“What’s This ‘Questors’ Stuff About?”

When I was asked that I realised that it could become very -VERY- complicated.  Let’s start with Return Of The Gods.

The Mad Hatter, Mr. Gorilla, Mr. Spider and other Questors made their first official appearance in print in that series in Black Tower Adventure.  They impressed Ben Dilworth enough for him to produce a series of ad illoes.

But those are not the Questors referred to in the ad (above).
Bear with me. I may have a nose-bleed or migraine by the time I write “that’s yer lot!”

No secret that I have been involved in looking into various puzzles and mysteries since before I even reached my teenage years. Haunted houses, strange creatures…and later I was “officially unofficially” involved in the investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) -the less said about that work the better (for me).

I’m also a historian and began to dig into what I called in a 1982 article “Lost History” –European and others visiting America (North aqnd South) before they were ‘discovered’ -why New World fruit like the pineapple appears in a Romain (Pompeiian) wall painting and in Egypt –it’s a very long list.

You have read my books….haven’t you??

I also discovered rather late in the day (thanks to poor UK distribution) The Challengers of The Unknown -an excellent DC title until recent years when they lost the plot. Because of three potentially near fatal events in my early life I was once told that I was “living on borrowed time” (I was also told -three times- that I would “die through a supernatural agency”).  So imagine my delite when I found the Challengers were all living on borrowed time -hence their egg-timer (“sands of time”) symbol.

But there were real life adventurers, explorers and paranormal investigators I had read about and just thought it would be great if there was something similar to the Challengers that these people all belonged to.

The Questors was born.

I only realised recently, as I was putting fact sheets together that, after 40 years I had forgotten some of the characters. A few had died in various stories but a core remained.

Professor Stewart Questor.  In one adventure this bearded former explorer had lost an eye -in another he had lost a hand in a grenade attack.

Dr. Stephen Halliday was a former Olympic athlete who had gained some notoriety in his research and had for a time gone off exploring islands where no man had stepped foot on before (there are still a few!).

Peter Aston had been a mountaineer, archaeologist and explored the Amazon.

Major Tom Gillen was a true muscle-man type who had been a wrestler, boxer, underwater explorer and former Royal Marines Commando.

Dr. Bill Owen was a medical man who had dabbled in the investigation of the supernatural and his scepticism led him to look into tales of a Cumbrian wolf-man cult. He was attacked and became a werewolf.

If that was not odd enough a member there was Poseideon.  I’m positive I was influenced with him by a Gerry Anderson Stingray undersea dweller.

These are the main core of the Questors who have, over the years, met up with The Avenger and Turlough Flint (the Badger).

These are the Questors who will soon be appearing in BT Adventure.

So, who are Queen Liz, Mr. Spider, Mr. Gorilla and the Mad Hatter? Simples. They are from a parallel Earth and will one day…say some time in 2013…also be appearing in a comic.  That should really mess-up the fanboys!

For me it’s a case of not getting storylines mixed up and actually writing and drawing BOTH strips. 

Should be fun.

That’s yer lot!