The misadventures of a Luftwaffe pilot who maintains an upbeat demeanour despite crashing every single plane he sits in, to the fury of commanding of officer von Spotz.
Cartoon.
The Amazing Exploits of Tornado Jones
Published: 20 September 1975 to 12 December 1976[1]
After Nazis use a secret complex of underground tunnels to kidnap key scientists a top-secret unit of 11 hardened Commandos is put together to rescue them.
The strip featured the characters MacTavish and O'Toole, who had previously appeared in their own strip.[1]
During World War II, Petty Officer Pete Parsons and gunner Tug Wilson battle Germans from a northern Fleet Air Arm airbase. Despite using a Blackburn Roc, the pair experience considerable success.
After an accident injures several members of Midshire's cricket team on a tour of Australia, holidaying amateur player Barry Swift gets a dream opportunity.
Brothers, racers and engineers Bill and Chris Burnett build a sports car special in their garage and enter it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The serials starring the Burnett brothers featured no banner title; the first was titled "High Performance" (9 April to 9 July 1960); the second was "Specialists in Speed" (16 July to 22 October 1960); the third was "Brady's Aces" (29 October 1960 to 25 February 1961).
Billy's Boots
Published: 23 December 1961 to 8 September 1962, 1 December 1962 to 13 July 1963[1]
After discovering the ancient boots of former footballer Charles 'Dead Shot' Keen, young Billy Dane finds himself playing with the skill of the late England International.
Stable boy Davey Tyler buys a fast horse called Black Patch from a mysterious gypsy, and plans to use the steed as a champion racer and save Garsdale Racing Stables from financial trouble.
Comanche warrior Blood Knife accidentally strays into a valley terrorised by prehistoric monsters. He vows to defend the people of the lost civilisation.
Brad Nolan
Published: 18 June 1960 to 14 January 1961, 20 November 1965 to 18 June 1966 (reprints), 2 March to 20 April 1968 (reprints)
Cowboy Brad Nolan seems to have his nascent boxing career ruined when jealous Cy Baxter causes him to break his arm at the ranch. Nolan's boss, former fighter Jake Maddock, warns him he will never fight again but Nolan remains determined to seek out his dream.
The strip was initially titled "Outlaw Puncher" and then "Champ of the Barbary Coast" until Nolan's name was added to the title partway through the second serial.[1]
When the village school of Scruffley is threatened with demolition and amalgamation with snobby private school Crenton. To thwart this, pupils Ginger Nutt and Chubby Merlin put together a football team to win the County Cup.
Published: 22 February 1964 to 6 February 1965, 12 February 1966 to 28 January 1967 (reprints)[1]
Fishing in a pond, schoolboy Danny Jones finds an ancient clock that can move anyone touching it backwards and forwards in time when the hands are moved.
Kind-hearted Irishman Rinty O'Reilly has the skills to become a boxer and is persuaded to go for the championship by friend and manager 'Blarney' Stone so he can afford to fund his dream of buying a farm. However, O'Reilly is reluctant to fight with ferocity – until someone finally exhausts his huge reserves of patience.
Jeff Walpole builds a sportscar in his garage and takes it to time trials, only to end up unintentionally upstage the Falkland factory's launch of their new Firebird racer. Despite his efforts to explain, Jeff soon finds himself in a bitter rivalry with Falkland ace Ron Sanderson.
Footballing brothers Red and Coke Furnace find themselves stranded in the jungle after a plane crash, and begin to make their way back to civilisation.
The sports editor of the Daily Globe newspaper shares interesting stories he has covered in his journalistic career.
The unnamed host, his newspaper and his subjects were all fictional.
Fisty Flynn
Published: 9 April 1983 to 9 June 1984
Schoolboy Terry 'Fisty' Flynn is forced to relocate to the remote island of St. Columba in the South Atlantic when his father, diplomat Sir Nigel Flynn, is appointed governor. Terry's unhappiness and quick temper means he struggles to settle in – a situation that is not made easier when the South American country of Beruvia begins funding rebel attacks on the island.
