Jester (1912)
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles Adventures (Fleetway Publications) #01 (1990)
Births:
Flo Lancaster (1881); Pete Williams (1937); Steven Appleby (1956); Richard Starkings (1958); Sean Phillips (1965); Lee Carter
Deaths:
Arthur Marshall (1989)
Notable Events:
The final appearance of Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr, in their own titles – #24 of each – published by L. Miller & Son, Ltd. (1954).
Marvelman #335 became the last weekly issue of the title, and the last regular comic to feature original adventures of Marvelman, in 1960.
Woolworths Group plc entered administration in 2008, bringing an end to their presence on the high street. The Sign of the Scarlet Ladybird obviously didn't help the company...
A Gerald Scarfe cartoon in The Sunday Times in 2013, depicting Benjamin Netanyahu trapping Palestinians in a wall with blood for mortar, was criticised for supposed anti-Semitic content by Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Showing posts with label Richard Starkings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Starkings. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Action Force #2
14 Mar 1987. Cover price NA.
24 pages. Full colour contents.
Marvel Comics
Edited by Richard Starkings.
Cover by Geoff Senior (uncredited).
Presented free with Action Force #01
Contents:
The Eel captured by Footloose manages to overpower an Action Force agent, and makes his way to the SIMCOM room, where operatives can train against simulated enemy forces. Scarlett and Snake Eyes make use of the facility in order to maintain their combat skills, where the Eel hits Snake Eyes with a speargun, then shoots Scarlett before escaping through the inlet to the Thames.
While it is difficult to imagine, given the superior facilities often depicted, that a lowly Eel could manage to escape, the story is told in a manner which downplays the more worrying aspects of this. A few simple changes in dialogue, to indicate that the escape had been set up by a mole, for instance, would have made this extraordinary feat more acceptable.
Best Defence continues, with Beach-Head, Lady Jaye, and Flint sneaking onto the hijacked plane as it is refueled. Lady Jaye disguises herself as a stewardess, and learns from Hawk (via a relayed message) that the flight is a suicide run, with the hijackers intending to crash into a top secret Soviet chemical warfare depot in Beringovskiy - the resultant gas cloud could kill millions.
I wonder if Flint's comment, upon cutting open a suitable access point, that it is "a size 42 regular hole" is a sneaky Hitchhiker's reference. The final panel joke about Lady Jaye getting stuck in the toilet is a bit too silly for what has preceded the panel, and the rescue attempt itself seems rather too easy, though I'll give the story some leeway as there's advanced tech in play.
There's some voyeuristic tendencies in the depiction of Lady Jaye - the only character to be depicted changing clothes - and the sensibilities are very much in line with action-adventure cinema of the era. The story itself contains echoes of numerous hijackings, which plagued airlines in the seventies and eighties, but is remarkably restrained in showing the human cost of such actions.
24 pages. Full colour contents.
Marvel Comics
Edited by Richard Starkings.
Cover by Geoff Senior (uncredited).
Presented free with Action Force #01
Contents:
2 Contents / Mission Control editorial; a: Geoff Senior (uncredited). Indicia
3 Cut and Run, part two, w: Simon Furman; p: Kev Hopgood, i: Dave Harwood, lettering by Richard Starkings, colouring by Steve White.
8 You Must Not Miss Next Issue in-house advertisement; a: Geoff Senior (uncredited).
9 Best Defence, part two, w: Larry Hama, a: Herb Trimpe, lettering by Phil Felix, colouring by Bob Sharen.
r: G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero (Marvel) #50 (Aug 1986).
20 My Brother's Keeper w:/a: Ken Steacy.
r: Amazing High Adventure (Marvel) #05 (Dec 1986).
Mr. R. Trent.An epistolary, with appropriate visual accompaniment, is a very brave move for Furman to employ in what is only the second issue of the series, though there are several breaks where the action is presented in a traditional manner.
Ministry of Defence.
