Category: Historical

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Pigeons from Hell


By Robert E. Howard, adapted by Scott Hampton & lettered by Steve Vance (Eclipse Books)
ISBN: 0-913035-69-6 (Limited Edition Album HB), 978-0-91303-568-9 (Album TPB)

This book contains Discriminatory Content commonplace in less enlightened times. This book includes Discriminatory Content used for dramatic effect.

Robert Ervin Howard is justly celebrated for his burly, barbarian sword-&-sorcery creations such as Conan, Kull, Bran Mak Morn and others but as a successful jobbing writer in the heyday of pulp fiction he also turned his blazing typewriter to most of the other extant genres of the era. Moreover, as aficionados of his blistering fantasy fiction are well aware, he was a dab hand at creating tension, suspense and moody macabre horror.

During the too-brief time of his creative peak he crafted a select pack of chilling spooky supernatural stories set in the evocative southern milieu known as ArkLaTex – a doom- shrouded, decadence-driven Deep South meeting-point of the darkest corners of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and his beloved Texas. Deeply moved and inspired by old stories heard at his grandmother’s knee, Howard transformed oft-told anecdotes into timeless masterpieces of terror such as The Shadow of the Beast, Moon of Zambebwie, Black Hound of Death, Black Canaan and especially the yarn under scrutiny here: a chilling confection described by Stephen King as “one of the finest horror stories of our century”.

The tirelessly prolific Howard took his own life in 1936 and the prose Pigeons from Hell (unsold since its completion in 1932) was published posthumously in the May 1938 edition of premier pulp Weird Tales. It has become a classic not just of the genre but also a notional inclusion of the prestigious Southern Gothic movement of writers including Thomas Wolfe, William Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, Tennessee Williams and others.

In 1988 the original text was incorporated into a stunningly lush, lavishly painted deeply faithful adaptation by Scott Hampton and published by West Coast mavericks Eclipse Books, which, despite a later version by Joe R. Lansdale & Nathan Fox in 2008 (published by Dark Horse and reviewed here, remains one of the best horror graphic novels ever produced. This is in no small part due to its being printed on magnificently larger-than-life, glossy square white pages produced in the oversized European Album format of 285 x 220mm rather than the standard US proportions of 258 x 168mm.

Following an impassioned Introduction from Horrorist Supreme Ramsey Campbell the Depression-era exercise in the unnatural opens with ‘The Whistler in the Dark’ as a pair of perambulating New Englanders bumming their way across America on a motoring vacation reach the southlands region of Piney Woods and decide to spend the night in a dark, decrepit, abandoned antebellum plantation house.

Crashing out on the musty floor of the main downstairs room they sink into exhausted sleep, but in the middle of the night Griswell is awakened by bad dreams. They’d begun with replaying their arrival at sunset, discovery of the ramshackle edifice and all the oddly ethereal white birds their presence had disturbed. From there his visions had moved on to their quick, cold repast and weary lapse into slumber before shifting into nightmare feelings of disquiet. When Griswell roused, anxious and disturbed, it was with images of ghostly doves, hidden rooms concealing ancient hanging bodies and a sense that something was hiding just beyond his sight…

Trying to shake himself to full alertness, Griswell suddenly heard an eerie whistling and, helpless, watched his companion John Branner rise – as if sleepwalking – to ascend the grand staircase to the upper storey and into all-enveloping darkness. Incapable of movement, Griswell followed the sounds of Branner’s progress and suddenly, a hideous scream came…

Before he could move, Griswell heard Branner’s slow return. Then moonlight allowed a glimpse of his companion, and the sight was enough to send Griswold screaming helter-skelter into the night…

Reaching their automobile he found the vehicle infested with snakes and kept on running, convinced some unknown beast was at his heels. Careering ever on, he ran straight into a local lawman who instantly emptied his revolver into a shadow that pursued him…

‘Return’ fully introduces capable County Sheriff Kirby Buckner, who surprisingly accepts much of Griswell’s incredible tale and provides historical insight into the woeful tale and sinister reputation of Blassenville Manor as he and the terrified vacationer revisit – in full, comforting daylight – a scene of dreadful slaughter.

Swiftly ruling out the possibility of argument and murder amongst friends, Buckner begins searching the house for the true killer but comes up empty. Furthermore, knowing how bad things would look in a rational courtroom, he invites traumatised Griswell to help him get to the truth, by joining him and spending another night in the house…

‘The Snake’s Brother’ finds them preparing for that horrific prospect by researching the tragic history of the last of the Blassenvilles. In the years following the Civil War, three unwed daughters and a cousin, struggling to maintain the old pile, were eventually joined and chaperoned by their cold, brutal Aunt Celia, who had returned from the West Indies to watch over them.

Celia was a terrifying presence, as harsh with the girls as she was with remaining plantation staff and her own much-maltreated “mulatto” maid Joan…

The legend of the girls’ mysterious and sudden disappearance was common knowledge, but for more details Buckner and Griswold question an aged Negro who used to work on the plantation. When pressed, the still-mortally terrified dotard Jacob reveals a fantastic tale of brutal oppression, serpent worship, voodoo and appalling, unleashed, brooding vengeance… until he is hideously struck down by the power that lurks in the mansion…

Appalled, deeply shaken but more resolved than ever, Buckner and Griswold head for the Manor, mistakenly believing that they have a handle on what unquiet horror haunts the place and how to handle it in final chapter ‘The Call of Zuvembie’. They have jumped to a ghastly and tragic wrong conclusion…

Not only is the original prose work one of the best pieces of horror fiction ever written, but in this rare instance this adaptation – crafted over two long, meticulous years by Hampton – more than matches the power and all-encompassing mood of its source material. This is a classic of graphic narrative and fear fiction no fan will want to miss – but only with all the lights on…
© 1932, 1988 the Estate of Robert E, Howard, Glenn Lord Executor. Adaptation and painting © 1988 Scott Hampton. Introduction © 1988 Ramsey Campbell. Pigeons from Hell © 2008, 2009 Robert E. Howard Properties Inc. (“REHP”). All rights reserved.

Today in 1907 Antonia Yeoman was born: an Australian-Englishwoman cartoonist who became the only female member of Punch’s elite (male only) Toby Club. She shares the date with veteran colourist Gene D’Angelo (The Phantom, Flash Gordon, Blondie, Mandrake the Magician, Beetle Bailey, Superman Family, Action Comics, World’s Finest, Flash, Superboy, Justice League of America), born in 1924; Batman artist Lew Sayre Schwartz in 1926; artist Ricardo Villamonte (Doctor Strange, Saga of Crystar) in 1932; Australian cartoonist, sculptor, caricaturist and satirist Pat Oliphant in 1935. In 1947 Filipino artist Romeo Tanghal (New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Men of War) arrived on Earth, joined in 1958 by writer/editor Bob Greenberger (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Doom Patrol, Who’s Who in the DC Universe, Star Trek, Suicide Squad), and one year later by Guyanese American illustrator Trevor Von Eeden (Black Lightning, Batman, Thriller), with Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil, Amazing Spider-Man, The Sandman, Orbiter) coming along in 1963.

British Superman Garth debuted today in 1943, in a Daily Mirror strip by Steve Dowling & John Allard that ran until 1997.

The day also saw the deaths of some major and much-beloved players, such as illustrator Lou Fine (The Ray, Black Condor, The Flame, Uncle Sam, The Spirit, Taylor Woe, Adam Ames) in 1971; All Ages All Star Warren Kremer (Richie Rich, Caspar the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Little Audrey, Stumbo the Giant, Joe Palooka, Planet Terry, Count Duckula, Ewoks, Royal Roy, Top Dog) in 2003 and in 2012, Chilean cartoonist Themístocles Nazario Lobos Aguirre – AKA “Themo Lobos” – (Máximo Chambónez, Ferrilo, Nick Obre, Alaraco, with his most famous work being Mampato, Cucalón) and Indonesian comics author “R. A.” (Raden Ahmad) Kosasih (Sri Asih, Ramayana, Siti Gahara, Seri Mahabharata, Setan Cebol).

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Embroideries


By Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh (Pantheon Graphic Libraries/Jonathan Cape)
ISBN: 978-0-37542-305-5 (Pantheon HB/Digital edition) 978-0-22407-440-7 (Cape TPB)

This book includes Discriminatory Content used for dramatic effect.

The recent loss of one of our art form’s most successful and influential exponents still hasn’t prompted any kind of rush to republish, so here I am suggesting the first of a few books that could do with prompt rereleasing.

When Marjane Satrapi died on June 4th this year, her comics canon included the astounding memoirs Persepolis and sequel Persepolis – The Story of a Return; her similarly award-winning graphic novel Chicken With Plums and others such as The Sigh, Monsters are Afraid of the Moon, and this sublime peek behind the strictly policed curtain of modern Iranian life.

Another wickedly barbed commentary and autobiographical revelation first seen in French in 2003 as L’Association’s Broderies, the English-language version Embroideries was released two years later, again employing the potent primitivist imagery of a child’s eyes. Via ostensibly unrefined stylings and the shaded remembrances of a girl maturing in an age of unrest and (necessarily) guarded innocence, Satrapi revisited Tehran in 1991 and relates here conversations with older women that at last included her. Returned as a young woman, she saw through far more sophisticated eyes and speaks here with a mature voice, sharing what the oppressed, sequestered women of her kin and the country were doing when the men were all off “running” things…

Generally, that was drinking tea, sewing and gossiping: trading experiences and stories, suspicions and suppositions about relationships, men, sex, virginity and its surgical repair…

The setting and staging are restricted and formal: seven characters interacting and telling tales in one room, just as if the sole proscenium set in a play.

Following a contextualising ‘Prologue’ setting the kaffeeklatsch scene and introducing recurring chatterers Marji, her forthright, wise (opium-addicted) grandmother, tolerant mother, some aunts and a few close chums – like Parvine and Amineh – the ground-rules are established before the wide-ranging discourses are shared in secure comfort. Sans any male presence or shocked oversight, the women settle down to lively discourse and conversations turn to arranged marriage, cosmetic surgery, adultery, and virginity… although all the needles out are verbal for these ‘Embroideries’.

Topics ebb and flow, such as how as a knowledgeable teen herself, Mom helped her friend Nahid fake her wedding night virginity, or how to have four kids without ever seeing a male member.

The subjects expand to encompass the ups and downs of frequent divorce and easy remarriage; European vs Muslim men; generals, aristocrats and 13-year-old brides; men’s fragile pride, unavoidable infidelity and constant lies; why woman have to be virgins but men don’t; why it’s better to be a mistress than a wife; the uselessness of employing magicians to solve marital problems; how to catch your spouse cheating; physical improvements and cosmetic surgeries and, inescapably, labial repair, reshaping and reconstruction.

Apparently, in common Farsi parlance among women in the know, such renovations and alterations are coyly or obliquely termed “embroideries”…

Born in 1969, the author grew up during the Fundamentalist revolution that toppled the Shah of Iran and replaced him with an Islamic theocracy. Here, however, her recollections and hilariously forthright pictorial reconstructions wryly shine a light on the concerns and lives of her theocratically oppressed female relatives, neighbours and friends, drawing back a veil of state-sanctioned secrecy and institutionalised invisibility with little attention paid to the men in her life. Again Satrapi curates incidents with her starkly primal and forthright art drawing a curtain on life under theocratic dictatorship. However, unlike her global breakout hits Persepolis and Persepolis – The Story of a Return, this is not a personal drama set against a political backdrop but the potent testimony of an entire gender unbowed under oppressive bootheels millennia old, and as always the response is managed resistance, scorn and derision…

Graphic narrative is as much an art form of craft, profound thought and social change as it can be the dustbin of sophomoric genre stereotyping many critics still regard it as and relegate it to. Marjane Satrapi created works both powerful and engaging and of lasting merit and entertainment value. Embroideries is one book that not only touches comics fans, but also the entire general public, and should not be something you still have to be convinced to read.

Originally published in France as Broderies by L’Association, Paris in 2003. © 2003 by L’Association, 16 rue de la Pierre Levee, 75011 Paris, Translation © 2004 Anjali Singh.
© Marjane Satrapi 2005.