Thatcher United would be an average unremarkable lower Division Four side but for the bizarre nature that their entire squad and staff are all part of the massive extended Robinson family, who must try to keep the club from falling into the hands of local businessman Max Sharkey and his plans to turn their ramshackle ground into a supermarket.
Athletically gifted feral boy Jamie Speed is discovered running on the moors. Subsequently, Jamie is adopted by a police officer known as Seargent Joe who helps the boy become a professional athlete. However both Jamie and Joe find the world of athletics has an unsavoury side.
Once acclaimed as one of the world's finest actors, Irving Thespius grows bitter when his fame begins to fade. After noting the publicity accorded to the supervillain Plunder Man, Thespius aims to reclaim the spotlight by becoming a world-feared villain.
Bookish Clem Hawkins is bequeathed a newspaper in the frontier town of Coltsville, the most lawless settlement in the West. Thankfully his uncle has also left him a robot gunslinger, and the pair set out to clean up Coltsville.
Rebellion Developments editor Keith Richardson named "Helmet Head" as the story he would most like to see revived in a 2021 interview.
Published: 12 February 1972 to 14 September 1974[1][7]
After a spat with stable owner Clive Mannering, unruly groom Joe Larcombe sets out to be a jockey for a rival stable by taming the similarly rowdy stallion Ugly.
Blessed with a towering physique and a net-busting shot, amiable Hebridean footballer Hamish Balfour joins Princes Park and soon makes an impact on the Scottish Premier Division.
A syndicate of wealthy men fund the work of brilliant young inventor Don Hunter, only for him to discover his benefactors plan to use his creations for crime. Hunter instead sets out to bring the cabal to justice.
A Hurricane Has Two Fists
Published: 16 September 1961 to 3 February 1962[1]
During World War II, former police detective Dave Danford becomes a captain in the Commandos. Charged with putting together a team for top secret missions, Danford recruits six wily criminals he put behind bars.
Barry King longs to be a motorcycle racer but his father bans him from even attending races after his brother Geoff is left in a wheelchair after a bike accident. Geoff himself is more supportive, and gets his old bike out of mothballs, planning to help Barry pursue a racing career behind their parents' backs.
French Foreign Legion soldier Jack Ripley moonlights as boxer Lightning Lorant while posted in North Africa.
Later reprinted in Lion as "Law of the Legion".[1]
Louis Bernard
Published: 17 November 1962 to 7 October 1967; 23 March 1968 to 29 March 1969 (reprints)[1]
Believing that a spate of monster sightings in the Caribbean are down to a notorious tiger shark known as Scarback, sea hunter Louis Bernard takes his nephew to investigate.
The serials used no umbrella title; while Scarback would return on several occasions, only Bernard and his nephew were constants.[1]
Martin Baker is obsessed with becoming a rally driver but can only afford a clapped out £55 Mini. Christening the car 'George', Martin and his mechanic 'Tiny' Hill set about turning the Mini into a winner.
In 1978, Tiger agreed to sponsor driver Martin Goodall in the National Mini Championship challenge, and the driver ran in the yellow/blue livery used by George in the strip.[9]
Sam Smith wants to be a boxer and his brother Sid wants to be a boxing manager; the two brothers work together to try and get into the sport, while also running a market stall together.
The Mountainsport winter sports school in the Alps is the sight of strange goings-on. Pupils Chick Carey and Bill Gunn are determined to solve the mystery.
Ice hockey team Albury Arrows are assisted by the surprise arrival of an unknown talented player when one of their regulars misses a game. The stranger gives his name as Joe Brown and vanishes, leaving Arrows skipper Tank Carter determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Nelson Lord is the top agent for British agency T.I.G.E.R (The International Group for Eliminating Revolution). Opposing him are the villainous A.T.A.C (Agents of Terror and Chaos).
