A good starting point for new (or indeed frequent) visitors would be to visit the following page Victor 50th anniversary page. This page provides a timeline of the Victor comic as well as links to other pages on this site, including the Victor and Hornet indexes and series review pages.
Also on this site readers can read interviews with some of the creators who worked on the comics, including the Victor editor, James Halley and Keith Shone, artist; reviews of comic strips, including several episodes of the reviewed strip (eighty-six reviews available to read as of January 2012); Victor and Hornet indexes which are updated regularly; a page about the artists (twenty-nine listed as of January 2011); articles about both comics and much, much more. This site is updated monthly. If you wish to contact me please use the link at the very bottom of this page. Please note all images on this site unless otherwise stated are copyright of D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.
To go to the previous months updates, please scroll on down the page.
SEE BELOW FOR GREAT NEWS ABOUT A NEW VICTOR ANNUAL.
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Smashing news for all boys and girls! Following on from last years Victor Annual, D.C. Thomson have just published (Sept. 2011), a new Victor annual, entitled The Best of The Victor Book For Boys. This year’s annual re-prints some of the best factual, war, sport and adventure strips and text stories that were originally published in the Victor annuals. The editor has chosen stories and factual articles from annuals published originally between 1964 and 1976.
Andy McNab, who wrote the introduction to last year's annual, this time round provides a thoughtful introduction, comparing the moral framework of the Victor stories with the values of Her Majesty's Army.
Some of my favourite annual stories are in this collection such as the text story The Battalion, a Shiwa Sands adventure, a cracking Sniper Dennison episode and The Town Tamers. Please note that you can now read a review of the latter series on this site now. There are also stories featuring the usual suspects, Alf Tupper, Braddock and Morgyn the Mighty.
This handsome, colour (that is single colour highlighting) volume follows the design format of last years annual that is, the strips are printed on matt paper, so you don't have to worry about the light shining on the pages then being reflected into your eyes. The reproduction of the original pages is excellent. Writers and artists details are not listed, but for those wanting to know who the artists are, the information (where known), can be found via the Victor Index.
To find out more about the annuals please follow the link to the Victor Annuals page.
Incidentally, the front cover of the 2011 annual shows the original 1964 annual cover, whilst the image on the back is from the 1970 annual front cover. The back cover of the 1964 annual has not been reproduced, but an image of this can be found on the Victor Annuals page. The link to the page is above.
Overall, well worth the money. So what are you waiting for? To avoid disappointment buy your copy today!
Previous months updates can be found by scrolling further down this page.
Commando war booklets
Do you enjoy a good war story in pictures? Then why not try a Commando war booklet? Now in its 51st year, Commando is a 64 page, black and white picture comic, slightly smaller than A5 in size. Eight issues are published each month (of which four issues are reprints). Four issues are on sale every fortnight and can be found at all major W.H. Smith stores. (But not at all railway station stores). Each issue tells a war story usually from the First or Second World Wars, although adventures from other centuries and wars are also told. Below are two cracking January 2012 Commando booklet covers. Artwork for both covers by Ian Kennedy. Please click on the below image to be taken to the Commando website.
The flags below represent the nationalities of those who worked on The Victor and The Hornet whether they were editorial staff, writers or artists. The comics may have been British as regards the stories that were published and in design and style, but the European and South American artists also gave them an international flavour.
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Peter Sutherland |
March 2012 Update.
Follow the adventures of Lieutenant Peter West and his squad in the wintery stories of the One Pip Wonder.
One-Pip |
February 2012 Update.
An interview with a writer of stories for the Victor, Hornet and other D.C. Thomson publications.
Chris Fitzsimons. |
January 2012 Update.
Laughs galore with Feuding Finnegan and Emmy, his Emu Down Under.
Feuding Finnegan. |
December 2011 Update.
The Christmas Bumper update, features several Victor and Hornet series reviews and a review of Matias Alonso's artwork.
November 2011 Update.
This month, a slightly quirky World War One series featuring The Black Rider. A secret agent who wheels around fast to complete his missions thanks to his souped up, gadget filled motorbike and sidecar.
October 2011 Update.
