I'm sure most of you will recognise the various characters -- a frame from Charley's War (Joe Colquhoun), Teddy & Cuddly (Bert Felstead), Emperor Trigo (Don Lawrence), a Battle Picture Library cover by Giorgio De Gaspari, Modesty Blaise (a painted version by Jim Holdaway) and The Steel Claw (Jesus Blasco). I was going to include a few other favourites, a Dan Dare and maybe a cover from Thriller and a Reg Heade dame, but there just wasn't the room. Maybe next time.
I've also put in a little search box for Amazon as it will save me digging out links for everything I mention, although I'll try to continue doing that. The search box also allows you to look for all sorts of other things -- DVDs, music, kitchenware -- so hopefully you'll make use of it, especially that kitchenware option. I like to think that people read these long, rambling, nostalgic strolls through comics and books of the past with a nice cup of tea or coffee to hand... so you'll be wanting a new kettle at some point. Or reading those Clarks Commandos strips has reminded you that you need some new shoes (footwear is also an option).
For those of you following these things, we've tiptoed another few steps forward on a couple of projects: David Ashford and I are almost finished with the text for the Thriller Libraries index and I also put in some time yesterday on the Frank Bellamy's Robin Hood book, trying to locate information on one of the reprints. The results actually came as something of a surprise: a while back I chastised (gently, mind) John Freeman for saying that the RH strip had never been reprinted in its original form. I was thinking of the Story Land appearance in 1985 which did just that. Well, yesterday I discovered that only eight episodes appeared before Story Land folded, so the book will truly be the first time the strip has been reprinted in full in its original form. I've just finished cleaning up the last of the odd little scans that I needed, so the book (subject to everyone's approval) is almost done.
News from elsewhere...* 'Heavy trailer hits Beano factory' was the headline of the BBC's report (21 November) about a runaway trailer laden with steel beams which careered down a road from a construction site, hitting a car before crashing through the wall of D. C. Thomson's Guthrie Street printing works. Bricks and dust showered staff but nobody in the building, where various annuals were being printed, were hurt. The Daily Record (22 November) quotes Manager Norman Keir as saying, "The staff heard a rumble like thunder as bricks and masonry fell. One worker was only feet away but luckily everyone escaped injury." (links via Jeremy Briggs)
* Lew Stringer reviews the first issue of TV 21 & Joe 90 from 1969. I used to have this but my Mum gave all my copies away. *sniff*
* Contrary to previous reports it seems that Delcourt will be publishing a French-language edition of Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie's The Lost Girls. (link via Journalista)
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