Sea War Picture Library - 1962

[Adam Eterno]

One of the more obscure Picture Libraries. The covers weren't numbered so does anyone know how I can find out the name of #1 please?

I know #2 was Hell Ship and #3 was The Jaws of Hell

[philcom55]

You mean you haven't got Volume One of the indispensable Fleetway Picture Library Index Adam? War At Sea #1 was 'Devil's Cargo' by D.M. Garbutt and Harry Farrugia.

...Ooops! You said 'Sea War' - I must admit I've never even heard of that one!

[Adam Eterno]

You mean you haven't got Volume One of the indispensable Fleetway Picture Library Index Colin? War At Sea #1 was 'Devil's Cargo' by D.M. Garbutt and Harry Farrugia.

...Ooops! You said 'Sea War' - I must admit I've never even heard of that one!

I had them mixed up at first too. Here's what the GCD has: http://www.comics.org/series/76295/covers/

[paw broon]

Stumped me with that one. As you probably know, the title isn't listed in the British Guide (McAlpine's, that is). Actually, a lot of the lesser known pocket libraries aren't listed. I tried a couple of websites and found nothing. When you enter, "War at Sea", you end up with listings for the Charlton title.

[philcom55]

Incidentally, if it's any help I think Air War Picture Stories #1 was titled 'Death From the Skies'.

[Adam Eterno]

Stumped me with that one. As you probably know, the title isn't listed in the British Guide (McAlpine's, that is). Actually, a lot of the lesser known pocket libraries aren't listed. I tried a couple of websites and found nothing. When you enter, "War at Sea", you end up with listings for the Charlton title.

Thanks anyway. I'm on a mission now! I've just sent an email to a chap at http://www.britishcomics.20m.com and I'll drop a few more lines in the water to see if anyone knows anything. GCD says there were 29......or 43 issues printed. At this rate I'll have to get the names of as many issues as possible and just use the process of elimination to work out #1!

[Adam Eterno]

OK, I've just looked all over the place and so far from GCD I have:

#2 Hell Ship
#3 The Jaws of Hell
#4 Vital Convoy
#5 Killer Of U-Boats
#6 Sea Victory
#7 The Guns of Narvik
#8
#9 British U Boat
#10 Hell's Harbour
#11 Ocean Battle
#12
#13
#14 Men Against Mines
#15 Death From The Deep
#16 Valiant Veterans
#17 Men 'O War
#18
#19 Hell On Earth
#20
#21 Man Of Steel

Other titles I've found so far are: Death of a Battleship, Field of Death, Combined Ops (I believe is #12), Attack at Dawn, No Mercy, the Jaws of Hell and one starting with the word "Against"!

Still no joy on #1's title.

I have now started looking at Air War Picture Stories, Wild West Picture Stories and Picture Stories of World War II and Pearson's other Libraries and can't find the titles of any of the Boy's number 1s. Does anyone know a Guru on Pearson's Libraries??

[philcom55]

Air War #1 - 'Death From The Skies'
Wild West #1 - 'Gun Rule'

[Adam Eterno]

Air War #1 - 'Death From The Skies'
Wild West #1 - 'Gun Rule'

Thanks for the "Death from the skies", that's the first one I've found out!

Sadly "Gun Rule" is Wild West Picture Library, not Stories

[philcom55]

Sadly "Gun Rule" is Wild West Picture Library, not Stories

Aaargh!! Of course it is!

I think Pearson's first Western-themed picture library in 1958 was actually called 'Western Picture Library' - presumably inspired by AP's successful Cowboy Picture Library (and not to be confused with Micron's Cowboy Adventure Library!). Denis Gifford lists the stars of the series as 'Jim Bridger, Mountain Man' and 'Mustang Gray & the Texas Rangers' in that order - but while I don't know what the cover says I do have a photo proof of the entire 63-page story from #1 which introduces Mustang Gray and his Texas Rangers and features the title 'Mustang Gray hears: Comanche War Drums!' on its title page. To make things even more confusing it was acquired from an archive belonging to Fleetway, who must have inherited the artwork when they eventually took over Pearson! No wonder I keep getting all these publishers mixed up!!!

(Edit: I just noticed that the GCD do have the cover to that issue listed!)

[Adam Eterno]

Sadly "Gun Rule" is Wild West Picture Library, not Stories

Aaargh!! Of course it is!

I think Pearson's first Western-themed picture library in 1958 was actually called 'Western Picture Library' - presumably inspired by AP's successful Cowboy Picture Library (and not to be confused with Micron's Cowboy Adventure Library!). Denis Gifford lists the stars of the series as 'Jim Bridger, Mountain Man' and 'Mustang Gray & the Texas Rangers' in that order - but while I don't know what the cover says I do have a photo proof of the entire 63-page story from #1 which introduces Mustang Gray and his Texas Rangers and features the title 'Mustang Gray hears: Comanche War Drums!' on its title page. To make things even more confusing it was acquired from an archive belonging to Fleetway, who must have inherited the artwork when they eventually took over Pearson! No wonder I keep getting all these publishers mixed up!!!

(Edit: I just noticed that the GCD do have the cover to that issue listed!)

and I have that comic Comanche War Drums so I'll check it as soon as I get a chance!

[philcom55]

As a matter of interest do you recognize the Mustang Gray artist Adam? To my eye the artwork looks a cut above most of Pearson's later 'Picture Stories' lines, while the cover painting seems to be the work of the excellent James McConnell.

[Adam Eterno]

OK, I've done some research on Pearson Boy's comics and come up with these titles and the names of the #1s that I've found so far. If anyone has any additional info, I'd really appreciate it as there seems so little on these sets.

Pearson boy's comic #1s

Air War Picture Stories - "Death from the Skies" – 1961
Continental Film Photo Stories - ? - 1960
Emergency Ward 10 - Calling Nurse Roberts – 1958
Film Picture Library – Warlock – Story of the film all in pictures - 1959
Heroic Adventure Library – The Gallant Crusaders – 1964
Mirabelle Pop, Film and TV Star Library – Clint Walker #1? – 1960
Picture Stories of World War II - titled World War Picture Library – Fighting Fury and Command on Tonga – 1960
Private Eye Picture Stories – The Rats of Paris - 1963
Sea War Picture Library - Death of a Battleship – 1962
Secret Agent Picture Library – Top Secret – 1961
T.V. Photo Stories - ?
T.V. Picture Stories – William Tell - 1958
Titbits Science Fiction Comics – The Dome of Survival - 1953
Titbits Wild West Comics - ? - 1953
Western Picture Library – Mustang Gray and the Texas Rangers – Comanche War Drums – 1958
Whoopee! – “68 Laugh Filled Pages”(?) - 1962
Wild West Picture Stories - ? – 1960

[Adam Eterno]

As a matter of interest do you recognize the Mustang Gray artist Adam? To my eye the artwork looks a cut above most of Pearson's later 'Picture Stories' lines, while the cover painting seems to be the work of the excellent James McConnell.

I agree with it being a cut above but I have no clue as to the artist I must admit.

[philcom55]

One tends to forget that Pearson's were such a major player in British comics during the 1950s and early 1960s - not just with the picture libraries but also their girls' romance weeklies and the various strips that appeared in Tit-Bits.