Whitehall. 6/3/87
Sir,
In response to your request for a written account of the events of the 5th of this month, I submit the following:
At approximately 1100 hours, our station cameras recorded the entry into access port one of the Action Force operatives code named Snae Eyes and Scarlett.Entry port one, as it happens, is accessed via the London Underground track at Westminster, which is why the story carries the following:
Their palm print configurations checked out with our computer records and admitted them to our London headquarters...
WARNING: Scarlett and Snae Eyes are highly trained Action Force personnel - on NO account should you play on London Underground tracks.All other Action Force antics are, apparently, fine to mimic.
The Eel captured by Footloose manages to overpower an Action Force agent, and makes his way to the SIMCOM room, where operatives can train against simulated enemy forces. Scarlett and Snake Eyes make use of the facility in order to maintain their combat skills, where the Eel hits Snake Eyes with a speargun, then shoots Scarlett before escaping through the inlet to the Thames.
While it is difficult to imagine, given the superior facilities often depicted, that a lowly Eel could manage to escape, the story is told in a manner which downplays the more worrying aspects of this. A few simple changes in dialogue, to indicate that the escape had been set up by a mole, for instance, would have made this extraordinary feat more acceptable.
Best Defence continues, with Beach-Head, Lady Jaye, and Flint sneaking onto the hijacked plane as it is refueled. Lady Jaye disguises herself as a stewardess, and learns from Hawk (via a relayed message) that the flight is a suicide run, with the hijackers intending to crash into a top secret Soviet chemical warfare depot in Beringovskiy - the resultant gas cloud could kill millions.
I wonder if Flint's comment, upon cutting open a suitable access point, that it is "a size 42 regular hole" is a sneaky Hitchhiker's reference. The final panel joke about Lady Jaye getting stuck in the toilet is a bit too silly for what has preceded the panel, and the rescue attempt itself seems rather too easy, though I'll give the story some leeway as there's advanced tech in play.
There's some voyeuristic tendencies in the depiction of Lady Jaye - the only character to be depicted changing clothes - and the sensibilities are very much in line with action-adventure cinema of the era. The story itself contains echoes of numerous hijackings, which plagued airlines in the seventies and eighties, but is remarkably restrained in showing the human cost of such actions.
Edwards Airforce Base: Spring, 1955A historical military tale (the first part of a longer story) rounds out the issue. It is written in a style which doesn't really grasp me, though the fact that it was intended to be read as a complete story explains why there isn't more of a hook to maintain interest.
Investigations into the possibility of carrying parasite fighter planes within the awesome Atom bombers led to the fighter-conveyor or FICON programme. Numerous combinations were tested and one showed great promise: the fighter was the F-85 Goblin, the bomber, the fabulous B-49 Flying Wing!
#01
Action Force
#03
Monday, October 22, 2018
Swiftsure Vol.1 #1
May 1985; Cover price 70p.
32 pages. B&W.
Harrier Publishing.
Edited by Martin Lock.
Cover by Bryan Talbot.
Contents:
A very detailed (though non-indicative) cover by Bryan Talbot graces the first issue of Swiftsure, an alternative title with mainstream aspirations. Alan Moore provides commentary on the state of comics c.1985, and is in fine form. Martin's editorial is very cheerful and optimistic, which is so refreshing that I'm willing to forgive the punny title.
Arrival begins with a large image of H.M.S. Repulse and rather a lot of text. It is a nice enough opening, but the name of the lead character bothers me: Fl'ff. Go on and say it out loud. Yeah. It really helps a strip if the protagonist doesn't have a name which immediately inspires a dozen jokes. Anyway, the uniform designs are functional and thought through (without tacky fanservice), the setting is intelligent (it is refreshing to see direction indicators on elevators), and the background detail is quite busy.
This should be a top-notch strip. And yet... nothing much happens. Fl'ff and Kale board the Repulse for their new assignments, settle in, and are sent on an away mision (on the last page) to investigate why the H.M.S Bromsgrove hasn't been in radio contact. The general feeling is that of the pre-credits sequence for the pilot of an SF series which is still testing the ground to see how solid the foundations are - more aggressive storytelling, with some incident of note, on the first page would have kept it from seeming so slow and tentative.
Definitely a story which needs to be read in one sitting rather than in bite-size installments.
