On This Day: 22 Feb

Vulcan (IPC Magazines Ltd.) vol.1 #01
Topper 89 (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #?? (25 Feb 1989).

Births:

Harold McCready (1897); John Bertram Musgrave-Wood (Emmwood; 1915); Andy Diggle (1971)

Deaths:

James H. Thorpe (1949); Victor Weisz (Vicky; 1966); Ernest Shaw (1986); Steve Whitaker (2008); John Cooper (2015)

Notable Events:

Gwilym Lloyd George, the Home Secretary, appeared at the dispatch box for the second reading of the Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act 1955 with a copy of Tales From The Crypt he had borrowed for the occasion.
Andy Capp television series began broadcast of its first – and only – series on ITV in 1988.
Denis Gifford and Bob Monkhouse looked back at British comics in A Hundred Laughs for a Ha'penny, broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1998.
The Perishers newspaper strip reprints began in The Daily Mirror in 2010.

On This Day: 02 Feb

Batman Superman (Titan) vol.2 #01 (2017)

Births:

James Crighton (1892); Powys Evans (Quiz; 1899); Racey Helps (1913); Anthony Haden-Guest (1937)

Deaths:

Sir Owen Seaman, 1st Baronet (1936); Ken Reid (1987); Stanley Franklin (2002); Guglielmo Letteri (2006); Adrian Kermode (2009); Michael Fleisher (2018)

Notable Events:

Ken Reid suffered a stroke, while working on a Faceache strip, and died in 1987.
Rupert Bear stamps released by the Post Office in 1993.
Denis Gifford and Bob Monkhouse looked back at British comics in Sixpence for a Superman, broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1999.
The first Hi-Ex comics convention began, at Eden Court, Bishop's Road, Inverness, in 2008.
Holy Mackerel - It’s My Life! broadcast on BBC Radio 4 to celebrate Frank Dickens in 2012.

On This Day: 26 Dec

Births:

Roger Hall (1914); Denis Gifford (1927); Roy Raymonde (1929); Xavier Musquera (1942)

Deaths:

Raymond Groves (1958); Robert Stewart Sherriffs (1960); Paul 'Lou' McDermott (1975); Gerry Anderson (2012); Harold Whitaker (2013)

Notable Events:

The Snowman animated short broadcast on Channel 4 in 1982.

Ally Sloper #1

1976. Cover price 20p.
36 pages. B&W.
Denis Gifford Creative Comics Production / Alan Class

First British Comic Hero: 1876
First British Comic Magazine: 1976

Edited by Denis Gifford.

Cover by Denis Gifford.

Contents:

 2 Ally Sloper! text introduction by Denis Gifford; border illustrations: (left) Marvelman by UNKNOWN, Nipper by Brian White, Pip, Squeak & Wilfred by UNKNOWN, Harris Tweed(?) by UNKNOWN; (right) Dan Dare by Frank Hampson, UNKNOWN by UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN by UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN by UNKNOWN.

Note: Having spent far, far too long digging through old publications in an attempt to identify the border images, I'm giving up - life is far too short to deal with this, when there are more pressing lists requiring attention. Any suggestions welcome.

 3 Ally Sloper UNTITLED [Ally Sloper's Public Transport] w:/a: Walter Bell.

 4 Steve Dowling: Father of Garth interview by Denis Gifford; illustrated by Steve Dowling.

 7 Swade w:/a: Frank Bellamy.

10 Jarl the Northman [The Fruit of the Korvine Forest] w:/a: Keith J. Luck.

15 Nipper UNTITLED [Shoes for Balloons; Sugar Pig; Cricket Home-Made Cricket Leg Pads; Old News; Delivering Mail; All the Bottles; Trumpet Accompaniment; Chicken Run; Dinosaur Ride; Lock Ness Monster; Donkey Ride] w:/a: Brian White.

r: Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers, Ltd.) #??? (## ### 19??).

18 Nipper's Old Man: Brian White text feature by Denis Gifford; illustrated by Sid Griffiths. / Nipper Nipper Nightmare w:/a: Brian White. / Nipper Nipper Goes To It! w:/a: Brian White.

r: Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers, Ltd.) #??? (## ### 19??).

20 Nipper UNTITLED [Little Monkey; Swingball; Cat Stole; Fashionable Socks; Penguin Pool; A Cage for Pengy; Pengy's Pearls; Penguin Trap; Old Enough for the Cinema; Grumpy Snowman; Scythe; Nipper Comic] w:/a: Brian White.

r: Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers, Ltd.) #??? (## ### 19??).

23 Comic Contest / Free Gifts / Old Pals Updated Alfie the Space Tramp w:/a: Tony Glynn. / Subscribe to Sloper!! illustration by Denis Gifford.

