Article on "Scoop" Comic

[DavidKW]

There's an interesting short article on DCT's short-lived comic Scoop in this month's edition on "Backpass" magazine (a retro football magazine exclusively sold at WH Smith).

I don't know if this comic has been discussed earlier on this site (this bust bee's no time to read all!), but does anyone remember this comic?

Article states it lacked the warmth of Roy Of The Rovers & Co over at IPC.

The article mentioned that many free gifts were desperately given away towards the end of its run -does anyone remember what these were or have any still?

[Phoenix]

does anyone remember this comic?

Yes. It was a slightly larger format photogravure picture story paper, with magazine elements. It was predominantly a sports story paper, and it ran from 1 (Jan. 21 1978) to 194 (Oct. 3 1981) before being amalgamated with Victor, as Victor and Scoop. Its most original character was Jon Stark, introduced in issue 1 in Stark - Matchwinner For Hire. Some of the other serials, while interesting in their own right, were adaptations and updatings of earlier text serials from the Big Four. Two examples. First, Pickford, The Goal Maker from The Wizard, gets a picture repeat as Capper from issue 13, and then in The Return Of The Goalmaker, he has moved on to his next coming as Pengro, a gipsy on a revenge campaign while playing for 4th Division team Gasberry Town. Second, the goalkeeper, Ben Leiper of another 4th Division club, Mancastor City, is a medical student like Adventure's star keeper, Lanky Hutton, who first appeared in It Takes Guts To Be A Goalie! in 1952. Ben's story is recounted in This Goalie's Got Guts!, several aspects of which are borrowed from Lanky Hutton's tale.

[stevezodiac]

I have the first issue and picked up many others which I later sold on ebay. There are probably some on ebay now.

No just an annual.

[Digifiend]

There's an interesting short article on DCT's short-lived comic Scoop in this month's edition on "Backpass" magazine (a retro football magazine exclusively sold at WH Smith).

It's not a WHS exclusive.

BACKPASS is now in its sixth year of operation and is currently available in most WH Smith High Street stores, the major WH Smith Travel stores (railway stations and airports) and many independent newsagents.

http://www.backpassmagazine.co.uk/index.html

[DavidKW]

I stand corrected again - I forgot specialists (I remember seeing copies on sale at National Football Museum when at Preston). Wh Smith best bet on High Street I mean.

Interesting thing the article said was about the Inter-City Superleague, decided by a computer with "the appearance of an apartment block and the brain the size of a pea". Anyone with memories of this league.

Also said that the latter day free gifts "became collectors' items because nobody collected them in the first place".

Don't think any comic strip could match the end of the Champiochip season just gone and last week's League 1 conclusion!

[DavidKW]

Also said the 1978 world cup helped give the sales momentum - that world cup brought a comic memory for me - that world cup theme on the telly in background & I'm reading the 1978 Beezer Summer Special.

[Phoenix]

Don't think any comic strip could match the end of the Championship season just gone and last week's League 1 conclusion!

Thomsons' text story papers all managed it year on year in the post-war period. The earlier instalments were gripping too. You should try them sometime.

[starscape]

I stopped reading it when Ben Leiper knocked himself out denying Scotland an equaliser, meaning England went through to the World Cup. Why would I want to read about my team losing?

[Phoenix]

I stopped reading it when Ben Leiper knocked himself out denying Scotland an equaliser, meaning England went through to the World Cup. Why would I want to read about my team losing?

That was a bit drastic wasn't it, starscape? It was only fiction after all. Actually I would have thought the reality was worse, losing 3-1 to Peru, and only managing a 1-1 draw with Iran. The 3-2 win over Holland was a decent performance but you then had those points deducted because your winger Willie Johnston failed a drugs test and was sent home from Argentina in disgrace. The team followed shortly afterwards.

[Digifiend]

Don't think any comic strip could match the end of the Champiochip season just gone and last week's League 1 conclusion!

You're talking about last year's Championship? Because this year's ended in crazy style. Hull City only drew against already promoted Cardiff, and one of Cardiff's goals came from the same man (Fraizer Campbell) who, as an on-loan Manchester United player, helped Hull to win the play off final five years ago. A win would've got them promoted, but they're only one point ahead - two after this draw. So they're relying on the Leeds vs Watford result. Watford's first choice keeper is injured in warm-up. Second keeper is injured after 20 minutes. Third choice keeper who had only come to watch the game from the stands, ended up in goal. Later on, they have a man sent off. Leeds end up winning the match 2-1, sending Hull up (which is ironic, as they're local rivals). Is that not the sort of thing you'd see in Roy of the Rovers or The Sun's Striker? A team leaving it until the last minute to secure promotion? And if Watford's goalies hadn't been crocked, it might have been them going straight up and Hull with a date with the foxes.

[stevezodiac]

I watched the proceedings on bbc score and feared the worst when Millwall went one nil down on 85 minutes. BBC had an "As It Stands" league table so you could see the teams moving up and down as the goals went in. Can now look forward to another season of Championship mid-table mediocrity.

Funny how many teams involved in the Championship ups and downs have comic nicknames - The Lions, The Tigers, The Hornets, The Eagles. Are Charlton still the Valiants or are they the Addicks? Lots of Rovers of course.

And the Hotspurs will be looking for a champions league spot.

[AndyB]

The real question is who will be the Victors, and how much of a Beano they will have. It'll be just Dandy for them.

[Digifiend]

And they'll be raising their Toppers.

[stevezodiac]

And making Whoopee!

I suppose Champion(s) League comes in here too. I also think Charlton were the Robins as their theme music was "When the red red robin comes bob bob bobbing along". Rangers has just come to mind.

[DavidKW]

I'll look around the those Thomsons' text.

I meant the Champiochip season just finished bar the play-offs - thriller in relgation & promotion/play-off places - with Leicester just squeaking in (at Bolton's expense - though fans are glad we stayed down so Freedman can properly prepare us). And with Leicester winning - in a way mirrors what's happening with Warbury in play-offs in Striker (welcome back!) at mo.

Mind you when it comes to thrills, last season's premiership run-in with City's last-minute win was a true thriller - could've come out of Roy of Rovers or Striker (still love seeing on YouTube the Sunderland fan's reaction & Ferguson's expression).

I'm a football tourist who now lives/supports Bolton but has supported Man City & Sunderland through living in those fan vicinities.