Gorilla Daze

allanharvey @ 2007-01-04T09:19:00

2007-01-04T09:22:25Z

Happy New Year -- have a WONDER-ful 2007!

The comics-themed fun and frolicks continue over at GORILLA DAZE

Moved

2006-08-28T11:28:37Z

It occurs to me that I never mentioned on here that I've moved the blog to my own site.

Gorilla Daze

allanharvey @ 2006-06-28T10:13:00

2006-06-28T10:03:21Z

The Captain is in...

The second issue of Captain Britain kicks off with another Larry Lieber cover. Purchasers were treated to a free gift of a Captain Britan Boomerang, which, if memory serves, was merely two strips of thin card that were joined to create a contraption which could be hurled at your school chums. Surprisingly, it did actually used to return to the thrower!

Claremont, Trimpe and Kida continue to outline the origin of Captain Britain in the comic's eight-page lead story. "From the Holocaust -- A Hero!" (you have to love those Lee-inspired titles) picks up right where the last issue left off. Brian Braddock is being admonished to choose between an amulet and a sword by ghostly figures. Suddenly the Reaver andhis men show up and Braddock quickly makes his decision. He grabs the amulet. From the depths of space a bolt of "purest energy" homes in, blasting Braddock. He stands transformed. Captain Britain has arrived!

"This is insane!!" says Britain, looking down at himself. "I feel... bigger, faster, stronger -- literally burstng with power."

Suddenly, the Reaver picks up the sword and is himself transformed into a golden armour-clad knight. Not too taken aback by this he orders his men to "smash the hero down!"

They attack Cap en masse, but he beats them back. He pulls out a staff that he finds attached to his back and it quickly extends (no sniggering at the back there!) into a formidable weapon that he is able to throw or use as a pole vault. He fends off a blast from the Reaver's sword, but the Reaver is unphased.

Cap realises that the Reaver's power and his own are exact opposites, balancing each other out in the cosmic scheme of things. When the Reaver attacks again with another blast from his sword, Cap blocks it with his staff. The energy rebounds back at the Reaver defeating him.

Captain Britain agrees to become the the champion of good against the forces of evil.

Issue 3

"Mayhem on a Monday Morning!" finds Brian Braddock at a bank. He stands helpless as the bank is attacked by a gang of uniform-clad robbers using super-weapons. All in the bank are quickly held hostage, and Braddock is knocked unconscious. The lead robber asks the bank manager to show him to the main vault, however the police arrive outside: someone has tripped an alarm.

As the robbers tackle the police, Braddock revives and rubs his amulet. He is transformed into Captain Britan. Cap attacks the robbers from behind while they concentrate their firepower on the police outside. Luckily, and somewhat unlikely, these police happen to be armed (remember folks, police in Britain are unarmed) and fight back, though none too successfully. Cap continues his rout of the robbers causing mayhem inside the bank. He soon overpowers them all.

Outside, Chief Inspector Dai Thomas has arrived and, seeing the action inside, thinks a police unit is at work. He is upset to find Cap alone, telling him that he is, "One cop who dislikes super-vigilantes as much as he dislikes super-villains."

Cap is interrogated off-panel -- which is a shame cos that would've been an interesting scene! The police finally let him go, and after changing back to Brian Braddock, Cap heads for the pub. He meets up with several of his university pals, all of whom seem to have an odd habit of calling each other by their full names: "Jacko Tanner, you make one more crack about Brian and I'm going to forget I'm a lady." "You shut up Sandy York-- "

It seems that Brian has the hots for blonde bombshell Courtney Ross, but is too meek to accept her proposal of a trip to the cinema. Jacko Tanner makes fun of Braddock's wimpish tendencies.

In a final subplot we get our first glimpse of super-villain the Hurricane who will menace our hero over the next several issues...

So that was how it all began. The idea of all-new material aimed at a British audience was a good one, but perhaps ahead of its time. The comic did well initially, but sales figures soon began to decline -- probably once readers came to realise that they were getting rather inferior fare that was no match for the American product. Over time there were changes of personnel on the strip, and, for a few weeks, installments were pencilled by the legendary John Buscema. He was soon replaced by Pablo Marcos however and the comic fell into terminal decline.

