A Life in Comics 6: The Valiant Days
I’m drifting again. A short spell as script editor of a new teen mag from which I have few memories, certainly no good ones.
When I think of it I remember mainly one freelancer, a woman called Lucy Salway. Lucy is one of those ‘nearly there’ writers whose stories have definite points of interest – in her case usually a lot of charm – but that never quite click as a whole. And then a story comes in that I decide, yes, this is good, I can use this. It’s about a young postman and a mix-up with deliveries with a girl he likes.
I make only one significant alteration to it, changing the title to “Even Postmen Get Love Letters”, and then run it. When it prints the editor remarks how much he likes it. It’s different. And bags of charm.
I call Lucy, arrange to have lunch with her in London. From her voice I judge that she’s not young, so she’s probably been trying to break in for quite some time before I become aware of her (in fact I think I may have seen some of her submissions at DC Thomson). I believe if I work with her I can help her become a regular, benefitting both the magazine and her. And then…
And then publisher John Sanders calls me into his office and tells me he wants me to edit Valiant. It’s ailing (like all the magazines I take over) and – good god, haven’t they learnt anything yet? – he believes I’m the man to save it. Actually, he probably doesn’t. He’s no fool and he no doubt sees the writing on the wall for Valiant. But, hey, make an effort.
I’m not going to refuse. I’m hardly enjoying my spell in teenville and Valiant is much more my kind of title. But there’s Lucy.
I call her up to apologise and explain why I have to cancel the lunch. I mention her to the editor and request that whoever takes over from me should use her. But I doubt very much that it happens. As a former freelancer I understand very well what this setback may mean to her. I hate letting her down, obviously so much that it’s stuck in my memory when little else from that time has.
And so to Valiant. It has for years been one of IPC’s main boys’ titles, along with Lion and Tiger. It features mainstays like the ridiculous Captain Hurricane, Billy Bunter and – the only story I have any liking for – Adam Eterno. Created by boys’ division managing editor and East London war vet Jack le Grand and stalwart writer Tom Tully, it is one of the characters brought over to Valiant when the comic merged with Lion. Jack, who I become sort of friendly with, piloted a glider into France and likes to regale me with stories about how the English lads hated us ‘Jocks’ and used to delight in shooting us in the back at every opportunity.
Adam Eterno is cursed by a 16th century alchemist to live forever, a condition that in the end comes to torment him. His adventures span hundreds of years with generally excellent art by the likes of Eric Bradbury and Joe Colquhoun. By the time I take over, however, as a cost-saving measure, it – along with Bunter and Hurricane – are strictly reprint.
I dislike Bunter and Hurricane with a passion, and apart from Eterno don’t care for much else in the comic, so set about creating stories more to my, and I hope the readers’, taste.
I have in place a very competent art editor, Jan Shepheard, as well as a sub-editor, Stuart Wales. Stuart is to some extent useful to bounce ideas off, though he is not a natural writer and his major preoccupation seems to be editing puzzle magazines for another publisher. He will later add another sideline as the ill-fated Action comic’s ‘Money Man’, which involves turning up on specified holiday beaches and awarding £5 to the first youth to spot him and claim it. I see him pictured in a hat with a sheaf of fivers dangling from it, but that may be false memory.
My first major decision on Valiant is to draft in by-now good friend Carlos Ezquerra to draw some eye-catching covers. Carlos is too much in demand and too committed to Battle to draw an actual strip for me though I try very hard to persuade him, so covers are the next best option.
The first new story off the production line is One-Eyed Jack. Jack McBane is a hard-nosed New York detective who loses an eye in the line of duty. There is a fine line between tough law enforcement and outright criminality and, embittered by his experience Jack, a tough nut to start with, often comes within a hair’s breadth of crossing it.
A visit from grande dame art agent Billie Cooper introduces me to the work of John Cooper (no relation), whose slick style is a perfect fit for the story.
The piece is largely inspired by the Dirty Harry films with a big nod to the 87th Precinct novels of Ed McBain. (Many years later Andrew Helfer, the editor of my Paradox Press book ‘A History of Violence’, asks Ed to write the intro for it. Ed considers it a little too violent and refuses. Shame, in my youth I was a big fan.)