Today in 1888 master cartoonist Gluyas Williams (Fellow Citizens; Life, Collier’s, Century, The New Yorker, The Plain Dealer) was born, preceding both strip cartoonist Gus Arriola (Gordo) and comics writer France “Ed” Herron (Captain America, Captain Marvel Jr, Batman, Tomahawk, Challengers of the Unknown, Davy Crockett, Frontiersman, Nero Wolfe) in 1917; Argentinian writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld (Sgt Kirk, Ernie Pike, Roland el Corsario, El Eternauta, Mort Cinder, Vida del Che) in 1919. In 1947, artist Mike Vosburg (Tales from the Crypt, Savage She-Hulk, Sisterhood of Steel, Bloodshot, Archer & Armstrong) joined the party as did artists Kelley Jones (Micronauts, Batman, Deadman, The Sandman) and Dale Keown (Incredible Hulk, The Darkness, Pitt) in 1962.

Today in 2017 the incredible Flo Steinberg – secret power behind the rise of Marvel Comics – died.

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Comanche volumes 1 to 3: Red Dust, Warriors of Despair, Wolves of Wyoming


By Hermann & Greg, translated by Montana Kane (Europe Comics)
No ISBNs Digital-Only editions

This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times.

Welcome to another Wild West Wednesday with an self-indulgent peek at a favourite series I first saw way back in the 1980s, crafted by two Belgian masters of graphic narrative…

Best known as Greg, Michel Régnier was born in 1931 in Ixelles. The cartoonist, writer editor and publisher, sold his first series – Les Aventures de Nestor et Boniface – at age 16 to Belgian magazine Vers l’Avenir and followed up over many decades with legendary strips like Luc Orient, Bruno Brazil, Bernard Prince and Achille Talon in Héroïc- Albums, Le Journal de Spirou (where he scripted the title feature amongst many others), Paddy and Le Journal de Tintin (which he eventually edited from 1966-1974). One of his new finds on LJdS during this period was an artist named Hermann Huppen. Greg is estimated to have worked as writer or artist on more than 250 strip albums during his career. He died in 1999, leaving behind an astounding and beautiful legacy of drama and adventure crying out for revisiting in English…

Hermann Huppen entered the world on July 17th 1938 in what’s now the Malmedy region of Liège Province. He studied to become an interior architect and furniture maker but was thankfully swayed and diverted by comics. His narrative career began in 1963 but really took off three years later when he joined with writer Greg to create cop series Bernard Prince for Le Journal de Tintin. The artist soon added to his weekly chores with Roman adventure serial Jugurtha (scripted by Jean-Luc Vernal). In 1969 Hermann expanded his portfolio further, adding the Greg-penned western Comanche to his seamlessly stunning output. At his time Charlier & Jean Giraud’s epic Blueberry was reaching its peak of excellence…

Bernard Prince and Comanche made Hermann a superstar of the industry, a status built upon with further classics such as The Towers of Bois-Maury, Sarajevo-Tango, Station 16, Afrika, Lune de Guerre, Duke and many more (I estimate 30 separate series and a total well north of 115 albums up until his death on March 22nd 2026).

In 1978 Hermann bravely dropped guaranteed money-spinner Bernard Prince to create as (writer & illustrator) Jeremiah but he stayed with Comanche until 1982 (10 albums in total) because of his abiding love for western-themed yarns. Thanks to digital-only publishing commune Europe Comics, it’s easy to see why in these three (thus far) translated volumes of the sprawling epic which introduces a wandering gunslinger who finds a home – if not peace & quiet – after joining a most unlikely band of comrades on a cattle-spread in Wyoming…

 

Comanche volume 1: Red Dust

Comprised of linked weekly episodes and beginning in 1978, ‘Red Dust’ introduces an eponymous, lethally capable shootist wandering into a desolate cow-town just as trouble seems to be brewing. In fact, even before he gets into Greenstone Falls, the enigmatic Mr Dust has to kill manic mercenary Wally Hondo who refuses to share “his” stagecoach with a shabby drifter…

Moreover, when the stage finally pulls into what passes for civilisation, Red is approached by unctuous fixer Mr Cathrell who erroneously assumes him to be the latest addition to his growing army of pitiless hired guns. The mistake is soon cleared up after the newcomer unexpectedly reacquaints himself with Cathrell’s top stooge.

Red Dust and The Kentucky Kid have unsettled scores and old grievances in common…

Before long Red learns that the newly-arrived killer elite have all been commissioned to deal with a stubborn rancher refusing to sell out to their mysterious and always unseen boss. Mind made up, the taciturn nomad heads for the 666 Ranch and inveigles a job with aged, crotchety pioneer Ten Gallons and the new ranch-owner he apparently dotes upon: a young, lovely and immensely stubborn woman called Comanche…

She is determined to make her inheritance a successful going concern, but has been having lots of bad luck. Red soon determines it’s not her luck that’s at issue after a new herd of cattle she has bought apparently come down with a mystery sickness. As well as exposing a cruel trick, Red also recruits new hands Toby and Tenderfoot following the exposure of a nefarious scam.

That, in addition to decimating Cathrell’s gunslingers when they ambush the ranchers on a shopping trip to town, swiftly forces the mystery mastermind into the open and reveals just why the 666 is such a valuable property… but only after a few of those old scores are finally settled…

A gripping introduction to the ongoing saga this is a splendid confection of traditional western themes combined with sleek yet gritty European style. Red Dust is the kind of timeless treat comics fans and movie lovers will adore.

 

Comanche volume 2: Warriors of Despair

In the second translated volume of the sprawling cowboy epic which here resumes with no-longer-wandering gunslinger Red Dust and his new pals at the Triple 6 ranch. The taciturn hombre has found a home – if not peace and quiet – after joining a most unlikely band of comrades at the on-its-uppers cattle spread in Wyoming. The heart of the crew are still crotchety ancient Ten Gallons and young, lovely and stubborn neophyte owner Comanche.

Second serial ‘Warrior of Despair’ sees our quotidian, ever-expanding cast prepare steers for hungry railway workers rapidly building their way across the plains. That backbreaking toil is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of a party of Cheyenne who want the beef the cowboys are guarding…

A fractious but peaceful conference reveals the tribes are starving: supplies they’ve been promised by treaty haven’t arrived and no one can locate the Government’s Indian Agent to sort out the problem…

After the warriors rush off with the cattle, Comanche and Red join them at their camp in a last attempt to prevent a mess becoming a crisis. The upshot is that Dust has three days to find the Agent and restore the missing provisions. For that time Comanche will remain a “guest” of the Cheyenne…

…And so begins a desperate chase with double-dealing, ingrained mistrust and sheer bad luck on every side hindering the retired gunslinger’s quest and leading to the inescapable conclusion that the plains will soon be awash in flame and blood…

An epic tale in the classical manner, this yarn also has plenty of European verve, panache and ingenuity to recue it from the unreconstructed reputation and unsavoury old tropes that make even venerated old movie an uncomfortable experience in these enlightened days.

It’s also a tale that gets more visually compelling with every page…

A stunning appreciation of mythical Cowboys and Indians combined with a sleekly authentic sheen of grime and gutsy European style, Warriors of Despair is another classic collation comics fans and entertainment-starved readers will be unable to put down. Don’t miss out on a chance to enjoy one of the most celebrated comics classics of all time…

 

Comanche volume 3: The Wolves of Wyoming

The third translated volume of the unfolding epic starring no-longer-wandering shootist Red Dust and his expanding circle of friends sees the taciturn hombre accepting that he has finally found a home – if not peace and contentment – after joining the Triple 6 ranch and its unlikely cast of comradely outcasts on a struggling cattle-spread in Wyoming. The weekly episodes of The Wolves of Wyoming were originally published in 1974, seeing our roster embroiled in a classic cinematic scenario which begins with a stagecoach hurtling over dusty plains. Of course, it also has ruthless bandits slinging lead in hot pursuit…

Doughty driver Sid Bullock is hit, but the lone passenger is more than holding his own with a sixgun, and when Triple 6 ranch-hands Toby and Clem intercept the frantic chase, the vilely predatory Dobbs Brothers peel off and flee…

Diverting to the homestead, the hands formally meet self-confessed lay preacher Brian Braggshaw, a notorious former gunslinger with an extremely unforgiving attitude to sin (and sinners) and who takes an instant dislike… mutual and fully reciprocated… to Red.

As Ten Gallons doctors Bullock, Comanche learns the Dobbs’ were after a cash shipment to the Ranchers Union – money nearby Greenstone Falls depends on. The gang have bled the town dry with their recent raids. It’s almost as if they have an inside man informing them of key shipments and times…

Compounding the problem is that fact that wily Sid actually diverted the latest tranche of money: carrying an empty, decoy strongbox while local legendary old drunk Pharoah Colorado transported the actual cash by a circuitous route. It’s a cunning, brilliant plan that only falls short on one point. Finishing his booze early, Colorado has been forced to make a detour, visiting local moonshine-maker Trapper Hans even as the Triple 6 hands split up into search parties to find the leathery soak and precious funds…

Covering many potential routes, they are being secretly observed. The Dobbs’ are mostly cruel brutes, but oldest brother Russ is as smart as he is sadistic and quickly deduces what the ranchers are hunting for: money he feels is his by right. Moreover, Red has been paired with the vengeance-happy Braggshaw, and their heated debates over morality bring them close to blows. It’s not enough to stop the preacher killing Melvin Dobbs when he tries bushwhacking them, and as they backtrack to the gang’s cabin, they observe the entire clan riding off…

Investigating the cabin, Red finds missing Indian Affairs Commissioner Howard Calhoun, who embezzled funds and almost sparked an new Indian war. His cunning hideaway amongst the Dobbs Boys has clearly proved there’s no honour among thieves, and their treatment of their criminal comrade has resulted in what can only be regarded as divine justice…

Russ has gathered the clan to scour the region, whilst Red has made some deductions of his own. Trapper Hans’ sturdy shack is the only place to find booze in the Wyoming wilds so he and Braggshaw head there. As night falls, Comanche &Toby are already there, preparing to fight for their lives against the besieging Dobbs mob.

As the bloodshed begins, the rest of the Triple 6 men converge on the scene. With battle joined it’s not long before a hero dies and the gang turn tail. In the aftermath, Red rides off, having embraced the Preacher’s unforgiving doctrine and now determined to destroy all the “wolves of Wyoming”…

To Be Continued? Apparently not here, but we live in hope…

A classic of the western genre, these European yarns grew in style, passion and sublime, compulsive expression, methodically lifting them far above the now-unacceptable majority of cowboy stories that make even beloved older tales an uncomfortable experience in contemporary times. They are also so hauntingly lovely to look upon. Don’t miss out on one of the most celebrated comics cowboys ever devised…
Vols 1-3 © 2017 – LE LOMBARD – HERMANN & GREG. All rights reserved.

Today in 1925, cartoonist Henry Martin (Good News/Bad News) was born, with inker illustrator Jack Abel (Tales of the Green Berets, Legion of Super-Heroes, Richard Dragon: Kung-Fu Fighter & probably every Marvel and DC title you can think of) coming along in 1927 and Italian Master Guido Crepax (Valentina, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Man from Harlem, Il processo di Franz Kafka) arriving in 1933. A later generation includes author and comics scripter Christopher Golden (Baltimore, Beach High, Hellboy, The Punisher) in 1967; writer/editor/adapter Kelly Sue DeConnick (Castle, Ghost, Bitch Planet, Wonder Woman) in 1970; Norwegian creator/autobiographer Mads Eriksen (M, Gnom) in 1977, and writer Tom King (The Sheriff of Babylon, The Vision, Strange Adventures, Mister Miracle, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) in 1978.

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The Marquis of Anaon volume 5: The Chamber of Cheops


By Vehlmann & Bonhomme: coloured by Delf and translated by Mark Bence (Cinebook)
ISBN: 978-1-84918-295-9 (PB Album) 978-1-84918-725-1 (Digital edition)

This book includes Discriminatory Content included for dramatic effect.

In 1972 Fabien Vehlmann entered the world in Mont-de-Marsan. Raised in Savoie, he studied business management before taking a job with a theatre group. His prodigious canon of pro comics work began in 1998 and soon earned him the soubriquet of “Goscinny of the 21st Century”. In 1996, after entering a writing contest in Le Journal de Spirou, Fabien caught the comics bug and two years later – with illustrative collaborator Denis Bodart – produced mordantly quirky, sophisticated portmanteau period crime comedy Green Manor. From there his triumphs grew to include – amongst many others – Célestin Speculoos for Circus, Nicotine Goudron for L’Écho des Savanes and especially album series Jolies Ténèbres/Beautiful Darkness, Seuls/Alone and a superb stint on global property Spirou and Fantasio…

Scion of an artistic family, Matthieu Bonhomme received his degree in Applied Arts in 1992, before learning the comics trade working in the atelier of western & historical strip specialist Christian Rossi. Spanning 2002-2008, Le Marquis d’Anaon was Bonhomme’s first regular series, after which he began writing as well as illustrating a variety of tales, from L’Age de Raison, Le Voyage d’Esteban, The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke and so much more.