There is a humerous opening narration, accompanying some beautiful illustrations, to begin Dandy in the Underworld. Set on the planet Orpho, where humanity lives in domed cities atop stilts to protect them from the natives. James Daniel Delaney has been found guilty on all counts, and sentenced to unarmed combat with an underworlder. If he emerges victorious his full rights will be restored, but if he loses he will be exiled to the underworld. It is a foregone conclusion that he will not be victorious.
Approached by Biddle (of Biddle, Biddle, Biddle and Grout), Delaney is tasked with conducting an investigation into the underworld. If successful he will be given his freedom, and one of Orpho's top agents has been tasked with assisting him in order to make sure he succeeds. Her name is A, and she is not the most sociable companion for such an exuberant individual.
A very impressive introduction to the characters and setting, with a great sense of humour running through the script. The visual assuredness is impressive, as is the world-building. This is a place I want to know more about, and Delaney and A are extremely well-defined considering how brief the strip is.
Set in 2584, on a colony-world of Safe Haven, far from Earth, Ram: Assassin is the story of Ramel Kerina. Having a female assassin come as a surprise to the characters is somewhat odd. The scratchy art suits the story, but there is a persistent sense that this is set in a nebulous time in the past rather than the far future. O'Roake's art reminds me especially of Dungeons and Dragons illustrations from the period.
Rock Solid is funny strip about an inept space hero, though the artwork is not as detailed as in the similar Dash Decent. There's a certain roughness here, which shows how long ago this appeared, but it is a fine start to the story.
Who doesn't love a story which begins with a scientific experiment gone awry? Codename: Andromeda opens with the Orgill Drive being tested aboard the spacecraft Newton, when a meteor punches through the delicate heart of the device under observation. Project Manager Gribbins and researcher Canning die immediately, along with twelve others, Kris Prescott also died, and her remains - seared by heat, then shrivelled and frozen by the vacuum of space - floats onward, many light-years from Earth.
Her corpse is recovered by Captain Brown, an alien responding to the energy flash, and placed in a robo-doc where she is restored to life. Transported to Earth by the alien technology, Kris is somehow restored, her new body formed from Stonehenge's stones and soil by force of will. It is a remarkably dark beginning, with aliens which never quite manage the ability to communicate, some gruesome implications inherent in their technology, and a central character who is remarkably composed given all that has befallen her.
Solid strips, with intelligent writing and great art. There are rough edges, but nothing serious enough to raise concerns.
If only all first issues were this good.
32 pages. B&W.
Harrier Publishing.
Edited by Martin Lock.
Cover by Bryan Talbot.
Contents:
.2 Swift but Sure Introduction by Martin Lock. / Contents / Indicia / The Twenty Year Party text feature by Alan Moore.
.3 Lieutenant Fl'ff Arrival w: Martin Lock; p: Dave Harwood, i: Mark Farmer.
.9 Dandy in the Underworld 1: A Fall from Grace w:/a: Stephen Bakersville.
16 Ram, Assassin The Assassin w: Martin Lock; p: R.F. O'Roake, lettering by Richard Starkings. Logo by Nina Y. Sutcliffe.
22 Rock Solid, Space Hero Brazen Invasion, part one, w:/a: Lew Stringer.
25 Codename: Andromeda, part one, w: Bill W. Ryan; a: Dave Harwood.
32 People are Talking! advertisement.
A very detailed (though non-indicative) cover by Bryan Talbot graces the first issue of Swiftsure, an alternative title with mainstream aspirations. Alan Moore provides commentary on the state of comics c.1985, and is in fine form. Martin's editorial is very cheerful and optimistic, which is so refreshing that I'm willing to forgive the punny title.
Arrival begins with a large image of H.M.S. Repulse and rather a lot of text. It is a nice enough opening, but the name of the lead character bothers me: Fl'ff. Go on and say it out loud. Yeah. It really helps a strip if the protagonist doesn't have a name which immediately inspires a dozen jokes. Anyway, the uniform designs are functional and thought through (without tacky fanservice), the setting is intelligent (it is refreshing to see direction indicators on elevators), and the background detail is quite busy.
