Comics UK

Hi,

I'm a writer-broadcaster, started out in comics in the early 90s just as the mainstream comics industry I'd grown up with was falling away. I'm currently working on a new project involving football from a certain period and am looking to see if anyone here that read boys’ comics in the 1980s, more specifically DC Thomson’s short-lived Champ, which ran from 1984-85 and featured the seminal football strip We Are United, might be able to help as I'm looking to interview the people behind that strip.

If the great Barrie Tomlinson’s work with Tiger and Roy of the Rovers showed him to be The Sopranos of UK football comic strips, then We Are United was The Wire. A more acquired taste perhaps, very different to anything that had come before it. I am keen to speak to those involved with the strip but am not having much joy. I know the artist Peter Fox has returned to Australia these days, does no press and doesn’t even have a PC. If it wasn’t for the fact I’m keen to talk to him, I’d admire his aversion to engage.

Meantime, DC Thomson have come back to me and told me the Champ editor was Peter Clark. I interviewed Peter back in 2003 when he was still at DC Thomson, and he kindly sent me quite a few We Are United picture books produced after the comic’s premature demise, telling me he’d based it on Man Utd during the Tommy Doc era when they tumbled out of the top flight. 17 years on, my curiosity in that strip remains undimmed and I’m determined to bring it to the attention of a new audience, but 17 years is a long time ago now and he’s obviously left DC Thomson or more likely retired. There are of course hundreds of Peter Clarks on LinkedIn. Meantime, the writer was F. Baker. They have no more details for them and even if they did, couldn’t give them to me because of the Data Protection Act.

So I’m looking to see if there are any comic historians out there who might be able to shed light on this and put me on the right path to tracking down these both Peter Clark and F. Baker. Perhaps you can recommend some sites I can post my query on? With DC Thomson based in Dundee, it could be Peter Clark is still living up there. F. Baker, I have no idea.

Appreciate you taking the time to read this and look forward to using this site on a regular basis.
Thanks.

There is a Facebook group called Mighty World of British Comics and there are some extremely knowledgeable guys and girls there. Loads of artists and people “in the know”. I’m sure you will find some answers there.

Thanks for that. I have heard this morning that F. Baker passed away in 2008 and managed to get an email for Peter Clark. I'll check that FB group out and look forward to using this knowledgeable forum on a regular basis.

Before Champ there was Scoop, a sports comic which ran from 1978 to 1981. Also from DC Thomson but on better quality paper.

Yeah, I remember writing to Kenny Dalglish who had a column for Scoop. I still actually recall what I wrote to him about but to this day, don't know if he ever replied.

Pete Foster is still alive and kicking down under. Not bad for a 90 year old artist who only started out in the 1970s in his late 40s.

Several years ago, if I remember correctly, there was a fairly lengthy series of posts about 'We Are United' on this very platform. However, I don't seem to recall anyone commenting on its writers at that time, but I may be wrong.

I woke up at about 4am this morning to hear Barrie Tomlinson being interviewed by Paul Ross on his talk radio/talksport show (1am to 5am). Yes I have my clock radio on all night. I awoke halfway through but I think he said he is writing his autobiography. It's probably available on catch-up somewhere.

Just checked and there is a listen again option. If you choose the 3.30 to 4.00am section it's about ten minutes in.