Rock Garden - the menu in the style of a comic

Here's a comic oddity...an 8 page colour menu for a restaurant (in Covent Garden) in the style of a comic. None of the art is signed.

The prices of the items on the menu can be seen in each panel. 

You'll see that the things on the menu aren't aimed at kids (crab claws with garlic mayonnaise on the first page for instance) so it must have been used by all the customers.

Hmmm, who can this character be that's advertising the hamburgers? 

The back page - beer and wine prices plus a map to where Rock garden was...

Space: above and beyond - Titan comics

I've looked before at comics from Titan comics (here) and I wanted to look at another title I know very little about. Space: above and beyond ran in 1997 for 4 issues. Edited by John Freeman this comic contained US-reprint material and no UK-originated material.

Space: above and beyond comic, Titan comics, issue 1, March 1997

Space: above and beyond comic, Titan comics, issue 2, April 1997

Space: above and beyond comic, Titan comics, issue 3, May 1997

Space: above and beyond comic, Titan comics, issue 4, June 1997

Quizzer issue 7

I've looked before (here) at the elusive Quizzer magazine that Dez Skinn published in the 1970s. 

Always alert to new info. about Quizzer I was delighted to spot this Ian Kennedy page from issue 7 on the Twitter feed of @Aston365

UPDATED: Girl comic merchandise

I've added some new items of merchandise - and these are highlighted in red

I've previously looked at some of the spin-off merchandise associated with Swift comic (here), Swift books (here) and Robin comic merchandise (here). In a similar vein I thought I should look into the merchandise produced by their sister title Girl. I've looked at Girl novels (here and here) but this is the other merchandise that was produced.

I thought I'd be able to find more merchandise but googling 'girl comics merchandise' turns up a lot of stuff which is not to do with the Girl comic I'm after. Anyway, I'm sure more will turn up but here's what I've found so far...

Over on the www.dandare.info website (here) I've spotted these two Girl birthday cards...

The first features Wendy and Jinx

...and the second has Lettice Leefe and Miss Froth

This Girl diary for 1956 recently sold for £47...

I'm unsure how many years this ran for - in fact this is the first Girl diary I've ever seen. The Eagle equivalent was long established and ran from at least 1951-1963 (but was red not green). There was also a Swift diary but I've never seen one of those so I can't even say what colour that was! 

Also spotted this on ebay recently - looks like a plastic belt buckle 

Pelham puppet of 'Lettice Leefe' - a character created by John Ryan (who created Captain Pugwash and Harris Tweed for Eagle) 

Pelham also made a 'Belle of the Ballet' puppet as well

And then there's this - a Girl doll - featuring the Girl logo on the dress and the belt buckle

from 'British dolls of the 1950s' by Susan Brewer (2009)

And there's this piece of Eagle/Girl crossover merchandise - yes, it's a table tennis set!



I'm sure there's more out there so if you have any images you could share just let me know.

Ah, a carpet sweeper! What a delightful piece of tie-in merchandise

And here's some more Girl products - I'd love to get bigger and better pictures of all of these but at least it gives me some stuff to look for

from 'The history of girls' comics' by Susan Brewer (2010)

And, thanks to friend of the blog Jeremy Briggs we can also add these images...

...a blond haired version of the doll shown above...

...and a paintbox (which looks quite similar to the Swift paintbox that was also produced)...

Gargoyles - Titan comics

I've looked before at comics from Titan comics (here) and I wanted to look at another title I know very little about. Gargoyles ran in 1996/7 for, I think, 9 issues (see below for more details). 

So, without further ado, here's my covers gallery. As ever, there are a few (!) gaps so if you can help out do let me know.

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 1, November 1996

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 2, December 1996

image not to hand - can you help?

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 3, January 1997 [on the right-hand side]

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 4, February 1997 [on the left-hand side]

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 5, March 1997

image not to hand - can you help?

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 6, April 1997

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 7, May 1997

image not to hand - can you help?

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 8, June 1997

image not to hand - can you help?

Gargoyles comic, Titan comics, issue 9, July 1997

image not to hand - can you help?

I note that in issue #82 (June 1997) of Comics International lists issue #9 in the 'Advance listings' section but in issue #83 Jonny Quest is listed as cancelled. I'm therefore assuming it could run until issue 9 but, of course, just because a title has been solicited doesn't mean it's been printed.

Catawiki auction ending 26th August 2021

This auction ends tonight - good luck if you're bidding!

Here are the original British comic art highlights from the latest Catawiki auction...

This piece by Romero - a typical action-packed Moesty Blaise piece

Another action-packed strip, this time it's Robot Archie (by Edward Kearon) - this is from the 1966 story 'The screeming beetle'

This distinctly non-action-packed cover (by William Francis Phillipps) for the 7th March 1964 cover of Teddy Bear comic

Another page from the Robot Archie story 'The Screeming  beetle' from Lion - I've highlighted just a single panel here to demonstrate Edward Kearon's skill

Here's an Axa strip by Romero used in The Sun in 29th May 1979

A Fernando Fernandez piece that doubtless ended up on the cover of a picture library somewhere (but I can't prove it!)

UPDATED: The reference books of Lofts & Adley

I enjoy collecting reference material relating to British comics and I've always been aware that my collection of such material by the (kings of comic referencing) Derek Adley & W.O.G. Lofts was a bit thin on the ground.

That got me wondering about precisely how many book and booklets they'd produced, so without further ado here is my guide to what I've found so far (albeit I expect there is plenty more to be discovered).

UPDATE: I've added one (final?) publication to the bottom of this list...

Catalogue of boys and girls annual, 1982

The men behind boys' fiction, 1970

The 'Gem' index by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1981

The 'Rookwood stories' index by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1994

The 'Detective weekly' index by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1987

'Old boys books - a complete catalogue' by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1969

'The world of Frank Richards' by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1975

'The Hotspur' - a catalogue 1933-1959 by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts

I've also seen the above book with a pink cover and an interior note that says 'first edition - September 1983 - limited edition of 200 copies'. So I'm not sure how the yellow cover version fits in to the chronology - maybe a later edition?

UPDATE: I've been reliably informed that the yellow edition was indeed the 2nd edition (published by Bryon Whitworth who took over publication from Alan Cadwallender (who published the first (pink) edition)).

Origins of the Boys Friend Library by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1987

The new Rupert index by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts

The new Rupert index by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts

Identification guide to the DC Thomson and John Leng children's annuals 1921-1964 by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1975

'William' - a bibliography by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts

Greyfriars since the Magnet by Derek Adley and W.O.G. Lofts, 1983

The Thriller, 1983

image not to hand - can you help?

The Thriller: the paper with a thousand thrills, 1990

image not to hand - can you help?

Friend of the blog Jeremy Briggs pointed me in the direction of this publication 

..and the back of the guide (from Jeremy's photocopied version)

...which reminded me that I had a version of that listing...

...the foreword to this is dated 1975 but the "copyright" notes that this is the revised 1982 edition published by A. Cadwallender. There's also a tipped in sheet headed 'Updates & amendments - March 1984'.

With a little more digging I also found this version...

And friend of the blog Colin Noble used to own this version...

So - clearly a popular book! An essential guide in those pre-internet days.

You can check out the WOG Lofts entry on wikipedia here