Agent Fireball: Debriefing A Cold War Spy

In February 1977 DC Thomson released the first issue of Bullet, their new boy's adventure comic, at the same time that IPC released Action. The two comics went head-to-head as weekly action adventure anthologies with photographic editorial characters.

If the success of a comic for a publisher is that it makes a profit without causing them any problems, then Action failed spectacularly after a mere nine months. By the same measure, Bullet succeeded for almost three years.

Action's photographic editorial character was the somewhat manic looking Steve, portrayed by writer and future Tharg, Steve MacManus, while Bullet's was the altogether more suave agent Fireball. Unlike Steve, Fireball also featured in his own eight-page strip in each issue of the comic and the title was built around the character in the same way that Warlord before it had been built around World War II spy Lord Peter Flint.

Earlier this year downthetubes negotiated an information exchange with agent Fireball and, in a scene reminiscent of a classic cold war spy swap, interviewer Jeremy Briggs was dispatched alone across a damp, foggy bridge to a meeting with DC Thomson editor Garry Fraser. With a career spanning titles as diverse as Nutty, Commando, the Topical Times Football Book and Classics From The Comics as well as Bullet, Garry talked to downthetubes about much more than just moustaches and his Fireball medallion...

The result of their meeting has been classified "DTT Eyes Only" and can be viewed on the downthetubes main site.

In Review: Classics from the Comics 174

The latest issue of Classics from the Comics offers the usual fine selection of both humour and adventure comics from the DC Thomson archive, this month spotlighting longtime Minnie the Minx artist Jim Petrie and bringing fans an episode of King Cobra, a superhero drawn by Ron Smith.

Alongside the mix of strips from The Beano, Dandy, Topper and Sparky - to name but a few - there's also the chance to win a Gnasher picture box and a Bash Street Kids-inspired Plug and Sally fugurine.

There's plenty to enjoy this issue - so it's very sad to learn that the title, in its fourteenth year of publication, is destined for cancellation due to low sales, especially after all hard work editor Garry Fraser has been putting into recent issues (the last issue will be Number 175, on sale on 13th October). Sadly, Classics from the Comics has been poorly distributed and behind-the-scenes production changes at DC Thomson mean it's no longer viable for them to publish this wonderful assemblage of comics from yesteryear.

It's a darn shame, too, because I'm sure there is a market for this kind of title, albeit one that's fairly 'niche'.

Favourite strips this issue for me are Beryl the Peril (whose magic tricks land her in hot water); a superhero skit from Sparky's Puss an' Boots; a bizarre strip from Nutty titled Dick Turban, pitting a desert thief against the Foreign Legion; a fab Mickey the Monkey from Topper; and the ever-brilliant Spoofer McGraw from Sparky, this issue explaining that Moby Dick, the great white whale, was actually a great white polar bear that ate too much honey. Priceless!

King Cobra, drawn by Ron Smith

The continuing adventures of The Space Kids, and appearance of King Cobra, who featured in The Hotspur, and a text adventure, Dixon Hawke, from 1938 (presumably from an early Beano) make up the adventure content of the issue. Cobra is a bizarre British superhero with little originality - a reporter by day, crime fighter by night - but Ron Smith's art is great, and this snake-inspired adventurer is far less violent than Indian publisher Raj Comics Nagraj, who is the only reptilian-powered hero I can think of at this time of the morning.

Classics from the Comics has much to recommend it for any fan of British comics of yesteryear; it's just a shame its distribution is so patchy (which must surely be another reason for its demise). If you can find a copy in your local newsagents, check it out, and revel in a bit of welcome nostalgia...

• Classics from the Comics, published by DC Thomson, is on sale now in all good UK newsagents, price £2 (a bargain!)

