Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Discuss or comment on anything relating to Britain's longest running comic. The home of Korky the Cat and Desperate Dan. Has been running since 1937.

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Peter Gray
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Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Peter Gray »

I am really struck how well Black Bob is written and some great stories..

I like the text story of Black Bob and the Towsy Tinkers with the gipsy kids playing with fire in a dry area...which is in the best of Black Bob...the pictures which go with it are so amazing and dramatic..especially the two pager of Black Bob rescuing the horses from the flames and the caravans on fire...

I also love the Dandy book 1968 Black Bob text story Reckless Robbie..
which has an amazing two pager where you turn the book on its side to see a crumbling bridge and Black Bob being lowered down on a rope to rescue Robbie who is on top of a crashed car with roaring river and rain the driver on top of the car knocked out..very dramatic!! This should be reprinted!!

Just read Black Bob's last book of the 60's the normal shaped book..
Poor Blind Bob
Who looses his eye sight for a while and gets replaced by another dog..what is so good about this story it shows Bob very jealous and doing things which are dangerous and wrong..But adds another layer to his character...a lot of rival hate...
of course Bob still does heroic things as well..

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tony ingram
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by tony ingram »

The one where Bob goes blind is still my favourite. I love Bob, though-I wish they'd bring him back.

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Digifiend
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Digifiend »

Where would he go? He'd be sorely out of place in the Dandy nowadays.

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philcom55
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by philcom55 »

Bob also got the chance to act as a guide dog for his master's blind nephew in this story from the 1953 Black Bob Book.

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As a child of the 1950s and 60s I must admit that for me Jack Prout's meticulously realistic artwork holds a similar appeal to black & white British films of the same vintage. I get a real thrill from seeing all the old cars and steam trains and - best of all - the dimly-lit newsagents' shops crammed with long-forgotten treasures! And, of course, nobody was quite so adept at capturing the changing moods of the British countryside through the seasons, from the extremes of Summer and Winter to the dramatic fury of a thunderstorm.

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Incidentally it's interesting to note that this particular story was written before the advent of the National Health Service, when the only way in which one could hope to get access to essential eye surgery was by saving up the money yourself.

- Phil Rushton

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Peter Gray
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Peter Gray »

I agree..
I love that steam train coming towards us But Bob's expression is also good..

It is so atmospheric and brilliant how the past era is captured..

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Peter Gray
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Peter Gray »

http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogs ... blind.html

See Poor Blind Bob examples and the two pager I mentioned..

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dishes
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by dishes »

philcom55 wrote: Incidentally it's interesting to note that this particular story was written before the advent of the National Health Service, when the only way in which one could hope to get access to essential eye surgery was by saving up the money yourself.
What? I thought the NHS was founded in the 1940s?
Is it weird to have no interest in keeping or collecting free gifts?

My artwork: http://www.iancockburn.co.uk

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Digifiend
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Digifiend »

Yes, in 1948. But Bob started in 1944. If this was a reprint or an adaptation from text to pictures, it could easily have been written in that four year period.

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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Phoenix »

According to Ray Moore's The Dandy Monster Index 1937-1990, the story Black Bob and Blind Billy was the fifth prose series, running from 344 (May 24 1947) - 352 (Sep. 13 1947).

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philcom55
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by philcom55 »

Peter Gray wrote:http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogs ... blind.html

See Poor Blind Bob examples and the two pager I mentioned..
Very nice Peter! I'm surprised nobody has ever thought of making a TV series (or even a feature film) adapted from the Black Bob stories, preferably set in the 1940s or 1950s. It'd be perfect family viewing for Sunday teatime!

Incidentally, does anyone know which stories were included in the recent 'Very Best of' collection?

- Phil R.

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Digifiend
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Digifiend »

The reason Black Bob was never adapted for film or TV may have to do with the fact that he's too similar to Lassie. It could've been seen as copying a successful formula, and therefore unoriginal. Of course there are differences - the dog's breed and gender, the fact Bob always has the same owner, Lassie doesn't, and the setting, America vs Scotland. But at their core, both stories are about dogs who help random people.

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philcom55
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by philcom55 »

There are some fascinating biographical details about Jack Prout provided by his great nephew here:

http://www.davidprout.dsl.pipex.com/Joh ... kProut.htm

(There is also a marvelous photo of Jack and his father in the gallery section)

Bearing in mind that he was born in 1899 it's quite remarkable that, even after his official retirement, Jack continued to produce occasional artwork that was every bit as exquisitely detailed as anything he'd drawn.


Here, for example, are the opening frames of a two-page story from the 1974 Dandy Summer Special (in spite of their similar names Black Prince doesn't seem to have any other connection to Black Bob). As far as I know this brief outing marks the only appearance of the willful Shetland Pony and his high spirited canine friend - yet Jack imbues them with such engaging personalities that one could easily imagine the strip running for years.

Image

And here, from the following year's Dandy Summer Special, Jack shows that he's lost none of his skill at depicting the timeless world of Andrew Glenn and his faithful collie. As with all of his opening scenes it's impossible to see it without being instantly drawn into the narrative and wanting to read on...!

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- Phil Rushton

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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by SID »

As I have said previously, Black Bob is my all-time favourite Dandy comic character. :notworthy:

Although not necessarily the best as I loved each and every story I have read, one story that sticks in my mind is the one which featured Butch the german shepherd.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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tony ingram
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by tony ingram »

Digifiend wrote:The reason Black Bob was never adapted for film or TV may have to do with the fact that he's too similar to Lassie. It could've been seen as copying a successful formula, and therefore unoriginal. Of course there are differences - the dog's breed and gender, the fact Bob always has the same owner, Lassie doesn't, and the setting, America vs Scotland. But at their core, both stories are about dogs who help random people.
Copying a successful formula worked out OK for The Littlest Hobo...

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Peter Gray
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Re: Which Black Bob stories or pictures do you like..

Post by Peter Gray »

Although not necessarily the best as I loved each and every story I have read, one story that sticks in my mind is the one which featured Butch the german shepherd.


Can you tell us any info on the story?

Nice seeing the Horse one off.Jack is also great at drawing horses..
Black Bob could work well as a film..and as said it is different because of location and Andrew Glenn..also British..

Updated blog post..

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