This should be a top-notch strip. And yet... nothing much happens. Fl'ff and Kale board the Repulse for their new assignments, settle in, and are sent on an away mision (on the last page) to investigate why the H.M.S Bromsgrove hasn't been in radio contact. The general feeling is that of the pre-credits sequence for the pilot of an SF series which is still testing the ground to see how solid the foundations are - more aggressive storytelling, with some incident of note, on the first page would have kept it from seeming so slow and tentative.
Definitely a story which needs to be read in one sitting rather than in bite-size installments.
There is a humerous opening narration, accompanying some beautiful illustrations, to begin Dandy in the Underworld. Set on the planet Orpho, where humanity lives in domed cities atop stilts to protect them from the natives. James Daniel Delaney has been found guilty on all counts, and sentenced to unarmed combat with an underworlder. If he emerges victorious his full rights will be restored, but if he loses he will be exiled to the underworld. It is a foregone conclusion that he will not be victorious.
Approached by Biddle (of Biddle, Biddle, Biddle and Grout), Delaney is tasked with conducting an investigation into the underworld. If successful he will be given his freedom, and one of Orpho's top agents has been tasked with assisting him in order to make sure he succeeds. Her name is A, and she is not the most sociable companion for such an exuberant individual.
A very impressive introduction to the characters and setting, with a great sense of humour running through the script. The visual assuredness is impressive, as is the world-building. This is a place I want to know more about, and Delaney and A are extremely well-defined considering how brief the strip is.
Set in 2584, on a colony-world of Safe Haven, far from Earth, Ram: Assassin is the story of Ramel Kerina. Having a female assassin come as a surprise to the characters is somewhat odd. The scratchy art suits the story, but there is a persistent sense that this is set in a nebulous time in the past rather than the far future. O'Roake's art reminds me especially of Dungeons and Dragons illustrations from the period.
Rock Solid is funny strip about an inept space hero, though the artwork is not as detailed as in the similar Dash Decent. There's a certain roughness here, which shows how long ago this appeared, but it is a fine start to the story.
Who doesn't love a story which begins with a scientific experiment gone awry? Codename: Andromeda opens with the Orgill Drive being tested aboard the spacecraft Newton, when a meteor punches through the delicate heart of the device under observation. Project Manager Gribbins and researcher Canning die immediately, along with twelve others, Kris Prescott also died, and her remains - seared by heat, then shrivelled and frozen by the vacuum of space - floats onward, many light-years from Earth.
Her corpse is recovered by Captain Brown, an alien responding to the energy flash, and placed in a robo-doc where she is restored to life. Transported to Earth by the alien technology, Kris is somehow restored, her new body formed from Stonehenge's stones and soil by force of will. It is a remarkably dark beginning, with aliens which never quite manage the ability to communicate, some gruesome implications inherent in their technology, and a central character who is remarkably composed given all that has befallen her.
Solid strips, with intelligent writing and great art. There are rough edges, but nothing serious enough to raise concerns.
If only all first issues were this good.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Action Force #1
07 Mar 1987; Cover price 32p.
24 pages. Full colour.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Edited by Richard Starkings.
Painted cover by Geoff Senior (uncredited).
Free copy of Action Force #02 (14 Mar 1987).
Contents:
Subtitled "International Heroes" for this issue only, and graced with a a suitably frenetic Geoff Senior cover - full of explosions and blazing guns. It is the kind of image I would expect to be re-used as a free poster, but Marvel go one better for their free gift. Action Force is the only title I am aware of which gave away its second issue free with the first. An interesting ploy, though surely it would have made more sense (and probably cost around the same) to merely double the page count. It does, however, feel like brilliant value for money on the part of the reader.
Action Force are made aware that a pleasure boat moored at the West India dock section of the Thames is the location where a consignment of arms is to be handed off by Destro's organisation to COBRA. With the arms already stowed aboard the vessel, Action Force has to prevent the vessel reaching open sea with its cargo intact. As most of the guests aboard the ship will be genuine party guests, the only way to infiltrate undercover - made easier by an invitation which has been intercepted.
