Humour or Adventure - Do you have a preference?

[Lew Stringer]

In the sixties comics usually had a mixture of humour and adventure content, particularly titles like Wham!, Smash!, Pow!, and Buster, so I always appreciated both and considered both as equals. It seems odd to me that one would have strong preferences over the other. It'd be like having a TV and only watching adventure or comedy. Someone once said that the Odhams Smash! was like a good Saturday night's television schedule, and they were right. Variety was the attraction for me.

[alanultron5]

Same here! This is why I liked `Sparky` in its early days (65-69) had some great adventure strips! Early 60s Dandy ran some tremendous adventure strips "Crimson Ball" "Red Wrecker" "Stinging Swarm" "Umbrella Men" to name a few. Topper had some fine adventure strips too.

[Ginger]

It seems odd to me that one would have strong preferences over the other.

Interesting perspective, Lew. I may indeed be odd, but in my case, I've always had a huge fondness for humour comics, and very close to zero interest in action comics, as both man and boy. Typically, a comic from my childhood would be mainly humour with one or two action-adventure strips. The latter I did read sometimes, but I think I skipped them in the main. They've just never held any appeal for me, it's the naturalistic art I think.

Someone once said that the Odhams Smash! was like a good Saturday night's television schedule, and they were right. Variety was the attraction for me.

I don't sit and watch TV all night on a Saturday, either! I pick and choose.

[philcom55]

While I was growing up I think I progressed steadily from nursery comics to humour, to adventure, to American super heroes to horror to undergrounds. It was only later that my interest in ALL types of comics developed.

[starscape]

I have a strong preferences for adventure as traditional children's humour comics were mostly aimed at young children. I didn't find that always with adventure. Sure, a number were, but classic Marvel, for instance, was aimed at teenagers. Action was basically X-rated films. Many of DCT's action serials were similar to the stiff-upper lip war/detective/sport movies of the 50s/60s, that were watched by people of all-ages.

Viz is, of course, adult and some of those are hilarious. But, I must admit, I can't raise a smile to Sweeney Toddler or Biffo (and they're not designed to). In contrast, the Silver Surfer and Hook Jaw are still great reads all these years later.

I can appreciate the art but I'm primarily drawn to the writing, so that's where my favour lies.

[Michael Anden]

I do like the idea of the greater variety afforded by the 'hybrid' comics of the 60s and 70s- I actually think that Oink! strips would have slotted pretty well with the likes of 2000AD and 80s Eagle- at the time I found it had just the right level of puerility and coarseness to take the edge off the drama of the 'serious' strips (House of Daemon, Halo Jones, Tower King etc).

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Humour all the way, the vast majority of adventure stuff bores me senseless - although I'll give an exception to horror comics, those I can stomach.

I'll read adventure stuff if it's not being played straight (ie: a lot of 2000AD, Sonic the Comic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and so on).

[Adam Eterno]

It seems odd to me that one would have strong preferences over the other.

Interesting perspective, Lew. I may indeed be odd, but in my case, I've always had a huge fondness for humour comics, and very close to zero interest in action comics, as both man and boy. Typically, a comic from my childhood would be mainly humour with one or two action-adventure strips. The latter I did read sometimes, but I think I skipped them in the main. They've just never held any appeal for me, it's the naturalistic art I think.

Someone once said that the Odhams Smash! was like a good Saturday night's television schedule, and they were right. Variety was the attraction for me.

I don't sit and watch TV all night on a Saturday, either! I pick and choose.

I love it that we all have such different tastes and opinions! I have to agree that that's an interesting perspective as I like particular comics and not others in the same way as I do drinks, food and TV etc. I very rarely watch whatever's on TV but pick and choose to watch only the things I really like. I have the same attitude to comics in that I strongly prefer adventure strips over humour ones.

