The Black Sapper: Criminal, Resistance Fighter and Crime Smasher

  The Hotspur comic version of the Black Sapper was unlike the original was an arch villain, The Black Sapper appeared in text stories with illustrations -these are taken from the weekly boys paper, The Rover, 1931. 

The Hotspur creative team were (artists as I cannot find writer(s) names) master comickers Jack Glass; Terry Patrick; Keith Shone.

The Black Sapper  started as a criminal in his early adventures but in the Hotspur stories  he fought on the side of law and order. He  made use of his marvellous drilling machine "the Worm" (in the original series it was called "The Earthworm"), which could burrow through the earth. Although the Sapper  was the " crew" occasionally it did carry a second person. In the Hotspur series there is mentions that the worm was designed by Professor Jordan and his son, Johnny and that it is atomic-powered. (Hotspur issue 619). The machine was also lightweight, being made with metal that 'was half the weight of aluminium, but tough enough to act as a heat shield for a moon capsule'. (Hotspur issue 611).

The Sapper's uniform remained the same in both the early and later series. Although the later version of the worm had up- to -date equipment, such as an outside camera so the Sapper could see what was happening above ground on a television screen which kind of makes sense as you don't want to end up inside a nuclear reactor, army artillery range or in someones bathroom.

In the first series drawn by Patrick, Britain has been invaded by an eastern race the Khansus and The Black Sapper fights along side the British resistance in the fight back against the invaders (hmm. I'm sure Bill Savage might have come in handy).  A later series would see the Sapper on the trail of a gang of international crooks led by the mysterious and sinister Octopus.

The series drawn by Shone sees the Sapper having broken up the international gang of crooks in the last series, hunting down its scattered leaders. A complication arose when the Sapper was blinded by an explosion and he enlisted the aid of a young orphan boy Jeff, who was  to act as his "eyes". 

I believe that this was the last Black Sapper adventure but he had a legendary career from 1931 to the 1980s.

Oddly, as with Spring-heeled Jack, my first knowledge of the character came from my grand dad, Bill who had memories of the master5 crook from his youth!

Sadly, D.C. Thomson has never taken advantage of the old characters it has because they could still be made viable.

A little addenda here as I just found some of my notes from the Face Book British Golden Age Comics page:

According to the legend:"In the police records of Scotland Yard,no name occupies more space than the Black Sapper." The "BLACK SAPPER" had invented a diamond hard drilling machine with a name to strike terror into the hearts of even the bravest of men...the, uh, "Earth-Worm"! 

Marot was the mechanic who worked with the "SAPPER" and he was with the mastermind when he first robbed the Bank of England on 24th August,1929, in ROVER no. 384 ,a text story. 

The criminal genius was thwarted by Commander Breeze of the Yard [of course]. The "SAPPER" later disappeared and managed to keep his head low until his dramatic re-appearance in picture-strip form -once again coming up against Breeze of the Yard! Mind you, they were now in the BEEZER no.196, 17th October, 1959! Over a decade later the character returned for a 1971-1973 run in the HOTSPUR, as well as appearing in the HOTSPUR ANNUAL 1973 pitting his abilities against "THE MYSTERY MAN FROM THE FLAMES."

And you’ve guessed it, yes, the "BLACK SAPPER" had returned as a champion of law and order starting with the 1971 run. Jack Glass was the artist who also drew "THE AMAZING MR X", [DANDY 1944], "BOOMERANG BURKE" [DANDY,1941], "BUCK WILSON" [DANDY,1937-

Well, there you go. I keep so much rubbish on discs that I was bound to forget something but that is as complete a history of the British  Golden, Silver and Bronze ages character as you will find anywhere!