24 The British Comic Comes of Age: The First British Comics Convention text feature by Keith Mackenzie; illustrations by Denis Gifford, Terry Wakefield, Ron Embleton, Frank Hampson.

26 Comic Q+As readers' mail. / The MS's Muse UNTITLED [Remember Boadicea] w:/a: Ann Spano.

28 Dogman Doktor Oktorpus Nonplussed w: Paul Fisher; a: Hunt Emerson.

32 Kaptain Kween The Man with the Golden Hairdryer w: Ed McHenry; a: Ray Peters.

34 Miz Liz UNTITLED w:/a: Ewan L. Masters.

35 In The Beginning #1 Dudley D. Watkins text feature.

35 Our Gymnastic Class w:/a: Dudley D. Watkins.

r: The Beacon magazine (Boots Pure Drug, Co., Ltd.) #? (Mar 1923).

36 Holy Macaroni! in-house advertisement.

There are spectacular artists within the first issue of Ally Sloper, so it is somewhat puzzling that Gifford chose to provide the art himself rather than using, for example, Frank Bellamy or Steve Dowling. Gifford's art, while often extremely effective, isn't as eye-catching as should benefit the launch of a title, especially one which sets out, as this does, to educate readers on the history of comics in Britain. Overall, this issue has so little fanfare about it, lacking riotous celebration in its existence, that there's no sense of just how important it was.

I expect a certain rambunctious pride in the creation being presented, highlighting the very best material available. Swagger, if you will, at having formed something which ought to be noticed. That egotism is lacking here, despite outside pride (a lavish launch party, details of which were featured in a following issue), diminishing the excitement of the issue.

This would also be a problem for Crikey!, and other titles of its ilk.

Quite possibly the greatest British comics magazine ever published, no-one since has managed to pull together such a wide range of top-tier creators to celebrate the medium. This title was an important step in promoting the history of comics and comic strips rather than hyping the latest non-news from superhero publishers, who (presumably) aren't well-enough served by the multitude of existing outlets for their press releases.

The mix presented is something of a problem when it comes to carefully balancing traditional material, mature readers-focused underground creators, and the then-current mainstream. Such an awkward "everything goes" mentality likely hindered uptake on readership, and it can be argued that, by not instituting clearly-demarcated segments from the outset, there was a slight confusion regarding the contents. Also of note for those who would wish to follow in the footsteps of Ally Sloper, not indicating the source of each piece of art is a bad thing.

At which point I ought to add that I have largely given up on sourcing the small illustrations accompanying the editorial. How difficult is it to note where images have been taken from? It is a problem which persists in magazines to this day.

The feature on Steve Dowling is a particular joy, though frustratingly curt. Had there been an accompanying chronology and index of work, along with personal anecdotes, this would an essential read, but I am left wanting from the brief references to other strips he contributed to.

Artwork is consistently great throughout, nowhere more pronounced than Frank Bellamy's Swade, which appears to have been influenced by Spaghetti Westerns as much as anything. Once more the abbreviated nature (a mere three pages) is a setback instead of a strength, though the title is evocative, and what story there is folds out with style.

Not that I'm able to pin a reason on it, Jarl the Northman doesn't feel as if it is a complete story. With such interesting characters, it seems to offer forth a world which is intended for further exploration, replete with a history and texture bubbling under the surface. The ending is rather too neat and clean, lacing a satisfying moment of closure. Brian White's Nipper strips, in a section dedicated to vintage material, is amusing rather than laugh-out-loud funny, and the suggestion of reviving Alfie the Space Tramp with an SF twist to the character, doesn't appeal.

Coverage of Comics 101 isn't given enough room to cover all of the happenings, and with such an impressive roster of names in attendance should have been more in-depth. What we are given, however, is a fascinating glimpse into the event.

An excellent start to a sadly short-lived title, though compromised by such a low page-count.

Ally Sloper

#02

On This Day: 01 Nov

Doctor Who: It's Bigger on the Inside (Marvel Comics Ltd.; 1988).

The Best of the Oldie Cartoons edited by Alexander Chancellor. (Oldie Publications Ltd.; 2015) ISBN-13: 978-1901170245

The International Book of Comics by Denis Gifford. (Hamlyn; 1984).
Marshal Law: Fear Asylum by Pat Mills & Kevin O'Neill. (Titan Books; 2003).
Judge Dredd: Kingdom of the Blind by David Bishop. (Black Flame; Nov 2004) ISBN-10: 1844161331.

Judge Dredd - War Planet by Dave Stone. (Big Finish Productions; 2003).
Judge Dredd - Pre-Emptive Revenge by Jonathan Clements. (Big Finish Productions; 2004).
Judge Dredd - Grud is Dead by James Swallow. (Big Finish Productions; 2004).
Send for a Superhero! by Michael Rosen. (Walker Books Ltd.; 2014) ISBN-13: 9781406327090.

