Sniper Dennison - a strip from The Victor

A work in progress page.

© D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.

Above, Sniper Dennison as drawn by three different artists, viewing the artwork clockwise, Leo Rawlings, Anthony Coleman and a Spanish artist possibly known as Diaz. (Although this needs to be confirmed). Coleman only drew one Sniper Dennison story and that was for the 1966 Victor Annual story. The images viewing clockwise are from the 1965 Victor Annual, the 1966 Victor Annual and the Victor issue 376.

See the Victor annuals and weekly comics -

  • 1965 (artist Leo Rawlings); 1966 (artist Coleman); S1968, col. (first page only, story set in Crete late 1941; artist not known); 1970 (artist Diaz, Middle East).
  • 125 - 134 (first series; artist Leo Rawlings)
  • 376 - 392 (second series title - Bullets of Sniper Dennison, The; artist Diaz?)

    Writer:- The Victor editorial team. Artists:- Leo Rawlings, Anthony Coleman and a Spanish artist possibly called Diaz.

    Main cast:- Sniper Dennison (his first name isnt't revealed; Colonel Jones, commander of British Force X.

    Time period:- Second World War.

    The first series of Sniper Dennison tells of his missions from late 1944 after D-Day, the invasion of Nazi occupied Europe to the end of the war in Europe in 1945. As a member of British Force X, Dennison is sent out on special missions sometimes on his own and sometimes with fellow soldiers or allied personnel. Sometimes his colleague came back from the mission and sometimes they didn't. In the first series Dennison wears an American infantyman's helmet for comfort and a parachutist's smock for camouflage. The first series ends with Dennison surviving the war, although only just.

    A second series brought Dennison back, but this time readers learned about his adventures earlier in the Second World War. We follow him as with other British troops he fights a rearguard action against the Germans in Greece and then follow his adventures in Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia), against the Italians and some hostile local natives. For this series Dennison is dressed in a traditional British Army Infantryman's uniform.

    I enjoyed this series and for me it worked best when Dennison only has to take one shot per episode. And some of the shots he has to take aren't easy ones either. Some of the stories don't work for me. An example of this, is a story in the 1966 Victor annual, where Dennison is used as an ordinary soldier that is, shooting German soldiers left, right and center. This wasn't making use of his marksman ability.

    All three of the artists who drew the various episodes of Dennison bring their own unique style to the character.

    The following adventures of Sniper Dennison are from issues 125, 131, 133 and 134.

    Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd

    Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd

    Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd

    Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd Artist Leo Rawlings. © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd

    © Adrian Banfield, 2010.