Comics UK

Can you Help
When I was young
I borrowed some annuals form the boy who lived next door
one story ( drawn not written ) was about either Spartans or Romans holding a bridge against impossible odds has stayed with me
now the annual was missing its cover so I cant place it .
But must be from 1964- 1971 and from one of the following titles: Victor, Valiant, Hotspur or Tiger
if anyone can tell me what annual it is from it would be much appreciated

Sounds like Horatius at the bridge. The amazing Arturo del Castillo drew a strip about him for Look and Learn which was subsequently reprinted in at least one annual (off hand I can't remember which). In my opinion it featured some of the best artwork ever to appear in a British comic.

I agree about the likelihood of it being a version of the Horatius story Phil and very likely a reprint of the Look & Learn strip you mention.I've had a check through some of the annuals mentioned I had to hand and it certainly isn't in Valiant 1964-1967 or Tiger 1965-1968 or indeed Lion 1964-1967. There is definitely not an Horatius type strip in any of the Hotspur and Victor books up to 1971. I'll try to check the later Tiger etc annuals later to see if its in any of them.
By the by, Ron Smith did a very fine version of this story in full colour, from the poem by Lord Macaulay, in the Beezer comic 135-136 in 1958.

philcom55 wrote:Sounds like Horatius at the bridge. The amazing Arturo del Castillo drew a strip about him for Look and Learn which was subsequently reprinted in at least one annual (off hand I can't remember which). In my opinion it featured some of the best artwork ever to appear in a British comic.

Thanks for that it does sound like it I think the end panel has a few survivors riding off on horses i have to say that the artwork looks better than from the story I remember but the memory can play tricks would need to see the whole thing to know for sure.
I'm pretty sure it took up 3 pages in the annual near the end and the annual had a mix of strips and written stories

Kashgar wrote:I agree about the likelihood of it being a version of the Horatius story Phil and very likely a reprint of the Look & Learn strip you mention.I've had a check through some of the annuals mentioned I had to hand and it certainly isn't in Valiant 1964-1967 or Tiger 1965-1968 or indeed Lion 1964-1967. There is definitely not an Horatius type strip in any of the Hotspur and Victor books up to 1971. I'll try to check the later Tiger etc annuals later to see if its in any of them.
By the by, Ron Smith did a very fine version of this story in full colour, from the poem by Lord Macaulay, in the Beezer comic 135-136 in 1958.

thanks for your help too
definitely from 1964- 1971 and from one of the following titles: Victor, Valiant, Hotspur or Tiger if Horatius story is not in these annuals then its not the one
as i said think the art work was not that good but ???

still looking for some help on this the Horatius at the bridge has too good artwork for the story i remember
anyone got those old annuals to check

Hi judomole, I've now managed to check all the annuals you mentioned and it's not in any of them afraid.

Kashgar wrote:Hi judomole, I've now managed to check all the annuals you mentioned and it's not in any of them afraid.

thanks for doing that

now I'm at a complete loss as to which annual it could have been in

Could it have been in a Boys World Annual? Or Daily Mirror Book For Boys?

stevezodiac wrote:Could it have been in a Boys World Annual? Or Daily Mirror Book For Boys?

not sure as the annual was missing its cover so the only way to know for sure is if some one has these annuals and checks

Would you recognise the missing cover if you saw it again?

I have a number of those annuals so could check

stevezodiac wrote:Would you recognise the missing cover if you saw it again?

i will give it a go
just let me consult my dummy's guide to psychic readings

Richard S. wrote:I have a number of those annuals so could check

that would be much appreciated

looked at Boys World annuals 1964-72 and Daily Mirror book for boys 1970-72 but no sign of it sorry