Clearly on a roll with a fascinating subject – the origins of British publisher Panther Books, best known for their SF line – author Philip Harbottle delivers another new episode of his 1950s British Science Fiction mini documentaries, titled “Panther Books – Metamorphosis”, bringing this “origin story” to a delightful close.
Philip recounts how developments in 1953 were to create publishing history, starting with the launch of the “Panther Library”, both paperbacks and hardback releases released simultaneously; and lest anyone thinks “variant covers” are a wheeze exclusive to comics, he reveals how Panther made the most of them!
As ever, it’s fascinating to see so many SF rarities in one place, and Philip’s off the cuff narration, clearly revelling in the subject matter, is a joy. Once again, he also offers information often overlooked by both collectors and sellers of these SF books, his knowledge of the “variant covers” often sadly ignored.
Unlike other “mushroom publishers” of SF (publishers here today, gone the next in the 1950s), Panther Books survived thanks to its canny commercial acumen and sometimes brutal editorial decisions… but you should watch the documentary to find out what they are!
Philip Harbottle is a life-long science fiction fan, regarded as a world authority on the works of John Russell Fearn, whose credits encompass writing “Garth” for the Daily Mirror, and the “Golden Amazon” for Spaceship Away (adapting Fearn’s stories).
He’s also very kindly contributed a number of synopses of early “Garth” stories to downthetubes, which we are adding as time permits.
Back in the 1950s, he adapted some of the Radio Luxembourg Dan Dare radio shows into comics at a young age – the only record of some of these tales known to exist, since very few recordings survive.
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- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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: Books, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction
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