KOBRA!

Thanks to Santiago [who runs the Tales From The Kryptonian blog],I have finally gotten hold of copies of the German language version of Vulcan which was retitled to Kobra.
The first thing that hit me was that they are of the same size and quality as the IPC Vulcans.  This is no coincidence since the title was edited by Martspress based in Croydon. Martspress edited and packaged the books for Kauka Verlag -whom I’ve mentioned before as publishers of Fix Und Foxi,Lupo etc.
Martspress was set up by  Leonard Matthews and Val Holding. Matthews used to be one of the directors at IPC Magazines and he was said to be quite a tough character. Martspress itself was a very small outfit.  That said,Matthews had,as a former IPC director,access to a lot of artists contact details and on packaging many comics,such as TV21 and Joe 90,artists unconnected with any of the interior art were usually drafted in.
Here we come to the,uh,”dodgey” aspect. There was talk,when I visited Fleetway on one occasion and the topic of Vulcan cropped up,that there was some “bad feeling” over Matthews and some of the books he packaged –including foreign editions.  “A nod,a wink and a monetary handshake” was said to have solicited Matthews a lot of material from which his former employer didn’t get much –if any- financial comeback.  A lot of catty chatting went on so how true this was I’ve no idea though there are certain 1980s examples now well documented that proves this did go on.
Matthews was also not a very liked man it seems.  I’d like to quote the obituary for Matthews written byb George Beal for The Independent [Friday, 5 December 1997]:
“Halfway through 1962, a weekly news magazine in London appeared with its front page fully devoted to a cartoon. It showed the figure of a man in Napoleonic garb flagged “Napoleon of the Comics”. This was Leonard Matthews, the newly created director of Fleetway Publications. A long- standing member of the staff, Matthews had become director in overall editorial command of such weeklies as, Buster, Film Fun, Girls’ Crystal, Jack and Jill, Lion, Look and Learn, Playhour, Princess, Tiger and Valiant.
Previously he had worked for an Italian firm which made carpets, and later joined the London department store Whiteley’s, where he ran the Whiteley’s Dance Band.
The Amalgamated Press had advertised for an editorial assistant, and Matthews, who had a talent for drawing, submitted some of his material. He was fortunate enough to secure an interview with Monty Haydon, a director of the company, who, impressed with his ability, took him on.
The Second World War took him into the RAF, but he also worked for the RAF at the Air Ministry in Kingsway, where he compiled air-training manuals. Fleetway House was not too far away, so he kept his hand in by doing editorial tasks there. He volunteered to fire-watch on the building, and one occasion fire-bombs fell when he and his colleague George Allen (a lifelong friend whom he had first met at Whiteley’s) were on watch. They scooped up the bombs and shovelled them over the side. Next morning, Fleetway House was intact, but its next-door neighbour was burned to the ground.
Towards the end of the war, Matthews married. Pat, his wife, had some show-business connection, and they appeared in a short film together, but the marriage did not survive. With the end of the war, he resumed his editorial work and in 1957 married Barbara Hayes, an attractive brunette in the nursery papers department.
The Amalgamated Press was taken over by the Mirror Group in 1958, and renamed Fleetway Publications. Matthews began to reorganise his papers, which now included all the boy’s titles, the girl’s weeklies and the nursery papers. A small man, he was a keen admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte and, like him, not entirely democratically inclined, but his leadership was tempered with a charismatic quality which quashed resentment. Matthews tended to recruit tall men on to his team.
His capacity to enthuse was enormous and infectious, but he made sure that all under his command knew their place. He expected you to agree with him, and indeed, to do his bidding. As one of his editors, I was given a large, airy office right next to his. Once he called me into his office, and told me of a project he was planning. He asked me to take part in a particular mission for its furtherance. I could not, in all conscience, oblige him, and gave him a definite, and, I hope, polite, “no”.
His reaction was, I suppose, to be expected. He nodded gently, said he understood my point of view, and I departed. Next day, Colin Thomas, Matthews’s “adjutant”, dropped in see me. “Oh, a small thing. Leonard wants to make a few changes in the office locations, so we’ll have to move you, old man.” I then went down to inspect my “new” office. It was a quarter of the size of the old one, overlooked the fire- escape at the back of the building, and had one tiny window. I had been punished.
Changes occurred at Fleetway House. The Hulton publications – Eagle, Girl and Robin – fell within the Matthews orbit, after being taken over by the Mirror Group, which in turn, incorporating Odham’s, Newnes and other companies, became IPC, the International Publishing Corporation. Matthews, strong personality as he was, felt eventually that he had no choice but to leave the company. He would shortly have been able to take early retirement, in any case.
He did not, of course, actually retire. Within a month or so, he had set up his own publishing and production company, Martspress, accompanied by a few of his old staff. One of his first moves was to buy up some old titles, among them Men Only, a mildly saucy pocket-sized monthly issued by Newnes. Matthews appointed as its editor Tony Power, who had edited children’s comics at Fleetway House. Men Only had been slowly fading, and its demise seemed imminent. Power, out for an evening, met Paul Raymond, who ran night-clubs. The outcome was that Matthews sold the title to Raymond, who turned Men Only, still with Power as editor, into a hugely successful publication.
Matthews devoted his attention to juvenile publishing, this time as a packager, producing a complete magazine or book for any publisher who required it. First among such publications was Once Upon a Time, issued by City Magazines.
With the passage of time, Matthews’s operations lessened. His company continued production, mostly with books for children, with the able assistance of Elizabeth Flower, his former secretary at Fleetway House.”
Kauka Verlag you can find info on by visiting the blog roll for the links.

“Billy Und Die Fussballschuhe” is,of course,easily recognisable as “Billy’s Boots” but this is sadly not a Mike Western page -anyone know the artist?