• More about King Cobra on the International Hero web site

• Lew Stringer ponders the demise of CfrC here on his blog and reviews Issue 174 here

Cover image © 2010 DC Thomson, published with full permission

In Review: Classics from the Comics Issue 173

The latest issue of DC Thomson's 'Retro' title, Classics from the Comics is on sale now in all good newsagents, offering another fine medley of humour and adventure strips from a variety of the publishers' current and past titles, including The Beano, The Dandy, Topper and Sparky.

There's a fun Biffo the Bear strip on the cover (which ace comics historian and cartoonist Lew Stringer tells us is by Dudley Watkins from an early 1960's Beano), but that's just one of many cracking strips, which include a fine Desperate Dan tale from 1965 on the inside cover; an ace episode of Ken Reid's Jonah, the hapless sailor; a 1963 episode of Foxy from Topper, a not-very-bright predator who must surely have been inspired by Warner Bros. Sylvester the Cat; and a spotlight section on the Beano's ever-hungry Three Bears, with reprints of some of their earliest appearances, including their first, drawn by Leo Baxendale, published back in June 1959.

Considering the longevity of The Three Bears, it was a surprise to learn that the strip originally ran for just four weeks, and was eventually brought back after positive reader feedback, but not until October 1960. The examples selected, which include strips by Bob McGrath and Bob Dewar, are well chosen and show how the simplest of concepts can have enduring appeal.

With a selection of adventure strips (the last episode of a General Jumbo story from Buddy, Space Kids from Beezer, drawn by Ron Smith), a 1953 text story (Nutty the Coal Imp from the Beano), another 'My Home Town' spotlight (Newport) and episodes of Bananaman, Colonel Blink, Superwitch, Corporal Clott and Dennis the Menace (to name but a few), this issue of Classics is another fine collection of archive material.

Of course, the greedy among us still want more: Sparky's I-Spy, for a start, and some more adventure material. But with so much material to choose from, it's great to see such a well put together 'retro' title on the news stands - and I'm amazed Egmont isn't doing something similar, beyond the limited WH Smith-only specials it put out last year.

• Classics from the Comics, published by DC Thomson, is on sale now in all good UK newsagents, price £2 Click here for subscription information

Cover image © 2010 DC Thomson, published with full permission

In Review: Classics from the Comics 172

There's the usual great mix of strips from a variety of DC Thomson humour comics in the latest issue of Classics from the Comics, on sale in all good newsagents now.

Favourites this time around have to be a 1977 episode of Spoofer McGraw, a teller of tall tales who regularly befuddled his duffel-coated mate in Sparky, sometimes, I recall in response to readers letters. Sparky was always one of my favourite DCT titles (although I was never very keen on Puss and Boots, who also feature this issue) and as Spoofer comes up with an absurd explanation for the arrival of a large cement mixer on his street, it's hard not to see why.

Humour is always in the eye of the beholder but there's plenty of fun to be had this issue, with two simple but effective 'sight gag' strips starring Mickey the Monkey from Topper; Little Plum taking up weightlifting, only to discover it's not all it's cracked up to be; a brilliant 21-frame Desperate Dan page by Dudley D. Watkins (21 frames! How often do you get that on one page today?) from 1956; a really bizarre Pansy Potter as she takes on, and betters, a weird-looking spiv character selling springs (springs? why?!); and a great Figaro! strip from 1962, from Topper, that pretty much rounds the whole jam-packed issue off.

There are also a couple of adventure strips - Space Kids by Ron Smith from Beezer, General Jumbo from Buddy, and older material too, from Adventure and the origial Wizard (although I'm not so sure these text stories are as good as the selected comic strips. They sit a bit uneasily with the rest of the comic, I think).

Once again, it's a fine mix and there's plenty for fans of The Beano and sadly now long-gone DCT comics to enjoy. I do hope though, that we'll see a return of creator credits, which was beginning to creep into the title but seems to have been dropped this time around. Other than that, £2 well spent, in my view!

