SSI journal - 1981

I've looked before at all things to do with the SSI (Society of Strip Illustration) here and I like the newsletters they produced BUT these were produced in very low quantities so you stand virtually no chance of collecting a set. 

I've looked at some examples of the SSI journal for 

1992 here 

1982 XXXXXX

1983 XXXXXX

and for other years I'm just going to collect images for the covers as and when they come up for sale on ebay. Over time we might end up with a full (??) set. So here's the start of a covers gallery for SSI journal for 1981...

SSI journal, January 1981

SSI journal, October 1981, #43

at the time of typing is currently on sale from ace ebayer ewan_b

SSI journal, Christmas 1981, #44a

recently on sale c/o ace ebayer philcomics

Don Lawrence - Eastercon 1989

I've snagged this image from ebay for posterity just to capture the self-portrait of comics artist Don Lawrence (on the far right hand side)

The seller described it thus...

This is the cover of the 1989 Eastercon - Contrivance - held in Jersey. Guests of honour that year were Avedon Carol, Rob Hansen, M. John Harrison, Don Lawrence, Anne McCaffrey, and, I believe, Martin Lodewijk, who all appear on this gorgeous painted piece

UPDATED: Dolphin comic

I've looked plenty of times before at advertising comics (check out this link) to see them all, but today's example is a new one on me.

I've updated text in red...

Courtesy of ebay seller 1bluecharger are a few more images from another issue of Dolphin

An interesting lot (and a lot that's attracting a lot of interest) in the latest phil-comics auction here is this very smart looking comic magazine produced by a department store in Letchworth in the late 1950s.

The lot  is a dozen issues...

volume 4, #6 (1958)

volume 6, #10 & 12 (1958)

volume 7, #4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 (1959)

volume 8, #1, 2, 4 (1960)

"Specially produced for the young friends of Foster and Scott, Letchworth". Foster and Scott were a menswear and boys school uniform shop in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.

This strip looks, to me, like it was drawn by a young Ron Embleton - what do you think?

At the time of typing bids had reached £99 but I reckon it'll go higher than that. Collecting a full set of these seems impossible now but the level of interest in these indicates to me that there's some good stuff in these. Good luck if you bid!

UPDATE: I've now found some more images and these clearly show a different retailer on the front cover. I assume therefore it was a magazine that retailers could purchase and then amend 'personalise' with their own stamp / branding in some way. These 2 comics are for sale for £40 here

John Freeman has told me that the publisher was Nine-Star Press Ltd, 359 Edgware Road, London, W2. Printed by A.M. Archer & Co. Ltd, Slough. There was also a club you could join.

Lew Stringer looked, a little, at Nine-Star Press here

Mike O'Doherty has let me know that Dolphin also contained art by Don Lawrence...

and here's the original art...

More pages...

More original art of those pages...

Mike tells me that renowned Don Lawrence expert Rob Van Bavel has identified these pages as by Don Lawrence himself! I can't see it myself but if Rob says it...

Here's a page by page look at volume 9, issue 5 - no sign of any work by Don Lawrence or Ron Embleton!

Highlights from the first 2,500 blog postings

After 2,499 posts about all sort of stuff I though I should make this 2,500th post more reflective. Looking back at the last 6 and a half years and try and pick out some of my favourite posts / topics. These then, in no particular order, are 13 of my favourite topics/posts...

1). Jet Jason

The story of how I re-discovered a lost sci-fi comic strip by Dave Gibbons is one of the highlights of the blog. I wrote about it (here) in 2017 and have filled in some more gaps in my collection subsequently. All references to Jet Jason can be found here (and to Fleetwings magazine here)

Or you can look at individual issues thus...