“Das Magische Augen” [or "The Magic Eye"] is,again,easily recognisable as Kelly’s Eye. Looking at the series now I can see that there would be no reason why it,or any of the Fleetway/IPC strips would not [with the exception of Second World War strips] be out of place in a German comic.  I am pretty surprised that none of the Western strips made it into Kobra since Westerns were very popular!
Interestingly,the printing job was by Franzis-Druch of Munich.  And I’m guessing that Vulcan was probably printed by the same company.  Why?  Well,as I wrote,the size of the book,paper quality and printing is an exact match.  A foreign printer trying to “match” the look and feel of Vulcan and getting the exact same paper and print style seems unlikely.
Now,I do need to make something clear.  I’ve said this was published by Kauka,however,it says that “redaktion und anzeigen” by Kauka which translates as “editing and advertising”.  The actual publisher is Gevacur AG who were bringing the title out weekly and this opens up a bit of confusion [there doesn't seem to be a pain-in-the-ass Terry Hooper comic historian in Germany I can ask!].  Gevacur and Kauka are linked on a number of books so I’m not sure whether Martpress put together Kobra which Kauka then translated and edited for Gevacur.  It seems very likely but these things tend to be quite confused.

Not “Kong King”,not “King Kong” but “Mytek Das Monster” -I don’t have to translate that surely?  Anyway,the giant robot enjoyed a long life in comics as well as an international one.
Below is a double paged poster of “Die Eiserne Hand” or The Steel Claw as we knew him! Pity there were no posters like this in Vulcan!

There are a few mysteries in Kobra.  For instance ““Bob Scott Detective” -I have seen this strip in English but cannot remember the title.  Also,I’m quite sure that this is an old Amalgamated Press strip and,obviously,colourised.  Anyone identify it because all my books are stuck behind boxes!!

Now,“Heisse Rader” translates out as “Hot Wheels” with Team “Ham” {Hamish Hamilton] and driver Brad Foreman.  I have to admit to avoiding sports comics so if anyone knows?  I keep thinking the strip was in Tiger?

“Dr Karnaks Rache” -”Dr Karnaks Revenge” or,as we Brits knew him,“Dr Mesmer”. basically,when thieves stole a number of ancient Egyptian relics from him, the mysterious and oh so evil looking Dr Mesmer resurrected a 5000-year old mummy, Angor, to help him recover his collection.  The strip first appeared in Lion in the early 1970s.

Other strips include “Dollmann’s Haus” or “Dolmann”/”House of Dolmann”;another mystery here -“Deckname Tigerhai” ["Tigerhai" being Tiger Shark so is this "Codename Barracuda"?] which featured an agent and his assistant “Sharky” fighting King Cobra and WAM -World Terror and Murder.

“Die Kampfe der Seewolfe” is the great Smash strip [1969-1971] by Don Lawrence,“Erik The Viking”. Wrestling star “Johnny Cougar” also features as “Johnny Puma” ["Cougar" or "Puma" is the same beastie but let's not go into this].

“Martin’s Super Mini” I have to admit I vaguely recognise the characters and their car “George” but I just cannot place it.  The colouring seems a little OTT to me!  Again,anyone know..let me know!
Summing up I have to writre that,had Vulcan been developed as Kobra was then it should have sold.  German readers were quite fussy so if a comic was good enough to go on as long as Kobra did then there is no reason why it should not have gone on as long.
When I asked managers,back in the 1980s,why Vulcan was cancelled no one had a clue but agreed it was “a good comic”.  Someone simply decided to pull the plug.
Now,we know Don Lawrence found out about IPC/Fleetway using his work in Europe and asking to be paid for it.  And we know the result -he never worked for UK comics again.  Think of all those “dumped” creators,some still alive,their families and what would happen if IPC were asked to pay money for overseas publications of the strips?
I cannot publish a great deal of what I have found out in 20+ years about “under the table deals” and even more dubious activities -I need to keep a lot safe for any future legal actions.  What I can say is that some struggling writers/artists would have been a lot better off had they been paid even a more modest reprint fee.
But the history of Kobra still isn’t complete…yet!
Previous Kobra items on CBO:
http://www.comicbitsonline.com/2010/11/17/the-weird-german-kobra-from-vulcan/
http://www.comicbitsonline.com/2010/11/18/addenda-on-german-kobra-comic/

Browner Knowle 5

 

Browner Knowle 5
A5 [Digest]
20pp
£3.00
The cover should be familiar to you by now? Very neat illustration that,if you look at it often enough,will throw up a few optical effects -go on:look closely!
When this arrived in the post this morning I was expecting the “usual stuff” from Mr Brown.  But I got a bit of a surprise.  Okay,he’s a miserable sod who needs to chill out with a stack of comic books.  That or get laid -but after his last date turned out to be a Thai lady-boy he’s been a bit reticent.
The cover illo leads into the strip “Her Face”.  Not very happy bunny time but an interesting piece.  I loved the illo “Loathsome Oafs”.  Hey,we’ve all seen these skanky sacks of doo-dah and I think this illo sums them up just right and that battered lamp post seals the deal.
There are the usual “about Bristol” pieces so if you live in Bristol you may well recognise “Reggae Beckett”!  The centre-pages feature a spread that you will recognise if you’ve been in Bristols Broadmead shopping area:that very loud Jesus freak that keeps screaming in my face that I’ll only find redemption through Jesus.  In fact,he shouts this at everyone [yet people from a Muslim centre handing out leaflets for a "come and get to know us" meeting were moved on!].  Anyway,not sure what happened to the “Shouter” but not seen him for a while.
“Wonky Leg Girl” is also quite accurate so maybe Mr Brown ought to draw a “Guide to Notable Persons Seen In Bristol” for visitors?
“Slate Grey Series” is depressing.  Depressing but good. I’m glad Mr Brown’s idea of giving away a free razor blade with every copy fell through!
The quality of printing is excellent -as is the paper stock.  What I like is the way that the art seems to have clicked here.  The solid blacks are well balanced with the white areas in “Slate Grey Series” and I’m not sure what he’s using to draw with but the lines are just right and the figures look full of movement.  Perhaps all those cups of tea while reclining on the sofa croaking out:”Mother -fetch me some opium!” has worked.
Certainly the best art of the Browner Knowle series so far.   Well worth adding to your collection.
the book is orderable via Mr Brown at:
paulashleybrown@googlemail.com

Small Press, Comics, Mina Road and St Werburgh's -the Terry Hooper Interview

Terry Hooper has been writing, drawing, and self-publishing comic books in England for several decades, now. He has been extremely prolific, creating his own characters, and putting them out himself, a one-man show. Some of his self-published comics titles have run over 50 or 60 separate issues, with no end in site. Also, Mr. Hooper has published some very popular titles which have interviewed, and which continue to interview, British comic book artists and writers from older as well as newer, and quite well-known British comics titles. He also chronicles the obscure and forgotten past of Britain’s rich and diverse comic book publishing history over numerous decades, right back to the earliest of them. Lest we forget.