• Classics from the Comics, published by DC Thomson, is on sale now in all good UK newsagents, price £2 Click here for subscription information

Cover image © 2010 DC Thomson, published with full permission

In Review: Classics from the Comics Issue 170

The latest issue of DC Thomson's Classics from the Comics sports a new look, complete with revamped cover masthead reflecting it's 'retro' appeal, but the line up of humour and adventure strips inside is the usual engaging mix of material from yesteryear that again reminds readers of how vibrant British comics used to be. While not every story was a memorable hit - this issue's The Space Kids, from Beezer, drawn, I think, by Ron Smith, being one example - experimentation and enthusiasm for the work positively oozes from most pages.

Highlights this issue include an archive look at 50 decades of Desperate Dan, from an incredibly detailed 15-panel one page story from 1940 (Dan wins a makeover but filing his nails proves near-impossible) through to 1985 (just how will Dan quench his thirst?); a single page of Ken Reid's creation, Jonah, the jinx-ridden sailor (more, please!); Little Plum turns rock star, a barbed tale about celebrity that proves timeless; Davy Law's loose style wonder of a 1967 episode of Corporal Clott; L Cars from Sparky... There's even an episode of the quickfire half pager Desert Island Dick from Topper, as well as more General Jumbo adventure, up against a gang of terrorists with his toys.

Overall, there's a much stronger sense of editorial selection to this issue and somehow it seems less 'scattergun' than recent editions. The continued inclusion of background info on characters such as Desperate Dan is welcome feature material.

The only thing lacking for me is a list of creator credits, even if only the artists, perhaps included in the contents page. While I know that traditionally, DC Thomson never allowed creator credits in the past, it does these days in The Beano etc. I'm sure readers of this title would be fascinated to know more about the character and creator history behind some of DC Thomson's most fondly-remembered strips.

This title offers a well put together example of how a regular 'classics' package could look, and it's one Egmont should be looking at, and, although it's sadly unlikely ever to happen, IPC.

• Classics from the Comics, published by DC Thomson, is on sale now in all good UK newsagents, price £2 Click here for subscription information

Classics from the Comics plays Cops and Robbers

Issue 169 DC Thomson's Classics from the Comics is now on sale in all good newsagents -- another gem of a 68-page retro monthly, full of comic classics from the publisher of The Beano and The Dandy.

Humour strips in this 'Cops and Robbers'-themed issue include 'Little Plum', 'The Sparky People' (the bumbling office staff of the much-missed Sparky comic, terrorised by an always unseen editor), 'Dennis the Menace', 'The Jocks and the Geordies', 'PC Big Ears' (followed immediately in the comic by 'Bill the Burglar' - surely that should be the other way around?), 'L Cars', 'Baby Face Finlayson' and more.

There's also a number of adventure strips including more from 'General Jumbo' and 'The Truth About Wilson'

For fans nostalgic for an era when comics appealed not just to the very young, this is another great collection of yesteryear merriment.

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General Jumbo in latest Classics from the Comics

The latest issue of DC Thomson's Classics from the Comics went on sale a few days back, but we're still playing holiday catch up so this is the first opportunity we've had to give it a plug. The 68-page retro monthly comes crammed with comic classics from days gone by, including a special feature on 1957.

Featured this issue are plenty of humour strips from The Beano, Beezer, Topper and Dandy such as Dennis the Menace and, as usual, an adventure strip - this time, it's an example of General Jumbo, a character that used robot toys to fight bad guys.

Other strips in the issue include Bully Beef and Chips, Pup Parade, The Numskulls, Baby-face Finlayson, Bananaman, The Banana Bunch, The Three Bears, Hungry Horace, The Bash Street Kids, Biffo the Bear, The Truth About Wilson (another adventure strip), Greedy Pigg, Little Plum and the original Brassneck.

The issue also includes a competition to win classic audio books. If you want a trip down memory lane, get this month’s Classics.

• Click the images above to view sample strips from the issue, courtesy of DC Thomson.


