59 replies to this topic

[WHITE]

Hi friends,

I liked comics since I was a child and I am just wondering whether there have ever been a comic about motor racing. A comic about a racing driver.
Does anybody know anything about the subject ?

[Gary Davies]

Do you know, I think there has ... featuring the McLaren boss!

[Macca]

If you use the 'Search BB' facility and look for Michel Vaillant and Skid Solo, you will find some information.

Paul M

[Rob Semmeling]

"Michel Vaillant" is the best known, and longest running (since 1959), comic book series about motor racing.

There's also "Alain Chevallier", a similar comic, that existed in the 1970s and 1980s.

[Rob Semmeling]

Oh, and you may like this as well:

http://home.planet.n...loads/Monza.pdf (9.8 mb)

GPL, comic book style...

[Paolo]

Brilliant !!!!

[ensign14]

There was a comic called Speed, I think it was out of IPC, which featured to my memory:

-The fastest footballer on Earth (grew up on a Pacific island or something)
-Speedboy (roller skating)
-something to do with "hitting the Topp" (Eddie Topps, a sort of Eddie Kidd/Evel Knievel wannabe)

and...

-Death Wish - racing driver Blake Edmonds disfigured in fiery plane crash, kept his scarred face behind a gimpesque mask, but professed he would rather die than live so did all sorts of suicidal things in his days off

When Speed closed some of the stories ended up in other mags, the footballer ended up in Roy Of The Rovers (playing for Kingsbay in "The Marks Brothers", yes I am sad) and Edmonds in Tiger.

Where, of course, you could find "Martin's Marvellous Mini", that probably won the Monte Carlo rally every year from 1968 to 1979. Notwithstanding French scrutineering.

[Maldwyn]

Originally posted by Macca
If you use the 'Search BB' facility and look for Michel Vaillant...

http://www.michel-vaillant-fan.it/

[Rockford]

Originally posted by ensign14
There was a comic called Speed, I think it was out of IPC, which featured to my memory:

-The fastest footballer on Earth (grew up on a Pacific island or something)
-Speedboy (roller skating)
-something to do with "hitting the Topp" (Eddie Topps, a sort of Eddie Kidd/Evel Knievel wannabe)

and...

-Death Wish - racing driver Blake Edmonds disfigured in fiery plane crash, kept his scarred face behind a gimpesque mask, but professed he would rather die than live so did all sorts of suicidal things in his days off

When Speed closed some of the stories ended up in other mags, the footballer ended up in Roy Of The Rovers (playing for Kingsbay in "The Marks Brothers", yes I am sad) and Edmonds in Tiger.

Where, of course, you could find "Martin's Marvellous Mini", that probably won the Monte Carlo rally every year from 1968 to 1979. Notwithstanding French scrutineering.

Speed briefly merged with Tiger, to create Tiger and Speed. I was an avid Tiger reader and basically lived for the next Skid Solo installment. I've got some old Tiger and Speed annuals which contain some great pieces on Alan Jones and Mike Hailwood.

[MCS]

Wasn't it Tiger and Jag?

I can remember getting Jag and then it was incorporated into Tiger.

Did speed come later??

[Wolf]

And I think I've heard Milo Manara is doing an 'official' comic on Valentino Rossi (OK, OK, he's a bike rider, but still worth a mention).

[philippe charuest]

in the french/belgian comic tradition there was of course michel vaillant imo the best album are the earliest in the late fifties but many comic series did some occasional incursion in the motorsport like " spirou et les heritiers" by franquin . or jean valhardi by jijé

[bpratt]

Hot rod cartoons can be found on CD
http://www.laffyeras...trodcomics.html

And though I've never actually seen it, or bought it, Pete De Paolo with the early art work of Frank Frazetta had a comic strip that was put into book form about 15 years ago.

[ReWind]

This is a German fan page about Michel Vaillant.
There you’ll also find something about other motor racing comics:
Johnny Comet (Ace McCoy), Eric Murat, Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer), Alain Bercy, Hot Wheels, Steve Speed, Patrick Leman,
Alain Chevallier (Rolf Thomsen), Knut Andersen, Bib, Bob Barry, Grand Prix & Unser Schumi (= Our Shuey).

