Upcoming changes

British Golden Age Comics has so far been viewed  214, 813 times while UK Golden Age Heroes and Comics has had 89,884 views.

Trying to publish new material to two blogs which, quite honestly, are on the same subject is a lot of work. Getting the material, writing it up, editing and posting can take time and there are things I have looked at when trying to make a decision as the their future.

Firstly, the posts attract no comments or VERY rarely attract a comment. There is no feed back or conversation with readers -that was the whole point of the blogs because you might assume with the number of views someone must think something or have questions.

Secondly, sales of the Platinum, Golden and Dark Ages compilations. Each book can take a couple months to put together and gathering the material can cost. But the books are a "passion project". There were at one time a lot of supposed fans of comics from these periods and the material I publish is what we would have grabbed like crazy in the years preceding the internet and the new age of illiteracy.

Of the Black Tower Gold reprints I believe that two copies have sold of each. Of the Ultimate Golden Age Collection about 5 copies. That is not weak that is an abject failure. Once I shift this mortal coil the online store closes. There are no stocks of books to buy in later years as everything is print on demand. Only books ordered get printed. Yep, I go everything goes and I had hoped there would at least be copies of the books out there for the future.

So, lack of any comments/conversations or sales of books has had me re-assess the blogs. What I do post in future will opnl;y be on the British Golden Age Comics blog.

These changes will begin at some point before Christmas so if you are still interested in the material BGAC is the blog to earmark.

Thank You.

I often Ramble...and Appeal.

 

 "Why don't you publish a British Golden Age horror collection?"

Well, the pulp scene continued in a way with US reprints but not horror comics as such. We had Dene Vernon dealing with all sorts of supernatural menaces (and moe) and Krako was "The Angel of the Burning Death" but apart from incinerating some "unidentified European fascist troops" there was a lot of interesting but hardly "horror" action.

Most of this has already been reprinted in the Gold series and Dene Vernon has already had a reprint issue. The thinking at the time was that comics were for youngsters and it was probably considered giving kids horror stories when they faced  bombing raids and deaths every night was a bit much. escapism was far better. The 1940s were the Dark Age of British comics as explainmed in this post: https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2019/08/redefining-ages-of-british-comic_15.html

If you want the quick snippet....

British super heroes and action was rife as were the humour comics so some of the 1930s Golden Agen creation spirit was still going strong. In fact, evn today I found yet another long lost and forgotten masked character of the 1940s. I think it fair to say that Dennis M. Reader and Denis Gifford (Reader in the main) created and kept the super hero alive and well during the 1940s. Other artists did contribute to the tights and capes (and bat-wings) set.

I have to also say that Mick Anglo and his creative run started while the Dark Age turned into the Silver Age; "He created Marvel Man" and that was it. Well, that is it unless you actually know something about Anglo's career drawing and writing everything from Sci Fi to Westerns, to crime stories and humour/ He may well not have been the greatest and most slick artist ever but he made up for it in what his mind created and visualised. We owe far, far more to Anglo than 99% of the supposed comic fans know.

After many years photographs of Dennis Reader (like other creators) still allude me and it would be nice to put a face to a name and set of work.

Top of the list for creator photos are

William A Ward

Dennis M Reader

The McCail brothers

Thank You

Comic Bits 4: Covering The British Platinum, Golden, Dark and Silver Ages Of Comic Art

 

A4

80pp

colour and black and white

Perfect bound

£12.00 Until December 1st 2026 then £20.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/comic-bits-4/paperback/product-nv555mq.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Celebrating the British Platinum, Golden, Dark and Silver Ages of Comic Art and the long forgotten masters of comic book art and in this issue we look at George H Heath, Jack Greenall, Hugh Stanley White and John R Turner who are mostly forgotten. Their work from the 1930s to 1960s shaped the face of British comics.

And lost or forgotten characters? We hve those. Who remembers Dick Gordon The Bat-Man? Cyclone? Even though he was a long lasting character who remembers The Falcon? If that isn't good enough how about delving into the early 19th century and the first indisputable pop culture icon Dr Syntax. Educational and entertaining Comic Bits 4 is for the comic historianb as well as lovers of comics.

Done and Dusted

 

It is done. Comic Bits 4 is currently awaiting my approval after I get a proof copy and then I will give the details.

The issue will be packed with information about creators unknown these days but who were real Masters of Comic Art. But above all else Comic Bits will do what it always does; put back into printcomic strips and characters long forgotten going back to the early 20th century and in one case early 19th.

It took three days to put it all together and I was fretting over the cover to 02:30 hrs in the morning but then the cover design hit me. So all done and dusted. The magazine is a mix of black and white as well as colour and the usual 80pp.

One thing I have to say that I enjoyed which made the work quicker and easier (and fun) was getting out my reference books and notes as well as comics to provide the contents.

And... I have enough m,aterial to start on  number 5 but when that happens is open to question. 

A.C.E. ?

 

Is there any online presence of Gifford's old Association of Comic Enthusiasts?

Think Comic Bits 4...and another British Bat character discovered!

 

 It is 00:30 hrs (come on you know the time) and I have just gotten up to page 53 of Comic Bits 4.  I really should be drawing but...

Anyway, I needed a sample comic strip by a specific  Golden-Silver Ages British artist. There is a mish -mash but not great quality. Then I found it. A full comic strip in good quality so I thought I'd pop over to the blog in question and see whether I could ask to use the blogger's scans. Only polite thing to do -though it is rare these days.

It was my blog. I have posted so much over three decades on British comics history that I tend to forget a lot!  I looked at the strip and thought "I still have those scans" and I do. That I found them is a miracle in itself!

Tomorrow I hope to complete CB 4 and then comes the hesitancy of designing a cover. Oh boy.

Incidentally, I have already gathered some of the material for CB 5.  Do it while you have the energy I say (the magazine you dirty minded....)

I forgot to say that other than long forgotten character discoveries...there is another British Bat-man type. Well there had to be hadn't there?

Comic Bits 4

 

 In two days working until 0220 hrs (or 2.20 am) I have just gotten up to page 34 of Comic Bits 4 -feature articles on forgotten British creators and plenty of comic strips featuring characters long forgotten.

I want to cram as much into this one as I can. CB is usually 80pp but now that we've had colour since issue 3 it is a great opportunity to present strips as they first appeared. 

I will update as and when I can so stand by!