Terry has, for decades, worked very hard at ‘filling in the blanks’, documenting therich, lavish history of British comic books, in numerous interviews and articles in his various publications. Additionally, he has written some quite interesting American comic book publications. He’s very talented in quite a number of areas, as you will see as you read on, right here! Shall we get started?


Phil Latter: Terry, I’d like to start by asking, where were you born, where did you go to school, what was it like growing up, what were your interests at that time, (comics, TV, movies, etc), how old were you when you first discovered comics, and what made you notice them and get some?

Above: my mother holding a gorgeous baby me in front of the greenhouse at 66 Sevier Street (1957)

Hooper: Phil, I was born in the Saint Michael’s Maternity Hospital, Bristol, on the 6th of June, 1957. My mother said I looked like an orange with a black tuft of hair! I grew up in the St Werburgh’s area of Bristol which had a park. I went to school at the St Werburghs Infant School then to Mina Road Junior school before moving and attending Greenway Secondary Modern Boys School, in Southmead,from 1968-1974.

I took Science, Biology, Mathematics, and I got A grades in Art, History, English Language, English Literature and Geography. While at the Greenway School, I created the school-sanctioned magazine Starkers: The Magazine That Tells The Naked Truth, in 1972, and which was supposed to be distributed and sold at other schools but it was banned because of the title.  I wouldn’t compromise so “ta-ta”.

above: Earliest photo of me so around 1957 sat on my mother's knee and my gran (Rose Hooper) holding on to my older brother, Peter. The old woo fence was positioned between our home and that of the Brays (Mr Bray was a taxi driver) and to the right our neighbour was Mrs Hitchman.

Like most kids of my generation, I began reading comics at the age of 5 years. Comics that I enjoyed ranged from Bimbo, Beezer, Topper, Lion and so many others. When my family moved to Germany, my reading, naturally, had to change and I began reading comics from companies such as Carlsen, Disney and Germany’s biggest publisher of European comics, Bastei.

Obviously, reading comics led to my trying to draw them, and this in turn led to helping other pupils years later in after-school classes to learn to draw. Starkers, of course, came later.



above:Billy The Cat -one of Hooper’s favourite comic strips.


Latter: Like The Man In The Yellow Hat’s Curious George, I’d additionally like to know: what was the first comic book you recall getting or reading? I want to make you feel comfortable during the interview with endless questions, so that you’ll feel right at home at ‘The Spanish Inquisition.’ Which reminds me: can I call you ‘Monty’? We’ll make it a regular flying circus.



another Hooper favourite -Billy The Whizz!

When did your family move to Germany, and what part of Germany did your family move to? You are originally from Bristol, England -why did your family move to Germany? Was it for your parents’ work-related reasons? I believe that in the past you have described yourself as being part German? Was your mom or dad German to begin with? Also, when did you return to England as a family, and why?


Hooper: My mother met my father while he was doing his national service in Germany. There were a lot of us German-British kids at junior school in the 1960s! My mother’s family originally came from Jauer, German Poland before WW II – some of her uncles died fighting the Nazis, another was shot as a conscientious objector by the Nazis. And one of my relatives who joined the Army  vanished in North Africa!  You can’t win! When the Russians got closer, the civilians fled and there was a lot of strafing of civilians by British fighters; a one-year old cousin of my mother’s was killed and had to be left at the roadside. They then settled in Dalborn, which is a village near the garrison town of Detmold -back to where she met my father….and where I nearly died. Simple as that.

I have Welsh, English and German blood in these here veins!

Above: Narroways Hill, St Werburgh's


Growing up in the 1960s in England, and playing in that park, which I mentioned earlier, in St. Werburgh’s, there were still plenty of bomb sites from where the German planes had bombed in World War Two, right where we played. We wandered about and knew Bristol’s alleys and back streets as well as rivers well before we reached the age of ten!

Metropol Cinema was the main place to go where we went to watch The movie The Ten Commandments, Robinson Crusoe Of Mars, in addition to television’s Batman and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. series. For TV, well, we had those U.N.C.L.E. guys – The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and later The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. , starring Stephanie Powers; To Catch A Thief, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, The Saint, Dr Who, Adam Adamant and later Doom Watch, Rat Catchers, Tarot, Tomorrow People and so on.

We used to play for hours in Mina Road Park the old bench/hut there had a wonderfully carved 1966 World Cup Willy on it.  The big weeping willow was fun to play around. On Saturdays we ALWAYS got home before Dr Who or Adam Adamant!

Oh, the Boris Karloff horror TV series – there was one with a scarecrow that scared the bejabers out of me!



circa 1967/68 in Sevier Street. Terry,his brother Peter and Lassie the Dog!


Latter: Boris Karloff? I take it, then, you’re not referring to Walt Disney’s The Scarecrow Of Romney Marsh, which starred The Prisoner’s Patrick McGoohan.

As for Robinson Crusoe On Mars: I haven’t seen it, but I have heard about it. Wasn’t that a Dick Van Dyke comedy?

Above: St Werburgh's Church


Hooper: No. This was a modern horror tale. Robinson Crusoe on Mars did not star the great Dick Van Dyke, but rather, Batman’s Adam West….a big eared chimp as well as aquatic…sausages! Great fun!



Yes,it did exist! Adam West,pointy eared chimp and aquatic sausages!

Hooper: Of course, as I got older, I watched late night Saturday horror double-bills.

I was an insomniac and a manic depressive by age eleven. I lived with my grandparents and my grand dad, Bill, who used to buy me British comics such as Robin, Bimbo, Play Time and later a mixture of Fleetway and D.C. Thomson titles. Of course, playing with modeling clay (Plastacine) and soldiers was an additional past-time.


oh if only I still had my Johnny Seven OMA (One Man Army)!!!

Latter: for me, aside from lots of comic books, it was the Marx’ toy company’s Johnny West and General George Armstrong Custer dolls (real men knew who they were back then and didn’t feel the need to over-compensate by calling them ‘action figures’.) Smile.

