not be confused with Janus Stark, the Peterborough-based punk rock band
• Ian Kennedy appears to have tried his hand at drawing the character
Treasury of British Comics Collections
These collections of Janus Stark’s adventures are available only through the Treasury of British Comics web shop
• The Incredible Adventures of Janus Stark Volume One
This first Janus Stark collection begins with his very first adventure in the pages of Smash from 1969. Written by Tom Tully and drawn by Francisco Solano López, The Incredible Adventures of Janus Stark ran in syndication until 1971 and was one of the few to survive Smash’s merger into Valiant in 1971.
Available in Digital and Print
• The Incredible Adventures of Janus Stark Volume Two
The adventures of Janus Stark continue, written by Tom Tully and drawn by Francisco Solano López, Jaime Brocal Remohí, Franc Fuentes Man, Reg Bunn
Available Digital and Print
• The Incredible Adventures of Janus Stark Volume Three
This collection features the Janus Stark strips published between October 1969 and February 1970, written by Tom Tully and drawn by Francisco Solano López, Jaime Brocal Remohí, Franc Fuentes Man
Available Digital and Print
Web Links
• International Hero: Janus Stark Profile
• This wonderfully detailed French site: janustark.free.fr, which even includes snapshots of original boards and how they were altered for re-presentation on the continent.
• The death of Janus Stark (in French) is here: http://janustark.free.fr/galerie/mort.html
• This French web site on pocket library titles in that country has some information on the Janus Stark edition, which also featured reprints of characters such as Adam Eterno: www.pimpf.org/mjm/janus.htm
• Deskartes: More information on Francisco Fuentes Man (in Spanish)
Tribute Art
• Dan McDaid’s interpretation of Janus Stark on ComicArtFans
• Janus Stark by Leigh Gallagher on ComicArtFans
• A customised figure of Janus Stark by French creator “Digit”
Janus Stark © Rebellion Publishing Ltd
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