And three hours later, I'm going to opt instead for:
If... by Steve Bell
Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway
Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot
Literary Life by Posy Simmonds
The Waste Land by Martin Rowson
Favourite Comic Strip
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Steve Flanagan
- Posts: 23
- Joined: 08 Jun 2007, 15:43
- Location: Tyneside, UK
- Contact:
Favourite Comic Strip
My 5 all time favs have to be
Judge Dredd-when it is good is unbeatable.
Surprised no one mentioned
Darkies Mob and Charley's War from Battle.
Humour strip-I always had a soft spot for Winker Watson-the Art sold me on that one.
And partly through longevity and partly a love of the character-Alf Tupper.No one story stands out but I was always happy when there was a Tough of the Track story running.(Same can be said for Bernard Briggs and Wilson.
In recent years I was impressed with Leviathan in 2000AD
And on the other side of the pond Groo(funniest comic ever) and the original Detective Chimp stories-he is a Chimp that solves crimes-the Ronseal of comic creation.
brisey
Judge Dredd-when it is good is unbeatable.
Surprised no one mentioned
Darkies Mob and Charley's War from Battle.
Humour strip-I always had a soft spot for Winker Watson-the Art sold me on that one.
And partly through longevity and partly a love of the character-Alf Tupper.No one story stands out but I was always happy when there was a Tough of the Track story running.(Same can be said for Bernard Briggs and Wilson.
In recent years I was impressed with Leviathan in 2000AD
And on the other side of the pond Groo(funniest comic ever) and the original Detective Chimp stories-he is a Chimp that solves crimes-the Ronseal of comic creation.
brisey
Favourite Comic Strip
Hello - this seems like a nice thread to make a first post!
Restricting it to five choices and from British weeklies, these are my top five. I love them, though they're ones I don't often see brought up or getting much coverage, so I wonder if anyone else is especially fond of them.
RAVEN ON THE WING from Valiant. Despite having almost no interest in football, this football strip which often looked more like a macabre horror strip, drawn by Francisco Solano Lopez, is probably my favourite British adventure strip of all time - though the adventures of the strange gipsy boy who plays football barefoot may have spread some rather odd ideas about gipsies and their beliefs. Maybe some would find it offensive and highly patronising today, rather than just weird. For a strip that ran so long it was always solidly entertaining, with scripts by Tom Tully, I think. The regular presence of Morag, the clawed Lengro wise woman with supernatural powers, certainly did make it look more like a horror strip. Little in comics gives me more pleasure than finding three more pages of Raven I've never read before and I'd love to know the exact dates the strip started and finished. I'm presuming its circa 1968 - 18th May 1974, ending just before the comic combined with Lion - but did it ever return?
PUSS 'N' BOOTS from Sparky, which mixed playful whimsy with extreme violence! At its best - its double page era, maybe peaking around 1976, the ones that Classics from the Comics is reprinting - I reckon it could be the best ever D C Thomson humour strip. So many of the humour comics relied on obvious puns in their dialogue, but there's a real love of clever wordplay and ideas in Puss 'n' Boots, and both words and art were really inspired.
HARRY'S HAUNTED HOUSE from early Whizzer Chips - the single pagers drawn by Reg Parlett, circa 1969-1970. I had to pick one of the Reg Parlett spooky strips of the period, and his Harry is delightful; the character is just a sheet with eyes and a mouth for a face, but Mr. Parlett gave him such a convincing range of expressions and so much personality - I think he could draw anything and make it convincing and charming. I didn't much like the strip after a different artist took over and it stretched over an extra half page, but the Parlett single pagers were unbeatable. (I'm glad I was an IPC kid!)
THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK BEAUTY from Look-In, 1974-75 - the colour spreads by Mike Noble were gorgeous, but his black and white sets were equally good, and the artist with a completely different style (not sure who) who took over for a while was very distinctive, too.) Look-In featured some striking looking strips at its peak, and this one was always beautifully drawn, with good adventures.
THE GHOSTLY GUARDIAN from Valiant 1970-71; set in and around a deserted Cornish fishing village, and about young Jim Frobisher, a boy who finds himself looked after by ghostly pirate Firebrand. Drawn in the macabre and eery style by Argentinian artist Julio Schiaffino). This is just a delightful - yet darkish - adventure strip with excellent art and striking images, like Masthead Manor, which takes the form of an old pirate ship.