Captain Britain was cancelled with issue 39, dated July 6 1977. For a few months the adventures of Cap continued in the combined Spider-Man and Captain Britain title, but then it was over. After an appearance in Marvel Team-Up, Cap was gone.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

2006-06-11T17:55:56Z

Frighteningly busy at the moment as we gear up for the 100th mailing of APA 247, the APA for fans of the Legion of Super-Heroes who live on the non-American side of the Atlantic. 100 mailings! Wow! Seems like yesterday!

Anyway, I will shortly get back to looking at a few more issues of Captain Britain. In the meantime please take a look at the latest Bleeding Between the Lines strip -- you might thank me for it one day... :

http://www.allanharvey.net/BBTL.htm

allanharvey @ 2006-05-28T15:16:00

2006-05-28T15:07:03Z

The Newest -- and Greatest -- Superhero of All!

Captain Britain #1

Marvel began its British publishing arm in 1972, its product consisting of a variety of weekly comics that reprinted various US strips. In 1976, it was noticed that rival British publisher DC Thompson had recently scored a big sales success with the weekly Warlord comic. The other major British comics publisher IPC/Fleetway responded by starting up Battle weekly. The war theme had always loomed large in British boys' comics. To counter all this, Marvel UK editor Neil Tennant (yes, the same Neil Tennant who later left comics to become a rock star with the Pet Shop Boys) requested that perhaps Marvel might like to generate an original war comic to compete with Warlord and Battle.

Marvel ultimately chose not to pursue the war angle, but decided that the time was right for a little original content in the British Marvel line. The new title would be a superhero title, and to hammer home the point, the lead character was given the name Captain Britain. If Captain America was a solid representative of his country, perhaps Captain Britain could perfom a similar function for his.

Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe were chosen to be the creators of the new comic, seemingly just because Claremont was born here and Trimpe had holidayed here for a while. They were perhaps not overly keen on their new assignment, and the strip suffers for it. The work was carried out in the US, with the final pasted up pages and/or the negatives for the printing plates shipped over to the UK for printing.

Issue one is dated October 13, 1976, and features an action-packed cover by Larry Lieber doing his best Jack Kirby impression.

The lead strip runs seven pages and is in colour, which was unique for UK Marvel comics at that time. The tale opens with Captain Britain in the middle of a fight scene. Even the good Captain seems confused as to what the heck is going on! His thought ballons are filled with the best Claremont purple prose, letting us know that Cap has no idea who he is, or what he's doing fighting a gold armour-clad bad guy. He decides - in the middle of a fight remember! - to cast his mind back to how he got here.

Cue flashback: Darkmoor Nuclear Research Centre (the spellings are reassuringly British) is abuzz with activity. Young, pipe-smoking (!) science assistant Brian Braddock, assists Dr Travis. Outside we see a flying craft descend. Suddenly, the walls explode as the place is attacked by a horde of armour-clad gunmen, led by a be-suited midget who pilots a huge robotic vehicle. His name, as he helpfully shouts to the world, is Joshua Stragg - the Reaver! His plan is to gas and kidnap all the scientists and then have them work exclusively for him! No job centre advertisements for Joshua Stragg, clearly!

In the confusion, Dr Travis is shot, and Braddock escapes. He jumps onto a motor cycle and roars away, only to be startled by the lights from a passing "hovercraft"! He loses control of his bike and careens off a cliff, the bike bursts into flames.

Somehow, Braddock survives and hears some mystical dialogue in his mind. Looking up, he sees a vision of a bearded figure with long white hair hanging in the sky. He's told that he is in an ancient circle of power, and, indeed, Trimpe draws a few standing stones -- nothing that'll give Stonehenge a run for its money though. He's also told that he's here to be judged. A sword appears buried in one of the stones, while around another hangs an amulet. The beardy guy tells Braddock that he must make a choice; a choice that could mean life or death for both himself and the world..!

Continued next week!

Trimpe's art, while solid enough in its storytelling, is not very strong, probably due to the rush the weekly schedule put the creative team under. Fred Kida's inks also don't help. Claremont is merely coasting: young hero? Check. Secret base? Check. Ugly bad guy? Check. One interesting point: when he awakes, Braddock is welcomed to "the Siege Perilous". Not a big deal at the time, but that title would become important a decade later in Claremont's X-Men work.