This month we feature a western strip from The Victor, The Town Tamers. J.T. Edson, the well-known American west writer also wrote scripts for The Victor. This particular series appeared first in comic form and later was re-written as a book with the same name. For further information about Edson's comic strips please follow the link to the J.T. Edson page.
September 2011 Update.
This summer has seen the release of numerous blockbuster superhero films, sadly all of American heroes. Superheroes in British comics are few and far between, as stories tended to be of the war, sport or adventure variety. However, there was a couple of costumed heroes that appeared in The Hornet and this month we review Spring-Heeled Jack, who brings terror and his own justice to Victorian London's criminal underworld.
August 2011 Update.
This month another run for your life themed series from The Hornet. Six of the world's track athletes are kidnapped by a madman and taken to his Death Island. In order to leave the island alive they must beat their kidnapper in a race. Those that don't, run a further race. A race the athletics cannot afford to lose! Read the full story in The Island of Lost Champions
A Victor Hornet page you may have missed - this month the true story of the capture of a German enigma code machine as told on the front and back page story of The Hornet.
July 2011 Update.
For the next few monthes I will be concentrating on Hornet strips. The theme for July and August's strips is of characters running for their lives, in life or death races. Read July's review of the series Run Till You Drop!
A Victor Hornet page you may have missed - this month a look at a Shiwa Sands story written originally as a text story and then re-published later in The Victor as a picture story. How do the text and picture stories compare? What was included/excluded in the picture story version? Read the text/picture comparison article to find out.
June 2011 Update.
This month we step nervously into the boxing ring to find out more about the fictional adventures, based on a real life British 18th century bare-knuckle fighter Daniel Mendoza.
The Red Dagger page has been updated with details about a published Braddock compilation story in Spanish.
A Victor Hornet page you may have missed - this month a short article about some of the frequent adverts that appeared in the Victor and Hornet comics.
May 2011 Update.
War action and humour with World War Two's Private Ticker Turner the British Army's chief wangler.
Another year gone (all too soon),and suddenly we are saying hello to 2012. Thank you for taking the time to browse my website. I hope there is something to interest everyone.
Those of you who have not visited my website before, will find here a website devoted to two British boys comics (published by D.C. Thomson), The Victor and the Hornet.
Here you will find:-
I did state last year that the central theme on this site during 2011 would be the story of the siege of Malta during the Second World War as related in stories and articles from the Victor and Hornet comics. Sadly, I have failed miserably in this. But I will try and add this page to this site during 2012.
With the Olympics due to take place in the UK this summer, I'm hoping to provide a series review(s) and factual page(s) with an Olympic theme. The former won't be easy, as there weren't that many Olympic themed strips. But I'll see what I can find. Other ideas I've got planned for this site during 2012, will I think, remain a secret until I've published the pages. That way I won't be letting myself or readers of this site down!
I'm also hoping to continue the updating of one and/or both indexes during the year. Many people are interested in the military medal winners stories that appeared on the Victor front and back covers, so I shall make an effort to add more names as and when I can.
I'm also aware that I need to do more guiding so to make it easier for viewers to explore this website. The site is a bit Heath Robinson in construction. I'll see what I can do.
Did you work on either comic? I'm interested in talking to anyone who worked on either the Victor or the Hornet, whether you were a writer or artist or part of the editorial team. The information (with your approval), would be added to this site. You can contact me via the e-mail address at the bottom of this page.
It is now possible to access the Victor and Hornet indexes and the Victor Annual and Summer Special pages via the Victor and Hornet Review pages. Please click on the buttons on the left further down the page.
This appreciation site of The Victor and The Hornet comics has mainly concentrated on the non-recurring characters and stand alone one off series. No doubt most people are interested in the recurring characters such as Braddock, Chell Puddock and so on. I will then, over the coming months begin posting pages devoted to the majority of these characters. These will be ‘work in progress’ pages. They will provide a brief introduction to the character and hopefully an example of a week’s episode. The pages will be updated as and when I complete the reviews of the various characters. These pages will also I hope be of interest to new and overseas viewers who can enjoy some of British comics greatest characters.
Characters featured from The Victor will include:- Braddock; Chell Puddock, Hammer Man; Cadman; Morgyn the Mighty; Gorgeous Gus; 'Killer' Kennedy and Bill Doyle and others.