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Classics Illustrated Returns to UK

Classics Illustrated, comic adaptations of classic novels, are back in publication in the UK for the first time since 1970. The Classic Comic Store re-launched the Classics Illustrated series this week.

Not to be confused with British publisher Classcial Comics' full length graphic novels, these new Classic Comic editions feature re-coloured artwork with digitally enhanced covers and are available from newsagents such as WH Smiths, Borders and other leading retailers throughout the UK.

The comics will also be in stores in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Republic of Ireland.

Published monthly, the first issue, released this week, are The War of the Worlds and Snow White, followed by Oliver Twist and The Ugly Duckling in October. The new issues, annual subscriptions and back issues are available from the Classic Comic website.

The relaunch of the famous brand began back in In 2002 when Jaak Jarve, trading as Jack Lake Productions Inc., acquired the publishing rights to the Classics Illustrated series and re-introduced Classics Illustrated Juniors, Classics Illustrated and Classics Illustrated Special Issues to a new generation of readers. The aim of the relaunch is to help increase literacy levels in our young people by engaging them in great literature delivered in stunning graphic form.

Classiccomicstore.com is a website and business dedicated to providing information and reference material about Classics Illustrated as well as supplying some of the loveliest comic books produced from the 1940s through to the late 1980s.

"I have been supplying vintage copies of this wonderful series since 2000 to hundreds of collectors across the world," says Jeff Brooks, Publisher and MD of Classic Comic Store, "and I'm sure that the time is right to re-introduce them to new generations of readers.

"The original artwork remains as the true benchmark by which the Graphic novel is measured and we are sure that this wonderful series will captivate people everywhere - whatever age."

• Click here to subscribe to the UK Classics Illustrated
• Visit Classical Comics, the British publisher of new full length graphic adapatations of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and more

In Review: Classics From The Comics 149

It has been out for a while but it is still worth giving the latest issue DC Thomson's monthly reprint magazine Classics From The Comics a hearty pat on the back. Issue 149 includes two sections that are new to the title.

As a black and white humour reprint magazine they normally cover the eight DCT humour titles - Dandy, Beano, Topper, Beezer, Sparky and the three less well remembered, Nutty, Cracker and Buzz. The title is 68 pages of reprints from these titles and have recently started putting the originating comic and year on each reprint. Eagle eyed readers with see the usual DCT publishing date on each page which means that, for instance, we now know that the reprint of Baby Crockett on page 22 of the current issue was originally printed in the issue of Beezer dated 24 April 1965.

Now while some of the old style humour titles also printed adventure strips aimed at a slightly younger audience than the adventure comics themselves, Classics has appeared to be wary of reprinting these. However this issue things have changed and, heralded by a page entitled Best For Boys where they mention adventure heroes such as the athlete Wilson, pilot Matt Braddock, amateur sportsman Bernard Briggs and DCT's Tarzan character Morgan The Mighty, the issue reprints the original three pages of The Tough Of The Track comic strip drawn by Pete Sutherland and published in the 30 June 1962 issue of The Victor. They also ask for suggestions as to who else should be featured. Let us hope that this will be popular enough to be continued as it is something of a stretch for a humour title.

Something that isn't so much of a stretch for the title is another new section entitled Classic Artist. This features Dennis The Menace's artist creator David Law with a one page biography and photograph plus five pages of art that are credited to him covering Dennis, Corporal Clott, Beryl The Peril and Cap'n Hand. While it would be good for Classics to credit all the artists for their work this is a good starting point.

From its Ken H Harrison tug of war cover featuring Desperate Dan vs various other characters to its (oddly) coloured Korky The Cat back cover, at only £2 Classics From The Comics is a title worth looking out for and certainly dipping into at least now and again.

Classics From the Comics is a 68 page A4 black and white magazine published monthly by DC Thomson and should be available in newsagents. It is also available on subscription directly from DC Thomson.