A Western by Western!!

I've been rereading my few Valiant comics again and asking people at comicsuk forum what they enjoyed..

I never really got into these type of comics as a kid or teen I was always going for the humour comic..But as an adult I beginning to discover them and quite surprised how good they are. .:)

Valiant and Lion 30th Nov 1974

Raven

Post subject: Re: Valiant in the 60's/70's chat getting the right mix Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:16 pm

Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:58 pm Posts: 1933 Location: Highboro'

Trail to Nowhere was a really nice western serial - drawn, appropriately enough, by Mike Western - running from the first issue that Valiant combined with Lion: 25th May 1974 until the end of the year. Set in the late 19th Century, it's about a stroppy young boy who demands that the wandering trapper who saves him from Commanche Indians transports him to Fort Hazard in New Mexico. Well written, it focuses on the awkward relationship between the two as much as typical Wild West action. There were still a lot of good strips in 1974 Valiant, really: Danny Doom, Valley of the Giants, Adam Eterno, and co.

Raven	Post subject: Re: Valiant in the 60's/70's chat getting the right mix Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:31 pm
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:58 pm Posts: 1933 Location: Highboro'	A potential watery doom awaits the duo on 7th December 1974 - some dynamic art by Mr. Western here. Trail to Nowhere is the kind of thing that should really be published in an album.

Raven	Post subject: Re: Valiant in the 60's/70's chat getting the right mix Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 11:10 pm
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:58 pm Posts: 1933 Location: Highboro'	Peter Gray wrote: As a good guess he is not dead...I watch loads of sci-fi  No, Crazy Man, their outcast Apache Indian friend is dead. Valiant pulls no punches!

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=148&t=1992&start=30

http://britishcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/trail-to-nowhere.html
see another example here...

New for May 2012 Animal art and a few landscape!!

The dark background really shows up the bunnys white paws..very pleased with this..

Got myself some new acrylics paints so can have more different colours..

Doberman puppy

This will be popular!!

Whippet this is selling well as cards..

Thought I'd try landscape,,good fun doing snow..Giles of course was brilliant at that..was inspired by him to have a go..

People who like skiing like this one..

I use an old toothbrush to get the splatter effect background..

Got the splashes right on this one with my toothbrush..

Love the colours I used for this one..

They look like to me they are swimming in space!!

A better scotty dog drawing..I've improved!!

This is going down very well as card!!

My teddybear quilt is in the background...also thats Carol's teddy!

My friend Richard who has a neighbour cat coming in everyday called Smudge!

I can draw people dogs..cats..rabbits..horses..black and white A3 on good paper for £60..please email me your best pet photo..I like drawing faces best and maybe a nice Birthday present for someone..

thejeep2000@yahoo.co.uk

Buster changed in 1992! and lots of artists last stories or reduced work..

The last Vid Kid I'm pretty sure I'm right..anyway by Jan 25th Vid Kid was all reprints and Jack worked on the letter page and other small bits for Buster..

The 'last' X Ray Specs and it was all reprints..Mike Lacey might have retired But I'm not sure..He did draw three pages for Buster in 1991 with Sid's Snake.

The 'last' Ricky Rainbow and Jim Hanson was reduced from three pages to two..

The 'last' Double Trouble and went into reprints in Jan 25th 1992..Terry now only drew two pages and soon it was only one page later in the year..

So not so Great News for the New Year..

Lew Stringer lost a second page in Buster.no more Vampire Brats.reduced to one page with Tom Thug..sometimes Lew drew two pages on rare special occasions..
Chalky by Bob Hill continued though he had two pages before reduced to one..he was drawing the Bruise Brothers in 1991.
Other artists were also let go of..
see the link

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=148&t=2739&hilit=1992+Buster+1992

Raven

Post subject: Re: What happened to Buster in 1992? a bad year for artists.. Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:33 pm

Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:58 pm Posts: 1905 Location: Highboro'

I think in the 90s we enter the era of the "efficiency review," Peter, when the new generation of publishers had the cost-cutting mindset: why pay writers and artists a page rate to create new strips, when we can just reprint old ones for free, and then: why are we filling these titles with expensive to produce comic strips when we can get the in-house staff to throw together 'feature' pages instead, for no extra cost. It wasn't reader-led but all to do with the growing commercially minded philosophy that grew out of the '80s, of wanting to make as much money as possible while spending as little as possible.

Raven

Post subject: Re: What happened to Buster in 1992? a bad year for artists.. Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 3:35 pm

Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:58 pm Posts: 1905 Location: Highboro'

Also, as I recall, around 1991 the Fleetway division that published the comics were taken over by Egmont, formerly Gutenberghus, who, despite their associations with Disney comics abroad, had no interest in carrying on with the UK comics line. Quite a few new comics - humour and apparently adventure- were in the planning/development stages at that time but I think Gutenberghus/Egmont put an immediate stop to it all, so it clearly wasn't going to continue much longer if they had no interest in investing in the comic line. I think the takeover in 1991 had a lot to do with the changes you notice from 1992, Peter.

So strange how the comic was bought by a someone who was interested in comics But didn't do much with it..I feel they underused the comic artists talent a lot of the remaining comic artists could and wished to draw more But replaced with reprints. What a waste of there talent.

I feel though to a lesser degree the Beano and Dandy should use there artists more..Laura H should for example be given another page other than one a week..just my views..etc..

Tom Thug's komik with Lew Stringer...Jim Hanson and Jack Edward Oliver helping out..

Poor Odd Ball!!

 This last page isn't by Lew Stringer like the top three scans But by Jim Hanson continuing the story..

Jack Edward Oliver joins in the fun with Tom Thug being the butt of all the jokes, letters, dot to dot, drawings!! .

Its great when artists team up to do something special. 

On a side note the Cliff Hanger conclusion on the page works better when it came out in the 80's as Buster came free with a Ghostbuster badge!!