Now, where were we? Imagine The X-Files set in the Age of Enlightenment (circa 1720), played as a solo piece by a young French protagonist reluctantly growing into and accepting the role of crusading troubleshooter. With potent overtones of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Fall of the House of Usher and similar gothic romances, it all began in 2001’s L’Isle de Brac: first of 5 albums tracing the development of a true champion against darkness and human venality.

Under-employed, middle-class merchant’s son, scholar and pragmatic philosopher Jean-Baptiste Poulain is an ardent disciple of Cartesian logic and former medical student. Well educated but impoverished, he accepted a post to tutor the son of the mysterious Baron of Brac. It was a career decision that shaped the rest of his life…

On a windswept, storm-battered, extremely isolated island off the Brittany Coast, Poulain experienced fear and outrage, superstition and suspicion before ultimately exposing the appalling secret of the island overlord his serfs called “the Ogre”, bringing justice and finality to all concerned. In the aftermath, Poulain left, but could never outrun the obnoxious title the islanders bestowed upon him in their Bretagne argot: Le Marquis d’Anaon – “the Marquis of Lost Souls”…

Two years later Poulain caught a supposedly demonic but actually faith-based serial killer (The Black Virgin), and after that saved Europe from plague (La Providence) and France and the neighbouring Duchy of Savoy from a nigh-demonic cryptid (The Beast)… all without proper recompense or even some career-enhancing renown…

With this final tale (thus far) the much maligned misanthrope begins a passage of personal growth and fundamental change after he and four other complete strangers jointly inherit the vast fortune of fur trader and eccentric dilettante scholar Umberto Leone. He was – according to the protectorate’s French Consul De Trezancour – eaten by three crocodiles in Egypt…

In Paris, at the reading of the will, Poulain is gripped with doubts and suspicions over the ridiculous situation and overly specific cause of death. He compulsively ponders what really happened and why his apparently quick-tempered and obsessive benefactor was even in Cairo in the first place… especially after viewing radical renovations his departed patron had made to his lavish Parisian apartments immediately before his final visit to the Land of the Pharaohs…

Being rich now, finding out is simple and the Marquis of Anaon takes ship for Cairo, where he sees a thriving, energetic but completely alien culture and is met by unctuous, thoroughly unpleasant fixer/agent Charles Ruffin. In a sprawling city ancient beyond belief but plagued by external conquest and endemic factionalism, it soon becomes clear that his guide and escort is there to steer, manage and spy upon Umberto’s heir for exceedingly greedy and dangerous coffee trader and merchant prince Delambre… who also believes Poulain knows more than he’s letting on…

Stationed in Leone’s former dwelling, with Ruffin’s thugs ceaselessly watching, the inheritor soon learns from Leone’s “Negress” Diénéba, (a live-in “service” included as part of the welcome package, but one that the Marqius immediately places under his complete protection) that everyone knew Leone was searching the Great Pyramid of Cheops for something utterly extraordinary. They all – westerners and Egyptians alike – still believe it is physical treasure, but as Poulain proceeds in his investigations and ruminations he meets fringe scientist Richardson and realises that what Leone discovered was far more profound, spectacular and even perilously miraculous…

Further adding to the tensions is a febrile political situation, with the largely immune but always interfering French merchant class gleefully stirring unrest among the Egyptians and allowing roaming militias of Janissary “peacekeepers” to beat, plunder and bully at will, just as long as the pleasures and profits keep rolling in. When Poulain’s researches bring him close to Leone’s dream, he is confronted , challenged by and ultimately adopted by one faction – led by cleric Sheikh Luqman – and becomes an unwilling but grateful disciple of the sage. With his own people and the gold-crazed Janissaries seeking his blood, he finds love and solace with Diénéba, and they voyage to the pyramid. In the long hidden Chamber of Cheops Poulain barely survives the true secret of the edifice and uncovers a second astounding fact that could get him killed… but not like Leone was supposed to have been…

Then after dealing with Delambre it’s a frantic rush to get out of Egypt for the impassioned couple, with a promise of greater magic – and hardship – to come…

This deviously swingeing attack on colonialism and ignorantly fabled “mysteries of the Dark Continent” arrives as another tautly authentic, compellingly scripted saga from Vehlmann, vividly visualised via Bonhomme’s densely informative but never obtrusive illustrated realism. It adds a gripping, utterly enthralling tale of romance and discovery to the canon of a truly superior man’s war against the inherent iniquities of human behaviour. Once again the unsuspected miracles of the natural world and shocking potential of humanity’s creative spark are lensed through the drives and obsessions of an individual at the forefront of  religion’s retreat and birth of rationalism, and the result is pure entertainment gold.

This evolution of a self-doubting quester barely holding at bay the notion that all his schooling is pointless and without worth in a world too big for humanity and just one aspect of a universe beyond any one’s grasp is utterly compulsive entertainment, making The Marquis of Anaon’s mystery milestones a joy no thinking fear fan should miss.
Original edition © Dargaud Paris 2008 by Vehlmann & Bonhomme. All rights reserved. English translations © 2016 by Cinebook Ltd.

Today in 1914, Canadian Joe Shuster was born. Three years later British cartoonist Reg Smythe (Andy Capp) followed, as did strip writer (Tank McNamara) turned film critic Jeff Millar in1942. That same year Argentinian art wizard José Antonio Muñoz AKA “Muñoz” (Alack Sinner, Joe’s Bar, Sophie, Billie Holiday) was born, with painter Bob Larkin (Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu, Marvel Preview, Planet of the Apes, Savage Sword of Conan, Doc Savage) arriving in 1949; artist Howard Porter (Justice League, Trials of Shazam!, The Flash) in 1969 and Simone Bianchi (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight, Original Sin) in1972.

In 1951, creator Dudley Fisher (Myrtle) died as did the stounding Jean-Michel Charlier (Redbeard, Buck Danny, Blueberry, Valhardi, Tanguy et Laverdure) in1989; cartoonist Doug Marlette (Kudzu) in 2007 and Indian artist and humourist Mangesh Tendulkar (Sunday Mood) in 2017.

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Lucky Luke volume 26: The Bounty Hunter


By Morris & Goscinny (Cinebook)
ISBN: 978-1-84918-059-7 (Album PB/Digital edition)

This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. This book also includes Discriminatory Content added for comedic effect.

Time for a big Birthday bash…

Created by Belgian animator, illustrator and cartoonist “Morris” (AKA Maurice de Bévère), Lucky Luke debuted in the summer of 1946, initially riding out in Le Journal de Spirou in mid-summer sans title or banner, and only in the French-language edition. The Lone Rider’s official launch came in Christmas Annual L’Almanach Spirou 1947, before beginning his first official serial – ‘Arizona 1880’ – in 1946’s multinational weekly issue for December 7th. Doughty, dashing, dependable cowboy “good guy” Lucky is a rangy, implacably placid do-gooder able to “draw faster than his own shadow”. He amiably ambles around the mythic Old West, having light-hearted adventures on his petulant and rather sarcastic wonder-horse Jolly Jumper.

For 80 years (Joyeux anniversaire, Mon Brave!), his exploits have made Lucky a top-ranking global comic icon, filling more than 90 individual albums and spin-off series like Kid Lucky and Ran-Tan-Plan, with sales well north of 300 million copies in 30 languages. That renown translated into a mountain of merchandise, toys, games, animated cartoons, TV shows and live-action movies and even commemorative exhibitions. No theme park yet, but you never know…

After a relatively slow start for such a fast gun, Lucky’s global dominance came via a decades-long collaboration with superstar scripter René Goscinny. The official partnership spanned Des rails sur la Prairie/Rails on the Prairie (beginning August 25th 1955) to La Ballade des Dalton et autres histoires/The Ballad Of The Daltons And Other Stories in 1986, during which time (in 1967) the sixgun straight-shooter switched teams, transferring to Goscinny’s own magazine Pilote with La Diligenc/The Stagecoach.

Goscinny produced 45 albums with Morris before his death, after which Morris continued both singly and with other literary pardners, before recruiting a posse of legacy creators including Lo Hartog van Banda, Achdé & Laurent Gerra, Xavier Fauche, Benacquista & Pennac, Jean Léturgie, Jacques Pessis and more, who all took their own shots at the venerable vigilante. Morris soldiered on until his own death in 2001, having drawn fully 70 adventures, plus numerous sidebar and spin-off sagebrush sagas.

His grande idée draws on western history less than movie mythology, but our heroes still regularly meet historical figures as well as even odder fictional folk in tales drawn from key themes of classic cowboy lore – as well as some uniquely European notions or interpretations such as seen here. As previously hinted, our sixgun star is not averse to being a figure of political change and Weapon of Mass Satire, but here spoofs his own antecedents and wallows in venerated movie schtick for a delicious drive down memory lane and game of cowboys and imbeciles…

In the ‘50’s Goscinny had started scripting Lucky uncredited. Morris had taken almost a decade to fill nine albums with affectionate sagebrush parody, action and Lucky Laughs, but when Goscinny was deputised as wordsmith, Luke was seen more often and rapidly attained dizzying heights of super swift superstardom. Moreover, his hits just kept coming. Chasseur de primes was the 39th European album, having been seen serially in weekly Pilote from #658 to 679, spanning June 15th to November 8th 1972. In 2010 as The Bounty Hunter, it became Cinebook’s 26th English-language volume of hilarious horsefeather history. As always, Morris drew from a deep shared well of visual and cinematic motifs and here tips his hat to the then-new phenomenon of “spaghetti westerns” as the unmistakable image of Lee Van Cleef makes it onto Lucky’s graphic gallery and most Unwanted list…

More an assemblage of themed and interlinked skits than a full feature, The Bounty Hunter is unsavoury stalker/reward-obsessed killer-without-a-badge Elliot Belt who derives far too much joy from collecting fees and even bigger thrills and obscene jollies from hunting down legalised  prey… like anyone he sees on a wanted poster.

Despised by all and not caring one whit, his life and dark joys are forever spoiled when he arrives in Cheyenne Pass and sees Lucky Luke capturing felons. When the stalwart refuses the reward and gives it to charity, Belt slips into murderous madness after realising his cheery, unsuspecting rival is a better gunslinger than him but refuses to kill anyone…

The intolerable situation worsens when super-rich, horse-mad rancher Bronco Fortworth puts a private $100,000 bounty on the head of his Cheyenne farmhand Wet Blanket, who has gone missing at the same time as the plutocrat’s immensely valuable new stud steed His Highness. Without any evidence or recourse to real lawmen, Fortworth will pay anyone who uses ANY means to bring the missing Cheyenne back to him to personally hang…

After failing to join forces or partner up with Lucky – who is convinced Wet Blanket is innocent and wants to avoid another Indian war – Belt infiltrates the local Reservation to ply the residents with booze and worse in hopes of finding the missing stable hand. They don’t care about any of the white man’s nonsense but can’t get past their highly developed commercial instincts, weird rituals and trashy tourist traps…

Belt does, however, convince entrepreneurial wizard Chief Little Fish Knife to hold Lucky hostage (twice!) and terrorise the town (mostly just the saloon, actually) but Luke is hard to hold and ultimately, when all else fails, Belt grudgingly recruits a small army of other (lesser) bounty hunters, all the while plotting to cheat them out of their fair shares…

Events are completely out of control when Wet Blanket obliviously returns from his vacation and immediately joins Luke in stopping the bounty hunters-inspired “Indian uprising” just as the never-vigilant US cavalry turn up where they’re not wanted to heap coals on a growing wildfire sparked by Belt and Bronco Fortworth…

Through deft manipulation Lucky de-escalates the situation and even finagles a proper day in a real court for all concerned. As His Highness is discovered romping with a herd of wild mustangs, what really happened to the so-valuable steed is shockingly revealed by the one person nobody expected to be involved…

Pursued by his betrayed hirelings and “cheated of his rightful reward”, Elliot Belt finally goes too far even for western justice and at last learns what it means to be the face and name on a wanted poster…

As much barbed morality play as rowdy light thriller, this yarn again proves how crucial great villains are to any hero. These tall-to-small tales are perfect for kids with a smidgen of historical perspective and social understanding, although the action and surreal slapstick situations are no more contentious than any Laurel and Hardy film; perfectly understandable as Morris was a huge fan of the duo. These forcefully foolish forays are a grand old hoot in the tradition of Destry Rides Again or Blazing Saddles, superbly executed by master storytellers and a perfect introduction to a unique genre for anyone who might well have missed the romantic allure of the Wild West that never was.
© Dargaud Editeur Paris 1972 by Goscinny and Morris. © Lucky Comics. Published in 2010 by Cinebook Ltd.