[Pikachu Racing]

I remember Tools DeRat back in 6th grade when school library had Racing for Kids magazine.

Anyway here some I drew few weeks ago and its about Dale Earnhardt: http://gmhockey.comi...d/20060218.html

[Mark A]

As posted on a previous thread, here is Martins Marvelous Mini.

[Neuz]

There was a Senna comic - Sennaha. I have several of the issues. Was in Portugese so I am not sure what it said.

[Terry Walker]

There was a short-lived Australian comic book series about F1 racing. The artist was West Australian Terry Trowell, who also painted the racing murals high up on the walls of the drive-through bay in the late Syd Anderson's garage (sadly long since demolished to make room for a freeway on-ramp). Terry was a great race fan, and his brother John Trowell raced in the early 60s.

I remember buying a copy of the comic and thinking it was pretty good. I can't think of the name, but it was some motor racing pun, similar in flavour to the Brit WW2 RAAF strip Battler Britton.

This cartoon from The Visor gives a taste of his wilder style. It arose from a girlfriend who saw a double decker bus in the Caversham pits at a six hour race and aked, in all innocence, who was driving it in the race.

I will have to contact John Trowell and find out more about the comic.

[Arjan de Roos]

Next to the semi-realism of Michel Vaillant, the couple Willy Richard and Mario Luini produced four comic albums of the real F1. I bought my dutch copies years ago, and have seen french versions of course. I wonder if there have been english copies.
Richard is still dedicated to F1 as a painter: http://membres.lycos.fr/willyrichard/

[wdm]

Some French authors/illustrators have produced comic-book biographies of real drivers, too... I have on Jean-Pierre Wimille, and there's one about Jim Clark which is extensively reproduced in Eric Dymock's biography of him. I guess there are probably others?

Willie

[Rockford]

Originally posted by MCS
Wasn't it Tiger and Jag?

I can remember getting Jag and then it was incorporated into Tiger.

Did speed come later??

Yes, I think the history of Tiger went something like this:

Tiger > Tiger & Jag > Tiger & Scorcher > Tiger & Speed and then back to Tiger again!

The Tiger & Speed edition of 28 March 1981 looks like fun: "Skid Solo and Stirling Moss team up to try and win the Tricentrol British Saloon Car Championship"

http://www.comicsuk....dSpeed_19810328

[Mallory Dan]

Originally posted by Mark A
As posted on a previous thread, here is Martins Marvelous Mini.

Thats great, I remember the comic well (Hotshot Hamish was another great strip). I'm not sure about that "nice fee" bit though, sounds like the artist had a Legal career in mind...

[HDonaldCapps]

While working at the Capitol Newsstand in the 60s, I recall there being several American comic books which used motor racing as the topic. I cannot recall any of the titles, but I know that at least one used the Chaparral -- in the hands of someone other than Jim Hall or Hap Sharp -- as the chariot of choice for the hero. There seemed to be at least a few that appeared during the the timeframe that I worked there -- of widely varying quality and content.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Mark A
As posted on a previous thread, here is Martins Marvelous Mini.

Martin Baker? -- is the thing fitted with an ejector seat? ;P

[isynge]

Back in the early 1980s the dear departed Victor had a series featuring heroic Brit driver coming up against what transpired to be robot controlled drone cars driven by a rival crippled in a previous season. Writing it down now sounds like complete nonsense but I remember being completely transfixed by it.

[Sharman]

Never mind motor racing in comics what about comics in motor racing . For a start there is a Laurel and Hardy type duo who would be a riot to a fly on the wall called Bernie and Big Bird

[Keir]

Rob,
That GPL comic was very well done, is it a program ??

[T54]

Oh, and you may like this as well:

http://home.planet.n...loads/Monza.pdf (9.8 mb)

GPL, comic book style...

You learn something every day. Bruce McLaren driving a red Eagle at Monza....

[roger_valentine]

Just to be among the first to mention Super Aguri on TNF, how about "Super Aguri Saves F1" in the Grauniad this week?

