Tough of the Track runs to The Mirror

Sporting comic strip legend Alf Tupper is back in today's Mirror newspaper in a new adventure written by Ferg Handley and drawn by comics veteran Barrie Mitchell, to celebrate this year's Bupa Great North Run.

Working-class, chips-addicted hero Alf appeared in DC Thomson's boys' comics The Victor and The Rover for over 50 years as he took on and beat snooty opponents  with his catchphrase "I've run 'em".

The Tough of the Track has been revived in a new and exclusive story featuring a surprise guest, coming out of retirement for the Run with help from his new training partner – Ethiopian superstar Haile Gebrselassie.

The strip will run online tomorrow, after its debut in the print edition. Grab a copy before it's wrapped around tonight's fish and chip suppers.

Prion Books are publishing A Best of Alf Tupper collection next month, celebrating The Tough of the Track - The Victor's most popular hero,  instilling the competitive spirit into millions of British lads for over 50 years.

A welder who worked under railway arches, Alf Tupper survived on a diet of fish and chips. He was always the underdog, running against posh toffs who devised underhand ways of keeping him off the winner's rostrum. Although Alf often looked beaten, he nearly always came through in the final few strides, exclaiming "I've run him!" as he breasted the winning tape in a photo-finish.

Prion says this nostalgic anthology will not only be the perfect gift for the millions of men whose love of sport was kindled in their youth by Alf Tupper, but will also enthrall and inspire a new generation of boys to go and win against all the odds.

The Best Of The Victor Due For Release

The Titan Books publications of Best Of Battle along with the individual Battle character books of Johnny Red, Rat Pack and Darkie's Mob have obviously not gone unnoticed by other publishers and, with a lull in publication of their thick Commando reprint books, Carlton have now scheduled The Best Of The Victor.

The Victor was first published by DC Thomson in February 1961 and was a boy's adventure weekly perhaps best known for featuring true stories of men at war on its front and back covers. Yet despite this regular cover feature it was by no means a war comic with other regular stories involving runner Alf Tupper, the Tough Of The Track, footballer Gorgeous Gus and DCT's long running Tarzan character, Morgyn The Mighty.

The Victor was by far the longest running of any of DCT's boy's picture strip weeklies and it was also the "last man standing" having absorbed Wizard, Hotspur, Scoop, Buddy, Champ and Warlord along the way before it came to an end in November 1992.

The Best Of The Victor will feature Victor comic strips from the early 1960s and includes a foreword by former SAS soldier Andy McNab and an introduction from DC Thomson's archivist Morris Heggie.

Carlton will be releasing The Best Of The Victor under their Prion label in time for Christmas, with Amazon giving a release date of 4 October 2010. The cover price will be £16.99. (With thanks to Morris Heggie.)