Hooper: There was a short-lived British made Action Man called Tommy Gunn -I got him and the first black version. The colour thing never bothered me because of where I grew up.


Tommy Gunn -COME BAAAAAACK!!!


Latter: Terry, where did you go to school, what kind of work did you do, how did you get started drawing, and what did you draw? And, how old were you then?

Hooper: Initially, Mina Road Junior school, that was up to 11 years of age. I then had to move with my parents to another part of Bristol and ended up in the Greenway Secondary Modern Boy School until age 15. I drew all the time as a kid but my parents threw most of those illustrations out.

Above the Ivy Pentecostal chapel on the corner of Sevier Street and Ashley Hill. Our "Sunday School" until I quit!

Latter: Gee, that’s encouraging….It didn’t stop you, though. You kept going and going and going. The Everready battery company is going to sue. Help! Here comes that big pink bunny rabbit with those drums. Run for your life!

Hooper: On leaving education in 1974, I went to work for H. Tanner & Son, a small printing firm based in Southmead. When I moved to Manston, Kent, in 1977, I began working as a paste-up assistant to Philips Printers. This involved designing and then laying out and pasting up newsletters, commercial flyers, and so on. From 1980-1984, I worked for Bennings Printers and Stationers, Keynsham, where I put together publications as well as advertising material until the company ceased trading in 1984.

Latter: You mean they went out of business?

Hooper: Yes. During 1977, I also began writing articles on astronomy, meteorological phenomenon, space exploration and other general subjects — something I have continued up until this date in the UK and Europe as well as in the United States. In the UK, the main market has been the County Magazine trade.

Latter: This is very interesting. As I said, you’re full of surprises. Not that it matters, of course, but, was this paying work?

Hooper: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I read and investigated everything; my German family called me “The Professor” because of this.

Latter: I know you’ve been drawing consistently, from a very early age. What types of paper materials did you use early on, to draw on, and with what sort of pens?



circa 1965[?] Sevier street again and ice cream eating Terry and his gran,Rose. that's "Ma" who supplied me with the books to draw in!

Hooper: My grandmother, Rose, got blank paged receipt books, etc, from work and I drew strips which combined British and American comic heroes together. Making the heroes out of modeling clay was fun, too!

Latter: Heh, heh. That’s interesting. I did stuff like that as a kid, also. I didn’t make action figures out of plasticine, but I did take those 1980′s Super Powers DC Comics action figures, having bought lots of duplicates, and I then made some duplicates of ones I already owned, into lots of OTHER characters, including all of the Silver Age Charlton comics’ Charlton super heroes, the JSA, and so on.What were some of these team ups you drew as a kid which you described above, in particular? Meaning, what characters were in them?

Above Mina Road Park

Hooper: Captain America, Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, Thor, Goliath (Marvel), Iron Man, Hulk, and British characters Billy the Cat, Captain Hurricane, Billy The Whizz, and so on. Fun for me! The (Marvel comics) original Captain Marvel in the mid to late 1960′s was another favourite, in his old white and green cossie.

Latter: How old were you when you started drawing your early comics, and what year was this? What comics, characters and/-or artists were your inspirations? EG: British, American, foreign? Was it hard to get American comics? What were your favourite British comics?

Hooper: How old was I? Perhaps eight? Yeah….1965? It was perhaps hard to get American comics. I never knew they existed, then. We had British comics that reprinted, in black and white, Marvel strips in parts. Fantastic and Terrific were my favourite British comics titles. There was a truly unique look and feel to these comics….and the smell of newsprint of those British comics in the 1980s… I learned that most kids sniffed the ink print. It brings back great memories. Artists were mainly anonymous; not signed.

There were two shops I was always in for one reason or another -usually with my gran in Claude's hardware store (he had lost an eye as a kid so it was odd seeing someone with a glass eye) and Jarman's the newsagents -toy soldiers, Plastacine and -comics. Both shops in Mina Road though there was a newsagents a just on the corner by Sussex Place/Gloucester Road, tucked away and I got comics from there as well as bigger packs of Plastacine!  No idea who ran the shop.





Latter: I know exactly what you mean about the musty smell of old comics, old paper. It’s true: particular odours from vintage periodicals can indeed bring back warm memories. It’s like, in your mind, it takes you back to an earlier time. Oh wait, I just said that. LOL.


above: I have Marvel's The Essential Sub-Mariner now but the story split up into weekly parts had me gripped!

Hooper: Between 1984-1994, I worked as a writer/artist/editor/agent in comics as well as comics journalism for MU Press, Blue Comet Press, Fantagraphic Books, Eros Comics, (both of which are American), Dorne, Fleetway, IPC and others in the United States, UK and Europe.



Above:circa 1987[?] Westminster Comic Mart. Brother Mike,to rear Darron Northall,the Kirk Douglas of comics John Erasmus,Terry and Tom Elmes.

During this period I also produced large numbers of single panel gag cartoons for agencies in Germany such as Boiselle-Lohmann and Baaske Agency — these going to magazines and publications around Europe.

And then, of course, Phil, from 1984-2004, I was also self-publishing comics as well as publications on a wide variety of subjects under my own (British) Black Tower Comics Group banner. Additionally, I have produced packages of work for India, Hong Kong and China. I’ve also been working as an industry advisor for smaller companies in countries such as India and Canada.

Latter: If you don’t mind, my being a Canadian myself, I’d like to enquire, in detail, more about this advising: what it entailed, and what companies were involved. Including, of course, the companies for which you advised in Canada.

Hooper: Basically, I’d be contacted by companies or people who wanted to publish comics or who were already doing so. I can’t tell you names of companies because that’s confidentiaI as part of the deal. Better recent examples are from India and China where, if they can get their act together, they will be the next big thing after Japanese manga. A couple of companies from each country (unbeknownst to one another and I was staying quiet because a lot of businesses are very secretive about new projects and if they know you don’t gossip or blab..more work!), asked me what the potential market was, how could titles be developed to fit that market, a whole bunch of questions and I drew up a document for each which I’m told they are happy with. Curiously, I’m still waiting for the mention of money!

In Canada, there was someone called John Brayton in 1987 who wanted to publish comics, but he never got any further than that. I think he got into music.