Following the strip, there's s one-page letter from Stan Lee in which he claims all of Britain has been waiting for Captain Britain. If only that were true...

The back up strips take the form of Lee and Buscema Fantastic Four reprints, and some early Steranko Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD material.

British comics usually give away a free gift with the early issues, and Captain Britain was no exception. A Captain Britain half-mask made of genuine cardboard, meant that kids up and down the land were able to act out the startling adventures of their very own superhero. Ah, heady days.

allanharvey @ 2006-05-13T12:23:00

2006-05-13T11:29:09Z

Colouring

Lately I've been giving computer colouring a try. Photoshop 6 is my software of choice, though I think I'll save up for CS at some point soon. I'm also using a tablet to apply the colour which is a bit tricky to get used to at first. Here are a few recent attempts, both from the Shadow Legion project for APA 247.

allanharvey @ 2006-05-12T16:41:00

2006-05-12T15:43:17Z

More Bleeding

Another Bleeding Between the Lines strip is now available.

http://www.allanharvey.net/BBTL.htm

allanharvey @ 2006-05-08T14:23:00

2006-05-08T14:06:15Z

That Gorilla Saved My Life!

Congorilla

Congo Bill was a standard jungle adventure hero running as a backup feature in Action Comics in the late 1950s. In Action #248, someone decided to have a little fun with the character and it was all change.

One of Congo Bill's best friends, Kawolo, has fallen from a clifftop. Bill climbs down to aid him, but his injuries are too severe and he soon dies. Not, however, before rewarding Bill with a magic ring. Apprently, if Bill rubs his ring (steady at the back there!), his mind will be transferred into the body of a great golden gorilla, and the gorilla's mind into his own body. Naturally Bill is a little sceptical.

Well, would you be?

A week later, Bill is exploring a cave system when he gets trapped in a rock slide. Clearly sharp as a tack, Bill suddenly remembers the ring he still has on his finger. He surmises that if it did all that Kawolo said it would, then he can transfer his mind into the gorilla and then come along and free himself. He rubs his ring (okay, okay...) and lo and behold finds himself on the inside of a monkey skull looking out! What's more, back in the cave, Congo Bill is beating his chest wildly! They don't make comics like this any more, let me tell you!

He comes across a movie crew shooting a sci-fi epic. In the jungle. Perhaps it was Return of the Jedi. Moreover, he spots an actress being menaced by a leopard. He brabs a nearby disco ball (don't ask), and scares away the leopard. The crew is so amazed by the actions of this magnificent gorilla that they decide to reward its bravery by trapping it and putting it on exhibition! "Fetch the gas bombs!" cries the director.

"Now I know how a hunted animal feels!" thinks Congo Bill. And you though comics' social awareness only came along with Vertigo...

Bill pretends to pass out from the gas fumes, and then tries to escape his would-be captors. Sadly, he misjudges his new body's weight and falls to the ground when a branch he attempts to swing from snaps. He's quickly caged, but manages to set it rolling right into the path of some flamethrowers that happen to be part of the movie set-dressing. The bars melt and Bill is free!

Next, the movie makers spot the gorilla frantically spinning the propellor of a nearby plane. "he gorill's smart -- but he ain't smart enough to fly a plane!" opines the director's assistant.

Oh yeah?

Performing a perfect take-ff, Bill escapes to the sky. In the next panel, much to the dismay of the film crew, we see the plane falling and the gorilla safely floating to earth on three parachutes.

Bill goes to the cave, quickly moves the rocks and free his Congo Bill body. He rubs the ring once more to exchange minds. The director and party show up, guns in hand. "Say, Congo Bill, did you see a golden gorilla around here? You won't believe it, but that beat is half-human!"

"Anything is possible in the Congo, Mister!" chuckles Bill.

Doran Goes East

2006-04-30T13:53:19Z

As well as doing the full art on JM Staczynski's Book of Lost Souls monthly from Marvel, Colleen Doran is also hard at work producing a "how to" book. Called Girl to Grrrl Manga, the book promises to teach any interested parties how to draw in various manga styles, from first principles through to fully rendered pieces. Here's a sample from Colleen:

I might be biased, but I think it's safe to say that if you only buy one how to draw manga book, make it this one!

