By various (Odhams)
No ISBN
Following my own self-created Christmas tradition here’s another British Annual that contributed to making me what I am today, selected not just for nostalgia’s sake but because it is still eminently palatable and worthy of your attention, even under 21st century scrutiny.
Smash! was one of the “Power Comics†brand used by Odhams to differentiate those periodicals which contained resized, reprinted American superhero material from the regular blend of sports, war, western and adventure comics, and which did so much to popularise the budding Marvel characters in this country. However although the comic featured the Hulk and Batman (repackaging the 1960s newspaper strip rather than comic-books), this annual is an all British affair.
In actuality that’s not strictly true but if meat from Argentina can be “produce of Britain†if it’s processed here, then surely art commissioned in England but produced by some of the best illustrators from Europe and South America (as was increasingly the case in the late 1960s and 1970s) qualifies too…
The Annual itself consists of a plethora of short comedy strips and longer action pieces, with classic gag characters such as Grimly Feendish, Percy’s Pets, the Swots and the Blots, Bad Penny, The Man from B.U.N.G.L.E., The Nervs, Charlie’s Choice, Ronnie Rich and the promotional Mick and the Martians, by the likes of Leo Baxendale, Mike Brown, Gordon Hogg and Stan McMurty, but since my knowledge of British creators at this time is so woefully inadequate, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve misattributed and besmirched the good names of Graham Allen, Mike Lacey, Terry Bave and Artie Jackson.
If so I sincerely apologise, but at least my ignorance can’t detract from the manic brilliance of the strips themselves.
The action content is provided by The Rubber Man (probably by Ken Mennell and Alfredo Marculeta), two outings for time-travelling historians The Legend Testers (and I’m pretty sure neither was drawn by regular artist Jordi Bernet) a science fiction invasion tale entitled Inferno (definitely Spanish and possibly Ortiz) and a peculiar futuristic superhero strip Lieutenant Lightning and the Thog Menace which looks a lot like early Ron Smith – but I’m sure someone with greater knowledge than mine will correct me where I err.
To keep the nippers extra-engrossed and quiet there were also some games pages from Mister Knowall to supplement the food and drink fuelled frenzy: the kinds of things Dads lose patience with by the third card trick…
Christmas simply wasn’t right without a heaping helping of these garish, wonder-stuffed compendiums that offered a huge variety of stories and scenarios. Today’s celebrity, TV and media tie-in packages simple can’t compete so why not track down a selection of brand-old delights for next year…?
© 1968 Odhams Books Limited. 2006, 2007, 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.