[paw broon]

Following the distribution in the UK of American comics in '59/'60, I read very few British comics, exceptions being Buster, Victor and Marvelman for a couple of years. It seemed that British comics, or many of them, just couldn't compete with the garishly coloured American ones. Therefore, superhero and mystery comics were my preferred reads. I think I have always enjoyed Mr. Watkins work, humour or adventure, and some of the other British humour strips, Jonah particularly, but I seldom laughed out loud at any of them. And when in later years, I renewed my acquaintance with British anthology titles it was the adventure, masked mystery man, s.f. stories that appealed to me.
Actually, when I think more about this, I've always been a fan of Rupert, 4D Jones and Andy Capp, so perhaps there is more of a mix in my reading history. nowadays, as far as British comics are concerned, I read very few old humour strips and a huge majority of old adventure comics and strips - Super Detective Library, TPL, Cowboy Picture Library and Buck Ryan, Jeff Hawke, Paul Temple and other Newspaper strips. Much more adventure than humour.

[Phoenix]

Paul Temple

I loved Paul Temple and Steve. I have the complete box set of the nine postwar radio series starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury, and what's more I do listen to them.

[paw broon]

Oh yes, Phoenix, I'm also a fan of Paul and Steve. Like you I have the cd's of the radio shows plus the 4 feature films and, although not so good imo, the tv series with Francis Matthews. The newspaper strip stories are very good entertainment and I'm sure you would enjoy them, if you can lay your hands on them, that is.

[Phoenix]

Oh yes, Phoenix, I'm also a fan of Paul and Steve. Like you I have the cd's of the radio shows plus the 4 feature films and, although not so good imo, the tv series with Francis Matthews.

For me, Paw, Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury are Paul and Steve. Nobody else can step into their shoes. I did have the opportunity to buy some earlier radio broadcasts with different actors but I couldn't go through with it. My suspension of disbelief wouldn't have been able to cope.

[colcool007]

My comic preference is Adventure, but I never turn my nose up at humour. I love Terry Bave's work for example and to ignore humour comics is to ignore a good chunk of great comic art.

I will say that to appreciate any, you really need to be ready to enjoy it all or at least experience enough of it to make a clear reasonable argument as to why you don't like a specific genre or artist.

This week, my deluxe edition of The New Frontier arrived and I am genuinely finding it enjoyable in the art and the story. And I thought it was unlikely that I would find American comics enjoyable, but as many artists and writers are fans, I thought that it gives me a better insight as to how their creative process works.

Now excuse me while I get back to working through the Commandos!

[Ginger]

I will say that to appreciate any, you really need to be ready to enjoy it all or at least experience enough of it to make a clear reasonable argument as to why you don't like a specific genre or artist.

Just playing devil's advocate, here, but are we really so impelled to make a 'clear, reasonable argument' for our tastes? Or might we just be allowed to say that it's pure instinct, really, it's what floats your boat (or otherwise), and sometimes it's actually very hard to put into words why one thing excites/uplifts/entertains and another doesn't. I have never had any interest in straight adventure comics, I have just never been drawn to them, in much the same way as I have never been drawn to knitting or skydiving.

[colcool007]

I will say that to appreciate any, you really need to be ready to enjoy it all or at least experience enough of it to make a clear reasonable argument as to why you don't like a specific genre or artist.

Just playing devil's advocate, here, but are we really so impelled to make a 'clear, reasonable argument' for our tastes? Or might we just be allowed to say that it's pure instinct, really, it's what floats your boat (or otherwise), and sometimes it's actually very hard to put into words why one thing excites/uplifts/entertains and another doesn't. I have never had any interest in straight adventure comics, I have just never been drawn to them, in much the same way as I have never been drawn to knitting or skydiving.

It's always worth having some experience as instinct is not always instinct. Sometimes, it's a learned reaction that has become a subconscious reaction.

A lot of people try to persuade me that I should like American comics more than I do. But I can honestly say that I have tried a fair amount of them and some I do like, but not enough to collect them.