Jigsaw, the Man of a Thousand Parts

2006-04-25T09:00:39Z

In the mid-1960s, Harvey Comics, best known for their humourous children's titles such as Richie Rich and Casper, decided to try to cash in on the new fad for super-hero comics that occured in the wake of the Batman tv show.

The first issue of BIG HERO ADVENTURES introduced the world to the frankly bizarre Jigsaw. Clearly even Harvey weren't too sure of this new kid on the block, telling potential buyers right there on the cover, "Don't laugh at the Jigsaw Man! His mechanical parts make him the greatest crimefighter on Earth!"

Like, wow, eh? Better not laugh!

In three chapters we learn the astonishing tale of one Gary Jason, an intrepid astronaut on a routine space mission. He spots a mysterious whirlwind sucking animals and matter towards the moon. Everyone in mission control thinks him mad. Getting too close, Jason is pulled into the vortex and his capsule smashed. His broken body arrives at a hollow crater on the moon, where it is rescued by a robotic alien that looks like a reject from Sesame Street.

The aliens read Jason's mind with their advanced equipment and then mend his broken bones with sticky tape. Obviously, their equipment isn't that advanced... On waking, Jason is none to phased by any of this, though the aliens are surprised that Gary now has the ability to stretch his body out of shape: it has become a patchwork linked by rubber tendons. Some sticky tape!! Somebody market that stuff now!! Naturally, Jason decides to call himself Jigsaw.

Well, who wouldn't?

In chapter two he goes back to Earth, but quickly - and tragically - discovers that you can never go home again. Now Rod Serling might've been able to do something with that, but sadly this is Harvey Comics. His capsule is rescued but his rescusers think he's an alien thanks to his stretching and so attack him. He flees home to his girlfriend Betty, and lets her know he's got something to tell her. Suddenly, a passing circus train crashes and the animals escape. Jigsaw springs into action, soon rounding up the lion and the gorilla. Betty screams in terror. A man who can stretch parts of his body is of no interest to her. Sorry guys, you know it's true.

Just as Jason is moping about his lot in life, the aliens contact him and whisk him away to an alien planet. Another bunch of aliens have been going around wrecking planets willy nilly. Our aliens task Jason with stopping their nefarious plans. To this end they supply him with a hot blonde chick called Zilla. It quickly transpires that Zilla is something of a ho, and she betrays one of her johns to Jigsaw's fist. Jigsaw stretches around a bit and plants a bomb, putting an end to the aliens' plans.

Let's name the guilty parties: created and designed by comcs legend Joe Simon, with art by Tony Tallarico. Earlier in his career, with partner Jack Kirby, Simon had created Captain America, The Newsboy Legion, The Boy Commandos and the concept of romance comics. I'm guessing Jigsaw probably doesn't place very high on his CV...

Marvel All-Colour Comics

2006-04-13T10:13:51Z

I'm going to stick with the good Captain for a little while.

Having read the previous entry, some of you may have been a little confused about the reference to "Marvel All-Colour Comics". Sure enough, the scan I provided shows the cover the Cap #182, but the banner mentioned in the post is nowhere to be seen. That's because I was feeling too lazy that day and merely grabbed a scan from the net, rather scanning my own copy of the comic.

Here is what my copy looks like:

Compare that with the earlier scan and you'll note a few differences. The price is no longer 25c, but 8p (yep, three dollars to the pound back then -- halcyon days!), and the "Marvel Comics Group" banner is replaced by the previously-mentioned "Marvel All-Colour Comics" one. So, what happened?

During the 1960s, various Marvel comic strips were reprinted in the UK in a variety of weekly comics. Titles such as Pow, Smash and Fantastic. Even that venerable organ, Eagle, home of Dan Dare, eventually got in on the act, reprinting some Tales of Asgard in its final days. In 1972, Marvel took the decision to stop licensing its characters to other publishers in the UK and took on the job itself. That year they began publishing The Mighty World of Marvel, a weekly comic that featured reprints of the Hulk, Spider-man and the Fantastic Four. After a few months, the project was successful enough to spawn a spin-off, and Spider-Man was given his own weekly, called, imaginatively enough, Spider-Man Comics Weekly. His back-ups were Thor and Iron Man. And so began the long and fruitful career of Marvel Comics UK, though, in those early days, the comics were produced and packaged in the US, with the UK address merely being an office for traffic control and mail.

