TV Comic - which publisher & non-TV strip memories

[philcom55]

What was it Matthew Matic saw? My guess is an intergalactic pie and mash shop with Neptunian jellied eels.

...Astonishingly enough you're not far off!



- Phil R.

[Shaqui]

Is that a joke? Well, just in case it isn't...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireball_XL5

You have seen stevezodiac's avatar, and taken on board his actual name, eh?

[Digifiend]

I did guess that he was joking.

[philcom55]

I had no idea that the great Brian Lewis drew Red Ray by the way. Does anybody know the dates he worked on it for? Presumably it can't have been long as he took over the Captain Condor strip in Lion at the end of 1961.

Incidentally, the original Red Ray artist was Roland Davies whose version is shown below.

• (*'Prince Gay' enjoyed a brief period of popularity during the 1950s, but he eventually died alone and penniless after being disinherited by the Royal family as a result of certain sordid details of his private life that were published in the News of the World soon after this strip appeared).

At one time TV Comic readers were even encouraged to join Red Ray's Space Rayngers by sending 1/6 to the editorial address, for which they could expect to receive a badge, 'magic space glasses', 'cosmic pencils' and a 'passport to space'! Alternatively they could join the 'Muffin Club' by collecting five printed horseshoes and sending them in! (At the time Neville Main was drawing Muffin the Mule for the comic's centrespread - a character that, to be fair, he was far more suited to than the various science fiction series he ended up with).



- Phil Rushton

[stevezodiac]

Yes I was looking through my small pile of 1959-1961 TV Comics last night and noticed the Red Ray fan club. One of my issues has the very first Supercar strip drawn by someone called Watts. Also noticed Mike Noble's Lone Ranger being replaced by Mike Noble's Range Rider - not much of a change for the artist though. Used to watch the Range Rider after school in the 60s.

[DavidKW]

Thanks Philcom for the Super Nan prints - what a fantastic strip & well-drawn. A forgotten gem!

I can remmember that the TV Terrors didn't get booted every week - they scored a few victories over the now regular doorman, the 'tached Hoppit- I remember was Bill concreting Hoppit's boots to the pavement & another when cardboard marionettes of the terrors dupe him.

One of those strips about the competition between kids & authority. TVY would be very relevant in today's celebrity-obsessed culture.

[philcom55]

You're right that the Terrors didn't always end up on the receiving end of the chaos they invariably caused - as this strip from 1962 shows.



Offhand I'm not sure who the artist is. Any suggestions?

- Phil Rushton

[Shaqui]

All the TV Terrors strips I can find are unsigned but there is a vague similarity to the style in the endpapers of the 1964 annual, which are signed by a David Greenfield? There are a few instances where it is not the regular artist but someone trying to emulate the same style.

I would say that the same regular TV Terrors artist went on to do Keystone Cops (also a great unsigned) and, I think, the Laural & Hardy strip in the 1970s.

[LordSnooty2]

This seemed relevant for this topic but can anyone on here provide me with a scan of "Harry Corbett's Sooty" from TV Comic? I'm currently writing a book all about Sooty, and there's not much information/ high quality pictures about it on here. I know Tony Hart drew it, and it ran between 1954-1956. Thanks!

[philcom55]

Here's an example from 2nd July 1955 where Sooty seems to be enacting the same sort of routine that Tony Hart later became famous for on TV's Vision On.



As a matter of interest the very next issue saw Sooty taking over from Muffin the Mule as TV Comic's cover star!

- Phil Rushton

[Peter Gray]

In that strip its like Tony talking to Morph!

Its so delightful..I love the narrators voice in the strip..

[NP]

Here's another Sooty from TV Comic.

[LordSnooty2]

Thanks guys- that's some wonderful artwork much appreciated, you both will be credited in the book- any more images would be grand!

[NP]

Here's another.

[philcom55]

Here's one of Tony's painted strips from the 1955 TV Comic Annual:





...And here's a link to the other Sooty story from the same annual that I posted here a while ago:



(Incidentally I remember that pepperpot-spaceship made quite an impression on me at the time. It seemed to turn up in quite a few places - though not necessarily on television.)

- Phil Rushton