Today in 1887, Flemish comics writer Raymundus Joannes de Kremer AKA Jean Ray AKA John Flanders (Malpertuis, Whisky Tales, Ghouls in My Grave) was born, sharing the day with artist Irwin Hasen (Wildcat, Green Lantern, Dondi) in 1918; “father of seinen manga” Shinji Nagashima in 1937; horrorist, author and educator Mort Castle in 1946; Belgian creator Philippe Liégeois AKA Turk (Clifton, Léonard, Robin Dubois) in 1947; illustrator Stan Woch (Airboy, The Sandman, Swamp Thing) in 1959 and Whilce Portacio (X-Factor, Iron Man, Wetworks) in 1963.

The date saw the launch of Alex Graham’s Fred Bassett strip in the UK’s Daily Mail in 1963; the final appearance of the original Buck Rogers strip in 1967 and the deaths of The Katzenjammer Kids creator Harold Knerr in 1949; King Features Editor Sylvan Byck in 1982; Underground Commix pioneer Clay Geerdes (Comix World) in 1997 and Firehair, Captain Wings, Tarzan, Li’l Abner and Long Sam illustrator Bob Lubbers in 2017.

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Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant volume 14: 1963-1964


By Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books)
ISBN: 978-1-60699-970-7 (HB)

This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times.

Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur premiered on Sunday February 13th 1937: a fabulous rainbow coloured weekly peek into a world where history met myth to produce something greater than both. Pioneering creator Hal Foster developed the feature after a groundbreaking and astoundingly popular run on the Tarzan of the Apes comic strip.

Prince Valiant offered action, adventure, exoticism, romance and a surprisingly high quota of laughs in its engrossing depiction of noble knights and wicked barbarians played out against a glamorised, dramatized, mythologised Dark Ages backdrop. The never-ending story follows a refugee lad of royal blood, driven from ancestral Scandinavian homeland Thule, who grows up to roam the world, attaining a paramount position amongst the fabled heroes of Camelot.

Foster wove his complex epic romance over decades, tracing the progress of a feral wild boy who became a paragon of chivalric virtue: knight, warrior, saviour, avenger and ultimately family patriarch through a constant storm of wild, robust and joyously witty wonderment. The restless champion visited many far-flung lands, siring a dynasty of equally puissant heroes, enchanting generations of readers and thousands of creative types in all the arts.

The glorious epic spawned films, an animated series and all manner of toys, games, books and collections. Prince Valiant was – and remains – one of the few adventure strips to have run continuously from the thunderous 1930s to the present day (well north of 4000 episodes and still going strong) – and, even here at the end-times of newspaper strips as an art form, it continues in hundreds of US and international papers and globally through the internet.

Foster soloed on the feature until 1971 when John Cullen Murphy (Big Ben Bolt) succeeded him as illustrator whilst the originator remained as writer and designer. That ended in 1980, when he finally retired and Cullen Murphy’s daughter Mairead took over colouring and lettering whilst her brother John assumed the writer’s role. In 2004 the senior Cullen Murphy also retired, since when the strip has soldiered on under the auspices of other extremely talented artists such as Gary Gianni, Scott Roberts and latterly Thomas Yeates & Mark Schultz.

This luxuriously oversized (362 x 264 mm) full-colour hardback (tragically, the series is still unavailable digitally) re-presents pages spanning January 6th 1963 to December 27th 1964, (individual Strips #1352 to 1455) and comes with all the regular bonus trimmings. Comics book A-Lister Roger Stern (Superman; Avengers; Spider-Man; Doctor Strange; Incredible Hulk; Captain America) discusses and critically appraises the influential force of the newspaper strip on comic books in picture packed Foreword ‘Swiping Mr. Foster: A Legacy in Four Colors’, offering many potent comparisons and shameless swipes, after which Brian M. Kane expands the argument about Valiant’s lasting influence in ‘Might for Right: A Code of Honor for Sentinels of Liberty’.

The erudite scholar returns at this tome’s close: spotlighting the glorious range of the master storyteller in closing article ‘Land and Sea: Hal Foster’s Fine Art Paintings’ via a gallery of land-&-seascapes, nature studies and illustrative tableaux. Captivating as they are, though, the real wonderment is, as ever, the unfolding epic preceding them…

What Has Gone Before: following a failed and ruinous quest for the Holy Grail by the Round Table Knights, Valiant has compelled their return to Camelot and courtly duties. In the months following he visited the Great Tor at Glastonbury, met St Patrick and assisted a Papal mission from Rome assigned to erect a cathedral there. Wars erupted and plots were foiled, and an extended familial rift with long-suffering wife Aleta healed. A visit to Valiant’s Thule homeland brought more battle and death… and personal injury. With firstborn son Arn in tow, recuperation was concluded during a visit of the entire clan to Aleta’s ancestral kingdom in the Misty Isles, as Viking reiver Boltar escorted them to counter (other) Mediterranean pirates and brigands…

At their destination, the family defeated a colonising invasion by rival ruler Thrasos during which the queen delivered twin daughters, to make Valiant a proud father of four. His peace was shattered when fleeing prisoners of war abducted Arn and his commoner pals Paul & Diane, forcing Valiant and Viking shipwright Gundar Harl into frantic pursuit to prevent their being sold as slaves. However, by the time they caught up, cunning, capable Arn had already dealt with the problem. Even with the crisis averted peace was impossible to find. When pilgrims bound for the Holy Land were shipwrecked on the Misty Isles, Val was duty-bound to offer aid, and used his presence as escort to found a trade mission promoting the produce and wares of his island home. He also brought Arn, whose days of childhood indolence gave way to learning his proper place in the world…

Many rousing exploits marked their trail from Jaffa to the Dead Sea, and Damascus to Baghdad, before the pilgrimage ends in Aleppo where Boltar waits to ferry father and son back to a recovered and much wealthier Aleta. However, a brief period of glorious relaxation ends as King Arthur summons them to save Gaul from invading Goth hordes. With safe passage across Europe ended, England’s ruler also needed his greatest hero to carry a message to the Pope. As Aleta’s forces secured a sea route to Albion, Valiant & Arn’s perilous mission drew much action but ultimately no satisfaction from the embattled Pontiff. Undaunted, Valiant devised an alternative trade route between the Holy Father and increasingly imperilled Christian Britain: visiting what would become Spain and France, encountering a lost land where monks were guarded by monsters, dodging Goths and ousting a usurper all whilst reinstating the true ruler…

By the time the scattered family were reunited in England, the country endured a new kind of assault, as a charismatic priest was manipulated by his scurrilous scholar attendants/business managers to foment a religious revolution. After cleverly ending that near-insurrection, Val rejoined his family at the site of a church under construction near the fens where he grew up. The lure of his sire’s past beguiles Arn, who explored the boggy waterways and was soon hopelessly lost. Over tense weeks, he experienced the same privations his father had, before being rescued. Carrying huge wealth destined for Arthur’s coffers, the family thankfully took ship for Camelot, unaware that greedy, ambitious eyes were watching…

The illuminating wonders here resume with those eyes fatally blinking. Opportunistic fellow voyager Ethwald abducts Arn by guile, holding him to ransom for treasure Valiant safeguards for the king. Ethwald fears the knight’s prowess but is certain a father will do nothing to endanger his heir. He grievously underestimates the deadly wiles of outraged mother Aleta…

The majority of this two-year tome deals with the anticipation and results of a mass invasion by Angles and Saxons, but the slowly-building saga is built of many shorter episodes – adventures both tragic and even broadly comedic – in its ever-expanding tapestry. After returning to Camelot, the family are feted until Valiant is again called to defend the realm. Arn meanwhile, steadily advances from Page to Novice and begins official combat training. Soon he is made Batchelor-at-Arms and, when the vassal king of Wales dies, is drawn into war. The former Prince Cidwic hungers for fame, glory and riches, and – deploying his fierce Welshmen and a mercenary Pictish & Caledonian warband – besieges Carlisle in an attempt to annexe Scottish territories. The city is defended by a small contingent of cavalry and engineers led by Sir Kay, but as Arthur readies a rescue fleet to aid them, Valiant forms and leads a unit of swift-riding messengers from the Novices & Batchelors to keep lines of communication open. His youngest recruit is Arn…

When Cidwic regroups and fortifies his position, the boy plays a crucial role in supporting Kay’s forces and in the would-be conqueror’s eventual downfall. As diplomacy and reconciliation take over, Arthur rewards the boy with more responsibility: befriending new King Cuddock, Cidwic’s 12-year old son. As they bond and duty grows into true friendship, the king’s uncle Ruddah seeks to frame Arn for murdering the boy king, and learns to his eternal regret that youth does not equate to stupidity…

Plot foiled, Valiant & Arn make their slow way back to Court, partaking of many local jousts and tourneys that filled the autumn season and served to keep fighting men in peak form. As they compete, they encounter two impoverished, less than noble knights whose response to defeat leaves much to be desired and exposes the sordid underbelly of professional jousting. On reaching Camelot, a joyous family reunion almost ends in shame and bloodshed when cunning schemer Modred attempts to traduce Aleta’s honour and reputation by trapping her and Launcelot in a compromising situation. His vile scheme exposed, the villain flees and encounters a Saxon war party infiltrating the region around the Vale of the White Horse. The long dreaded war with the invaders is starting…

War-wise Arthur deems them to be scouting the land and sends his best men to observe them, with Arn and other knights-in-training as messengers. Sadly, Owen is still starry-eyed and vainglorious, and his inexperience leads to Arn’s capture. Thankfully, the prisoner is sharp-witted and well-disguised: convincing the Saxons he is a son of infamous pirate Boltar, while turning his situation to Britain’s advantage by memorising the plans of the vast invasion force marshalling overseas. Of course, his actions suggest to the keenly watching rescue party that the son of Valiant has turned traitor… before the boy orchestrates his escape and reports back to Arthur…

Although moving to a war footing, life at Court continues largely as before and prompts a personal crisis when a grand tournament intended to hone the fighting spirit of the nation’s champions sparks intrigue, and murder.. Visiting his kinsman Launcelot, Count Brecey of Brittany finds Aleta most pleasing and determines to make her his. That she is a queen with four children he can profitably marry off when he marries her is a huge additional benefit. Accustomed to taking whatever he wants, the overprivileged coward operates through his personal assassin Hugo, but that deadly wight proves no match for Valiant and his mighty warhorse Arvak, and as a web of sinister schemes unravels, Brecey abducts Aleta and runs for the coast. Thanks to the efforts of his victim and her hotly-pursuing spouse and first son, the Count doesn’t get far and – when caught – compounds his villainy with the worst kind of cowardice…

As summer approaches, Arthur’s preparations intensify, and the entire Court awaits news of a vast fleet of Angles, Jutes, Danes and Saxons. Tensions mount as word comes of established colonies, previously defeated by and sworn to Arthur, recant their oaths of allegiance and pick up the swords they had abandoned for peace and acceptance. The lure of imminent plunder is everywhere and the King is forced to remind is noble subjects of their promises to supply fighting men when the nation needs them. Valiant & Gawain are despatched to Cornwall where three local kings are at war with each other and “unable” to honour their word, whilst Arn travels to North Wales where his friend Cuddock is genuinely embattled, plagued by raids of marauding Scotti. As he will soon discover, the raiders are sponsored by the Saxon overlord as a distracting diversion…

Although one Cornish ruler is steadfast and readily provides promised forces for the army, weak, ambitious, greedy Kings Grundemede and Alrick-the-Fat need a sharp lesson in realpolitik and practical conjuring (learned long ago when young Valiant was attached to the wizard Merlin) before they grudgingly comply. Their missions successful, both the Cornish and Welsh embassages return with their new reinforcements to Camelot to make final preparations for the encroaching Saxon invasion. Thanks to Arn’s prior intelligence, the warlord’s colonising raiders head for Badon Hill, the ideal site for Arthur’s stout defence…

This astounding clash takes seven weeks to tell, but at the end England is barred to them for generations and the victorious armies return to their own lands. Switching from epic action to wry romantic comedy, Foster then plays with his stars as Aleta and the visiting queen of Alrick-the-Fat indulge in combat matchmaking; each seeking to wed heroic Sir Charles of Cornwall to their respective noblewoman protégés. However, their escalating wiles and schemes make a catastrophic impression on Aleta’s twins Karen & Valeta, who apply what they’ve seen to their own relentless pursuit of boy-king Cuddock, recuperating from nobly-earned wounds and far too naive to endure being the subject of the girls’ first crush…

Employing the clever conceit of lost historical scrolls, the narrative jumps forward some months before resuming with Valiant’s entire family en route to ancestral homeland Thule with bombastic brigand Boltar. That voyage is interrupted by news of marauders assembled by Skogul Oderson, who has united numerous warring tribes into a formidable force to ravage Thule. As the year ends, the far northern chieftain is spectacularly beaten, never counting on Valiant and wilderness scout Garm organising scattered self-serving homesteaders into a lethally effective guerrilla force to slowly whittle away the raider’s numerical advantage through guile, lethally inventive use of terrain and psychological warfare. The final instalment here presages even greater adventure as Boltar’s son and Arn discuss a return to the lost continent they had visited: a land latterly dubbed “the New World.”

