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The Real “Really Heavy Greatcoat” that inspired a long-running comic strip, offered for sale

By John Freeman on October 28, 2023

The World War Two Air Raid Patrol greatcoat that inspired the long-running Lancaster-based carton strip “The Really Heavy Greatcoat“, which also featured for a few years in Comics International, is up for sale on eBay.

The Real "Really Heavy Greatcoat" that inspired the long running cartoon strip by John Freeman and Nick Miller

We’re currently downsizing at the downthetubes secret base, and some things much loved have to go, along with the a huge range of comics and other items I’m trying to sell on eBay each week. This week, it’s “The Really Heavy Greatcoat“, an old World War Two ARP/ Civil Defence Greatcoat, a rather unique item. Not just for its historical significance as a greatcoat as used by the Air Raid Patrol, of “medium” size – hence the accompanying arm insignia denoting the coat as belonging to an Air Raid Patrol Warden – but because it was the inspiration for a local, and later national cartoon strip, “The Really Heavy Greatcoat”, created by myself, John Freeman, and artist Nick Miller.

In fiction, the sentient coat made his debut in 1987 in On The Beat (later, Off the Beat), a local listings magazine published in the Lancaster and Morecambe area, then online on virtual-lancaster.net.

The Really Heavy Greatcoat by John Freeman and Nick Miller, published 21st February 1987

The Really Heavy Greatcoat by John Freeman and Nick Miller, published 11th April 1987 — *Above: the “origin” of the Really Heavy Greatcoat, published in 1987*

An archive of some of the strips published between 1987 and 2009, sometimes on a regular basis, now features on the web comic platform, Tapas. Between 2006 and 2009 the strip also ran in the comics magazine, Comics International, published in the United Kingdom and distributed in the United States.

I can assure you that in reality, the Greatcoat does not, in fact, have a life of its own (but if it has, it’s kept very quiet for nearly 40 years), but it does need a bit of TLC due to regular wear.

And yes, it is true that the cartoon was inspired by either Nick or my friend Tim Stevens picking the coat up in Lancaster’s long gone Moorlands Pub and saying “Gosh, that’s heavy”, while we were trying to come up with cartoon strip ideas. Comics inspiration often comes in pubs!

*An episode of The Really Heavy Greatcoat by John Freeman and Nick Miller, published in Off the Beat in February 1994*

*The Really Heavy Greatcoat, revived in 2001, published on virtual-lancaster*

The Really Heavy Greatcoat by John Freeman and Nick Miller (2001)

The Really Heavy Greatcoat - Lancaster Comics Day 2015 Special — *The Really Heavy Greatcoat – Lancaster Comics Day 2015 Special*

The original ARP insignia – included with this item – were removed because I kept getting confused for a traffic warden when I worked as a designer in Morecambe’s West End.

A couple of buttons went missing down the years, but I have secured adequate and genuine replacements, also offered here.

*Really Heavy Greatcoat: Another Day Out in Lancaster T-Shirt*

This is an unusual item with a bit of comics history, and that, along with the prices of “normal” ARP / Civil Defence Greatcoats on eBay, is reflected in the starting price, but I hope it finds a good home.

• Comic Projects: The Really Heavy Greatcoat

• The Peculiar History of the Really Heavy Greatcoat, an archive of some of the strips on Tapastic

• The Really Heavy Greatcoat on Wikipedia

• Can’t afford a Really Heavy Greatcoat? That’s OK, we’ve got t-shirts instead

John Freeman

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.