Now, once they started the British operation, Marvel restricted the importation of the American comics. This was intended to give the British comics a good start in newsagents as they wouldn't be competing against their American cousins. Suddenly it became difficult to find Marvel comics in this country; for example, I never saw an American Spider-Man or Hulk comic until the early 1980s, I had to make do with the British reprints. However, after a few years, Marvel relaxed their rules a little and a small range of comics were allowed into the country. That was the time when I saw Captain America #182.

The British reprints were publshed weekly and featured a glossy colour cover, with black and white interior art (initially the interiors were two-tone: green for Hulk and red for Spider-Man). They were also larger in size than their American counterparts, being roughly 11"x8". They ran 36 pages, and in order to pack in all the strips, the original comics were serialised, so a single issue of the US Spider-Man comic would be run over, say, three issues of Spider-Man Comics Weekly. Clearly that caused a shortage of cover images, and so a variety of artist passing through the bullpen at Marvel US were pressed into service providing new cover images for the British weeklies. Stan Lee's brother, Larry Lieber, did the lion's share, but there are covers by the likes of John Romita, John Buscema, Carmine Infantino and, yes, even Jack Kirby. New splash pages also had to be provided for each weekly installment.

Once Marvel allowed the American comics to be distributed again, they needed to differentiate them in some way from the British comics. I'd imagine they still didn't want the American material to compete with the British reprints, and so they tried to ensure that potential buyers were getting something different for their money. Yes, you could read the adventures of Captain America in Titans Weekly, but if you forked over your 8p for this you get ALL-COLOUR stories, as opposed to the black and white weeklies. Why, they're as alike as chalk and cheese -- why not buy both?

The American comics market has long turned its nose up at these British-ized versions. The belief persists that these comics are reprints, or second editions, and are considered of little value. There is no truth in this. These comics were printed at exactly the same time as the American copies. All that happened was that, at a certain point in the cover printing process, a switch was flicked and the black plate changed to reflect the British price and banner. It's even been claimed that the British versions were actually printed first, while the presses were run up to speed. Really, there is no difference whatsoever other than the cover price and banner; the interiors are exactly the same.

Marvel All-Colour Comics. After the austerity of the black and white, chopped up strips, these were a revelation to my young eyes.

You never forget your first time...

2006-04-10T09:49:13Z

I grew up in the wilds of South Wales and when I was very small I was regularly bought comics by my parents. I can't recall what the very first comic I ever had was - I'd imagine it was some home-grown nursery-type publication - but I certainly remember my first ever American comic.

I was around seven years old and out shopping with my mum when we popped into a newsagent. I was looking at the comics shelf, probably eyeing up the latest issue of Beano, Dandy or Lion, when, on the shelf above, I suddenly spotted a pile of comics the like of which I'd never seen before. They were really bright and colourful and looked action-packed, with a banner across the top proudly proclaiming, "Marvel All-Colour Comics". Top of the pile was something called Captain America. I was enthralled and asked my mum if she'd buy it for me.

She refused. At 8p it was far too expensive. At that time a copy of Dandy was 2p, or thereabouts.

I'm not sure if it was the same day, or a week or two later, but while out shopping I began to feel very unwell. The next thing I knew I was waking up to find myself lying on the pavement - no, Rich Johnston was nowhere to be seen! - an ambulance was called and I was rushed into hospital. No one was sure if I'd had a stroke or an epileptic fit or whatever, so I found myself facing a week's stay in hospital while they conducted various tests and brain experiments. Not a great prospect at any age, but especially daunting to find yourself all alone in a strange place at the age of seven.

Later that evening, when my mum came to visit me, she'd brought along a nice surprise: the very same comic that I'd been eyeing up in the newsagent previously. It was Captain America #182. I devoured that comic, savoured every panel and every line. I was slightly disappointed to discover when I got to the end that it was "to be continued", but even that didn't dim my passion for this new type of comic.

I was hooked.

On Spanish Soil

2006-04-08T16:56:04Z

Colleen Doran is one of the finest artists working on comics today. Her never-ending quest to rule the world continues with the news of a Spanish edition of A Distant Soil. Here's a look at the cover:

More Bleeding...