To Be Continued…

A mind-blowing panorama of passion and visual precision, Prince Valiant is a potent procession of boisterous action, exotic adventure and grand romance; blending tremendous epic fantasy with dry wit and broad humour, soap opera melodrama with dark violence. Lush, lavish and captivating lovely, it is an true landmark of comics fiction which no fan can miss.
All comics © 2015 King Features Syndicate. All other content and properties © 2016 their respective creators or holders. This edition © 2016 Fantagraphics Books. All rights reserved.

Today in 1921 cartoonist and King Features editor Bill Yates (Professor Phumble) was born, followed in 1933 by uber enthusiast Shel Dorf (who founded the San Diego Comics Convention) and in 1945 French creator François Bourgeon (Les passagers du vent, Cyann Saga, Les Compagnons du crépuscule). In 1945; cartoonist supreme Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) in 1958; British writer Ian Edgington (Scarlet Traces, X-Men, Predator, The Red Seas, Aliens) in 1963 and mangaka Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina) in 1968.

In 2004 this date, Tim Rickard’s comic strip Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! first launched, but we lost astounding master Frank Bellamy (Fraser of Africa, Dan Dare, Thunderbirds, Garth) in 1976, Belgian Paul Cuvelier (Corentin, Line, Epoxy) in 1978 and manga artist Shinji Wada (Waga Tomo Frankenstein, Sukeban Deka, Ninja Hish?) in 2011.

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DC Finest: Wonder Woman – Introducing Wonder Woman


By William Moulton Marston, Harry G. Peter, Alice Marble, Sheldon Moldoff, Frank Godwin, Frank Harry & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-7995-033-6-1 (TPB/Digital edition)

This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times.

Wonder Woman debuted as a special feature in All Star Comics #8, cover-dated December 1941, but actually on sale from October 21st of that year). The book was home to top-sellers the Justice Society of America and where she would immediately be invited to join the team, albeit only as “club secretary”…

Officially, she was conceived by psychologist/polygraph pioneer William Moulton Marston and realised and unilaterally illustrated by Harry G. Peter, in a calculated attempt to offer girls a positive and forceful role model and, on forward-thinking Editor M.C. Gaines’ part, to sell more funnybooks to girls. Later research has since disclosed much of her genesis was due to Moulton’s wife – attorney turned psychologist Sarah Elizabeth Marston (née Holloway) who had worked with him to create the systolic lie detector process – with further input from their live-in partner Olive Byrne.

Despite all the complexities and confusion surrounding her genesis, Wonder Woman was an instant hit and catapulted from the try-out into her own series as the cover-featured character of new anthology Sensation Comics one month later. The unstoppable Amazon then won her own eponymous supplemental title some months after that, cover-dated summer 1942, as well as a lead position in bumper anthology book Comics Cavalcade (December 1943).

Using nom de plume Charles Moulton, Marston – and his domestic writing partners – scripted all her many and miraculous adventures until his death in 1947, whereupon Robert Kanigher officially took over the writer’s role. Venerable co-creator H.G. Peter illustrated almost every WW tale until his own death in 1958.

Spanning cover-dates December 1941 to June 1943, this compelling full-colour compilation collects her debut from All Star Comics #8, and every iconic adventure plus pertinent extras from Sensation Comics #1-18; Comics Cavalcade #1-2 and Wonder Woman #1-4. Of course, we begin with ASC #8 and ‘Introducing Wonder Woman’…

On a hidden island of immortal super-women, an aviator crashes to Earth. Near death, US Army Intelligence officer Captain Steve Trevor is nursed back to health by young Princess Diana. Fearing her daughter’s growing obsession with the man, fiercely maternal Queen Hippolyte reveals the hidden history of the Amazons to the child. Diana learns how her people – all women – were seduced and betrayed by men in ancient times but rescued by the goddess Aphrodite on condition that they thenceforward isolate themselves from the rest of the world and devoted their eternal lives to becoming ideal, perfect creatures.

Now however, after Trevor explains the perfidious spy plot which accidentally brought him to the Island enclave, divine Athena and Aphrodite appear, ordering Hippolyte to assign an Amazon warrior to return with the American and fight for global freedom and liberty. The Queen diplomatically and democratically declares an open contest to determine the best candidate and – despite being forbidden to participate – Diana enters and wins. Accepting the will of the gods, the worried mother outfits her in the guise of Wonder Woman and sends her out to Man’s World…

A month later the saga continued where the introduction left off. Sensation Comics #1 declared ‘Wonder Woman Comes to America’, seeing the eager immigrant repatriating the recuperating Trevor to the modern World. She also trounces a gang of bank robbers and falls in with a show business swindler. One major innovation here is the newcomer perpetrating identity theft by buying her secret identity. Lovelorn Army nurse Diana Prince elegantly allows the Amazon to be close to Steve by becoming her, enabling the heartsick medic to join her own fiancé in faraway South America. Even with all that going on, there’s still room for Wonder Woman & Trevor to stop a spy ring attempting to use poison gas in a Draft induction centre, before Steve breaks his leg and ends up in hospital again, where “Nurse Prince” is assigned to tend him…

Sensation #2 debuted a deadly enemy agent and recurring villain in ‘The Menace of Dr. Poison’ – a cannily crafted tale which also introduced the most radical comedy sidekicks of the era. The plucky “fun-loving gals” (sweets, dancing and spanking mostly) of the Holliday College for Women and their chocolate-gorging Beeta Lamda sorority-chief Etta Candy would find trouble and save the day in equal proportions for years to come: constantly demonstrating Diana’s – and Marston’s – philosophical contention that girls, with correct encouragement, could accomplish anything that men could…

With War raging and in a military setting, espionage and sabotage were inescapable plot devices. ‘A Spy in the Office’ sees Diana arranging a transfer to the office of General Darnel as his secretary so she can keep a closer eye on finally fit Steve. She isn’t there five minutes before uncovering a ring of undercover infiltrators amongst the typing pool and saving her man from assassination. Unlike most comic stars of the period, Wonder Woman tales sought tight continuity. ‘School for Spies’ in #4 shows some of those fallen girls murdered by way of introducing inventive genius/Nazi master manipulator Baroness Paula von Gunther. She employs psychological ploys to enslave impressionable women to her will and sets otherwise decent Americans against their homeland. Even Diana succumbs to her machinations – until Steve and the Holliday Girls crash in…

America’s newest submarine is saved from destruction and cunning terrorists brought to book in ‘Wonder Woman versus the Saboteurs’ before SC #6 has Diana accepting a ‘Summons to Paradise’ to battle her immortal sisters in Kanga-riding duels before receiving her greatest weapon: an unbreakable Lasso of Truth which compels and controls anyone who falls within its golden coils. It proves quite handy when Paula escapes prison and uses an invisibility formula to wreak havoc on US coastal defences…

‘The Milk Swindle’ is pure 1940s social advocacy drama, with homegrown racketeers and Nazi von Gunther joining forces to seize control of America’s milk supply with the incredibly long-sighted intention of weakening the bones of the country’s next generation of soldiers. Closely following in Sensation #8 is ‘Department Store Perfidy’ wherein the Perfect Princess goes undercover in the monolithic Bullfinch emporium to win better working conditions and fair pay for the girls employed there. There was a plethora of surprises in #9 too, with ‘The Return of Diana Prince’ from South America. Now Mrs Diana White, the young mother needs her job and identity back until her inventor husband can sell his latest invention to the US army. Luckily, Wonder Woman and an obliging gang of saboteurs can expedite matters…

The next major landmark was the launch of the Amazon’s solo title. The first quarterly Wonder Woman opens here with twinned text features ‘Introducing Miss Alice Marble as Associate Editor of Wonder Woman’ before wordy primer ‘Wonder Woman: Who is She?’ focuses on the Amazon’s pantheon of godly patrons after which comic action commences with a greatly expanded revision of her first appearance in ‘The Origin of Wonder Woman’. This precedes a beguiling mystery tale as in ‘Wonder Woman Goes to the Circus!’ Diana solves the bizarre serial murders of the show’s elephants before Paula von Gunther rears her shapely head again in ‘Wonder Woman versus the Spy Ring’ wherein the loss of the Golden Lasso almost causes Diana’s demise and ultimate defeat of the US Army…

In ‘The Greatest Feat of Daring in Human History!’ Diana and Etta head for Texas, only to become embroiled in a sinister scheme involving Latin Lotharios, lady bullfighters, lethal spies and a Nazi attempt to conquer Mexico, after which the inaugural issue ends with new feature Wonder Women of History wherein a biography of ‘Florence Nightingale, Angel of the Crimea’ is supplied by Miss Marble & Sheldon Moldoff.

Over in Sensation Comics #10 (October 1942) ‘The Railroad Plot’ celebrates Steve & Wonder Woman’s first anniversary by exposing a sinister plan devised by Japanese and German agents to blow up New York City using the labyrinth of subway tunnels under the metropolis, after which ‘Mission to Planet Eros’ launches the Princess’ long line of cosmic fantasy exploits. The Queen of Venus requests Diana’s aid in saving an entire planetary civilisation from gender inequality and total breakdown, before ‘America’s Guardian Angel’ (Sensation #12) sees the Warrior Princess accepting an offer to play herself in a patriotic Hollywood movie, only to find production infiltrated by insidious Paula and her latest gang of slave-girls…

Preceded by prose/photo introduction ‘Boys and Girls! Here are the Men Behind Wonder Woman!’ and an illustrated prose piece about ‘The Spirit of War’, Wonder Woman #2 comprises a 4-chapter epic introducing the Amazon’s greatest enemy in ‘Mars, the God of War’. He apparently instigated World War from his HQ on the distant red planet but chafes at the lack of progress since Wonder Woman entered the fray on the side of the peace-loving allies. He now opts for direct action, no longer trusting his earthly pawns Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito…

When Steve goes missing, Diana allows herself to be captured and ferried to Mars. Here she starts disrupting the efficient working of the war-god’s regime and fomenting unrest amongst the slave population, before rescuing Steve and heading home to Earth. ‘The Earl of Greed’, one of Mars’ trio of trusted subordinates, takes centre stage for the second chapter, with orders to recapture Steve and Diana at all costs. As the duo attempt to infiltrate Berlin, Greed uses his influence on Hitler to surreptitiously redirect the German war effort, using Gestapo forces to steal all the USA’s gold reserves. With Steve gravely injured, the Amazon returns to America and whilst her paramour heals, uncovers and foils the Ethereal Earl’s machinations to prevent much-needed operating funds from reaching Holliday College, where young girls learn to be independent free-thinkers. With Greed thwarted, Mars dispatches ‘The Duke of Deception’ to Earth, where the spindly phantom impersonates Wonder Woman and frames her for murder. Easily escaping from prison, the Princess of Power not only clears her name but also finds time to foil a Deception-inspired invasion of Hawaii, leaving only ‘The Count of Conquest’ free to carry out Mars’ orders.

His scheme is simple: through personal puppet Mussolini, the Count tries to brutalise and physically overpower the Amazing Amazon with a savagely bestial giant boxing champion, even as Italian Lothario Count Crafti attempts to woo, seduce and suborn her. The latter’s wiles actually work, too, but capturing and keeping her are two different things entirely, and after breaking free on the Red Planet, Diana delivers a devastating blow to Mars’ war effort…

This issue ends with a sparkling double page patriotic plea when ‘Wonder Woman Campaigns for War Bonds’ after which Marble & Moldoff detail another historical all-star in ‘Clara Barton, Angel of the Battlefield’.