1979 - July (here); October/November (here)
1980 - Spring (here); Summer (here); Winter (here)
1981 - Spring (here); Summer (here); Winter (here)
1982 - Spring (here); Summer (here); Winter (here)
1983 - Spring (here); Winter (here)

2). Powerman

My complete notes on the subject can be found here or you can look at individual episodes here...

a) issue 5 is here

b). issue 6 is here

c). issue 7 is here

d). issue 8 is here

e). issue 9 is here

f). issue 10 is here

g). issue 11 is here

h). issue 12 is here

i). issue 13 is here

j). issue 16 is here

k). issue 18 is here

l). issue 19 is here [cover only]

m). issue 20 is here

n). issue 21 is here [cover only]

o). issue 23 is here [cover only]
p). issue 26 is here [cover only]
q). issue 27 is here [cover only]
r). issue 29 is here [cover only]

s). issue 30 is here [cover only]

t). issue 31 is here [cover only]

u). issue 32 is here [cover only]

3). Cartoon Aid

This has been an interesting rabbit-hole to go down! This was the strip cartooning equivalent of Band Aid. Lots of book & merchandise produced. My last post on the subject was here and gives a good run down of all the books that were published under the Cartoon Aid banner. All references to Cartoon Aid can be found here

4). Reference books

I've always enjoyed collecting reference books relating to British comics and there are actually quite a few books out there to collect. It's been a pleasure to celebrate those comics historians whose work our work relies on. So far I've looked at:

Lofts & Adley is here

Alan Clark is here

Dennis Gifford is here

David Ashford is here

Ray Moore is here

Martin Hamer is here

All reference books links are here

5). Calendars

This (see all links here) has been another really interesting rabbit-hole to go down. Lots of comic-y calendars out there to collect - especially if you're a fan of the Beano

6). Hulton press merchandise

I've collected Eagle & Dan Dare comics & merchandise for about 40 years now but it's only recently that I've started looking at (and occasionally collecting) material related to the other Hulton titles like Girl, Swift and Robin - this is material from the 1950s and it's suddenly feeling a long time ago. Some lovely ephemeral items were produced by all three titles and it's these that I'm looking to collect (rather than runs of the original comics).

All posts to do with Girl are here

All posts to do with Swift are here

All posts to do with Robin are here

My look at free gifts in the original Eagle is here

7). Warhammer books

In recent years I've started collecting the Warhammer comics & trade paperbacks that were produced at the time (and subsequently). Not being able to find a complete list of what was available I worked it out for myself. The current list has 57 different books to collect. At the time of typing I've got 50 of them.

"Obvious Tactics" was the book that first piqued my interest in this series. It led me down a long, and winding, comics collecting road.

My latest Warhammer books listing is here

8). Convention programmes

I've always enjoyed collecting programmes issued by comic conventions - often because they contained unique illustrations - but until I started looking at this in such detail I had no idea just how many programmes there were out there to collect...

Bristol comic expo (2004-2014) is here

London comic festival 2003 is here
Kev Sutherland festival original art is here
A 'Lawless 2019' miscellany is here
Boys and Girls exhibitions of the 1950s and '60s is here
Glasgow comic art convention is here
Edinburgh art convention is here
Hi-Ex convention is here

UKCAC - part 1 - is here
UKCAC - part 2 - is here

UKCAC - part 3 - is here

BICS convention is here

Glasgow comic con is here 

Kapow! con is here

British comic conventions, 1970-76 is here

British comic conventions, 1977-81 is here

A miscellany is here

Comics 101 is here

Strips 78 is here

9). Shreddieboy

It was a delight to discover some lost Don Lawrence & Ron Embleton art on the back of Shreddies packets - all posts relating to "Shreddieboy" are here

10). Loadsa Funnies

Always a delight to find a lost Judge Dredd strip by John Wagner and here it is - from the pages of "Loadsa Funnies" (all links to this can be found here)

11). Dave Gibbons - wallpaper designer

with thanks to Rufus Dayglo for this one. All details can be found here

12). Mick McMahon's first comics work

The post about that can be found here

13). My (long and complicated) guide to collecting Charley's War was a bit of a labour of love to work out, but well worth it in the end. You can read the results here

If you asked me on a different day I'd probably come up with a slightly different list, but hey-ho it's just too tricky to actually remember everything I've actually blogged about.

Don't forget to check out these other great blogs about British comics...

Lew Stringer's 3,357 (!!!) posts on his Blimey! blog can be found here

Lew blogs about his own work here

Mike Carroll's 'Rusty Staples' blog is essential and is here

John Freeman's news and review site 'Down the tubes' is (essential and) here

Steve Holland's 'Bear Alley' is (essential and) here - (4,796 postings over the period 2006-2020 and plenty more since the)