Money Fun #1

A long time ago (here to be precise) I looked at the contributors to a rare advertising comic called "Money Fun!". It was masterminded by Denis Gifford and National Saings (Bank) and was produced in July 1982. 

Anyway, for posterity, I wanted to record the fact that the front cover for issue #1 of Money Fun is currently up for sale here for £225

It's described thus...

Original artwork by Jim Baikie for a National Savings advertising campaign that was published as Melvin's Money Fun comic in 1981. Only one other edition was published in 1982. On the artwork is a reference to Chas who was Charles Grigg (a famous comic illustrator) and also a reference to DG, probably a reference to Dennis Gifford an illustrator and author. Size 38 x 27cm (image) mounted and framed

The reference to Jim Baikie is in relation to the double page spread that Baikie produced for the interior of the comic. The original art for which sold recently here as lot 494 in the Peter Hansen auction of comics.

The reference to Charles Grigg is incorrect. The Chas in this case is Chas Sinclair.

For more details please see Denis Gifford's ACE Newsletter #38 (volume 4, number 5) dated Aug/Sep 1981...

UPDATED - Captain Planet and the planeteers

Update (23/03/26) - I've completed the cover gallery via the addition of the cover for issue #3

I've now acquired some copies of Captain Planet so in red I've added details of writers, artists etc

Prompted by a question on a facebook group together I've been inspired to look into the 'Captain Planet and the planeteers' comic...I don't have any copies myself so I've scoured t'internet for the images below...Marvel US put out a 12-issue series but for Marvel UK I've only got up to issue 4 so far - were there more? Let me know! 

Captain Planet and the planeteers, Marvel UK, issue 1, cover dated 12th October 1991

cover by Mario Capaldi and John Burns

The single story is called 'A hero for Earth' and is labelled as 'Stan Lee presents' so this sounds like a US reprint to me

Writers = Barry Dutter & Jim Salicrup

Pencils = José Delbo

Inker = Mike DeCarlo

Letterer = Jim Massara

Colour = Brad Vancata 

Captain Planet and the planeteers, Marvel UK, issue 2, cover dated 26th October 1991

Mario Capaldi on cover art duties

Story 1 = A hero for Earth - no credits but assume it's as per issue 1 (above) 

Story 2 = Toxic Terror!; story by Ian Rimmer, art by Mario Capaldi, lettering by Cie, colouring by Louise Cassell

Captain Planet and the planeteers, Marvel UK, issue 3, cover dated 9th November 1991

currently for sale here on ebay

Captain Planet and the planeteers, Marvel UK, issue 4, cover dated 23rd November 1991

Mario Capaldi and John Burns on cover art duties

Story 1 = 'Smog gets in your eyes' [continued from issue 3], script by Barry Dutter and Jim Salicrup; art by Jose Delbo & Stephen Baskerville; lettering by Jim Massara; colouring by Sarra Mossoff.

Story 2 = 'Carbon copy' [continued from issue 3], script by Ian Rimmer; art by Mario Capaldi and Bambos Georgiou; lettering by Cie; colouring by Helen Nally

Captain Planet and the planeteers, Marvel UK, holiday special

Hmmm, where did they get that idea for a cover from?

Published August 1992

The contents are a single story 'If you can't nuke em...join 'em'...script by Barry Dutter; pencils by Pat Broderick; inks by Bruce Patterson & Ralp Cabrera; letters by John Costanza; colours by Sarra Mossoff; story editor Rob Takar

And Tim Perkins worked on the annual (and he also worked on a colouring book and the colouring & activity book)

I posted the above in a Facebook group and John Michael Burns (renowned colourist and nephew of artist John M Burns) was kind enought to make a comment on the post...

UPDATED: VR Troopers - from Phoenix Press

I've looked before at independent comics publisher Phoenix Press...

Iznogoud comic here

Phantom 2040 comic here

...and here's another addition to their work, yes it's the "Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic" - a tie-in to the populat TV series of the time (1995/6).

UPDATE (22/03/26) - I now know that there was an English language version of issue #7. That makes me think that there should also be a English language version of issue #8. But I've never seen it so I can't be 100% sure (but then I hadn't seen the English language version of #7 until very recently).  

The Phoenix Press title is definitely much harder to find than the version that Marvel published. The art (and writing) in these comics is uncredited and might best be described as competent.

Here's what you're looking for...

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 1, September 1995

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 2, October 1995

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 3, November 1995

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 4, December 1995

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 5, January 1996

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 6, February 1996

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 7, March 1996

The German edition of the comic had the same covers (and presumably the same contents) but they were published a few months after the British version. 