Most companies don’t like rumours that they are consulting foreigners about their business -it can be a big problem business-wise. I’ve been compiling a British Comics Industry Over-view since 1992 and at book fairs people talk to each other. Do you think maybe I should ask for a wad of cash up front?

Latter: Sounds like a plan. I’m your new agent, by the way. I get 60%. I’m in a generous mood today. Smile.





ILLO;Folks, here is one of many Lee Falk’s The Phantom pages that Terry Hooper drew some years ago, in an attempt to land a job drawing that feature professionally. If you ask me, he really has the knack for it!

Hooper: I am regarded to be a British comics historian, having met and interviewed many of the creators who worked for comics here in England, and I also traced the history of British publishers in my publications. As a talent spotter, I helped various creators break into the comic industry such as John Royle, Jon Haward, Duncan Fegredo, and Art Wetherell, to name some.

Lee Davis, as an introduction to an interview of myself in Imagineers magazine, noted that I was “…a near legendary figure in the British comics industry.” I was very flattered. However, I’d sooner have a lot of money…no, seriously!

Latter: Well, no one can put food on the table nor pay the rent based on ‘they love me.’

Hooper: That’s true. In the U.S. magazine Amazing Heroes, Hal Hargit described me as “….the hardest-working man in comics!” Gerd Hamer, in a German comics magazine, described me as “…the father of European super heroes…”

Latter: That’s high praise, Terry. When do you find time to sleep?”

Hooper: Sleep? I used to work twenty hours a day, 365 days a year, no Christmas, et cetera. I’d get artists or other comics people passing through Bristol who’d call in at one, two or three A.M. They all knew I was an insomniac. Of course, that later caught up with me after twenty years; pot after pot of coffee, not eating properly. Hey, I coulda been a drinker or smoker!

Latter: Instead, you’re a comic book addict, like me. Smile. We should both be in a comics ‘twelve steps program.’ “Hi, I’m Phil and this is Terry.” We’d hang our heads down low and continue, in shame: “…and we’re Comicaholics…”

Hooper: Apart from writing and drawing comics, I have, since 1986, been promoting European comics in the UK, both in my publications and on my various websites. My interests in this area include Russian, Chinese, Czech, Hungarian, German, Finnish, Belgian, Australian, New Zealand, and, naturally, British and American comic books.

Latter: Hey, you left out Canada. Although, I’m actually kidding. Because, folks, I know for a fact, having yakked with Terry Hooper for a couple of years, now, daily, by emails, that Terry is a big fan of Canadian comic books. He promotes them on not just one, but TWO different websites, which he created, some time ago, on the web, devoted to Canadian comics. He’s quite a fan of the Golden Age 1940′s ‘Canadian Whites’ comics, books, and Captain Canuck, to name just a few.

As it says elsewhere in the interview, folks, not only is Terry Hooper a writer, an artist, a publisher, a British comics historian, etc,etc,etc…..he is also a historian of history.

Illo -Awhile ago, Terry told me that the hood of the Silver Age ‘Nemesis’ superhero was based on hoods from the medieval age. I found that hard to believe. Well, he proved me wrong! Look at this scan!

Terry and I trade large parcels of British and Canadian (U.S. as well) — comic books by mail, regularly. Not only that, Terry has been working on a self-created tongue in cheek revival of the 1940′s Golden Age ‘Canadian Whites’ superheroes, intended as a comics mini series, which he wrote and drew himself. It is entitled ‘Canada Must Die!’

Hooper: “Tongue in cheek”? Did you think it was funny? I’ve just been reworking pages but there’s nothing meant to be “tongue-in-cheek” about it -they destroyed the JLA and Blue Beetle last time that phrase was used. Actually, look at what they did with that GLA title -or the New Defenders. Gods forbid I do that!

Latter: Sorry. What I was actually referring to was the title name itself, ‘Canada Must Die.’ I just meant, Terry Hooper is not out to destroy Canada. Uh….you’re not, are you?

ILLOS;Here’s some art scans, attached, folks, of Terry’s character studies for the 1940′s Canadian superheroes The Dreamer, and The Penguin, the second of which I should point out is NO relation to The Batman’s nemesis of the same name! Both of these characters were Canadian-created superheroes in the Golden Age of 1940’s World War Two era comics, also known as ‘The Canadian Whites’! Terry Hooper drew these as characters studies while doing his all-new ‘Canada Must Die’ comics mini-series, resurrecting these 1940’s Canadian superheroes, in brand-new comics stories!






ILLO;Terry Hooper has also created innumerable examples of his own created comics characters, just like many other comics fans have, including myself. The difference with Terry, though, is that he has published numerous comic books, self-published, over decades, with his own characters!
Here’s an illustration of just some of them.

Hooper: When I lived in Germany, I read comics from Bastei and the Disney stuff, but Bastei comics were drawn by French, Spanish, Italian and even Belgian artists. These were reprints in the German language.

Latter: I remember you mentioning that, awhile ago. You are part German, right? What can you tell me about that? And, do you speak fluent German? I know you moved to Germany at one point from England, but, were you born in England originally, or Germany? And if the former, how is it that you are part German?

Hooper: I’ve not been back to Germany in 24 years, my German is stale. Uh, I was born in Bristol.

Latter: Like the lyric from Elton John’s Made In England CD from the CD of the same name, “I was made in England, like a Ford Cortina…” Smile.

Hooper: I later learned that a lot of Italian and Spanish artists, as well as South American artists, worked on British strips -hence my odd mix of British/-European and U.S. art style.

Latter: Your style works just fine for me. As someone I have been chatting with for a couple of years now, on the internet, I am of course aware that, for decades now, you have been writing, drawing and self-publishing your own periodicals: comic books, interview type magazines or fanzines (including COMIC BITS, which I just love, very high quality stuff), and ongoing comic book titles including Adventure, and Black Tower Presents. Adventure, for example, has had many more than fifty issues written, illustrated, and self-published by you, for example. That’s pretty prolific, I would say, for a self-publisher!

I should also take a moment to inform our readers that your self-published comic books and other publications, of which you’ve kindly sent me many, come under the title heading of Black Tower Comics.