2006-04-05T09:35:27Z

The latest Bleeding Between the Lines strip is available for your reading pleasure:

www.allanharvey.net/BBTL.htm

With my new found spare time of a morning, I'm making swift progress with these strips so there's a good chance that I'll be able to increase the frequency to weekly. First off, though, I want to get a few in hand so as to avoid the kind of delays that occurred this time, so the next installment will be posted in a couple of weeks.

allanharvey @ 2006-03-30T10:01:00

2006-03-30T09:16:16Z

As mentioned earlier, I recently finished up drawing a seven page comic strip for Factor Fiction Press. The resulting magazine, Violent! #9 is now available via their website:

www.factorfictionpress.co.uk/shop.html

or orders from the USA can be placed here:

www.factorfictionpress.co.uk/shopusa.html

I should mention that Violent! #8 features the first part of the MageWorks story, also drawn by me and written by Jay Eales.

Can I also recommend any issue of The Girly Comic -- don't be fooled by the title, this is a comic aimed at a female readership and features some of the best small press creators around. Great stuff!

Variety is the spice of life

2006-03-26T23:14:09Z

These days there seems to be little difference in the type of comics produced by Marvel and DC. With artists and writers constantly moving back and forth between the companies, that's probably not surprising. It wasn't always thus. Back in the 1960s comic fans had a very real choice. Let's take a look at one of the most startling examples of this profound difference of approach…

It's May 1966. At Marvel, the Fantastic Four are embroiled in the finale of one of their greatest, and most oft-reprinted, adventures. In Fantastic Four #50, our heroes face off against the might of the planet-devouring Galactus! Trapped within the Invisible Girl's force field, Mr Fantastic, the Thing and Invisible Girl herself can only watch helplessly as the Silver Surfer, one time herald to Galactus, fights valiantly with his former boss. Meanwhile, across the cosmos, the fourth member of the team, the Human Torch, is on a secret mission to find "the Ultimate Nullifier", the only device in the galaxy that can bring Galactus to his knees.

Arriving back home, the Torch is a quivering wreck, his senses almost shattered by the senses-shattering sights he has witnessed on his pan-dimensional quest. Taking up the Ultimate Nullifier, Mr Fantastic points it at Galactus and the god-like being stops in his tracks, fear of the device rocking him to his very core. Rather than see the galaxy possibly destroyed by the Nullifier, he agrees to leave Earth in peace. Before he leaves, however, Galactus removes the Silver Surfer's space-time powers, effectively stranding him on Earth forever. And that one moment of petulance gave birth to twenty years of angst-ridden tales of the Surfer's endless attempts to leave the planet he grows to hate.

Stirring stuff. It was big, it was bold, and it was a classic. Comics had never seen its like before, and in many ways it became a template for the star-spanning epics that later became standard fare.

Meanwhile, over at DC:

Superboy #131.

Krypto joins... the Space Canine Patrol Agents.

I kid you not.

Upset that his master, Superboy, has gone off to have fun with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Krypto thows a strop and goes for a romp in space. He soon comes across being that looks like a cross between a dog and a balloon. We discover that this is Mammoth Mutt, a member of the SCPA: the Space Canine Patrol Agents. Sadly, Mammoth Mutt soon breathes his last, punctured by a missile. Determined to avenge the Mutt's death, Krypto dons his SCPA collar and heads for a nearby planet.

It turns out that this is a planet where dogs rule. Spying a gang of dirty dog crooks in pursuit of their nefarious deeds, Krypto puts on a spare pair of Clark Kent's glasses, and leaps into action as secret agent "Air Daile"! Unfortunately, the crooks' pet "doggysaur" attacks and Krypto is soon flat on his back, helpless.

Thrown in jail, Krypto finds himself cell mates with the rest of the SCPA: Tail Terrier, who can stretch his tail, Tusky Husky, who has one long tooth, Chameleon Collie, who can morph into different things, Hot Dog, who can heat up like a furnace, Bull Dog, who has the head of a bull (!), and, finally, Paw Pootch, who can mimic a centipede (should such a thing be necessary...). They offer a frankly astonished Krypto a stick of gum to eat.

"Gosh! You fellows are as sensational as the Legion of Super-Heroes!" exclaims Krypto - and who could disagree?

