Boys Adventure Comics: Sooty comic - London Editions magazines

3 December 2023

Sooty comic - London Editions magazines

There have been a number of different comics over the years starring Sooty but I'm going to focus on this title from London Editions magazine. Denis Gifford (in issue #111, volume 12/7, of ACE) records issue 1 as October 19th 1989 - bi-monthly.

Writers included JD Savage, who also scripted two episodes of The Sooty Show and two Sooty video specials. He wrote strips for all the Sooty comics published by London Editions, Egmont UK's comic publishing section. When Egmont bought Fleetway Publications from IPC in 1991, London Editions was merged with it, with the combined company known as Fleetway Editions, and they continued the Sooty title with the same brand identity, including the annuals). Savage also wrote "Sooty" strips for the eponymous Marvel UK title.

London Editions was, as regular readers of this blog know, based in Manchester - near Boddington's Brewery, "with the smell of beer heavy in the air on the journey there," JD Savage recalls. "Really nice people and friendly office.

"There had already been a few Sooty issues, I think, because when I went to initially meet editor Judith Laverty, who I remember very fondly," he continues. "I took along scripts for an entire issue's worth as a surprise, based on reading one.

"The strip was probably written in-house before as she seemed very pleased to have all that new material to hand - and then I wrote almost every Sooty strip over the next ten years or so."

JD Savage currently writes for Eco Kids Planet and The Week Junior: Science+Nature, amongst other titles.

Sooty comic, issue 1, undated, 70p