Despite his slight build and young age making him a target for thuggish defenders, jet-heeled 'Nipper' Lawrence soon makes an impact for First Division side Blackport Rovers.
Continued from Scorcher and Score. Reprints in March to May 1981 (using material from Score drawn by López, as Roylance was unwell) and from April 1984 onwards.[1]
Briton Olac becomes a successful gladiator in Ancient Rome, before being framed for a crime he didn't commit and becoming an outlaw. After clearing his name, Olac became a trusted agent of the Emperor.
Daydreamer Henry Hawkins is revealed to have a world class throw in a playground incident, and joins the school cricket team mainly to impress popular girl Shirley. While Henry has a fast bowling delivery from the start, his new teammates are less impressed with his other skills. However, sports master Alec Thompson is determined to whip Hawkins into shape.
Paddy Ryan runs Spartan House, a renowned all-round sports training school. His latest pupil is David MacArdle, who wants to emulate his father's Olympic-winning hammer throw.
Pete Kelso loses part of his leg after battling the Red Baron in World War I, but remains upbeat and keeps flying. After the conflict he sets up the Flying Penguins air circus, but Kelso and his pilots are turned down on age grounds when World War II breaks out. Determined to help, they pinch a trio of obsolete Gloster Gauntlets destined for disposal, and soon prove their worth.
After leaving a career as a British intelligence agent, Philip Driver attempts to become a professional golfer. However, he and his caddie 'Peanut' Jones still find themselves drawn into espionage.
Captain Alex Pride and Sergeant Paddy O'Hara of the 27th Lancers are stationed in Kabul as the British Empire tries to keep control against Afghan tribes.
The Arrow family, made up of heroic geniuses, are known as the Robot Builders – an independent rescue organisation who have built fantastic machines to help those caught in disasters.
A farmhand called Reb gets fed up with his maltreatment from the tyrannical Spragg family and goes on the run. He is befriended by destitute ex-boxer Basher Binns, who soon realises Reb has the makings of a champion pugilist.
Grand Prix rising star Rusty Steele lands a drive with the crack Lenca team, but a rival frames him for taking a bribe to throw a race. Unwanted by other teams, he becomes a haulage driver while trying to clear his name.
When American motorcycle star Bruce Tollman is horrifically injured in a race in Salzburg his shattered body is stolen from hospital by scientist Professor Sintek. He replaces most of Tollman's body with advanced robotic parts but is killed by his bitter assistant before the subject wakes. Tollman must try to work out what has happened to him while avoiding the blame for Sintek's death.
Australian Digger Dean arrives in Wiltshire to inherit his family's stately home. A resulting sift through the property documentation reveals the estate to actually be a tiny independent country, and Dean begins coming up with novel ideas to put the micronation on the map.
Brent Daly is an ambitious sportscar driver hoping to impress factory team talent scouts – little knowing that he is also attracting the attention of master criminal The Director, who wants Daly as a getaway driver.
When Dave Trent, captain of the Flying Ospreys speedway team, is injured he seeks a replacement. He finds talented but fiery Jo Tallon, who must overcome the sexism of her teammates and other competitors.
Sports club The Tigers only have three members, which doesn't stop enthusiastic skipper Chunky Smith from entering them in a variety of competitions despite the protestations of the other two-thirds of the membership, Biff and Smithy.
Duggie Batson and 'Big' Ernie Barnes are aspiring Rugby League players in the town of Rushton. The pair sign for Rushton Town RFC and make fast friends with the burly 'Ape Man'. Later, after a fallout with Rushton, the three left to instead play for Potterdale.
Racing driver Red Rawley and his trusty riding mechanic Phil Boyce enter their Super Meteor in the Trans-Africa Sports Car Race. The already daunting road race becomes even more dangerous when a mysterious foe with the alias Monsieur Exe attempts to sabotage their efforts.
Typhoon Tracy is a jovial 6' 6" soldier of fortune who travels the world onboard looking for excitement and adventure. On top of his towering physique he is superhumanly strong and invulnerable, attributes which can be both blessings and curses due to his general lack of common sense and caution.