Saban's VR Troopers - official 3D comic, Phoenix Press, issue 8, April 1996

cover not to hand - can you help?

The German edition of the comic had the same covers (and presumably the same contents) but they were published a few months after the British version, so, in the absence of the British edition, here's the German version 

German covers are taken from here

There were also this from Marvel comic - albeit with no comics content. Again I'm unsure how long this lasted.

Elizabeth Kay obituary

Just recording this obituary (originally published by The Guardian) here for posterity...that of Elizabeth Kay (here). The obituary was published online on 1st January 2026 but didn't make it to the printed version of the paper until 7th February 2026.

She "...wrote stories for comic strips in DC Thomson's Bunty and Judy magazines., including "Anna, Junior Miss" and "Backstage Betty".

 

UPDATED: Ivory Castle Arrow covers

I've looked before at Ivory Castle Arrow (here) with their covers by John Ryan (issues 1-9) and John M Burns (issues 10-11). The search for issue 1 and 4 continues. 

Previously I've added images of the club badge but for this update I've added in some images supplied by friend of the blog Keith Chapman concerning his work on 'Arrow. Enjoy!

UPDATE (20/03/26) now withe cover to issue 4 - which is currently on sale here c/o ace ebayer ewan_b

Got issues...2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Need issues...1, 4

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 1

cover not to hand - can you help? 

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 2

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 3

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 4

cover by John Ryan, interior art by Don Harley, Philip Mendoza and others 

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 5

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 6

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 7

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 8

Interior art is by Philip Mendoza, Reg Parlett and an artist who's signed his work - How they found Maroobi - but I don't recognise the signature

Here's a close-up of that signature...

Any ideas? If so, just let me know, cheers!

UPDATE: I have now been told that the artist is Leslie Caswell - who was a mentor of sorts to Mike Noble when Noble was starting out in comic strips. Norman Boyd has a number of posts about Caswell on his Visual Rants blog, including this one which has comments from two of his children: 

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 9

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 10

Ivory Castle Arrow, issue 11

There was also a badge for the Ivory castle league - defend your ivory castles - it commands!

Friend of the blog Keith Chapman has shared these images of his work on issue 11. He also worked on other issues too.

UPDATED: Commando - heritage characters

Updated to include another Braddock story in issue 5939

Updated to include the first Harrier Squadron [from Warlord] story in issue 5929

Updated to include another Braddock issue in issue 5919

Updated to include another Kampfgruppe Falken issue (#5861) - which I'd missed previously, whoops!

Updated to include another Union Jack Jackson story - issue 5917

Updated to include another Codename Warlord story - issue 5913

Updated to include another Cadman story in issue 5909

Updated to include another Braddock story in issue 5891

Updated to include a V for Vengeance (from The Wizard) - issue #5887

Updated to include another Codename Warlord story - issue 5841 - which is out now!

Updated to include another Kampfgruppe Falken issue (#5827) which is out now!

Updated to include another Union Jack Jackson issue (#5813) and a Sergeant Rayker issue (#5817)

Updated to include Commando 5803 (which is on sale currently). It's another Lord Peter Flint issue

Updated to include issue Commando 5799 which is on sale currently. It's another Cadman issue - art by Mike Dorey.

To celebrate the release (last week I think) of Commando issue 5759 (below) and the inclusion of Kampfgruppe Falken in it I thought I'd log the other back issues of Commando that feature other DC Thomson 'heritage' characters.

Have I missed any? Just let me know!

Commando 5929

Commando 5759

Commando 5827

Commando 5861

Major Heinz Falken is playing a dangerous game of chance. His life and those of his men hang in the balance as they fight for survival. The battle on the Eastern Front between German and Russian armies has become a war of attrition, with both sides lacking resources. When their supplies are hijacked by the Russians, Falken is forced to recover them by systematically searching Soviet stronghold bunkers. But guessing which one is the right bunker is like playing a game of Russian roulette – and they’re running out of bullets.

Braddock has two issues so far

Commando 5269

Commando 5267

Commando 5875

The daredevil bomber pilot returns! Now that his squadron had converted to Vickers Wellingtons, Sergeant Matt Braddock couldn’t wait to get airborne. But a hairy first mission soon left him without a navigator – luckily, the impressive Sergeant George Bourne was looking for a new crew. Bourne and Braddock were soon thick as thieves, but it wasn’t long before Braddock’s gung-ho attitude landed them in an Italian POW camp. Braddock was going to have to rely on more than his flying skills to get out of this one!