The black tower art logo of which, interestingly enough, Defiant Comics later used for their OWN line of comics, without your permission, after asking you for a copy of the design at a British comic book convention numerous years ago, for the stated reason that they ‘liked the design. Hey, can I have a copy of that?”

Meaning, they later stole/-plagiarized your design, which is something you’ve proven to me. You’ve told me this interesting story in the past. Would you be willing to share it with our readers?

I cannot remember when Defiant Comics was set up but it must have been around 1992 or 1993.

Latter: I have some of their comics, the earliest of which, first issues, including Dark Domain # 1, are dated inside as being from 1993.

Hooper: Certainly some British comic mags referred to the fact that Defiant had adopted a logo very much like my own Black Tower logo graphic-except they added a little namby-pamby window in it! By that time I’d already used the Black Tower as a letter head and as a publishing icon for…ten years or more! Long before Defiant Comics came into existence under Jim Shooter.

My Black Tower Comics with Black Tower cover logo graphic, depicting that black tower, dated from the 1970’s to the present! I know I met Jim Shooter at a UKCAC (UK Comic Art Convention) in London and gave him lots of my stuff, at his request, as well as story ideas. He stated that he was quite interested with my Black Tower design on the masthead covers of my self-published small press British comics, and he asked me for copies. At the time I was flattered to be asked, and I thought no more of it.

One night in…1994 or a little earlier, it was around 11:45pm, when the phone rang, and my brother called out to me that someone “legal” wanted a word. I took the phone and said: “Hello. Terry Hooper speaking.”

And this man, an American, on a crackly line spoke.

“Mr. Hooper, I am _______________ (I don’t remember his name), and I am from the Defiant Comics Legal Department in The United States. I am calling to tell you that you are infringing on our black tower logo and copyright and you must desist immediately or face the consequences”.

It was a thick New York accent. I asked what he was talking about? “That goddamn logo of yours. You are ripping us off, our reputation and possibly misleading comic buyers into thinking you are part of Defiant Comics.”

I said, “I’m sorry but I’ve been using that logo since the 1970’s, and I’ve been using it on my publications, self-created and self-published since 1983/ 84–”

Him: “Cut the bullshit! You continue, you’ll get your ass sued!”

This was a little bit of a shock and I reacted in kind by repeating what I’d said with a few expletives and stating that BEFORE Defiant was even an idea, I had handed Jim Shooter my own self-published British material, including that illustration Black Tower art/-logo at HIS request, since he sounded like a pro who also sounded like a fan, in front of several respected comic industry creators. And thus, if Defiant Comics wanted to sue me, well, “Go a-F******** head and sue me *********!”.

He said that I had not heard the last of this.

Well, I phoned Defiant’s phone number in the U.S.A. and I spoke to people there, who told me I should not use my own logo, which had been in published existence long before Defiant Comics was even an idea. Long before they used MY logo, having ripped ME off! I repeated the history and I told them to tell Mr. Shooter I await his pleasure in court!

Nothing more came of it. Because they KNEW they had plagiarized my logo. But this legal rep was from Defiant and he had tried to bully me over the phone. Now I have Scharf-Hooper-Case family blood – you DO NOT threaten us and expect a meek response. In fact, he seemed taken aback at my language!! That was it. A few mags PRINTED this story because at that time I had a phone call recorder and this cut in when the phone rang and so the whole conversation was recorded! The mag editors heard the whole thing. I would have expected the offer of money to stop using my OWN logo or whatever.

Latter: Defiant Comics’ War Dancer # 1 is an extremely disgusting comic book. In the final pages of this premiere issue, this weird character, War Dancers, kills this little girl’s dog by blasting the pet, with a force blast from his hand. The dog blows apart in every direction; you can see bits of teeth, separated jaw, bone, stomach contents and fecal matter.

The little girl, understandably upset, says, in tears, “You’re not a good guy at all!”

War Dancer replies, “I am the dancer”, then does the very same thing to her, and this scene is drawn in an even more disgusting manner, by Alan Weiss. Who wrote this gem of a comic book? Alan Weiss….and Jim Shooter.

Note: Dark Domain # 1 is dated inside as October 1993. Whereas, War Dancer # 1 is dated inside as February 1994. Numbers don’t lie.

Latter: Terry, you’re a gentleman and I know that you don’t like to think the worst of people. But think about it. You gave your designs to Jim Shooter at his request, who asked for them. Meaning you were flattered that he liked the design. Obviously, you did not mean that he nor anyone else could publish your design on their own comic books. And, this all happened at a British Comics convention in front of witnesses including industry pros. You had the whole thing on tape, when his crony (or him posing as his legal crony) phoned you in an attempt to scare you out of NOT using your OWN published company logo design, which Jim Shooter himself got a copy of from you, previously, in person.

Jim Shooter OWNED Defiant Comics. In the first issue of Defiant Comics’ Dark Domain, a comic book which bears the Black Tower ripped-off-from-you cover corner design, Jim Shooter, ironically wrote an inside editorial that an unrelated court case was over, the subject of which was that Marvel had sued Defiant Comics on another matter. The edititorial about this IN Defiant’s b>Dark Domain # 1 comic book covered the fact that the Marvel versus Defiant court case was over, but that a ruling decision had not yet been made.

Hooper: Yes, I’ve seen the Defiant LOGO but none of the comics. Remember, I live in the United Kingdom, not in North America. I think that they were perhaps counting on the fact that, likely I would never, ever see a Defiant Comic book, nor even hear about it. You’d think they would have at least offered me some money, having stolen my already-published-several-times design. I guess they just thought I was small potatoes, no threat to them. What could I do? It was because this suddenly appeared {Defiant} and the logo similarities that people thought I was involved there. Today, I’d sue them for every penny and have them withdraw the logo but back then I was kinda…..nice.

Worry about someone suing me?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..no. Sue me for what -a postage stamp??

Latter: Right. You can’t sue someone who has no money. And you would have won in court. They knew you could legally prove that they stole/-plagiarized your design.

Latter: I spoke to Shooter in…1991? I think they started publishing around 1992-93?

In 1991 or so, I showed him all the art samples from the people I represented including my Previews comic and Black Tower stuff -all with the Black Tower logo on cover and edit page. He took Previews there and then (a 60+ pages comic.) Of course, I think I was being nice to him but you are quite right that he was THE big boss there at Defiant Comics.