Restricting it to five choices and from British weeklies, these are my top five. I love them, though they're ones I don't often see brought up or getting much coverage, so I wonder if anyone else is especially fond of them.
RAVEN ON THE WING from Valiant. Despite having almost no interest in football, this football strip which often looked more like a macabre horror strip, drawn by Francisco Solano Lopez, is probably my favourite British adventure strip of all time - though the adventures of the strange gipsy boy who plays football barefoot may have spread some rather odd ideas about gipsies and their beliefs. Maybe some would find it offensive and highly patronising today, rather than just weird. For a strip that ran so long it was always solidly entertaining, with scripts by Tom Tully, I think. The regular presence of Morag, the clawed Lengro wise woman with supernatural powers, certainly did make it look more like a horror strip. Little in comics gives me more pleasure than finding three more pages of Raven I've never read before and I'd love to know the exact dates the strip started and finished. I'm presuming its circa 1968 - 18th May 1974, ending just before the comic combined with Lion - but did it ever return?
PUSS 'N' BOOTS from Sparky, which mixed playful whimsy with extreme violence! At its best - its double page era, maybe peaking around 1976, the ones that Classics from the Comics is reprinting - I reckon it could be the best ever D C Thomson humour strip. So many of the humour comics relied on obvious puns in their dialogue, but there's a real love of clever wordplay and ideas in Puss 'n' Boots, and both words and art were really inspired.
HARRY'S HAUNTED HOUSE from early Whizzer Chips - the single pagers drawn by Reg Parlett, circa 1969-1970. I had to pick one of the Reg Parlett spooky strips of the period, and his Harry is delightful; the character is just a sheet with eyes and a mouth for a face, but Mr. Parlett gave him such a convincing range of expressions and so much personality - I think he could draw anything and make it convincing and charming. I didn't much like the strip after a different artist took over and it stretched over an extra half page, but the Parlett single pagers were unbeatable. (I'm glad I was an IPC kid!)
THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK BEAUTY from Look-In, 1974-75 - the colour spreads by Mike Noble were gorgeous, but his black and white sets were equally good, and the artist with a completely different style (not sure who) who took over for a while was very distinctive, too.) Look-In featured some striking looking strips at its peak, and this one was always beautifully drawn, with good adventures.
THE GHOSTLY GUARDIAN from Valiant 1970-71; set in and around a deserted Cornish fishing village, and about young Jim Frobisher, a boy who finds himself looked after by ghostly pirate Firebrand. Drawn in the macabre and eery style by Argentinian artist Julio Schiaffino). This is just a delightful - yet darkish - adventure strip with excellent art and striking images, like Masthead Manor, which takes the form of an old pirate ship.
Last edited by Raven on 21 Jul 2009, 00:07, edited 2 times in total.
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colcool007
- Mr Valeera
- Posts: 3872
- Joined: 03 Mar 2006, 18:06
- Location: Lost in time, lost in space
- Contact:
Favourite Comic Strip
Going to cheat here and now put in my favourite funnies. 
And they are in no particular order.
First up is Dire Streets. Wasn't exactly a student when I read this, but it just made me laugh. A soap opera funny comic that was good.
Next up was and still is The Broons. With the size of my family now, I find its wry observations and good Scottish dialect a joy to behold.
Now it gets tough to separate another three. Loved Puss N Boots, Figaro, Toad in The Hole and all the others, but I think the last D C Thomson one for me is The Numbskulls. Used to love the idea that all we had wee blokes running around inside us trying to get everything to work properly.
Onto IPC and the one that stands out for me head and shoulders above the rest is the Bumpkin Billionaires. Every week, they would invest in mad schemes that should have seen them lose all their money, but every time they made more back than they could spend.
Last but no means least is the mad creation of that daft pair hiding in the wilds of Fife. Take a bow Kettles and Christine. For your finest hour was out in the wilds of the Tuareg desert with Egon, Mad Pierre, Deenis, Sgt Bidet and of course, our hero, Beau Peep. I have spent many a hour chortling over the absolutely zany behaviour of the characters in this strip and I can honestly say that I haven't regretted a minute of it.
And they are in no particular order.First up is Dire Streets. Wasn't exactly a student when I read this, but it just made me laugh. A soap opera funny comic that was good.
Next up was and still is The Broons. With the size of my family now, I find its wry observations and good Scottish dialect a joy to behold.
