PART EIGHT OF SMASH! COVER GALLERY...

Copyright REBELLION

Wow!  Time certainly has a habit of racing away from you, eh?  Who'd believe that it's been 10 months since the last instalment of our super SMASH! Cover Gallery from way back in the late 1960s and early '70s?  WARRIORS Of The WORLD came to an end with its 46th appearance and, after a free gift issue, SIMON TEST became the permanent front cover star for the rest of the comic's run.  So here's yet another half dozen issues to remind you of what you were maybe reading back then, if you're as ancient as I am.  Got any reminiscences associated with these comics?  Then let's have 'em, Criv-ites!

   

WHOOPEE - IT'S GRAN'S GANG...

Copyright REBELLION

Sometime near the end of 1985 or the beginning of '86 (yes, Annuals really were prepared that far in advance), I was down in London on one of my regular weekly visits to what was then IPC's (almost) skyscraper headquarters, KING'S REACH TOWER, when Humour Group Editor BOB PAYNTER handed me an unfinished page of pencilled artwork and asked me if I'd like to complete it.

Apparently it was a try-out page by an artist, who'd declined to finish it when asked for some alterations, but Bob didn't want to waste it.  After 30 years, it's difficult to recall precisely, but I think I drew two panels, finished off some bits 'n' bobs in others, and then inked it.  The inks are a bit heavy, but it's not too bad overall.

This was a good Annual for me, because I lettered 38 pages, which, at around a tenner each, wasn't bad for what amounted to a couple of days' work.  (And that didn't include my regular jobs for 2000 A.D. and other IPC weeklies and Annuals.)

So, the page isn't all mine, but there's enough of me in it to justify showing it to you on this here blog.  The strip had started life as 6 MILLION DOLLAR GRAN, was then retitled ROBOT GRANNY, and finally became GRAN'S GANG, for reasons that I have absolutely no clue about, so don't ask me.