Births:

J.F. (James Francis) Horrabin (1884); Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet (1870); Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907); Graham Coton (1926); Alberto Salinas (1932); Michael Fleisher (1942)

Character Births:

Wilson, the Wonder Athlete (1795)

Notable Events:

Leo Baxendale left IPC – and comics – on discovering his work was being reprinted (without payment) on this day in 1975.
The Revolver Hallowe'en Tour descended on Forbidden Planet, 36 Dawson Street, Dublin, in 1990. Garth Ennis, John McCrea and Will Simpson joined the other creators.
Michael Bennett, editor of the Frontier line of comics, officially left Marvel Comics in 1993.
Mark Millar and John McCrea visited Blue Peter in 2011, where they revealed the first page of a Blue Peter-themed comic strip.
The Daily Mirror included a free promotional copy of The Beano, containing original material, in 2014.
The Leeds Comic Art Festival began in 2016, running until 06 Nov.
The Grandville: Force Majeure exhibition (of Bryan Talbot art) began at Orbital Comics, London, in 2017.

The Future

The database isn't an end unto itself. The collection and dissemination of information only truly works when it is done in conjunction with other strands. The notion of future-proofing everything hit especially hard when the laptop I used to write the majority of the original website died on me, and future-proofing is something which British comics has a poor history of managing.

Passing down the tools which enable creators to confidently approach the medium has largely been left to sporadic workshops and open days since the demise of the London Cartoon Centre, though the loss of a specific, and specalised, location is something that hasn't been addressed to any degree. The Cartoon Museum is doing a fine job of maintaining the tradition of comic creation workshops, but most regional versions get a fraction of the advertising they should.

There ought to be a curated list, with the pertinent details (organiser, price, creators involved, age range accepted, duration of event) updated continually. That's a project which could easily be approached with a software component in mind - a submission form segmented with each piece of information automatically appearing in the correct fields. Getting people to use such a centralised list, however, is another thing entirely.

The collection (and availability of) comics is a greater problem. British libraries - for all the wonderful things they are capable of - simply aren't set up in a way, or with enough size or resources, to allow the reading of long-out-of-print materials without a hefty head-start. Even when material is made available there are titles which simply aren't recorded, or saved, anywhere.

When Denis Gifford died in 2000 there was a hope that his collection would be preserved for the nation - which was, after all, his wish - but it was not to be. The idea of a main, specialist library, which has the kind of reference material which comprised that collection, is one which has lingered in the back of my mind since reports of the auction were made public. One of the impetuses to get back to the work at hand was to build up to an appropriation of the idea: A one-stop building for everything related to comics.

Such a structure would cost serious coin.

This is where my reluctance to do certain things comes into play. I detest the idea of cluttering the website with adverts, and still maintain that advertising, as a primary source of income, shouldn't be relied upon. The total raised from advertising throughout the history of my internet use would struggle to purchase a cup of coffee, and at the moment I am considering removing the advertising on this blog.

Most traditional ways to raise capital require relinquishing a degree of control. Though (hesitant) conversations have taken place, the main priority has been preventing dilution of ideals for capital. It is a very remote possibility, but giving someone a share of what is in the contents - in exchange for financial assistance - might result in undue emphasis being placed upon one publisher's output to the detriment of others.

The notion of a sponsor was considered for about ten minutes, but there are the aforementioned worries to consider.

There are some big ideas in place for the future, but I'm still working out how to get from here to there.

Present goals can be listed thus:

1. The preservation of information in the form of the database (in progress).
2. Links to all pertinent websites, both current and archived (in progress)
2. Centralised dissemination of information about comics and events (pending).

With four or five things which come later. Much later.

Again - there still isn't a permanent location for people to look to.

Just leaving breadcrumbs here...

Thinking small will only ever result in mediocre achievements, and my brain revolts against arbitrary and stultifying limitations. And it isn't just that the end goals give something to move towards, as a path towards these greater goals allows for things to be prepared long, long in advance. If it was merely information about comics that drove the current push, then the next step would be tentative grasping towards an unknown result. Knowing that there are things which haven't been done, and seeking ways to accomplish these challenges, provides a (very rough, though achievable) route which leads somewhere.

There's a term I have used before, mainly on my personal blog: The War Against Mediocrity.

When people aim for average results, they will often achieve average results. So many of the things I see people attempting aren't built (or scaleable) for something beyond the immediate requirements. There has been talk of preserving the history, maintaining all the artifacts which have importance to British comics, but the majority of items which would form the centrepiece of any collection are spread so far and wide. Some incredibly valuable, and irreplaceable, items are missing-presumed-destroyed.

I'm going to aim for exceptional results and see how far I can get.