VALIANT STORY Of The WEST...

Images copyright relevant owner

Back around the mid-'80s, an IPC/FLEETWAY editor gifted me with, among other items, his file copies of a two-issue series from 1966, called VALIANT STORY Of The WEST.  At least, I think there were only two issues - if anyone has any info to the contrary, feel free to let me know.  They were obviously trading on the name and good will of the weekly Valiant, then a popular comic for boys, but a mere two issues seems to suggest that the title never really took off.

The covers were beautifully painted and the b&w interiors had some nice art, but unfortunately the strips were rendered rather boring-looking by the use of typeset speech balloons, rather than a more spontaneous hand-crafted calligraphy which would have brought the pages to life a bit more.  I've included a couple of interior pages to let you see what they looked like for yourselves, but I can't help but think they would have been vastly improved by the addition of colour. 

The style of the interior artist looks extremely familiar, but his name escapes my memory for the moment.  When one considers the numerous foreign artists IPC/Fleetway used, it's impressive that they were able to realistically portray so many diverse cultures in such detail, whether it be the Old West, London or wherever.  One can only assume that they must have had access to extremely extensive reference files.

If you think you can identify any of the artists, please feel free to do so in the comments section.  I believe in credit where credit is due, so don't let them languish in anonymity if you can shed any light on the matter.  It would be nice to see these old strips given justice by being relettered and coloured up for a contemporary audience.  Who knows?  Maybe it'll happen one day. 

I've scanned the images at quite a high resolution, so click on any of them to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.  That way you'll be able to appreciate them the way they deserve to be.  At only two issues, the title may have been a failure, but you have to admit that it was literally a Valiant attempt.

PART NINE Of TERRIFIC COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

It's always sad when we have to say goodbye to an old friend, and unfortunately such a time is now upon us.  For forty-three weekly issues in 1967, it graced our lives (we of a certain age) with its company before taking the walk that would be "quite some time" and vanishing from sight forever.  Well, not quite forever - not to those of us who still have our back issues to dig out every so often and relive those heady days of yore.  In eight previous posts, I've shared with you thirty-eight covers and back-page pin-ups, and we now complete our journey with a visit to the last five issues ever printed.

However, is a journey ever really over when we can retrace our steps whenever the fancy takes us?  True, it's like a section of time played on an endless loop, but we can jump on and off whenever we feel like it with no inconvenience on either side.  It's there for us when we want it, and it's always going to be there, even if we forget about it for short periods of time while we get on with the necessary business of living in the present.  So, here we are - issues #39 to 43 of the fifth title in the POWER PACK published by ODHAMS PRESS back in the '60s.

It's been a TERRIFIC ride.  Why not take it again some day?

For Part Eight, click here.