I guess Shooter must have thought it was pretty cool. I have no idea who the phone man was; it was long ago and who knows where he might be now?

Latter: When did Defiant start? I say, 1993 or not much earlier. You had them beat, time wise, by several years. And, we’re going to prove it.

Hooper: It’s time the truth came out. But after all these years who cares? Not me.

Latter: Also, about Jim Shooter: you said that Jim Shooter himself asked you for those printed Black Tower graphics logos at the British Comics Con all those years ago. WHICH year would this have been?  The point is, if it was Jim Shooter who asked you for it and you gave him a copy (not knowing he’d rip you off), does it not then sound reasonable that it was HE who gave it to Defiant, telling them to copy it? Jim Shooter owned and ran the company, and he got the design in his hand, from you, in person.

Hooper:Well,I have no idea what was going on behind the scenes.  Someone may have just seen the logo and thought it might work.  For all I know Shooter was being polite when he asked for samples and may just have put them in a box when he got back to the US.  Although I never liked the Defiant attitude and threats I have absolutely no proof that Shooter was behind anything.  He’s always portrayed as a villain so people jump to conclusions.  If I had proof I’d have written to him.

Latter:When you started self-publishing, decades ago, what titles did you publish, how large or small were your print runs, fanzines, magazines, and other titles, and where did you advertise them for sale? EG: publications, etc. In other words, how did you get the word out that you were in business and looking for readers and/-or subscribers?

Where in the world did you ship them to? How many people on average would be reading each issue?

Hooper: Well, the Hooper Coat of Arms has a black tower on one version and I had this flat, mini chess piece like that also, and it looked cool. So, from the 1970′s on, I used this on paper, etc.

In 1983, I put together lots of strips and published Black Tower Adventure and Black Tower Presents in 1984.

Latter: I have some of each which you’ve sent me over the past couple of years. I enjoyed reading them. I have some of the earliest issues, including Black Tower Presents # 2, which has that Black Tower logo. Preceding Defiant Comics, with that incredibly very similar logo, by several years. How many issues did each of those two Hooper Black Tower Comics Group titles run? What was their frequency? Are they still going?

Hooper: My comics interview magazine Comic Bits is due to re-appear in May,2006 in a new format. There is also its internet counter-part at http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk

The comics? Well, there will be much more coming out in 2006 with a new look.

I advertised through the first small press news, reviews, interviews and PREVIEWS mag in the UK which I set up with Paul Brown and Jerry Holliday, titled ZINE ZONE. We had a ZZ mail order and comic mart stall and we really pushed the UK small press into the shops and so on. My PREVIEWS mag in the UK bears no relation what-so-ever to the American PREVIEWS monthly comics order catalogue.

Having done a survey, we know ZZ was read by about 200 people -some copies were read by 3 to 5 people and passed around. By 1990, I was running the whole thing, writing, editing, paste-ups and printing. I also worked for MU Press, in Seattle as a British reporter and distributor/agent.

Latter: That’s interesting. I didn’t know. What can you tell me about MU Press? What does MU stand for? You didn’t live in Seattle, right? You mailed your stuff to them? What kind of articles did you write for them and what type of a publication was this? Was it a newspaper, or?

Hooper: MU Press I think was Miscellanie Unlimited Press? They produced Donna Barr’s Desert Peach comics and compilation books, a series called Rhaj, oh dear lords I’ll have to send you references. I interviewed Edd Vick the publisher, for Zine Zone International; he publishes under AEON now -check out Previews. I wrote a column for their newspaper Comix FX under “Tel’s From The Crypt” and I acted as a promoter/ UK agent for MU and other independent publishers in the 1986-94 period….though none of them paid me as they were supposed to. Know why I dumped the job?? Bill Black’s AC Comics was a joy to promote. I love their stuff!

I was promoting AC, Chrome Tiger, Mu and others and I was in touch with Donna Barr and Roberta Gregory as well as creators in Europe and Canada.

Zine Zone was going out to Hong Kong, China, Russia, the then Czechoslovakia, Poland, Finland, Germany, France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bahrain and the US so the title changed to ZINE ZONE INTERNATIONAL.

Latter: You were working for Zine Zone, not publishing it yourself, I take it? Is ZZ still going? When did ZZ start?

Hooper: I put together -typed, photocopied and pasted up artwork, photocopied and published Zine Zone International.

Latter: How many different titles did you publish, how many issues of each, etc? Can you name some more of the titles?

Hooper: I believe Adventure is at # 60. I published a new talent comic, Previews in the 1980’s, and creators like Art Wetherell, Matt D’Israeli Brooker, Duncan Fegredo, John Royle and even Jon Haward appeared in that and went on to pro work.

Jenette Kahn at DC liked this comic I put out. DC Comics hired a lot of creators from Previews. Tom DeFalco praised it and some editors told me they kept the copies in their desk drawers.

Latter: Interesting. How many issue numbers did Previews run?

Hooper: Previews ran four issues. And it was actually called by two comic mags, “One of the most successful – if not THE most successful United Kingdom New Talent comics. series.”

Outside of comics, I have worked with companies such as Yorkshire Television and HTV to create ideas and programmes for TV, such as the Channel 4 “Carry On” film weekend in 1999. I have also been featured in documentaries; TV/ Radio news programmes in my capacity as a veteran naturalist and police consultant. I’ve consulted with them on wildlife.

I am also a historian specialing in Pre-Roman and Roman Britain, Celts and rediscovered ‘lost’ history.

There is a whole idea in people’s minds that Colombus discovered America and that the only people before him were the Vikings. In fact, late Romans ended up in Arizona. This has been proven scientifically. Celts and even the Irish were going to America before Colombus, and traders from Bristol made their fortunes on that same route long before Colombus got there.

Ask yourself, why would a painting of a Roman feast contain an image of a pineapple, which is a New World fruit? There are tons of this information that academics laughed at but now, they have to take seriously. “Forgotten History”.

Latter: Interesting. About the documentarires, do you mean you have been featured IN those domentaries? Or that you yourself filmed those documentaries, wrote or consulted on them?

Hooper: I’ve been filmed for two or three BBC TV programmes and one independent film mainly as an expert on large cats and exotic animals in the UK countryside.

