Tintin - Casterman

Listening to a podcast recently flagged up 2 rare Tintin books that I'm recording here in case in case I ever see them in real life :)

These then were the first 2 Tintin books published in English (by publisher Casterman) - the series wasn't a success and these 2 "medallion" editions (as they're known) were a bit of a false start for the Tintin volumes in English.

I understand these are quite valuable so good luck to you if you find them.

Tintin - The secret of the unicorn, Casterman, 1952

Tintin - Red Rackham's treasure, Casterman, 1952

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)

Modesty Blaise - the Ken PIerce volumes

Ages ago (here) I looked at the US reprints (by Ken Pierce) of the Axa newspaper strip. I should have highlighted that Modesty Blaise was the other strip to get the reprint title by Ken Pierce.

So, if you're a Modesty collector here are the 8 volumes you're looking for...

 

Marvel UK - Learn and play Rupert comic

Michael Carroll's timeline of Marvel UK comics (here) has an array of interestingly short-lived comics on that I thought I should create cover galleries for them. Michael has this lasting 18 issues (until 8th March 1995). 

There are a LOT of different Rupert the bear comics out there but even so, this seems like a hard covers gallery to complete. Hey ho, you've got to start somewhere...

Learn and play Rupert, Marvel UK, issue 1, 17th November 1993, 99p

Learn and play Rupert, Marvel UK, issue 9, 29th June 1994, 99p

Learn and play Rupert, Marvel UK, issue 11, 24th August 1994, 99p

Learn and play Rupert, Marvel UK, issue 12, 21st September 1994, 99p

UPDATED: Keith Burns covers for Commando

I first came across Keith Burns art when he illustrated the Titan comics Johnny Red series, since then he's just started illustrating Commando covers and the covers are fantastic. Here are the covers he's done so far...

Commando 5209 - American avenger

Commando 5215 - a matter of honour

Commando 5229 - shadow in the storm!

Commando 5241 - steel inferno

Commando 5251 - Radar raiders

Commando 5259 - Braddock

Commando 5267 - Braddock demons

Commando 5289 - the Wombat and the Tiger

Commando 5297 - fog of war

Commando 5299 - Sladen's promise

Commando 5307 - Stealing Stukas

Commando 5315 - Ironhide

Commando 5329 - Blitzkrieg west

Commando 5335 - Durand's Dunkirk

Commando 5337 - Dodger's Dunkirk

This issue is interconnected with issue 5337 Durand's Dunkirk but told from the perspective of the British fighting to stop their retreat.

Commando 5353 - Outgunned!

Commando 5355 - Bullseye Bruno

Commando 5377 - Third time lucky

Commando 5385 - The flying emu

Commando 5395 - HMAS Expendable

Commando 5411 - Ready for Anything!

Commando 5417 - The girls on the guns

Commando 5448 - Die-or walk!

Check out the third of our nine 60th Anniversary specials Issue 5448 Die — or Walk! Former editor Calum Laird's sequel to Commando Issue 1 Walk — or Die! has the table turned with the Brit carrying the Jerry!

Commando 5463 - Target Tomcat

Commando 5481 - Vengeance

Commando 5497 - Pearl Harbor

Commando 5511 - Escape from Java

Commando 5525 - Sink the Shokaku!

published March 15th 2022

Commando 5547 - Stay behind squad

published June 9th 2022

Commando 5559 - Wild weasel!

to be published July 21st 2022

Commando 5607 - Combat air patrol

Commando 5619 - Achtung, destroyer!

Commando 5641 - sink the Tiger

The unthinkable has happened —HMAS Tiger has been captured by the Japanese and is being used to create havoc amongst allied shipping! The Australian Navy’s most experienced destroyer commander, John Griffin, is called in to solve the problem, his orders: “SINK THE TIGER!”

This should be in shops on Thursday 27th April