Cover-dated January 1943, Sensation Comics #13 claims ‘Wonder Woman is Dead’ as a corpse wearing her uniform is discovered, and astounded Diana Prince discovers her alter ego’s clothes and the irreplaceable magic lasso are missing. The trail leads to a diabolical spy-ring working out of Darnell’s office and explosive confrontation in a bowling alley, before ‘The Story of Fir Balsam’ in #14 delivers a seasonal saga concerning lost children, an abused mother and escaped German aviators. All is happily resolved around a lonely pine tree, after which the Immortal Warrior celebrated her next publishing milestone…

The 1938 debut of Superman propelled National Comics to the forefront of their fledgling industry and a year later the company was licensed to produce a commemorative comicbook celebrating the opening of the New York World’s Fair. The Man of Tomorrow prominently featured on the appropriately titled New York World’s Fair Comics among such four-colour stars as Zatara, Butch the Pup, Gingersnap and The Sandman. In 1940, another abundant premium emerged with Batman and Robin augmenting the roster, and the publishers felt they had an item and format worth pursuing commercially.

The spectacular card-cover 96-page anthologies had been a huge hit and convinced editors that an over-sized anthology of their pantheon of characters, with Superman & Batman prominently featured, was a worthwhile proposition. Thus, format was retained for a wholly company-owned, quarterly high-end package, retailing for the then-hefty price of 15¢. Launched as World’s Best Comics #1 in Spring 1941, the book morphed into World’s Finest Comics from #2, beginning a stellar 45-year run which only ended as part of the massive decluttering exercise that was Crisis on Infinite Earths. During the Golden Age, however, it remained a big blockbuster bonanza of strips to entice and delight readers…

At this time National/DC was in an editorially-independent business relationship with Max Gaines that involved shared and cross promotion and distribution for the comicbooks released by his own outfit All-American Publications. Although technically competitors if not quite rivals, the deal included shared logos and advertising and even combining both companies’ top characters in the groundbreaking All Star Comics as the Justice Society of America.

However, by 1942 relations between the companies were increasingly strained – and would culminate in 1946 with DC buying out Gaines, who used the money to start EC Comics.

All-American thus decided to create its own analogue to World’s Finest, featuring only AA characters. The outsized result was Comics Cavalcade. Cover-dated December 1942-January 1943 – and following Frank Harry’s gloriously star-studded cover to Comic Cavalcade #1 – Wonder Woman’s fourth regular star slot began with the superstar solving the ‘Mystery of the House of the Seven Gables’ (as ever the fruits of “Marston” & Peter’s fevered imaginations) wherein Diana Prince stumbles upon a band of Nazi spies. All too soon, the Amazon needs the help of some plucky youngsters to quash the submarine-sabotaging brutes…

Wonder Woman #3 then dedicates its entirety to the return of an old foe; commencing with ‘A Spy on Paradise Island’ as undergrads of Holliday College for Women – including Etta Candy – are initiated into some pretty wild Amazon rites on Paradise Island. Sadly, the revels inadvertently allow an infiltrator to gain access and pave the way for an invasion by Japanese troops. Naturally Diana and the Amazons prevail on the day, but the exposed sinister mind behind it all strikes back in ‘The Devilish Devices of Baroness Paula von Gunther’.

Whilst alert Amazons build a women’s prison to known as “Reform Island”, Wonder Woman, acting upon information received by the new inmates, trails Paula and is in time to crush her latest scientific terror: an invisibility ray. Then ‘The Secret of Baroness von Gunther’ offers a rare peek at a villain’s motivation when the captured super-spy reveals how her little daughter Gerta has been a Nazi hostage for years and remains a goad to ensure the genius’ total dedication to the German cause. Naturally, the Amazing Amazon resolves to reunite mother and child at all costs, after which ‘Ordeal of Fire’ confirms the Baroness aiding Diana & Steve in dismantling her spy network and slave-ring the Nazis had spent so long building in America… albeit at great personal and physical cost to the repentant Paula…

Much has been posited about subtexts of bondage and subjugation in Marston’s tales – and, to be frank, there really are lots of scenes with girls tied up, chained or about to be whipped – but I just don’t care what his intentions (subconscious or otherwise) might have been: I’m more impressed with the skilful drama and incredible fantasy elements which are always wonderfully, intriguingly present. I mean, just where does the concept of giant war-kangaroos come from?

This issue closes with another Marble & Moldoff biography lesson this tome focussed on ‘Nurse Edith Cavell’, before Sensation #15’s ‘Victory at Sea’ pits Diana & Steve against lethal saboteurs set on halting military production and working with shady lawyers, whilst in #16 ‘The Masked Menace’ is one of very few stories not illustrated by H.G. Peter, but rather the work of illustrator and strip cartoonist Frank Godwin. He was called in as the crushing workload of an extra 64-page comic book every couple of months piled pressure on WW’s artistic director. The tale sees steadfast Texan Etta Candy ready to elope with slick, sleazy Eurotrash Prince Goulash, until Diana & Steve crash the wedding party to expose spies infiltrating across the Mexican border and a plot to blow up the invaluable Candy family oil-wells…

Inescapable war-fervour was tinged with incredible fantasy in Wonder Woman 4, which opened with ‘Man-Hating Madness!’ wherein a Chinese refugee from a Japanese torture camp reaches America and draws the Amazon into a terrifying scheme to use biological weapons on the American Home Front. Cruel, misogynistic ‘Mole Men of the Underworld’ then kidnap collegiate Holliday Girls sidekicks, before Diana and reformed, recuperated former-Nazi genius Baroness Paula rescue them, liberate a race of female slaves and secure America’s deepest border from further attack.

‘The Rubber Barons’ provide a rousing romp wherein greedy corporate profiteers attempt to hold the Government and war effort to ransom with a new manufacturing process in a high-tech tale involving mind-control, gender role-reversal and behaviour modification, as only a trained and passionate psychologist could promote them, before the drama concludes with ‘The Treachery of Mavis’ as Paula, now fully accepted into Amazon society, is attacked by one of her erstwhile spy-slaves. The traumatised victim then abducts her ex-mistress’ daughter Gerta and Wonder Woman, burdened with responsibility, is compelled to hunt her down. Again the issue closes with a Marble & Moldoff history moment sharing the triumphs of ‘Lillian D. Wald, “The Mother of the East Side”’…

A revered classic from Sensation #17 follows. ‘Riddle of the Talking Lion’ (limned by Godwin) finds Diana Prince visiting an ailing friend and discovering that Sally’s kids have overheard a zoo lion speaking… and revealing strange secrets. Although Steve & Diana dismiss the tall tale, events take a peculiar turn when the beast is subsequently stolen with the trail leading to Egypt and a plot by ambitious Nazi collaborator Princess Yasmini…

Next, following the Frank Harry cover of Comics Cavalcade #2, Wonder Woman’s Godwin illustrated offering ‘Wanted by Hitler, Dead or Alive’ pits her against devious Gestapo agent Fausta Grables before another from Sensation Comics #18 closes out this epic compilation: one last yarn illustrated by superbly gifted classical artist Godwin with Diana saving a lost Mesolithic tribe from despotic theocracy and ancient greed in ‘The Secret City of the Incas’.

Exotic, baroque, beguiling and uniquely exciting, these Golden Age adventures of the World’s Most Famous woman superhero are timeless and pivotal classics in the development of comics books and still provide lashings of fun and thrills for anyone looking for a great nostalgic read.
© 1941, 1942, 1943, 2025 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

Today in 1883, global cartooning force of nature Rube Goldberg as born, sharing the day with prolific British letterer Ellie DeVille in 1947; artist David Finch (CyberForce, Moon Knight, New Avengers) in 1971 and David Petersen (Mouse Guard) in 1977.

The date saw the deaths of career cartoonist Art Sansom (Chris Welkin-Planeteer, The Born Loser) in 1991 and in 2005 today premiered Tyler Martin’s long-running webcomic Wally and Osborne (formerly On the Rocks).

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Stabbed in the Front – Post-War General Elections through Political Cartoons


By various, edited by Dr. Alan Mumford (Centre for the Study of Cartoons & Caricature, University of Kent, Canterbury)
ISBN: 978-1-90267-120-8 (Album PB)

I thinks it’s time for another history lesson – or actually the same one. Normal service will be resumed one day.

“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else” – Clarence Darrow

From its earliest inception cartooning was used to sell: initially ideas or values but eventually actual products too. In newspapers, magazines and especially comic books, the sheer power of narrative with its ability to create emotional affinities has been linked to the creation of unforgettable images and characters. When those stories affect the daily lives of generations of readers, the force that they can apply in a commercial or social arena is almost irresistible.

In Britain the cartoonist has held a bizarrely precarious position of power for centuries: a deftly designed bombastic broadside or savagely surgical satirical slice instantly capable of ridiculing, exposing and always deflating the powerfully elevated and apparently untouchable with a simple shaped-charge of scandalous wit and crushingly clear, universally understandable visual metaphor. For this method of concept transmission, literacy or lack of education is no barrier. As the Catholic Church proved millennia ago with the Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows and a pantheon of idealised superhero saints, a picture is absolutely worth a thousand words – and they controlled those if they could. Inner thoughts too. What cruel, cunning maniac came up with “the thought Is the deed”?

More so than work, sport, religion, fighting or even sex, politics has always been the very grist that feeds the pictorial gadfly’s mill. This gloriously informative book (sponsored by the marvellous Centre for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature, University of Kent at Canterbury), offers a fantastic overview of political adaptability and cultural life as Britain moved from Empire to mere Nationhood in the latter half of the 20th century, examined through General Elections and the wealth of cunningly contrived images and pictorial iconography they provoked and inspired. It’s one of my favourite things ever and crucially in need of updating and re-release.

After an effusive Foreword from professional politician and celebrated cartoon aficionado (the Rt. Hon.) Lord Kenneth Baker of Dorking, author Alan Mumford – a specialist in management training – covers the basic semiology and working vocabulary of the medium in his copious Introduction. Designating definitions and terms for his splendid treatise, he subdivides the territory into ‘Origins’; ‘Criteria for Selection’; ‘Newspapers and Magazines’; ‘The Longevity of Political Cartoonists’; ‘References, Symbols and Metaphors’; ‘The Impact of Cartoons on General Elections’ and ‘Savagery in Political Cartoons’ as an effective foundation course in how to best contextualise and appreciate the plethora of carefully crafted mass-market messages which follow.

The format is extremely ergonomic and effective. Thus, Philip Zec’s iconic cartoon and caption/slogan “Here You Are. Don’t Lose it Again!” begins the Great Endeavour with historical background in The Run-up to the General Election of 1945, followed by Election Issues and the 1945 Campaign; Major Personalities of the 1945 General Election; Results of… and finally a nominated “Cartoonist of the Election” whose work most captured the spirit of, or affected the outcome of, a particular contest. This methodology then proceeds to efficiently and comprehensively recreate the tone of each time, augmented whenever possible by a personal interview or remembrance from one of the campaigners involved. Telling vignettes include contributions such mythic personalities as Frank Pakenham/Lord Longford, Barbara Castle, Edward Heath, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Kenneth Baker again, Jim Prior, Jim Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, David Steel, Norman Tebbit, John Major and Tony Blair…

Each fact-packed, picture-filled chapter dissects every succeeding campaign: 1950’s tame ‘Consolidation not Adventure’, which resulted in Labour and Clement Attlee’s second victory by the narrowest – practically unworkable – of margins; Churchill’s resurgence in 1951 as ‘The Grand Old Man Returns’ and a slow steady decline in fortunes and growth of a New Politics after Anthony Eden’s star rose for the 1955 General Election when ‘The Crown Prince Takes Over’…

In an era of international unrest, Harold McMillan eventually became Tory top gun and in 1959 was ‘Supermac Triumphant’, but domestic troubles – race, unionism and the always struggling economy – wore away his energies. In a minor coup he was ousted and Sir Alec Douglas Home took over mid-term, consequently losing to glib, charismatic new Labour leader Harold Wilson. This entire era is one of aged and infirm Big Beasts passing away suddenly with too many lesser lights to succeed them; further complicated by both Labour and Conservative parties riven by infighting and jockeying for position with wannabe upstarts such as the Liberals cruising the room looking to pick up what scraps they could (so it’s not a new thing, OK?).

