Autonomous comics are no longer a brand original phenomenon. There had been a complete lot of very little companies round decades prior to now producing comics in the UK, namely in the put up-battle years. One company that used to be round in the 1960s used to be John Spencer and Co. of Brackenbury Avenue, London W6.
As a long way as I will verify, they printed six titles. Four were tender apprehension anthologies Macabre, Fantasy, Uncommon, and Spectre. Two were superheroes; The Purple Hood and The Adventures of Label Tyme.
Thing is, they weren’t very merely.
As Steve Holland explained in his well researched Endure Alley blog put up lend a hand in 2007, it appears that just among the “apprehension” stories were redrawn and rewritten tales from American comics, and accomplished very badly. And yet, there’s a sure fascination in them. The phrase “so detestable they’re merely” involves mind, though some are factual detestable.
I private a handful of these comics. I doubt if any of them exceeded 5 or six points. Purple Hood and Label Tyme indubitably only ran to 2 points every, printed in 1967. Right here’s a gallery of covers and snippets for your weekend entertainment…
Right here’s presupposed to be a hideous merman creature, but as a replacement appears as if a few of the Bee Gees fiddling with a toy boat in his bath…
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| “What has became your brain, lad?” Reading this amusing presumably? |
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| “Indescribable apprehension” |
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| “The Crusade that used to be completely different” |
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| Cannilbalistic enjoyable for all ages. |
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| A fine merely veil… but appears acquainted. |
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| The quietest taking a compare sound effects you need to possibly well presumably presumably also private viewed. |
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| What a elated taking a compare monster. |
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| “I shall web up in a minute”. |
Now for my share I conception the later points improved with the addition of Michael Jay drawing all the pieces. He wasn’t a gargantuan artist, (Steve Holland calls him “disagreeable”), but there’s a tough vitality to his brushwork that I love. He drew all of the 2 issues with Label Tyme and The Purple Hood, so pondering they were doubtlessly drawn in a flee to a loopy time limit I deem he did a decent job.
Below is the sole mission of a John Spencer amusing I had lend a hand in the day. Purple Hood No.2. Even if printed in 1967 I sold it as original from a store in Blackpool in 1969. I regarded forward to mission 3, which never regarded clearly. The John Spencer comics were stupid by the purpose I figured out about them.
The John Spencer comics could possibly well also had been conception about costly on the time as a consequence of that they had the identical format and stamp because the Alan Class reprints, but with a long way much less pages. I’m sure distribution wasn’t too gargantuan either, or I would private viewed extra of them in the sixties. It used to be decades later when I sold these kinds of right here on eBay. Who owns the rights now? Anybody know?
They’re uncommon oddities, but they all add to the appeal and depth of the history of British comics, and we shouldn’t private it any unsuitable method.
Make certain to are attempting Steve Holland’s item on John Spencer comics, and bookmark Endure Alley for additional data on comics and pulps and extra. It be a gargantuan blog!
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