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| 1954. Characters copyright relevant and respective owners |
TV Comic was published for an impressive 33 years, from 1951 to 1984, but it wasn't always the same sort of periodical during its lengthy lifespan. For its first 10 years it looked more like a nursery comic with strips for infants, before eventually evolving into a publication aimed at a wider age-group of children. The comic was started by News Of The World ('51-'57), then sold to Beaverbrook Newspapers ('57-'60), who sold it to TV Publications, which became Polystyle Publications in 1968 ('60-'84) .
The first Annual was issued in 1953 for '54, and the last in 1984 for '85, though none were published for the years '81-'83 - 29 Annuals in all. I have a mere 11 (update: now 13), so not a complete set, but I thought you might appreciate a cover gallery of the ones I currently own as the contents are a nice glimpse of a bygone age. I probably won't bother buying any more of the '50s series (though never say never) as it's really the Annuals from the early '60s onwards that are the most interesting.
Anyway, enjoy the covers, and feel welcome to comment.
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| 1957 |
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| 1963 |
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| 1964 |
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| 1965 |
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| 1967 |
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| 1968 |
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| 1969 |
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| 1972 |
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| 1977 |
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| 1978 |
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| 1984. This edition was a 'softcover', the first ever in the series, I believe |
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| 1985 |
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15 comments:
Although I can appreciate TV Comic from a nostalgic point of view, I was never really a fan when I was a child. Some of the artwork just didn't look like the characters they were supposed to be to me (in particular Dr Who). Similarly with Look-In, I thought there were some very poorly drawn strips. There are some great annual covers there though and always lovely to see.
My parents got married on January 1st 1954 so it's interesting to me that the first TV Comic annual was dated 1954. They probably didn't buy that year's annual though :D
Before TV21, Mike Noble drew for TV Comic, M, and as usual, his art was spectacular. With Dr. Who, I wonder if they were going for a general impression of the Doctor, rather than a spot on likeness, though in the first stories, William Hartnell's Doctor was recognisable. I think, in general, that the art throughout the comic was pretty good.
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Going by the 1956 Annual, CJ, which doesn't have a date anywhere, inside or outside, the only clue as to when the earlier Annuals were issued must have been worked backwards from the later ones that were. The first few had red cloth spines with no words or dates on them, and the covers were undated as well. I'll check the interiors of the first Annual when it arrives to see if has a copyright date, but the 1956 one doesn't.
One of my very first annuals was the TV Comic Annual, 1960 for Christmas 1959. I have fond memories of a strip called "Packi" about a young boy and a family of anthropomorphic elephants buying a tree for Christmas!
I'm sure I've seen a strip of that name somewhere, JP, but I thought it was in a Blue Peter Annual. Wasn't it Tony Hart who drew it?
I've got a few TV Comics with Packi in and yes Tony Hart was the artist. I think they are from 1959 from memory.
Well, he did illustrate it in the 1958 TV Comic Annual, I will compare the artwork with the 1960 strip and get back to you. The character was also in TV Land comic. I suppose it could have also been in a Blue Peter annual as well, but I didn't have any, so can't say for sure?
I remember seeing the strip (the name stood out) some time back, and initially I thought it was in TV Comic, but I couldn't find it in the first issue or the '56 Annual. Therefore, 'cos it was by Tony Hart (who created the Blue Peter ship design), I thought it might've been in a BP Book. I've got many of the Annuals, but they're buried in a cupboard and I don't have the energy to dig them out to check. So Packi could've been in all three publications for all I know. Perhaps I saw the strip in an early '60s TV Comic, but they're in a box in a cupboard as well and I'd do myself a mischief if I tried to lift the box down from the shelf. Anyway, if the two of you saw Packi in TV Comic then he must've been.
I have just checked both annuals and yup, it was definitely Tony Hart in both books. In the first he illustrates a text story, but in the second he draws two full comic strip stories. As for TV Land, I have only seen him on the cover of an annual.
When I have more energy, I'll dig through some BP books and see if the strip is in there as well. If so, he certainly got around, didn't he!
I was never a fan of TV Comic and rarely bought it but it's good to see some characters from TV I had long forgotten about like Foo Foo (1963 annual standing on the satellite) and Orlando (1968 annual, the man in the silly hat). A few others ring a bell but I can't remember like that little black bird on the 1967 and 1968 cover.
Tivvy is his name, McS, and although I recognise the look of the character, the name doesn't ring a bell - unlike Quasimodo. (How many times now have I used that joke?) That's the good thing about those '60s Annuals - characters that were once popular on TV. Orlando (as you said), Adam Adamant, Dickie Henderson, Bootsie & Snudge, etc. These books are portals into a past world, a world that once seemed like a day-to-day experience for me.
Meant to say - Orlando was a spin-off show from Crane, starring Patrick Allen.
I looked up Tivvy , seemingly the character was the mascot of the TV Times junior section. We used to get the TV Times (like most folk at that time did along with the Radio Times) so that's where I recognise that wee bird from. I have a vague memory of "Bootsie and Snudge" I remember my dad talking about them. I remember the rest of those you mentioned Kid from what seems like a different world, let alone a different time. I don't remember Crane at all I'm afraid.
Maybe I just remember Tivvy from TV Comic, but he looks a bit like a Telly Goon to me. As for Crane, I used to think (years after the fact) that the show was called This Man Crane, but it only ever comes up as Crane if you Google Search it. I wonder which show lasted longer, Crane or its spin-off Orlando? I'll look it up when I feel less lazy.
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