But this proves my point about formula. They took away a strip that was popular (The Cloak, which Mike wrote and drew) because it didn't suit their formula of strips about happy cheery children, and gave him a strip they'd scripted which was more in their tastes (a school strip).Raven wrote:
I don't think that single experience should be taken to signify more than it probably did, though: I expect they just weren't keen on his style. Looking at his Space School in W + C, I can see it might not be to everyone's tastes; maybe they considered the style a little too crude looking, or too old fashioned? Perhaps Space School didn't prove popular with the readers.
I don't think they meant clone the style, more like have the same ambience: jolly happy smiles everywhere. Reg's work had the same upbeat feel that AP / Fleetway / IPC had been nurturing since Roy Wilson's day. This might also explain why IPC hated The Nervs so much, as it was a square peg in a round hole for their comics. It was this "edge" that they didn't like about Power Comics I think.Raven wrote:It's not like IPC or W+C had a house style where everyone had to draw like Reg Parlett. W + C itself stood out for having such a broad range of different artistic styles side by side; lots of different looks for so many strips in the same title.
I take your point. They certainly were attempting a Baxendale house style unfortunately, often to a lower standard than IPC would have accepted. Still, genuine talents did emerge such as Graham Allen and Gordon Hogg with their own distinctive styles. Even a top-notch artist like Brian Lewis was asked to imitate Baxendale when he drew Space Jinx for Smash.Raven wrote:It just sounds like whoever took over wasn't keen on his work. It's very possible that a fair few new artists at Odhams were told to draw more like Leo Baxendale ... (I expect they were. Weren't many of the young Wham posse groomed to draw in his style?)
True. I think what they lost mostly were the cultural references that Odhams used so much, and the reckless attitudes. Odhams thought nothing of having characters smoking in the strips, - sometimes even the kid characters were at it, despite those same comics featuring an anti-smoking campaign. Then again it was a sign of the times, as Corporal Clott over in The Dandy would sneak out for a fag now and then if I recall correctly.Raven wrote:I think the Odhams tone stayed in a few things. Ken Reid's Faceache in early-mid 70s Buster had that feel a bit: very wordy speech balloons and strips more concerned with piling up grotesque imagery or people having increasing nervous breakdowns than actual traditional story lines!
And the darker feel non-traditional adventure strip especially flourished in Valiant (which took on Janus, of course) and even, to an extent, in Buster for a while.
IPC were definitely more cautious than Odhams had been. Speak to anyone who knew him and they'll tell you that humour group editor Bob Paynter's catchphrase was "We have to be careful here" and this was decades before so-called "political correctness". We tried to change things with Oink! a bit (and Power Comics were a direct influence on my work there) but we all know how the establishment (WH Smith) reacted to that. I suppose IPC could see this over-cautious wave coming into society way back, and safeguarded against it. When they let their defences slip (Action, Oink!) the establishment hammered them for it, so maybe it's understandable why IPC had the attitudes they did.
Lew