Continued from Hurricane, and later renamed "Typhoon Tracy – Troubleshooter".[1]
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.
Tiger was a weekly British comics periodical published by Amalgamated Press, Fleetway Publications and IPC Magazines from 11 September 1954 to 30 March 1985. The title was initially launched in a large tabloid size to mimic newspapers; while it featured some action-adventure stories Tiger contained a large number of sport strips. The most famous of these was "Roy of the Rovers", which debuted in the first issue and was the comic's most popular feature, eventually transferring to its own comic in 1975. Tiger would go on to become one of the company's longest-running titles, with 1,573 issues published before being merged with Eagle in 1985. Over the course of its run, Tiger featured columns by numerous famous sports figures, including Ian Botham, Geoff Boycott, Tony Greig, Trevor Francis and Charlie Nicholas.
Ranger was a weekly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications from 18 September 1965 to 18 June 1966. Intended as an educational publication, the cover described it as "The National Boys' Magazine" and the content mixed comic strips with a much larger quotient of factual articles than most other Fleetway children's titles of the time. Ranger lasted 40 issues before being merged with Fleetway's fellow educational title Look and Learn in 1966.
Lion was a weekly British comics periodical published by Amalgamated Press from 23 February 1952 to 18 May 1974. A boys' adventure comic, Lion was originally designed to compete with Eagle, the popular weekly comic published by Hulton Press that had introduced Dan Dare. It debuted numerous memorable characters, including Captain Condor, Robot Archie, Paddy Payne and the Spider. Lion lasted for 1,156 issues before being merged with stablemate Valiant.
Tales of the Green Beret is an American comic strip created by the nonfiction author Robin Moore and artist Joe Kubert. Published in the 1960s, its Vietnam War setting was concurrent with the controversial real-life conflict.
Robot Archie is a British comic character, appearing in strips published by Amalgamated Press, Fleetway Publications and IPC Magazines. Created by Ted Cowan, the character first appeared in a serial called "The Jungle Robot" in the first issue of Lion on 23 February 1952. While the initial stint only lasted six months, Archie returned 1957 and would become one of the most enduring characters in Lion, running until the comic merged with Valiant in 1974, with the majority of his adventures drawn by Ted Kearon.
Vulcan was a British weekly boys' comic published by IPC Magazines from 1 March 1975 to 3 April 1976, when it merged with Valiant. The comic was unusual among IPC's weeklies for several reasons - it used a much smaller format than most of the company's weeklies and featured more colour; until September 1975 the title was only available in Scotland as the format was tested; and it consisted entirely of reprints of extant material. It was also published simultaneously in German as Kobra.
Woodrow Gelman was a publisher, cartoonist, novelist and an artist-writer for both animation and comic books. As the publisher of Nostalgia Press, he pioneered the reprinting of vintage comic strips in quality hardcovers and trade paperbacks. As an editor and art director for two-and-a-half decades at Topps Chewing Gum, he introduced many innovations in trading cards and humor products.
Jag was a weekly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications and IPC Magazines from 4 May 1968 to 29 March 1969. A boys' adventure comic, the title lasted for 48 editions before being merged with another title, the long-established Tiger.
Hurricane was a weekly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications from 29 February 1964 to 8 May 1965. The title was billed as "the companion paper to Valiant" in reference to the weekly launched by Fleetway in 1962 that had rapidly become one of the company's best-selling publications. However, while Valiant would run until 1976, Hurricane was less successful and lasted just over a year before being merged with Tiger in 1965.
"The Indestructible Man" is a British comic strip published by Fleetway Publications and later IPC Magazines in the boys' comic anthology title Jag between 4 May 1968 to 29 March 1969. Written by Scott Goodall and drawn by Jesús Blasco, the story followed an Ancient Egyptian warrior who survived into the present day after learning a number of skills while entombed, and took on the identity of crime-fighter Mark Dangerfield.
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