Years of "Maxwell Hawke" in `Buster` comic!

[bustercomic]

I have found the link. It lists each adventure with dates! Pity there are no story synopsis as I only have distant memories of the strip! Can I ask about `Buster` comic? Apart from the times it absorbed other comics, were there instances of `Free gift` promotions and strip turnover very often?

Hi Alan,

There's a near-complete list of free gifts on the site http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/freebies.html but if you're looking for anything specific to Maxwell Hawke, I'm afraid you're out of luck.

As for the strip turnover, personally, I'd say it could be quite high, although I don't really know how it would compare against similar comics. There were certain strips though, like Maxwell Hawke, that lasted quite a long time, and plenty of them.

I'll get around to adding more for Maxwell, and the other strips as and when I can.

Regards

Matt

[Kashgar]

I have found the link. It lists each adventure with dates! Pity there are no story synopsis as I only have distant memories of the strip! Can I ask about `Buster` comic? Apart from the times it absorbed other comics, were there instances of `Free gift` promotions and strip turnover very often?

Do you mean instances when these two things coincided Alan eg when a free gift issue coincided with a bunch of new strips?
If this is what you mean then I think that, apart from when Buster absorbed other titles (a procedure for which it holds the record in British comics BTW) the most potent example of this may well have occured in Oct 1965 when Buster changed its tabloid 20pg format to that of a more regular sized 40pg publication, an event celebrated with the inclusion of a seasonally appropriate Guy Fawkes Mask and the inclusion of something like seven new strips, not including new adventures for the likes of Maxwell Hawke. From memory these new strips certainly included Dinah Mite and Thunderbolt the Avenger but I'll need to check the rest.

[Phoenix]

a couple of strips that were missed altogether.

I can't believe that Ray would have missed one strip, never mind a couple. Any blame surely lies elsewhere.

[alanultron5]

Yes! that's it- Free gift promotions with new stories in a sort of re-vamp! Very rare in Beano and Dandy with only 1960 and 1971 bieng `big` overhauls! The `Dandy` revamp in 1971 was very significant as the comic expanded from 16 to 20 pages!

This meant quite a few extra stories-though I don't know the exact figure!

Sparky comic was consistantly `overhauling` itself due to its poor (by comparison) sales! in 1967 and 1969 in brought in Nine new strips on those two `revamps` Wether any I.P.C title equalled or beat that I don't know!

I think `Buster` comic is the all time champ for `swallowing` other titles! Is that correct?

[Kashgar]

The Oct 1965 Buster actually contained nine new strips now I've come to count them so it was quite a hefty change.
When it comes to the Thomson boys and girls picture papers they usually followed a similar format to each other with the first free gift issue usually containing three, or perhaps, four new strips and the second free gift issue (they usually gave away free gifts in groups of two not including subsequent weeks when they might give away further, lesser 'satellite' gifts such as stickers to fill an album given away in weeks one or two) usually launching another one or two new strips.
Thanks for your faith in me as a cataloguer Derek but as BC seems to have the details to hand I must assume I've missed out something or indeed several somethings
if he says I have and, much as I would like to shift the blame, I fear that I cannot. I would like to think that the error occured in the printing phase rather than in the original compilation phase ie Bryon missed out a couple of things that were incuded in the draft of the book when he prepared it for printing and that I wasn't the one who oversaw the finished book prior to publication but, after all this time, I don't remember who did what and when and as my name is one of two on the cover I think I'll have to shoulder the responsibility for any errors and omissions.

[Phoenix]

Thanks for your faith in me as a cataloguer Derek but as BC seems to have the details to hand I must assume I've missed out something or indeed several somethings if he says I have

Anyone can make a mistake. However, I think we ought to ask BC to state exactly which were the couple of strips that were missed altogether. That way it should be possible to figure out at whose door the blame should be laid, Bryon Whitworth's or Steve Holland's.

[bustercomic]

Ok, first things first. For the record I LOVE my Buster Comic Index. That book is the sole reason my site became the size it is today. I fully appreciate the work that went into it and I'm not pointing fingers when I say some things were missing.

If I'm honest, I'm surprised it was anywhere near as accurate as it was. The bulk of my A to Z is spot on, and since starting the Page by Page I've been able to link an awful lot of strips into their first use and last use without any corrections.

I don't know the resources that were used to form the index, and I will confess to nudging a handful of last use dates in particular because I've seen that strip in a slightly later issue. This may be a reprint where the index has only counted original runs.

However, yes I have added some additional strips. They are strips I've found in Buster that weren't covered in the Index.....and again there could be a perfectly good reason for that.

The first one that was missing was Mighty White presents the Kid & Shrimp (http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/mightywhite.html) which I've found traces of in Mid 1987. Having found out a little more since adding it to the A to Z I think it ties in with the brand of bread so that may be the reason it wasn't used.

I also found no reference of Percy The Problem Child (http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/percy.html) whch appeared sporadically in 1970 & 1971. It wasn't a regular strip, more of a puzzle page - a little similar to some of the stuff Crazy Maisie would go on to do a short time later.

Finally, I think I'm right in saying there's no reference to Sweet Tooth, who I orginally presumed made an appearance after the Index was published, but later found in March 1991.

But again, I'm not picking holes in the book. (Well, I am, but not in a bad way). I still swear by that thing, and given the amount of work I've had to do over the last six years or so I fully appreciate the effort put into the index.

Hopefully this has set the record straight and put right anybody who has felt a little aggrieved by my earlier comments about the Index.

[Phoenix]

The first one that was missing was Mighty White presents the Kid & Shrimp (http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/mightywhite.html) which I've found traces of in Mid 1987. Having found out a little more since adding it to the A to Z I think it ties in with the brand of bread so that may be the reason it wasn't used. I also found no reference of Percy The Problem Child (http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/percy.html) whch appeared sporadically in 1970 & 1971. It wasn't a regular strip, more of a puzzle page - a little similar to some of the stuff Crazy Maisie would go on to do a short time later. Finally, I think I'm right in saying there's no reference to Sweet Tooth, who I orginally presumed made an appearance after the Index was published, but later found in March 1991.

Thank you for your clarification, BC. The first two don't exactly sound to me like pure strips and in a complete index might perhaps have been dealt with under a different heading. Any further comments, Ray?

[Kashgar]

I will have to get back to you on this.
The format of the Index was Steve's, as most people who have seen any of Steve's other indexes could attest to, but most of the date and content detail was ultimately my responsibility as I was the one with the complete Buster collection to refer to.
It is certainly possible that the Mighty White strip wasn't included as we judged it an advertising page but the other two are slightly more problemmatic. I'll check my notes and see whether they are included there. Always assuming I can find the notes after all this time.
And BC I don't consider that you are knocking the Buster Index by pointing out legitimate errors and I appreciate your kind comments with regard to the index overall.
Rest assured if I find a way to redistribute the blame for these mistakes I will certainly do so.

[alanultron5]

Maybe, one day there might be a collected works of `Maxwell Hawke` Gosh! if the `Captain Hurricane` strip can have such......!