Slightly more on topic, can anyone suggest any reasons why the whole BD culture seems to have by-passed Britain so completely? Only Tintin and Asterix seem to have made any impression. Michel Vaillant is as integral a part of motor racing history as Stirling Moss, and yet is almost unknown (and untranslated) in Britain.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Sharman
Never mind motor racing in comics what about comics in motor racing . For a start there is a Laurel and Hardy type duo who would be a riot to a fly on the wall called Bernie and Big Bird

Comics in F1? May I suggest.....
http://forums.autosp...&threadid=52770

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by roger_valentine
Slightly more on topic, can anyone suggest any reasons why the whole BD culture seems to have by-passed Britain so completely?

I think we just came late to the party -- it didn't become "ok for grown-ups to read comics" until the rise of the "graphic novel" starting in the late 80s ("Watchmen", "V for Vendetta", etc.), although comics like 2000AD and its spinoffs always had an older audience. I'm not a massive reader of graphic novels (I tend to prefer my fiction to be mostly words!), but there have been a few masterpieces - Warren Ellis's "Ministry of Space" is a favourite which I think a lot of people here will like (alternate-history with the premise that Britain gets the pick of the Peenemunde crowd.. -- imagine a profoundly Orwellian Dan Dare... stamping on a human face, forever!)

[Eric McLoughlin]

In the "Tiger" chronology there was also a period when it had merged with "Hurricane".

The very first edition of "Jag"(1968?) came with a free gift wallchart showing all the colours of the Football League clubs of the British Isles. I still have that chart somewhere.

[Rob Semmeling]

Originally posted by Keir
Rob,
That GPL comic was very well done, is it a program ??

You mean if a computer programme was used to make this? I think it says so in the credits/acknowledgements at the end of the PDF.

Perhaps you could ask the guy who made it, the original thread for that file is here: http://forum.rscnet....ad.php?t=244846

[Mark Jackson]

Originally posted by WHITE
I liked comics since I was a child and I am just wondering whether there have ever been a comic about motor racing. A comic about a racing driver.

Well, there's the Playstation Portable "virtual comic" Sector 97, featuring Fernando Alonso and other superheroes. See http://www.sector97....do.asp?idioma=2, if you are prepared for heavy Flash content.

And there was FOCA - Kimbo's Formula One Cartoon Archive, now sadly retired from the net (although I spotted the T-shirt in the back of my closet the other day).

Do either of these help?

[WHITE]

Originally posted by Mark Jackson

Well, there's the Playstation Portable "virtual comic" Sector 97, featuring Fernando Alonso and other superheroes. See http://www.sector97....do.asp?idioma=2, if you are prepared for heavy Flash content.

Thank you Mark but I do not like video games at all !

[Henk Vasmel]

Originally posted by Arjan de Roos
Next to the semi-realism of Michel Vaillant, the couple Willy Richard and Mario Luini produced four comic albums of the real F1. I bought my dutch copies years ago, and have seen french versions of course. I wonder if there have been english copies.
Richard is still dedicated to F1 as a painter:

Waarde Arjan,

Jammer. Unfortunately your count is out by at least one. There were at least five books, and I know for sure, because these five are in my collection. You are missing the 1977 book, which is similar to the 1975 and 1976 ones. Mine is in French, so it may be that it never was translated into Dutch. I didn't know there were Dutch versions of the first three anyway.

Groeten,

Henk Vasmel

PS, is het niet tijd om de halfjaarlijkse meeting in Maarsbergen weer eens te organiseren? Dan kan ik het boek meenemen om je jaloers te maken.

[T54]

This is the BEST!

[LotusElise]

Does anyone know where I can find more of Martin and his Marvellous Mini ?
Was it included in any comic annuals ? My dad and brother both love Mini stuff and they would really like this comic strip.

[Mark A]

The bit I posted from Martins Marvelous Mini was taken from a 1980's Tiger Annual I have at home, they usually come up on eBay as I lost all my originals. Also inculdes a number of other motorsport orientated strips as mentioned in previous posts.

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by Henk Vasmel


Waarde Arjan,

Jammer. Unfortunately your count is out by at least one. There were at least five books, and I know for sure, because these five are in my collection. You are missing the 1977 book, which is similar to the 1975 and 1976 ones. Mine is in French, so it may be that it never was translated into Dutch. I didn't know there were Dutch versions of the first three anyway.