Flint and Lady Jaye pose as partygoers in order to get aboard, while Barbecue and Shipwreck are to board river-side, and Footloose intended to act as look-out, performing communications duties for the team. Unfortunately, Footloose jinxes the mission by saying "What could possibly go wrong?" A COBRA Eel manages to sneak up on him with a garrote, thus proving he should remain quiet unless he has something important to say. He manages to defeat the sea commando, as a fire aboard the ship gets civilians out of the way so Flint can make his move.
Straight into a room full of COBRA agents. Storm Shadow informs Cobra Commander that charges in the hold cannot be defused, and everyone has four minutes to get clear of the ship. Regrouping after the explosion, the team debriefs each other on their activities - Barbecue states that he only set the charges before being knocked unconscious, leaving the question of who primed the explosives hanging. It's a fine opening for the characters, despite feeling a bit small. The notion that these are the very best at anti-terrorism activities seems to be an inferred ability, and the limited number of available agents seems odd in retrospect.
As an origin for the organisation, this is perfectly a serviceable story, and the art is (to be expected) is great. The rest of the issue is taken up with a re-branded US reprint, and the presentation is fantastic compared with the American newsprint.
24 pages. Full colour.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Edited by Richard Starkings.
Painted cover by Geoff Senior (uncredited).
Free copy of Action Force #02 (14 Mar 1987).
Contents:
.2 Contents / Mission Control introduction by Richard Starkings. / Indicia
.3 Action Force Gun Boat! w: Simon Furman; p: Kev Hopgood, i: Mark Farmer, lettering by Richard Starkings, colouring by Steve White.
14 Operation Prisoner Release advertisement for Action Force Assault Copter Dragonfly.
16 Intelligence Profile Code Name: Flint fact file; p: Herb Trimpe; i: Joe DelBeato.
r: illustration from The G.I. Joe Order of Battle (Marvel) #01 (Nov 1986).
17 Action Force Best Defence w: Larry Hama; a: Herb Trimpe, lettering by Phil Felix, colouring by Bob Sharen.
24 ThunderCats Crunchy Potato Snacks! advertisement for Spooner Foods.
Subtitled "International Heroes" for this issue only, and graced with a a suitably frenetic Geoff Senior cover - full of explosions and blazing guns. It is the kind of image I would expect to be re-used as a free poster, but Marvel go one better for their free gift. Action Force is the only title I am aware of which gave away its second issue free with the first. An interesting ploy, though surely it would have made more sense (and probably cost around the same) to merely double the page count. It does, however, feel like brilliant value for money on the part of the reader.
Action Force are made aware that a pleasure boat moored at the West India dock section of the Thames is the location where a consignment of arms is to be handed off by Destro's organisation to COBRA. With the arms already stowed aboard the vessel, Action Force has to prevent the vessel reaching open sea with its cargo intact. As most of the guests aboard the ship will be genuine party guests, the only way to infiltrate undercover - made easier by an invitation which has been intercepted.
Flint and Lady Jaye pose as partygoers in order to get aboard, while Barbecue and Shipwreck are to board river-side, and Footloose intended to act as look-out, performing communications duties for the team. Unfortunately, Footloose jinxes the mission by saying "What could possibly go wrong?" A COBRA Eel manages to sneak up on him with a garrote, thus proving he should remain quiet unless he has something important to say. He manages to defeat the sea commando, as a fire aboard the ship gets civilians out of the way so Flint can make his move.
Straight into a room full of COBRA agents. Storm Shadow informs Cobra Commander that charges in the hold cannot be defused, and everyone has four minutes to get clear of the ship. Regrouping after the explosion, the team debriefs each other on their activities - Barbecue states that he only set the charges before being knocked unconscious, leaving the question of who primed the explosives hanging. It's a fine opening for the characters, despite feeling a bit small. The notion that these are the very best at anti-terrorism activities seems to be an inferred ability, and the limited number of available agents seems odd in retrospect.
As an origin for the organisation, this is perfectly a serviceable story, and the art is (to be expected) is great. The rest of the issue is taken up with a re-branded US reprint, and the presentation is fantastic compared with the American newsprint.
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