For others, I put together ideas usually with a company (when there was more than one!) -believe me, the idea of copyright and one TV executive I worked with told me: “They rejected the project. In a year, they’ll have made it and if we say anything, they’ll say they simply came up with the idea”….and he was right! I’m putting together research for some now but can’t talk about that or someone will steal the idea!!”

Latter: Hmm. What is that saying, something like humans will sink down to the lowest common denominator, stealing from others, and taking the credit for themselves. Hey—Defiant Comics!

Terry, what did the police consult you on? Or, what were you a Police Consultant on?

Hooper: Police have sightings, photographs, plaster casts of tracks, livestock deaths where its suspected a large cat, like a puma or panther –(panther being a black leopard), and they get in touch with me. I’m a Police Consultant but no fast cars, loose women or mystery murders in mansions! On both wildlife and history I have published numerous papers between 1979-2004.

Latter: Terry, you never cease to surprise me. Wow. How did that make you feel, that you gave these guys their start (comics pros.) ? And, what topics did you write some of these papers on?

Hooper: I was quite happy. A lot of these people are now “big shots” but there are one or two who publicly acknowledge me as “the man who gave me my break in comics” such as Jon Haward who draws Marvel UK stuff like Spider-Man and underground star Mark Stafford. I thought I sent you Mark’s comic the same time as Deadman & Hyde, etc. I have a mail from you on this…?

Latter: Yes, you did send me the British comic book Deadman & Hyde # 1 and # 2. They were quite good!

Hooper: Some of the titles I have published over the years are : Hanley’s Garage, Windows, Adventure, BT Presents, Previews, Turkish Locomotive, Dervish Ropey and the Maximin Sword, Walter Wicks, various one-offs, more recently Classic British Westerns, Classic British Action, Classic British Funnies, Chung Ling Soo and the Jade Dragon King, Liz & Jen….oh boy,that’s all I can think of!

Maximin was drawn by the wonderful John Erasmus.

Latter: I liked in particular Liz & Jen, a comics story you did about two lesbians. I am not kidding nor trying to pun, when I tell you it was a touching story. Well-done and with an important message. I wish more people could see it. It’s quite good. When did that one come out?

Hooper: Liz & Jen….I wrote and drew it and about a year later someone said “have you seen that new comic -Love And Rockets? Since you did this, Terry, you’ll love that”…when did Love And Rockets come out….1985? I actually got a great deal of mail at one time over that strip – including from women who read it and decided there was no shame in “Coming Out”. One woman and her girlfriend told me they cried over it. Was it that bad?!

Latter: No Terry. The problem with it was, it was that good. Smile. There was another, later American lesbian comic book short-lived series, also called Liz & Beth. This one was a porn comics title. I have # 1. Hey, how that version got into my home, I uh, have no idea….I think it came after yours. The titles Hanley’s Garage and Turkish Locomotive kind of grab me. What were those about?

Hooper: John Erasmus drew a load of strips and we published them under his own created comic title -Turkish Locomotive. Just seemed cool at the time! Hanley’s Garage only saw one issue as the creator couldn’t be bothered after writing/ drawing the first part.

Today there are quite a few American artists that I think are great. Gene Colan, Alex Toth, John Byrne (he really brought me back to a point where I got enthusiastic about comics again),Tong Wong, and lots of European creators. And, I have to add to the list and give a special mention to Los Bros Hernandez. I fell in love with Jaime’s work and I still think he is one of the most under-rated artists in comics! I’d give my right arm to work with him, or all three brothers, for that matter!

Latter: good choices. I grew up with reading Gene Colan and Alex Toth comics artwork in the Silver Age, although it wasn’t of course called The Silver Age,back then.

You know you’re not a spring chicken anymore, when you (me)reminisce, and it then suddenly dawns on you that you grew up in an era that now has a TITLE. You know: “The Silver Age”. Like The Mezazoic Age, The Precambrian Age. This is where I, finally, come to the irrescapable conclusion that I’m a dinosaur, any way you slice it! Smile.

John Byrne, of course, came later, from Canada. I still have a lot of his early stuff, including CPL (Contemporary Pictorial Literature), a 1970′s Charlton Comics fanzine done by many of Charlton’s later talent, Byrne’s Wheelie And The Chopper Bunch, Space: 1999, Rog: 2000 backups in E-man, and of course, Doomsday + One. Pre-Marvel stuff, for him. John Byrne was then, and is still, incredibly prolific.

Terry Hooper also wrote (not drew) the adult content Two Hot Girls On A Hot Summer Night mini series, for the U.S. company Eros Company, which has been reprinted frequently, all over the world.

How that came about: Years ago, Terry contacted them to see if they could use his comics talents. Well, they could, but they only published smut comics, so Terry, never one to resist a challenge, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and got to it! I’ve read some of them, including # 1, and they’re actually quite funny! And yes, well-done.

Terry, this is as good a time to mention, that you also have numerous websites of your own devoted to comic books of many countries, including England, Canada, India and New Zealand and Australia. You work hard to spread the word and educate people concerning comic books written, illustrated and published by numerous comics the world over! I don’t want to make you blush, but I’m been a rabid comics reader, collector and enthusiast for over three decades, and I nonetheless don’t know a single other soul who does this, in terms of websites devoted to comic books from foreign countries, to the extent that you do. In my opinion, you are quite unique in this regard!

And then of course, you have your very own Black Tower Comics website, for your own self-published, written and drawn small press comics. How about sharing with our readers the many URL website links for all of these links?

Hooper: Sure. Happy to. I don’t scan and post whole comic books to my sites, by the way, just covers, for info purposes. As well as some graphics, and a lot of text information. Background and historical information on them. I get a lot of compliments on my comics sites!

Here 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/britcomics

I should point out here, that I had the very first Alan Class website, which is provable from the dates of the earliest posts to that group. Now, there are more Alan Class sites from others.

Latter: You mean, there are more? GASP. Smile. That’s amazing. You’ve certainly got lots of drive and ambition, also known as ‘get up and go!’

Thank you so much for talking to us today, Terry. I know you don’t like interviews but it’s been a real pleasure, and exquisitely interesting, my friend!

And my online store is at:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/hoopercomicsuk