BBC 4 comic uk forum internet program from the fans

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Peter Gray
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Joined: 28 Feb 2006, 00:07
Location: Surrey Guildford
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BBC 4 comic uk forum internet program from the fans

Post by Peter Gray »

BBC 4 comicuk forum internet program from the fans
If we were on telly what would you say?

The first question
How did you get into collecting comics?



As a kid I collected comics mostly from School fetes, carboots. These days its harder to find, though again the internet ebay has changed my collecting, even able to buy number 1 comics. I still hunt for them and it gives you a thrill when you discover something for your collection. If you talk to any collector the hunt can be just as fun as the owning of it.

I got into comics through drawing cartoons with my Dad who is a cartoonist and artist. I drew loads of Mr Men doing different things and was a collected loads of Mr Men books so that was my first collecting or as Mum would say obsession! This lead to comics which had the Mr Men in like Playhour then on to Beano, Buster, Whizzer and Chips, Wow!, Whoopee!!, my sister got The Dandy though that was because Mum and Dad were buying me comics and didn't want my sister to be left out, though I read it as well. In the late 80's I was more interested in older comics so enjoyed the best of comics which came out at this time. Best of Beezer and Best of Topper showing 50's and 60's work and Big comic and Funny Fortnightly which showed Fleetways 70's and early 80's comic pages. In the 90's being a teenager I kept my old comics though got rid of a lot as you grow up a bit. Though when I moved out at 24 I lived near a carboot which was held on Saturdays this awoken my comic collecting interest and no one to moan that the floor boards will collapse under the weight of my comics and annuals.

I've always been mad on comics, I would always write on my Father Christmas list I would like old comics please. Which just shows I had the bug very early. One year it happened though not from Father Christmas But my main present from Mum and Dad old comics, 1950's, 60's Beano's it was the best present I ever got at Christmas. I asked them where they got it and they told me in London from a ironically a father Christmasy looking man (a bushy white beard) in a house with comics filling the downstairs room and loads of annuals upstairs. Well I wanted to go. Dad asked him if I could come and he said yes even though children were banned. He had a horrible time with a brat who cryed to his Dad that he wanted this comic because it said on the cover 2p and the Dad argued with him. Which is very unfair as the comic was old and worth more than 2p! Anyway Father Christmas looking man could see I was different and that I loved comics. The place to me was heaven! Racks and racks of comics everywhere. This introduced me to 70's comics like Shiver and Shake, Cor!!, Cheeky, Krazy, Monster Fun etc.. My Grandad lived in London so very useful to get to this house.

I used to at school fetes either be first in the queue at the gates ready to run down to the book stall or even ask to help sell the books of course picking up the comic annuals.

I've been a fan of comics all my life, it has inspired me to draw cartoons myself and these days reading comics is on a completely new level.

The internet has changed the way I look at comics. Looking at various comic websites like Toonhound Fleetstreet, chatting on comicsuk forum and comic blogs, I've discovered other fans of comics. Also I've made contact through email chatting to the comic artists themselves, especially the late great J.Edward Oliver who even came to my wedding and I went to his. Email is an amazing tool to chat to comic artists without knowing there home address so if they want privicy they still can But also can chat very informly.

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