In 1966 ‘Labour Government Work’ took them to a second term, but social turmoil in the country, with unions demands spiralling out of control, enabled Edward Heath to lead the Conservatives into the most dangerous and turbulent decade in modern British history (this statement might need revising). The General Election of 1970 proved ‘Wilson Complacent, Heath Persistent’…

There were two General Elections in 1974.

The ongoing crisis in industrial relations and growing racial tensions caused by maverick Tory Enoch Powell’s continual cries to “end Immigration or face rivers of blood in the streets” forced Prime Minister Heath to ask in February ‘Who Governs Britain?’ He was informed by the disaffected electorate “Not you, mate.” Even though Wilson and Labour were returned to power, the majority was miniscule and by October the people were compelled to do it all again and ‘Vote for Peace and Quiet’.

Although he’d again narrowly led them to victory, Wilson’s time was done. He abruptly resigned in 1976 to be replaced by deputy Jim Callaghan. The Conspiracy Theorists queue begins on the left…

Heath too was reduced to the ranks and relegated to the Tory Back Benches, replaced by a rising star from Finchley. As Britain staggered under terrifying economic woes in 1979, Callaghan called an election and lost to Margaret Thatcher, who had famously said “No Woman in My Time” would ever be Prime Minister. I believe that was the last time she ever admitted to being wrong. Despite horrifying and sustained assaults on the fabric of British society – and monumental unpopularity – she enjoyed two more election victories: in 1983 – “The Longest Suicide Note in History” – and again in 1987 as ‘Thatcher Moves Forward’ before finally being turned on by her own bullied and harried Cabinet… a tradition that has become the biggest perk in politics…

The best political cartooning comes from outrage, and the Tory administrations of the 1980’s provided one bloated, bile-filled easy mark after another. Just look at TV’s Spitting Image which grew fat and healthy off that government’s peccadilloes, indignities and iniquities (as well as Reagan’s America and the Royal Family) in just the way that millions of unemployed and disenfranchised workers, students and pensioners didn’t. Election cartoons reproduced here from that period come from a largely Tory Press, and whilst contextualised and accurate, do not approach the level of venom she engendered in certain sections. For a more balanced view one should also seek out Plunder Woman Must Go! by Alan Hardman; Drain Pig and the Glow Boys in Critical Mess; You are Maggie Thatcher: a Dole-Playing Game or even Father Kissmass and Mother Claws by Bel Mooney & Gerald Scarfe, not to mention any collection of the magnificent pitiless Steve Bell’s excoriating If…

In 1992, the only thing stopping a Labour landslide was the party itself, which had so dissolved into factional infighting and ideological naval-gazing that not even the fiery oratory of Welsh Wizard Neil Kinnock could pull them together. Once again, the newspapers claimed the credit when Tory consensus/concession leader John Major pulled off a surprising ‘Triumph of the Soapbox?’

That Labour Landslide had to wait until 1997 and the ‘Teeth and Sleaze’ of Tony Blair (although at that time we all thought the latter term only applied to corrupt Tory MPs selling parliamentary time and attention to business interests). That moment of fond memory brings this incredibly appealing tome to a close. I said it before and I’m saying it again: since then a whole lot has happened and I think its long past time for a new, revised and updated edition…

As well as making our subjugation addictively accessible over half a century of venal demagoguery, hard work, murky manipulations, honest good intentions and the efforts of many men and women moved in equal parts by dedication and chicanery, this oversized monochrome tome is also literally stuffed with the best visual work of some of the very best cartoonists ever to work in these Sceptred Isles.

The art, imagination, passion and vitriol of Abu, Steve Bell, Peter Brookes, Dave Brown, Michael Cummings, Eccles, Emmwood, Stanley Franklin, George Gale, Nick Garland, the Davids Gaskill & Ghilchik, Les Gibbard, Charles Griffin, Graham High, Leslie Illingworth, Jak, John Jensen, Jon, Kal, David Low, Mac, Mahood, Norman Mansbridge, Sidney Moon, Bill Papas, Chris Riddell, Paul Rigby, Rodger, Stephen Roth, Martin Rowson, Willie Rushton, Peter Schrank, Ernest Shepard, Ralph Steadman, Sidney Strube, Trog, Vicky, Keith Waite, Zec and Zoke are timeless examples of the political pictorialist’s uncanny power and – as signs of the times – form a surprising affecting gestalt of our never happy nation’s feeling and character…

None of that actually matters now, since these cartoons performed the task they were intended for at the time of deployment: shaping the opinions and intentions of generations of voters. That they have also stood the test of time and remain as beloved relics of a lethal art form is true testament to their power and passion, but – to be honest and whatever your political complexion – isn’t it just a guilty pleasure to see a really great villain get one more good kicking?

Stuffed with astounding images, fascinating lost ephemera and mouth-watering tastes of comic art no fan could resist, this colossal collection is a beautiful piece of cartoon history that will delight and tantalise all who read it.
© 2001. Text © 2001 Alan Mumford. All illustrations © their respective holders or owners. All rights reserved.

Writer/inker Al Gordon (Wildstar, Legion of Super-Heroes, X-Men) arrived today in 1953, with writer/translator Jean-Marc Lofficier (The Airtight Garage: The Elsewhere Prince, Onyx Overlord, Dr. Strange, Arzach) joining one year later, and cartoonist Kevin Fagan (Drabble) arriving in 1956. Artist Bill Jaaska (Jon Sable, Teen Titans) was born in 1961; cartoonist, critic, editor publisher Eric Reynolds in 1972: artist Jae Lee (Namor the Sub-Mariner, The Sentry, Inhumans) in 1972 and Barcelona born illustrator Daniel Sampere (Wonder Woman) in 1985.

In 1984 today, the last TV Comic (of 1696 weekly editions) was published,

Today in 1928 pioneering US comics artist A.B. Frost died, as did French creator Alain Saini-Ogan (Zig et Puce) in 1974 and, in 2001, EC Comics all-star and strip supremo George R. Evans (Terry and the Pirates, Secret Agent X-9, Flash Gordon).

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The Phantom – The Complete Series: The Charlton Years Volume Three


By Pat Boyette with Joe Gill & various (Hermes Press)
ISBN: 978-1-61345-049-9 (HB/Digital edition)

This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times.

In the 17th century a British sailor survived an attack by pirates. Washed ashore on the African coast, he swore on the skull of his murdered father to dedicate his life and that of all his descendants to destroying all pirates and criminals. The Phantom still fights crime and injustice from a base deep in the jungles of Bengali, and throughout the continents is known as the “Ghost Who Walks”. His unchanging appearance and unswerving war against injustice led to his being considered an immortal avenger by the desperate, the credulous and especially the wicked. Down the decades one hero after another has fought and died in an unbroken family line, and the latest wearer of the mask, indistinguishable from the first, continues the never-ending battle.

Lee Falk created the Jungle Justice dealer at the request of his syndicate employers who were already making history, public headway and loads of money with his initial action strip sensation Mandrake the Magician, and although technically not the first ever costumed hero in comics, The Phantom’s astounding popularity wearing later demi-compulsory skintight bodystocking and mask with opaque eye-slits made him the prototype costumed comics paladin. He debuted on February 17th 1936 (Yep! Ninety nonstop years!!) in an extended sequence pitting him against global pirate confederation the Singh Brotherhood. Falk wrote and drew the daily strip for the first two weeks before handing over illustration to artist Ray Moore. A hugely successful Sunday feature began in May 1939. However, for such a long-lived and influential series, in terms of compendia or graphic collections, The Phantom has been very poorly served by the English language market – except in Australia where he has always been accorded the status of a pop culture god.

Numerous companies had begun releasing books of the strips – one of the longest continually running adventure serials in publishing history – but in no systematic or chronological order and never with any sustained success. However, even if only of historical value (or just printed for Australians), surely mysterious Mr. Kit Walker is worthy of a definitive chronological compendium series? Happily, and perhaps because of the tights and mask, his comic book adventures have fared slightly better – especially in recent times. From November 1962 through July 1966, all new adventures were published by West Coast giant Gold Key Comics after which King Features Syndicate dabbled with a comic book line of their biggest stars (including Popeye, Blondie, Flash Gordon, Mandrake and The Phantom) between 1966 and 1967. When they gave up the ghost (Tee. Hee.), plucky dependable, cheap ‘n’ cheerful Charlton Comics were there to pick up the slack…

The Phantom was no stranger to funnybooks, commanding his own title all over the world. Even in the US he had appeared since the Golden Age in titles like Feature Book and Harvey Hits, albeit only as reformatted newspaper strip reprints. Gold Key’s efforts were tailored to a big page and a young readership, a model King Features maintained for their own run, but which was tweaked when Charlton acquired the license. This third full-colour compilation gathers the contents of The Phantom #48-56 (originally released between February 1972 to June 1973) and opens with an historical interview conducted by Spike Barkins and modified here as Introduction ‘Lee Falk: Thoughts About the Ghost Who Walks’, offering insights and a wealth of original art pages by in situ comic book creator Pat Boyette.

San Antonio born on 27th July 1923, Aaron P. Boyette was pure mythical Texan: self-taught in everything that mattered and unstoppably confident. A truly tireless entrepreneur, he was a key component of the development of commercial radio in Texas and a journalist who researched, wrote, broadcast, managed, and presented shows. If you’ve read any Golden Age Green Lantern, it’s everyman hero Alan Scott (who did all the jobs) could have been patterned on Pat…

Boyette forsook burgeoning stardom to become a cryptographer during WWII. Coming out, he performed the same do-it-all trick with early television and later moved into making movies. After anchoring TV news, he abruptly moved sideways again, and took to comics: writing, editing, lettering, painting and illustrating as Pat Boyette, Sam Swell, Alexander Barnes & Bruce Lovelace. Working for Charlton, DC, Warren, Archie, Acclaim; a host of eighties indie outfits and as a self-publisher, Boyette produced newspaper strip Captain Flame; drew prestigious DC title Blackhawk; and found a lasting home at Charlton Comics. He co-created (with Joe Gill) The Peacemaker and assumed creative duties on Pete (“PAM”) Morisi’s Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. As the superhero boom faded, he increasingly contributed to their anthological lines, crafting hundreds of genre short stories for romance, war, western horror, science fiction, fantasy and others. Boyette also handled Charlton’s biggest and most high-profile licensed features including The Six Million Dollar Man; Space: 1999; Korg: 70,000 B.C; Flash Gordon; Jungle Jim and the company’s runaway top seller – The Phantom. Boyette’s work was continually published at Charlton until at least 1986 when the outfit was being wrapped up. He readily adapted to the indie market, with his last work appearing in DC/Paradox Press’s The Big Book of the Weird Wild West in 1998.

Pat Boyette died of oesophageal cancer on January 14th, 2000 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The majority of the bi-monthly yarns here are scripted by Boyette, backed up by Joe Gill in #49, 52 & 54: utterly workmanlike and hitting every expected base. Most issues still offered a pictorial Contents Page teaser, heralding terse, spartan, stripped-back action; mystery yarns with themes and plots readers of newspapers and dyed-in-the-wool superhero fans alike could appreciate equally. There are of mad scientists, aliens, monsters, war criminals, brutal beasts, sadistic potentates, thieves & pirates, misunderstood loners and fringe types aplenty… and so many admiring women… but no costumed villains.