Commando 5891

After his daring escape from an Italian POW camp, Braddock found himself craving his next adventure. Luckily, adventure had a way of finding him! German Focke Wulf Condors were causing problems for the Allies in the Atlantic, and the Brits didn’t have any planes with the same range. Braddock’s solution? Steal one of the German kites, of course! But this mission would require a crack team, and some of Brad’s flight crew were more up to the task than others. Could they pull it off?

Commando 5919

Commando 5939

Lord Peter Flint has appeared in 4 issues as well

Commando 5255

Commando 5263

Commando 5803

Lord Peter Flint, AKA Codename: Warlord, relied on being a 'coward' to stop being suspected as a secret agent! So when a journalist tried to write a hit piece on him, that was the least of his worries! He was busy stopping a REAL assassination plot!

Commando 5841

Britain’s finest spy, Lord Peter Flint, is on another top-hole adventure! After Warlord’s most disastrous mission yet, Flint ends up as the number one target of ‘six of the best’ assassins the world has ever seen!
But why does the phrase ‘six of the best’ seem familiar to him? Who is the mysterious sixth assassin who is an ‘old friend’ of Flint’s?
Will these questions be answered – or will this be the end of Codename Warlord?!

Commando 5913

The Libyan desert is experiencing some funny weather! Mysterious, sudden rainstorms are turning the hot sands to boggy quagmires that are beaching British tanks! But not only that, a Nazi officer has disguised himself as an Arab tribesman to sow discontent, and a German scientist has attempted to defect – something very strange is going on.
Enter Lord Peter Flint – Codename: Warlord – Britain’s best secret agent, to investigate the weird happenings. A storm is brewing, and he can sense the hand of his old nemesis, Professor Kranz, is behind it all!

Cadman has 4 issues so far

Commando 5697

That cowardly cad returns! From the pages of The Victor to Commando, Cadman the Fighting Coward looks skyward to escape the trenches - but he soon finds that life in the Royal Flying Corps isn't any easier or safer than on the ground!

5665 - interior art by Mike Dorey, cover art by Mike Dorey & Neil Roberts

5799 - interior art by Mike Dorey, cover art by Mike Dorey

Commando 5909

Lieutenant Gerald Cadman, the fighting coward, once again finds himself precisely where he does not want to be — on the front lines! The arrival of the heroic and aristocratic Captain Blickley-Phipps, however, gives Cadman an idea for how to improve his station.

But for Private Tom Smith, something doesn’t seem right about Blickley-Phipps. Ruthless in his quest for glory, the captain will gladly sacrifice his own men for victory. Even Scruff the dog can smell an impending disaster, but Cadman may be too distracted to find a way out this time!

Union Jack Jackson

Commando 5287

Commando 5813

Union Jack Jackson's back! With a little help from his pals, Jack must find an airfield which has been launching attacks on Navy convoys. But he get more than he bargained for when he sees aircraft taking off from the back of a submarine!

Commando 5917

Union Jack Jackson and his pals were on a mission to steal an experimental radar receiver from the Japanese when they hit a hurdle. The USS Red Bank, the destroyer they were going to sail away on, was sunk by Japanese suicide pilots… men who would self-sacrifice their lives to sink their enemies.
So then, why was one of the pilots — Kamikaze Ken — floating, alive, in the water beside Union Jack Jackson?

Sergeant Rayker

Commando 5817

Last seen in Warlord in 1984, Sergeant Moses Rayker returns! Trapped behind enemy lines, Rayker encounters an unfriendly face in the form of Buford ‘Bubba’ Ballard. Will Rayker end up smacking the tar outta him before they make it back?

Commando 5857

Legendary Warlord character returns to Commando! Sergeant Rayker was tasked with rounding up four drunken US Marines. But not long after he finds himself under enemy fire with the drunken marines in tow. Perhaps this job isn’t as easy as it sounds!

from the pages of The Wizard - Commando 5887 - V for Vengeance: Prisoner 7234

As air raids wreak havoc over the skies of Berlin, dread pervades the Nazi party. High-ranking officials are being assassinated one by one by the mysterious group named ‘The Deathless Men’. At the scene of each crime, the killers leave a list of future victims alongside a proclamation titled ‘V for Vengeance’.
Desperately, those whose names are listed seek answers, but their only clues link each assassin to deceased prisoners of a concentration camp – are the dead returning to seek revenge?