Now it gets tough to separate another three. Loved Puss N Boots, Figaro, Toad in The Hole and all the others, but I think the last D C Thomson one for me is The Numbskulls. Used to love the idea that all we had wee blokes running around inside us trying to get everything to work properly.
Onto IPC and the one that stands out for me head and shoulders above the rest is the Bumpkin Billionaires. Every week, they would invest in mad schemes that should have seen them lose all their money, but every time they made more back than they could spend.
Last but no means least is the mad creation of that daft pair hiding in the wilds of Fife. Take a bow Kettles and Christine. For your finest hour was out in the wilds of the Tuareg desert with Egon, Mad Pierre, Deenis, Sgt Bidet and of course, our hero, Beau Peep. I have spent many a hour chortling over the absolutely zany behaviour of the characters in this strip and I can honestly say that I haven't regretted a minute of it.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!
Favourite Comic Strip
Oo-arr! I agree that Bumpkin Billionaires was a superior strip - Whoopee's best. On the surface it was just a rip-off of the Beverly Hillbillies TV series, but it was always strong and with its own style. Poor old Mister Bank Manager, nervously pursuing them as they handed out bags bulging with cash to everyone ...
It fully deserved its extension to three pages and cover star status after a couple of years.
(I thought Whoopee was an *especially* strong comic when it merged with Shiver & Shake - Scared-Stiff Sam, Bumpkin Billionaires, Frankie Stein, Evil Eye, Lolly Pop, Creepy Car, Scream Inn - what a line-up.)
It fully deserved its extension to three pages and cover star status after a couple of years.
(I thought Whoopee was an *especially* strong comic when it merged with Shiver & Shake - Scared-Stiff Sam, Bumpkin Billionaires, Frankie Stein, Evil Eye, Lolly Pop, Creepy Car, Scream Inn - what a line-up.)
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Cap Haggis
- Posts: 376
- Joined: 06 Jun 2006, 16:11
- Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Favourite Comic Strip
Have to say I loved "Raven on the Wing" as well- as you state Raven it was as much a horror at times as it was a footy story - Also agree witl Colcool over "Beau Peep" love it to bits so sarky and funny - Can't recall Dire Street at all (must have been after my time me being an old git) Harry's Haunted House (and almost anythign by Reg Parlett is a gem)
Cap Haggis to the rescue of all deep fried foods
Favourite Comic Strip
Not necessarily my favourites, but these comic strips/comics stand out as being particularly memorable. I've limited myself to UK stuff, otherwise Hate, Milk & Cheese, Flaming Carrot, Groo and the Ice Haven issue of Eightball, the Milligan/Allred reinvention of X-Force and many, many others would all be contenders for the list.
JUDGE DREDD
Particularly the earlier strips that I read in my youth via the Fleetway/Quality US reprints and The Complete Judge Dredd. My first exposure to action comics after a diet of Beano/Dandy/Whizzer & Chips/Buster.
SWEENY TODDLER/CALAMITY JAMES - Tom Paterson
The first time I noticed a particular artist's style was on Sweeny Toddler in Whizzer & Chips. Then when Calamity James began in The Beano I recognised that it was drawn by the same person, even though The Beano didn't have credits for artists back then.
OINK!
My mum loathed it, which was reason enough for me to adore it. If it still existed now I'd probably still be reading it.
VIZ
Viz was always the forbidden fruit for me, a comic tantalisingly out of reach that I wasn't allowed to buy. I plucked up the courage to pick up an issue when I was 16 (issue 62 I think, with the Mr Blobby cover) and haven't stopped since. Anyone who dismisses Viz as puerile smut clearly hasn't ever read it.
TANK GIRL
I was a bit too young for Deadline, but managed to get hold of the Dark Horse reprints and loved it. The film was complete dreck, of course, but the comics had an energy matched by few others. It's a shame Hewlett has abandoned comics. There's a new Alan Martin-penned Tank Girl comic from IDW but I haven't been able to pick it up.
There are many more I could've mentioned, especially from IPC's roster, but these are the first five that sprang to mind.
JUDGE DREDD
Particularly the earlier strips that I read in my youth via the Fleetway/Quality US reprints and The Complete Judge Dredd. My first exposure to action comics after a diet of Beano/Dandy/Whizzer & Chips/Buster.
SWEENY TODDLER/CALAMITY JAMES - Tom Paterson
The first time I noticed a particular artist's style was on Sweeny Toddler in Whizzer & Chips. Then when Calamity James began in The Beano I recognised that it was drawn by the same person, even though The Beano didn't have credits for artists back then.