Moreover, with Africa in the contemporary news and “emerging nations” grabbing headlines everywhere, politics was paramount and old standbys of rawhide and grass-kilted natives were vanishing on the pages of the world’s most popular strips jungle strips (Tarzan too!) and as we open with The Phantom #48 and a rare full-length saga, ‘The Man of Destiny!’ follows Bandari prodigy Hokana, sponsored by the Ghost Who Walks to study at western schools and universities. Of course, with learning and independence comes selfish personal desires, decadent ways and lurking Soviet enemies ready to disrupt the Phantom’s Peace but after many struggles, adult Hokana understands the true nature of his greedy fair-weather friends before redeeming himself through right choices and valiant actions…

The anthological format returns with #49 and Joe Gill scripting opening exploit ‘The Hostage!’ Here archaeologist Diana Palmer is kidnapped by vicious ideological guerillas before her masked true love expends herculean effort to rescue her, after which Bandari boy Jelrami is also sent for schooling abroad. His path is just as temptation-tainted, but this time not even the Phantom can save the corrupted child or find ‘A Better Way!’ to save the Bandar people from crime, death and western civilisation…

It’s back in time and into space next as ‘The Intruders!’ reveals how two centuries past an earlier Ghost Who Walked faced and fought off extraterrestrial incursion, whilst #50 opens with a contemporary twist as crash-landed human astronauts are mistaken by barbaric Ashnu tribesmen for ‘The Fire Gods’ of legend. Emboldened by profitable hostages whose safety is by no means assured, they are ready to resist even Phantom force and reputation…

More mundane but no less miraculous, ‘No Gratitude’ sees the masked hero ambushed for his horse and almost murdered by a fleeing felon, before performing a most remarkable act of forgiveness that provokes a life-changing change of heart in his enemy. The issue ends with The Phantom piercing uncharted mountain ranges to face a lost Roman outpost and lead ‘The Lost Legion’ against one last tyrannical Caesar…

With the intro pages sacrificed to increased costs and dwindling page counts, #51 leaps right into ‘A Broken Vow!’ wherein ward-&-heir Rex and his Bandar companion Tomm are targeted by vengeful witchdoctor Leklu. Naturally, his kidnap plot and trained crocodiles prove useless against The Phantom’s way, after which the boys take centre-stage to save an elephant trapped by savage hunters in ‘Captive King’ whilst Diana returns to explore the lost city of Lak and becomes hostage to greedy hunters raiding ‘The Treasure Room’. Of course, they have completely different ideas of what constitutes wealth, but can all agree that the Phantom’s justice is swift, fierce and indisputable…

For #52 Gill scripted opening shot ‘Lost in the Land of the Lost!’ as both Diana and Rex are (briefly) held hostage by fugitive murderer Victor Walsk in the lost temple they have just discovered, after which Boyette places her ‘A World Away!’. Her self-sacrificing gambit to save the Phantom and his Bandar from an insidious poison plot by avaricious billionaire collector finds her dragged all over the world, but not beyond the reach of the Ghost Who Walks. Closing the issue is another Gill-penned piece as new leader Captain Ahmed enacts his ‘Revenge of the Singh Pirates!’ to end four centuries of conflict with cunning plans and the most modern of weapons only to learn his efforts will never be enough…

The next issue starts with ‘The Looters!’ as super-thieves Marcel and Jeanne ambush The hero is his own skull cave and leaving him for dead ferry his greatest treasure back to Paris. They really should have checked his body…

Back in Africa ‘The Phantom meets the… Do Gooders!’ as smug government sociologist Dr. Harrison Pugh attempts to introduce morally-improving consumer capitalism to “poverty-ridden tribes” only to – eventually – learn a painful lesson in practical politicking, after which The Phantom confronts primal force when a rogue bull-elephant ravages the region in ‘The Outlaw’s Herd!’ and sees, as usual, that it’s not the beasts to blame for all the carnage…

In #54 the lead features another plundering of Phantom treasures, setting the Jungle Judge on the trail of British bandit Lord Percy and his lethal assistant Miss Chang. They think they have home advantage thanks to London fogs, but are not the only ‘Killers in the Mist’ (Gill script). With the loot returned Boyette alone handles a magic-tinged war against ‘The Angry Gods!’ after fanatical film director Chico Fitzroy and his apparently-possessed leading lady Regina Shaw despoil ancient temples to make their latest masterpiece, leaving the battered, beguiled Phantom just enough time to ponder the exploits of an ancestor who battled Wazuli an obsessed ‘Master of Evil’ in a war for control of Bandar two centuries past…

Contemporary issues inform the first yarn in The Phantom #55 as our hero discovers illegal oil drilling near Bengali and must take extreme action to prevent ‘The Black Blight!’ destroying every oasis and water source in the area, before notions of romantic mysticism are introduced in ‘A Far-Off Drum!’ Given a hand-drum by the hero that will eternally connect them, Diana soon sees its power when she is abducted in London and the Ghost Who Walks comes running to her side from ten thousand miles away as soon as she taps it…

Closing the penultimate inclusion here is a human interest fable as a trusted member of the Phantom’s inner circle is coerced into raiding Bandar possessions like ‘A Thief in the Night’. Thankfully, the wise hero looks beyond the apparent to track down the true villain behind the betrayals… Gill is back for a dose of ‘Jungle Madness’ in #56 as friendly docile creatures – including wonder horse Hero – become deranged berserkers, much like the Ghost himself once he tracks down the polluters who poisoned the water table for quick profit…

Boyette and his associates often sagely left their time period vague and unconfirmed, allowing creative anachronism to play out in tales that could often be starring earlier Phantoms of the undying dynasty. Here however, the timeframe is solidly identified as 1942 as the incumbent Enforcer of the Jungle Peace deceives a German U-Boat crew on a scouting mission that Hitler had already conquered the primitives through one example of perfect white superiority:‘The Nazi Phantom’. The deception did not last long, but it didn’t have to…

The comic and this classic safari of strip saga closes with another bang of the drum as ‘The Chief Who Went Astray!’ finds Diana and “Kit Walker” enjoying a brief respite in London when the Ghost who Relaxes hears a spectral tympani and dashes back to Bengali and the Bandar. The new impossible task is to shut down illegal mining operations plundering the tribes mineral resources… specifically uranium. It seems that vile Mr Grimek has the full consent of local bigwig Lolomu, but all is not as it seems until the Phantom takes a hand and raises his fists…

Packed throughout with pages of Boyette original art, this is another riotous rip-roaring, nostalgia-drenched delight: stripped down, nonstop rollicking action-adventure which has always been the staple of comics fiction and the Ghost Who Walks. If that sounds like a good time to you, this is a traditional action-fest you must not miss…
The Phantom® © 1972-1973 and 2014 King Features Syndicate, Inc. ® Hearst Holdings, Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

In 1916, today saw the birth of Canadian veteran Jack Sparling (Claire Voyant, Six Million Dollar Man, Neutro, Turok, Son of Stone, The Outer Limits, Mission Impossible, Space Man, Challengers of the Unknown, countless genre tales for most US publishers), with New Zealand cartoonist John Kent (Varoomshka) sharing the cake and candles from 1937 onwards.

Cartoonist and author Berkely Breathed (Bloom County, Outland, A Wish For Wings That Work, Flawed Dogs, Mars Needs Moms!) was born today in 1957, as was editor/publisher Gary Carlson (Big Bang Comics, Megaton), with mangaka Gosho Aoyama (Case Closed) arriving in 1963. Horrorists Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery, Batman: Gotham County Line, Kick-Ass) and Mike Dringenberg (Kelvin Mace, Adolescent Radioactive Blackbelt Hamsters, The Sandman) were both born today in 1965, just like artist Wilfredo Torres (Superman ‘78, The Shadow: Year One Doc Savage: The Spider’s Web) in 1972 and Christopher Hastings (Dr McNinja, Gwenpool) in 1983.

On this date in 1985 Golden Age great Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski (Blue Beetle, Sub-Mariner, Blonde Phantom, The Iron Corporal, All-Winners Squad, Nyoka the Jungle Girl, hundreds of genre shorts) died.

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Ordinary Victories volume 1 and 2


By Manu Larcenet, colours by Patrice Larcenet translated by Joe Johnson (NBM/ ComicsLit)
ISBNs: Vol. 1: 978-1-56163-423-1 (TPB) Vol. 2: 978-1-56163-533-7 (TPB)

Complete Set pack ISBN: 978-1-56163-600-6

Ordinary Victories examines the introspective and incidental life of neurotic, left-leaning, change-dreading Marco Louis in the years before France’s conservative-centrist Sarkozy government came to power. In mesmerising, eulogistic and winningly comedic narrative and via alternating modes of illustration ranging from brashly big-foot Marcinelle stylism to sensitively realistic reportage, the soul-searching isolationist examines himself, his past, his art and his family and consequently finds a future he can at least settle for…

The four albums released in France translate to two solidly satisfying tomes here and open with Marco – who has been subject to devastating panic attacks for years – not getting through to his therapist before giving up the idea of visiting his happy, married and well-adjusted brother to get high, chill out and reminisce.

Marco is just the kind of guy who lets life get to him. Seeing his over-protective mum and frail dad only heightens his general tension, but the loner does get a hint of parts of his father’s life he never before knew…

Returning to his isolated rural cottage and his maniacal cat Adolf, Marco tries to get back to his photojournalism job, but the despair and hatred he feels for the whole rat-race just won’t go away. Wracked by anxiety and nightmares, Marco takes the cat for walks in the woods where he encounters an abusive, trespass-obsessed farmer and a wise old gentleman. When Adolf is then savaged by a dog, Marco meets a charming vet who inexplicably likes him, but Life compensates for the nice event by getting Marco fired…

Unemployed, aimless but obsessed with his art, Marco still resists change: Emily is making noises about moving in together but the potential commitment terrifies him. He certainly can’t handle her outright demands for a baby…

The country seems to be heading for outright fascism, his neighbour is a maniac and when he visits the old gentleman, Marco discovers an unsettling connection to his dad’s mysterious war service. His journalist’s paranoia goes into overdrive when Marco finds out what kind of a soldier old man Mesrin was, and with his world spinning the angst-wracked artist is compelled to change or die…

The second part of this initial tome is ‘Negligible Amounts’, which sees the now officially-paired couple Emily & Marco visiting his parents. Here the son learns some unpleasant truths about his father’s health and that the once vigorous and sharp-witted proud shipworker is fading…

Marco’s shots of the gutted and dying Shipyard win him a Paris gallery show prize, but meeting his artistic and creative heroes proves a painful experience. Still, the promise of a book might boost his reputation and save his dad’s old work comrades from redundancy, even if some of them are already talking of closures, unemployment and actually changing their political allegiances…

With Right-wing radicalism in the streets and racism in the air, Marco and his brother are pretty glum and soon after pretty drunk. When another panic attack hits hard the besieged photographer only narrowly avoids an extended stay in a psychiatric unit… and then he gets the phone call about his dad…

 

Ordinary Victories Volume 2: What is Precious

The second potent reminiscence opens with eponymous episode ‘What is Precious’ as Marco slowly adjusts to his father’s death, and gets even closer to Emily… at least when her incessant demands for a baby aren’t freaking him out. With a book deal and a new analyst, things seem to be favourably progressing, but the contents of his dad’s diary provide fresh material for passive hysteria, as does his previously indomitable mother’s new attitude. Unable to stand the strain any longer, Marco confronts Mesrin and demands to know just what ghastly atrocities the old man and the deceased shipbuilder actually committed…

Final chapter ‘Hammering Nails’ opens with new mum Emily and their delightful daughter Maude providing fresh and very different anxieties for Marco, especially since he finally agreed to move the family into a bigger house…

The Shipyard is in its final days and as Marco captures the images of resigned but still striking workers, his own thoughts are more confused than ever. Everybody else either accepts or fights life’s vicissitudes: why can’t he do either?

There’s yet another election coming and everybody thinks a great change is coming – but for Marco, that has never been a comforting notion…

This is a subtle, funny and deeply contemplative tale, deftly understated and compellingly seductive. A commonplace guy handles nothing we blokes haven’t all faced and reacts pretty much as any guy would: amazed to make it safely through another day, always astonished that our partner seems to love us, claims to know us and yet stays anyway. Ordinary Victories is about frustration, loss, disappointment, and yes, occasional triumphs. These books are wonderful, sublime, magical comics and you really should track them down…
© Dargaud 2005, 2007, 2008 by Larcenet. Translation © 2005, 2008 NBM.

Today in 1906 artist extraordinaire and DC inker supreme Sid Greene (Target and the Targeteers, Batman, Elongated Man, Green Lantern, Justice League of America, The Atom) was born, sharing the day with Bob Kanigher (Metal Men, Sgt Rock, Viking Prince, Flash, Hawkman) in 1915 and Underground cartoonist Rick Griffin (Zap Comix) in 1944. Later creative stars debuts of the date include writer/editor/artist and continuity all-star Mark Gruenwald (Captain America, Hawkeye, Squadron Supreme) in 1953; editor, publisher and historian Dean Mullaney (Eclipse Comics) in 1954 and Britain’s international superstar creator Alan Davis (Captain Britain, Marvelman, Harry Twenty on the High Rock, Batman, Excalibur, Clan Destine, Hulk, X-Men, Thor) in 1956.

Today in 1966, the UK’s groundbreaking but short-lived Ranger folded after 40 weekly issues, having left the world The Rise and Fall of The Trigan Empire, Jason January Space Cadet, Rob Riley and the first English language translation of Asterix the Gaul.