PETE'S PICK Of The POST - PART ONE...

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Here's a novelty post - some back covers from TV EXPRESS WEEKLY featuring readers' jokes, supposedly picked by popular radio DJ and TV presenter of the period, PETE MURRAY. Back in the mid-'80s, the depute editor of BUSTER told me that readers' letters were so thin on the ground, some weeks they just made them up.  Makes you wonder how many of the jokes on these pages were genuine readers' contributions that picked up £1, eh? 

PART TEN Of The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR COVER & IMAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I remember buying the American ish of the FF (#161) that sported the above cover from a shop in Rutherglen in 1975, the same shop from which my maternal grandfather bought me a little plastic chariot in 1963 or '64.  So whenever I look at that cover, I think of that particular shop.  I wonder if it still exists today, so many years later?  I must find out.

I once possessed all the original U.S. 'modern' issues that were later reprinted in The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR comics you see here, but I'm not sure if I still had them when they showed up again (in b&w) in the British weekly.  (I replaced the U.S. issues years afterwards though.)  It only managed to hang on for 37 issues, but it was one of the better mags from MARVEL U.K. I thought, and deserved a far better fate than was its lot.  Or did you think it was a pile of poo?  Let us all know.

The main attraction for me was the classic '60s content reprinted in the back of the mag.  Early LEE & KIRBY tales are probably what I like best about Marvel, and I find it nigh-impossible to resist new presentations of them whenever they appear today.  Amongst the group of pals that hung out with me in the '70s was a lad called RICKY STEVENSON, aka 'BRITT', who, surprisingly, also bought the Fab Four's comic every week.

I say "surprisingly" because Britt aspired (and failed) to be a bit of a 'hard man', and reading superhero comics didn't really lend itself to that image.  I only recently learned that he died a few years back, and although we were never what could be described as close friends, I find myself rather saddened by the news of his demise.  I suppose that when part of our past disappears, we can't help but feel slightly diminished in some way, odd as it may seem.  An unwelcome reminder of our own mortality perhaps?  Not something we like to think about, is it?

So here's to the FF, the sizzlin' '70s, and also to Ricky.  Whenever I get around to re-reading these comics, I'll be sure to remember him as I recall seemingly happier and more innocent times of my long-gone teenage years.  Feel free to record your own reminiscences, if any, about this great British weekly in the comments section.

        

Here's a dinosaur for PC - just because he likes them

TV EXPRESS WEEKLY COVER GALLERY - PART FIVE...

Characters copyright relevant and respective owners

Try not to weep, wail, or gnash your teeth, frantic ones, but this is the final post for the moment of TV EXPRESS WEEKLY covers.  Remember, most of these images were scanned from my own personal issues before I parted company with them to make space.  I now wish I'd scanned more of the interior pages, but the HANNA-BARBERA strips were the only ones that really interested me.  I do have scans of some of the back cover joke pages, which I'll post if anyone else really wants to see them.  Anyway, I'd love to prattle on some more (you all know how much  I love to read my own words), but I'm overcome with emulsion.

  

And now, enjoy the covers on display for your pondering perusal.

And, finally, here are a couple of covers from before the comic had 'TV' added to the title.  Look at that terrific RON EMBLETON WULF The BRITON strip - spectacular stuff.

KLASSIC KOMIC KOVERS - ACTION #1...

Copyright REBELLION

Hitting the shelves of newsagents' across Britain in February of 1976, ACTION #1 was a more anarchic, savage type of comic than it's predecessors like VALIANT and LION.  Within a relatively short time it was attracting the wrong kind of attention from the media for its graphic depictions of violence, and was withdrawn from circulation and then relaunched as a more anaemic, less potentially offensive periodical until it was merged with BATTLE in November of 1977.  However, legend has it that it inspired PAT MILLS to create one of the U.K.'s longest-lasting comics, 2000 A.D.

KEN MORRISON'S VERSION OF FIREBALL XL5...

Like FIREBALL XL5?  Then you'll probably

love this.  If not, your life must be awfully dull.  Get

with the programme, Melvin.  Ready to launch.

PART TWO Of KIT CARTER'S CLARKS COMMANDOS...

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Oh goody, another six episodes of CLARKS COMMANDOS (dunno why there's no apostrophe in Clarks), illustrated by TOM KERR.  Credit where credit is due, I always say, and Tom certainly deserves credit for entertaining thousands of children every week with his marvellously drawn strips in a variety of comics back in the '60s and '70s.  In fact, he was no doubt also drawing comics before and after those years, but that's when I mainly recall his work from.  How about the rest of you?

HEY THERE, It's YOGI BEAR, Mr. JINKS, And PIXIE & DIXIE...

Copyright relevant owner

Yet another page from TV EXPRESS WEEKLY, featuring famous HANNA-BARBERA characters.  Look at that rascal YOGI BEAR - isn't he a card?  Have fun, chums!

PART FOUR Of TV EXPRESS WEEKLY COVER GALLERY...

Characters copyright relevant and respective owners

More spectacular RON EMBLETON illustrated covers from TV EXPRESS WEEKLY.  The very first time I experienced Ron's art was in the pages of '60s comic, TV CENTURY 21, on the centrespread STINGRAY strip.  Truly one of the finest artists that Britain has ever produced, I'm sure you'll agree.  Funny that he should have worked on two TV-related periodicals, eh?  I wonder if he ever contributed to TV COMIC?  Anyone know? 

    

SUPERCAR In COLOUR...

Hey, here's the very first episode of SUPERCAR in (a sort of) full colour.  The sooner that the whole show, along with FIREBALL XL5, is colourized, the better, in my famously humble opinion.  Who's with me?

CRAIG FERGUSON & THE FIREBALL XL5...

Here's mad, mental Scotsman CRAIG FERGUSON

(formerly BING HITLER) lip-syncing to FIREBALL

XL5, as sung by DON SPENCER.  Oh, what fun!

KLASSIC KIRBY KOMIC KOVERS: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY...

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To be honest, I'm surprised that JACK KIRBY agreed to do this TREASURY EDITION (assuming it wasn't his own idea) because it's generally believed that he didn't really like working on other people's concepts and preferred to do his own thing.  Whatever the case, he did do it, and most readers seem to like it.  What did you think?

   

BABE Of The DAY - RAQUEL WELCH...

Here's ravishing RAQUEL

WELCH doing what she does best:

looking astounding.  I hear she's also

not bad in the acting stakes, but who

the heck cares a jot about that, eh?

(Apart from her, maybe.)