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Gil Page the then Managing Editor at Fleetway had been with the company (when it was Amalgamated Press) since leaving school and he always spoke about how “We have all o0f these great characters but never use them!” which to me was a sign reading “Go for it!” I told him that I had an idea and told me to “hang on a m inute” as he went out of the office to return with a middle aged, well suited man (who I was told later was “on the board”).
The five minutes Gil had been gone gave me time to jumble together a story featuring a basic cast (my mind was drawing blanks). “Go ahead. What’;s the idea?” And so I sat there with both men watching me as I had to outline the whole idea pointing out how other characters could be pulled in. As I concluded I was waiting for the “No, I don’t think so” but instead the middle aged man nodded to Gil and said “You know Dennis at IPC see what he says”
It seems that “Dennis” had simply replied “Do what you want we have no interest in juvenile features” (bloody cheek). I was told this on my next visit to Fleetway’s office by which time I had sketched out some pages and a rough script. I was told that the strip would need to be black and white as full colour was too expensive and that there were “restrictions”.
An artist was the main problem.
At first Gil suggested Vanyo and showed me some of his art pages and although I was familiar with “his” work Gil pointed out that Vanyo was in fact the professional name of two comics artist brothers -Vicente Vaño Ibarra (1947–2006) and Eduardo Vaño Ibarra (b. 1944). I had not known that but two artists meant the strip was at least guaranteed to get drawn.
That was what I thought until I next talked to Gil who told me that he could not go into detail but “Vanyo” was out of the running.
Alberto Giolitti was another suggested by Gil from his address packed book (which helped me contact a number of old timers for interviews). I told him that I was unfamiliar with the name but he insisted that I had seen a lot of his work and even talked to him about it. Giolitti was better known by the name "Heinzl" and was a prolific comics illustrator who worked extensively for IPC in the 1980s.
Old familiar story by that time was that Heinzl had taken on another project but for some reason (not divulged) I was told that he was unhappy with Fleetway.
Mike Western retired and had no interest what-so-ever in returning to comics and in a phone chat he told me that he had done his work and was now retired.
John Cooper was interested after hge discovered it was not for an American publisher. However, he later withdrew after eye sight problems.
At one point Gil Page told me that he had found one of "the old lads" who would be pewrfect and he was willing to give it a go.
Art Wetherell was interested and that would have been great to work with him again.
Not long after that Gil told me that Egmont had bought the company and any planned new work was to be halted immediately -they did the same thing when they purchased Bastei in Germany whioch stopped D Gruppe being published.
For the “Old Boy” I had roughly drawn all 111 pages ass he was not familiar with many characters and he said that the layouts etc made it easier to start work. IPC approved the project even though they made it very clear, via their chairperson, that “IPC has not been involved in children’s comics in over 30 years” so after 5 years of pushing the idea and getting it off the ground….it all fell apart.
Remember that these were the "roughs" and are presented here in no particular order.
All art (c)2025 T Hooper
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