| Swift | |
|---|---|
 Cover from 1958, featuring "Smiley" | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Hulton Press(1954–1959) Odhams Press (1959–1963) |
| Schedule | Weekly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | 20 March 1954 – 2 March 1963 |
| No. of issues | 461 |
| Editor(s) | Marcus Morris |
Swift was a British weekly comics magazine published by in the UK as a junior companion to the Eagle .
It was founded by the Rev. Marcus Morris and launched by Hulton Press in 1954. After Hultons were sold to Odhams Press in 1959, Swift absorbed Odhams' weekly title Zip and inherited a number of its strips. [1] Swift was merged into the Eagle in 1963. [2]
The British Library holds copies of Swift from 20 March 1954 to 2 March 1963. [20]
Eagle was a British children's comics periodical, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a Southport parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating its message effectively. Simultaneously disillusioned with contemporary children's literature, he and Anvil artist Frank Hampson created a dummy comic based on Christian values. Morris proposed the idea to several Fleet Street publishers, with little success, until Hulton Press took it on.
Knockout may refer to one of two British comics. The original series, published by the Amalgamated Press, started on 4 March 1939 and ended on 16 February 1963, when it merged with Valiant. The second series, published by IPC Magazines, ran from 12 June 1971 to 23 June 1973, when it merged with Whizzer and Chips.
Reginald Edward Parlett was an artist from England who had a career of drawing for comic books that lasted for 66 years.
Wham! was a weekly British comics magazine published by Odhams Press. It ran for 187 issues from 20 June 1964 to 13 January 1968, when it merged into its sister title Pow!
Martin Henry Hugh Aitchison was an illustrator for the Eagle comic from 1952 to 1963, and then one of the main illustrators for Ladybird Books from 1963 to 1990.
Jim Holdaway (1927–1970) was a British illustrator, who contributed art for numerous comic strips. His best known work was on the Modesty Blaise comics written by Peter O'Donnell.
Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and then IPC Magazines in 1963. In its final incarnation, Odhams was known for its Power Comics line of titles, notable for publishing reprints of American Marvel Comics superheroes.
John Marcus Harston Morris was an English Anglican priest who founded the Eagle weekly comic in 1950, launched the British edition of Cosmopolitan, and was deputy chairman of the National Magazine Company.
Notable events of 2009 in comics. See also List of years in comics.
Robin was a British weekly children's magazine published from 1953 to 1969, originally by Hulton Press. Robin was billed as "companion to Eagle, Girl, and Swift" and aimed at younger readers and pre-readers.
Girl was the name of two weekly comics magazines for girls published by IPC Magazines in the United Kingdom.
Robert Norton Ayton (1915–1985) was a British comics artist and illustrator who worked for the Eagle and Ladybird Books.
Brian Moncrieff Lewis was a British science fiction illustrator, comics artist, and animator. In the 1950s, he illustrated covers for pulp magazines like New Worlds, Science Fantasy, and Science Fiction Adventures. In the 1960s, he drew adventure comic strips for Tiger, Boys' World, Hurricane, and Eagle. He also used a more cartoony style to draw humor comic strips for Wham!, Smash, Cor!!, and Buster. In the 1970s, Lewis focused on comics adaptations of television and horror film properties.
The Ally Sloper Awards was an annual awards ceremony recognising veteran British comic creators, initiated by the comics historian Denis Gifford in 1976. From 1978, they were awarded under the auspices of the Association of Comic Enthusiasts, also founded by Gifford.
Mickey Mouse Weekly was a 1936–1957 weekly British tabloid Disney comics magazine, the first British comic with full colour photogravure printing. It was launched by Willbank Publications and later continued by Odhams Press. The comics were said to be "drawn in a slick, smooth style which was clearly influenced by American comics."
Princess Tina was a weekly British girls' comic published from autumn 1967 to summer 1973 by the International Publishing Company, initially under the Fleetway Publications banner. Two comics, Princess and Tina, were merged to form Princess Tina; another title, Penelope, was merged into Princess Tina in 1969; the publication itself came to an end when it was merged into Pink.
Celebrity comics are comics based on the fame and popularity of a celebrity. They are a byproduct of merchandising around a certain media star or franchise and have existed since the mass media and comics came into existence in the 19th century. Celebrity comics are usually not held in high esteem by critics, because of their purely commercial nature. They are solely created to capitalize on media trends and therefore published so quickly and cheaply that drawings and narratives tend to be of very low quality.
Notable events of 1930 in comics. See also List of years in comics.
British girls' comics flourished in the United Kingdom from the 1950s through the 1970s, before beginning to decline in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Publishers known for their girls' comics included DC Thomson and Fleetway/IPC. Most titles appeared weekly, with the content primarily in picture-story format. The majority of the stories were serialized, with two or three pages per issue, over eight to twelve issues. They were marketed toward young teen girls.