Quickly discovering that he has lost his super powers, Krypto suggests that Tail Terrier wraps his tail around Tusky Husky. Having done that the remainder of the SCPA then yank Tail Terrier's tail and Tusky becomes like unto a canine drill, whirling around, his long tooth boring through the floor and into an underground drainpipe! Racing away from their prison, the SCPA fall foul of the dog crooks' dastardly trap: a pile of bones that no dog can resist! Alarmingly, it seems the bones are filled with explosives, which our ravenous heroes are oblivious to!!

Luckily, Krypto and Chameleon Collie have fallen behind the others and Krypto spots what's happening. He orders Cham to transform himself into a dinosaur. Suddenly, the SCPA members are distracted by an even more appetising sight than the explosive bone pile: a walking dinosaur skeleton! "We can eat for a week, let’s go!" cries Hot Dog.

It turns out, though, that the dinosaur skeleton is merely the result of Krypto bringing his x-ray vision to bear on the transformed Chameleon Collie, and the SCPA quickly forget their hunger and come to their senses. Phew! They go into action against the dog crooks, expertly displaying their powers in the process. One of the crooks knocks the chewing gum out of Krypto's mouth, and Krypto notices that it was laced with traces of Kryptonite - thereby explaining his earlier power loss.

The fleeing dog crooks escape to the nearby Fido Fortress where they pull out the heavy weaponry and threaten the SCPA with ray gun death if they approach. Krypto will have none of that and agrees to tow the fortress to another planet where the dog criminals will be free of the SCPA do-gooders.

As good as his word, the super pooch drags the entire fortress through space to a nearby planet where he bids the celebrating crooks farewell. Their celebrations soon come to an end however when they discover that the planet is run by cats! And not only that, but these super cats have their own SCPA: the Space Cat Patrol Agents! Atomic Tom, Power Puss and Crab Tabby soon make short work of the gang, and Krypto flies for home.

So, there you go: back in mid-1966 comic fans had real variety in their comics reading.

"But," I hear you cry, "Al, surely the SCPA were an aberration, a one-off, a moment of madness never to be repeated..?"

Oh yeah..?

Oops

2006-03-26T15:28:35Z

Okay, okay, I failed. I promised more Bleeding Between the Lines, but time has proven elusive over the last few weeks!

However, from next month I will be starting a new contract at work, which will mean fewer hours (and less pay - grrrr!). Consequently, I will find myself with a couple of spare hours each morning - plenty of time to get cracking on more strips, more writing projects, and, probably most importantly, plenty of time to look for a new job! Trust me, if you ever fancied a career in the photographic industry, forget it. It's dead. Digital is now king.

Last time, I mentioned that I'd completed a strip for the nice people at Factor Fiction Press and that work is now available within the pages of Violent! #9 It's seven pages of mayhem, and represents the first proper fight scene I've ever drawn. Here's a sample:

Anyway, hopefully I should soon get back into the swing of things with the Bleeding strip, and in the meantime this blog will play host to my wittering on about those wacky comics of old. Back then, if you weren't a Nazi, a dinosaur, a kid in danger, or, yes, a gorilla, then you could forget it!

Back in the Game...

2006-03-06T09:48:50Z

There have been no updates of Bleeding Between the Lines recently as I've been busy drawing a 7-page comic strip for Factor Fiction Press (http://www.factorfictionpress.co.uk/). As that strip is now complete I intend to get back to producing the Bleeding strip as soon as possible, probably within the next few days - so watch this space.

http://www.allanharvey.net/Bleeding3.htm

New Strip

2006-02-06T14:17:10Z

The next episode of Bleeding Between the Lines has now been posted.

http://www.allanharvey.net/Bleeding3.htm

Coming Soon...

2006-02-03T09:52:39Z

The next Bleeding Between the Lines strip should be posted some time this weekend - probably on Sunday.

Bleeding Between the Lines

2006-01-24T10:20:16Z

A-a-and here we go with my first ever blog entry. Let's see how I get on...

My latest Bleeding Between the Lines web strip is now available for viewing here:

http://www.allanharvey.net/Bleeding3.htm

I intend to update the strip regularly: certainly every two weeks -- more frequently if I can manage it.

The strips done so far are all humorous and I'll probably continue in that vein, but may from time to time do something a little more serious if the subject warrants it. Generally the strip will be a mixture of comment, interviews (with characters both real and fictional), and reviews mostly based around the comics and movies that I like.