OINK!
My mum loathed it, which was reason enough for me to adore it. If it still existed now I'd probably still be reading it.
VIZ
Viz was always the forbidden fruit for me, a comic tantalisingly out of reach that I wasn't allowed to buy. I plucked up the courage to pick up an issue when I was 16 (issue 62 I think, with the Mr Blobby cover) and haven't stopped since. Anyone who dismisses Viz as puerile smut clearly hasn't ever read it.
TANK GIRL
I was a bit too young for Deadline, but managed to get hold of the Dark Horse reprints and loved it. The film was complete dreck, of course, but the comics had an energy matched by few others. It's a shame Hewlett has abandoned comics. There's a new Alan Martin-penned Tank Girl comic from IDW but I haven't been able to pick it up.
There are many more I could've mentioned, especially from IPC's roster, but these are the first five that sprang to mind.
Re: Favourite Comic Strip
The other artist was Leslie Branton, though Stanley Houghton also did a one-off strip.Raven wrote:THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK BEAUTY from Look-In, 1974-75 - the colour spreads by Mike Noble were gorgeous, but his black and white sets were equally good, and the artist with a completely different style (not sure who) who took over for a while was very distinctive, too.)
Re: Favourite Comic Strip
Shaqui wrote:
The other artist was Leslie Branton, though Stanley Houghton also did a one-off strip.
8)
Thanks, Shaqui. I'd heard it might be Leslie Branton but hadn't had it confirmed. His style was very busy and decorative compared to Mike Noble's clear, clean style, and very classy, I thought! Did he do a lot of work in comics, do you know?
Some of mine
Watchmen - are we allowed to say this, being from USA?
Captain Britain - Jaspers storyline from MWOM or was it The Daredevils, lovely Alan Davis work.
Marney the fox from Buster - story of a wandering fox and his adventures, John Stokes art.
Meltdown Man - world turned on it's axis, yugees (humanoid animals) are slaves, Nick Stone comes from 1980 to save things, great concept, lovely art by Belardinelli.
Pam of Pond Hill - Very like Grange Hill (from Jinty and then Tammy).
Dr Who and the Iron Legion - from way back in Dr Who Weekly No1 (1979).
and too many others
Captain Britain - Jaspers storyline from MWOM or was it The Daredevils, lovely Alan Davis work.
Marney the fox from Buster - story of a wandering fox and his adventures, John Stokes art.
Meltdown Man - world turned on it's axis, yugees (humanoid animals) are slaves, Nick Stone comes from 1980 to save things, great concept, lovely art by Belardinelli.
Pam of Pond Hill - Very like Grange Hill (from Jinty and then Tammy).
Dr Who and the Iron Legion - from way back in Dr Who Weekly No1 (1979).
and too many others
Re: Favourite Comic Strip
I have the serial which ran circa April-May 1970 which features 'the Devourer of Darkness,' an evil spirit plaguing a tribe of gipsies who live in a Spanish cave village. The art style is full on Lopez-style horror, with caves full of bats and the huge bat-like creature on the prowl. Football gets forgotten completely for a while. Yes, the strip happily switched from one genre to the other and sometimes seemed to blend the two, which made it seem quite unique.Cap Haggis wrote:Have to say I loved "Raven on the Wing" as well- as you state Raven it was as much a horror at times as it was a footy story -
Of course, there were other fairly peculiar football strips, like Scorcher's Kangaroo Kid, the boy brought up by kangaroos, which gave him bounce-power on the pitch.
Favourite Comic Strip
Colonel blink
Baby crockett
They still make me laugh.
The Jet Skaters
Phils Flute
The last of the Harkers(Lion & Thunder)
The Steel Claw(Of course)
Plus loads more.
Baby crockett
They still make me laugh.
The Jet Skaters
Phils Flute
The last of the Harkers(Lion & Thunder)
The Steel Claw(Of course)
Plus loads more.
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ROY ROGERS
- Posts: 47
- Joined: 24 Apr 2007, 20:36
- Location: essex
Favourite Comic Strip
[b]How about these strips as some of my favourites
Alf Tupper
Rick Random
daleks from tv21
Jet ace Logan
Bash st Kids
Winker Watson
[/b]
Alf Tupper
Rick Random
daleks from tv21
Jet ace Logan
Bash st Kids
Winker Watson
[/b]
THE NOLAN SISTERS ARE MINE