From The Hornet:- William Wilson; V for Vengeance; The Big Palooka and others.
If you would like to see an image of any of these characters, (until I post the various characters review pages), please visit the following pages on this site Identify the Artist and The Victor Silver Jubilee pages for images of some of the characters.
Please note that I have moved The Victor and The Hornet story reviews to their own pages. Click on the Victor and Hornet front cover buttons in the left hand column further down this page, to be taken to their new homes. New story reviews will now be posted there.
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Reviews of Victor and Hornet strips, interviews, articles and Identify the Artist pages can be found below.
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This website is an introduction to The Victor and The Hornet comics published in Great Britain for boys (and any girls who were interested) by D.C. Thomson. All images on this site are copyright of D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd. For further information regarding D.C. Thomson's please visit their website at D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd As this site grows viewers will be able to read a brief history of both comics, working biographies and interviews of some of the artists, writers and editorial staff. James Halley editor of The Victor, an editorial assistant for The Hornet, Bill Graham and artist Keith Shone have been interviewed so far. Please click on the radio microphone link button in the left hand column. I have begun compiling a Victor index and a Hornet index (click on the appropriate 'index button' to the left), which will eventually list all of the stories, characters, artists and so on that have appeared in the weekly comic, annuals and summer specials. The index will be compiled in an A to Z arrangement of characters, writers, artists and story subject headings. For example, World War Two stories. If anyone wants to know when a certain strip started or when a particular character appeared in the The Victor or The Hornet and it is not listed in either index, please contact me (via the e-mail address below) and I will do my best to help. For those wishing to learn more about various strips, reviews will be provided. This will serve as an introduction for those who have never encountered the characters before and for those who wish to re-acquaint themselves with the various strips. One complete episode from the pages of The Victor or The Hornet is also provided with each review for your enjoyment. To access these reviews please click on the links running down the left hand side of this page. Conservation of comics is something that affects all comic collectors. A small section devoted to this subject will explain why comics become brittle and tips on how to conserve your precious comics. Finally, your help is required. Much information about British comics in general has been lost or not saved for future generations. In this part of the website you will find examples of artists work which I have not so far been able to identify. Artists who's work has been identified can also be found here, along with any other information about them. Any information about the writers of the various strips is also required. If anyone can help please contact me via my e-mail address. Please enjoy your time browsing this website. What is meant by the term comic book? The Encyclopedia of Ephemera edited by Maurice Richards says, 'The term 'comic' refers normally to a printed publication in which a narrative is presented as a connected sequence of pictures, usually drawings. In modern times secondary characteristics are the succession of sequences in instalments, featuring the same basic 'cast'. The term is used loosely to refer to the individual strip-series appearing as a regular feature in a publication to the magazine or newspaper supplement devoted largely to such strips and to the comic book.' Comics and Sequential Art Will Eisner is regarded as one of the great masters of comic book art and one of the earliest comic book creators. Eisner started working as a cartoonist in the 1930's. His most famous cartoon strip is the The Spirit, which was syndicated in newspapers world-wide for a dozen years. His theories of comics and sequential art were incorporated in his scripting and drawing of The Spirit strip. Many of his ideas were formed whilst working under great pressure in the production of a seven page weekly comic! Eisner then worked in producing a monthly technical manual using the comics medium for the United States Army for over two decades. In 1978 Eisner wrote and drew the pioneering graphic novel A Contract with God and since then several other graphic novels. Eisner died in 2005. Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art definies the term as, 'When one examines a comic book feature as a whole, the deployment of its unique elements takes on the characteristic of a language. Comics communicate in a 'language' that relies on a visual experience common to both creator and audience. The format of the comic book presents a montage of both word and image, and the reader is thus required to exercise both visual and verbal interpretive skills. In its most economical state, comics employ a series of repetitive images and recognizable symbols. When these are used again and again to convey similar ideas, they become a language - a literary form, if you will. And it is this disciplined application that creates the 'grammar' of Sequential Art.' Source - EISNER, Will Comics and Sequential Art.- Florida: America, Poorhouse Press, 1985.- ill b+w.- 158p.- Pbk ISBN 0-9614728-0-2.- |
Please note the history of the Victor and Hornet comics has been moved to the Articles page.