Groeten,

Henk Vasmel

PS, is het niet tijd om de halfjaarlijkse meeting in Maarsbergen weer eens te organiseren? Dan kan ik het boek meenemen om je jaloers te maken.

Dear Henk,

Didn't know there was a 1977 book as well! If so I suppose there must have been a 1978 as well as 1979 is known to us.

Guess it would be a good time to come together in Maarsbergen again. Rob?

Arjan

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by Terry Walker
There was a short-lived Australian comic book series about F1 racing. The artist was West Australian Terry Trowell, who also painted the racing murals high up on the walls of the drive-through bay in the late Syd Anderson's garage (sadly long since demolished to make room for a freeway on-ramp). Terry was a great race fan, and his brother John Trowell raced in the early 60s.

I remember buying a copy of the comic and thinking it was pretty good. I can't think of the name, but it was some motor racing pun, similar in flavour to the Brit WW2 RAAF strip Battler Britton.

Terry

The comic was called "Jet Black", and it appeared at the time that Jack Brabham ("JB", "Black Jack") was beginning his successful run in F1.

As I remember it, the comic was published by Modern Magazines and promoted extensively in Modern MOTOR.

I have long regretted that I didn't collect them. I have never seen even one copy since, let alone a complete collection (as you say, I think it was quite short-lived).

Once I did find, in the out-of-control Modern MOTOR files, a few bromides of the original artwork, but unfortunately it wasn't a complete comic-book, just a few pages.

One of the few things I remember of the strip was when the "bad guys" planted a large, deadly spider in the cockpit of Jet Black's car at the Monaco GP, knowing that it would emerge at exactly the right time and threaten to bite JB on his bare arm during the race (!).

It would be interesting to know if Terry Trowell has a set of the comics, or the original art work.

[Terry Walker]

Terry Trowell died in 1964, aged 46.

Chances are though, that his brother (who is still with us) may have a set of the comics, and possible even the original art (though this latter seems very unlikely).

My very faded memory of the comics was that they had a very authentic look about them. Blowed if I remember the spider, though.

[Barry Lake]

Woops! I always seem to have to rush through TNF in such a hurry these days...

When you wrote, "I will have to contact John Trowell..." I was thinking Terry Trowell.

It still will be interesting to learn if anything has survived of that comic.

I once asked in - is it Comic Kingdom? - in Sydney if they had ever had copies of it and he said he'd never heard of it.

It would be a shame for something that I, for one, remember as being so good should disappear without trace.

[Catalina Park]

Originally posted by Barry Lake
One of the few things I remember of the strip was when the "bad guys" planted a large, deadly spider in the cockpit of Jet Black's car at the Monaco GP, knowing that it would emerge at exactly the right time and threaten to bite JB on his bare arm during the race (!).

I just found this and thought it belonged here! (from MM Jan 58)

[ian senior]

And when he retired from racing, he became the drummer in The Stranglers.

[aerogi]

Does this qualify?

http://www.phpbbplan...3&mforum=aerogi

[Martin Roessler]

Just bought some old comics for a friend in a small antique shop between Hamilton and Geelong,
flicking through them i was surprised to find this 1 page comic...very nice.



I wonder who is responsible for this.....it's from "Rover and Adventure",1961.
Looks like an english magazine for boys (and girls).

[GeoffE]

Originally posted by Martin Roessler

I wonder who is responsible for this.....it's from "Rover and Adventure",1961.
Looks like an english magazine for boys (and girls).

There were (at least) four text-only* comics in the 1950s as I remember it - Rover, Adventure, Hotspur and Wizard. Apparently two of them merged. Hotspur became New Hotspur - half of it was picture stories.

Clearly dumbing down by reducing the amount of text is not a new thing.

*Each story had an action picture beneath its headline.

[oldclassiccar]

thought this old comic might be of interest, dated 1923:

http://www.oldclassi...uckmagazine.htm



Rick

[AMICALEMANS]

hi ! no one of you know this one ?

http://www.michelvaillant.com/

there is some which are in english !