One-Eyed Jack immediately leaps to the top of Valiant’s popularity poll, scoring twice as many votes on the readers’ voting coupons as the previous favourite, Captain Hurricane. For years readers have been served up formulaic pieces like Hurricane. They’re tired and repetitive and their only real virtue it seems is to save editorial the task of thinking up something better. As we proved on Battle Picture Weekly grittier, more realistic stories are what kids have been crying out for.
Over the following weeks I introduce more new series, generally writing the first couple of episodes and then farming the scripts out to other writers. ‘Paco’ is a story about a half-wolf forced to compete in vicious dog fights, based largely on Jack London’s ‘White Fang’ and ‘Call of the Wild’. It is drawn initially by an excellent Argentinian artist, Alberto Salinas. It is very well-liked, occasionally rivalling One-Eyed Jack for top story.
‘Soldier Sharp, the Rat of the Rifles’, is my attempt to emulate Cadman, which appears in DC Thomson’s Victor – itself based on George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman. While Soldier Sharp never quite matches either of the other two, it is still well-enough regarded to make the cut when Valiant is eventually absorbed into Battle.
‘Death Wish’ is the story of army sergeant Joe Bannon, who blames himself for the slaughter of his entire platoon. Believing that he has forfeited the right to live he continues to pursue the war against Axis forces regardless of risk to himself, almost inviting the bullet or blast that will take his own life.
I have seen the art credited to Mike Western and Ian Gibson. I am somewhat doubtful about that, as Mike is too much in demand on Battle Picture Weekly and although Ian may have done a fill-in episode or two it is more likely the art was by Luis Callado Coch, of whom I know nothing but the name. Death Wish is to my mind the best of the stories I originate for Valiant, though it does attract some condemnation from a Member of Parliament for promoting the notion of suicide. My mistake here is to call it Death Wish. Had I titled it ‘Bannon’s Boys’ I doubt it would attract the same attention.
You may notice a certain theme developing. I exclude Death Wish from the list as only the title is similar to the well-known film, but must include One-Eyed Jack (Dirty Harry); Paco (Call of the Wild/White Fang); Soldier Sharp (Cadman).
And let’s not overlook Battle Picture Weekly’s Rat Pack (The Dirty Dozen); Day of the Eagle (for Eagle read Jackal); Bamboo Curtain (Bridge on the River Kwai). Action features the big shark story Hook Jaw (Jaws) and 2000AD adds to the list with Mach 1 (Six Million Dollar Man).
I could cite many more. It is a shortcut to story creation used often in the comics industry, especially by the London titles. What’s working in movies, on TV, in books and other comics? Let’s do that. It’s highly derivative, though not quite identical enough to justify an accusation of plagiarism. After all, writers have fed off each other since the dawn of story-telling, nothing wrong with that. But it is lacking in originality – a quality I must add that comics often also amply display.
It happens more often with the London titles because of pressure of work. DC Thomson comics, I have mentioned before, have much higher staffing levels, so there is more time for their editors and other staff to sit back and dream up new and fresh ideas.
Excluding art staff IPC titles on the other hand usually only work with an editor and a sub-editor. Along with story creation there’s the day-to-day management of the title – dealing with artists and writers, who are often late with their work and sometimes disappear altogether. Rewriting sub-standard scripts and making alterations to art. Reading script submissions, unsolicited and otherwise. Searching out new artists, fending off agents. Arranging lettering, proofreading, competitions, payments. Devising covers, letters pages, fending off irate MPs. Scheduling everything, keeping the whole show on track.
In amongst all this there is not a lot of time for devising new material, which is why shortcuts are often taken – the easy and quick way out. Being an editor – a good editor – is a difficult, almost impossible task, or so it seems to me. I could spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Valiant and still never reach the standard I would like the comic to be.
More and more I long for the freelance life again where I can concentrate on my work and my work alone, and indeed have been freelancing for Action, the new comic Pat Mills has developed, coming in early of a work morning and banging out scripts for the boxing story, Blackjack.
By now the comics division has moved from Fleetway House to the new premises across the river at King’s Reach Tower. We’re on the 20th floor, with marvellous views across London. I spend a lot of time each morning just staring out of the window, though to make up for it am often working at my desk late into the evening.
1975 turns into 1976 and despite my efforts Valiant’s circulation figures continue to decline. I ask for a sales push involving cover-mounted free gifts; request denied. However, John Sanders tells me, there is great news. Valiant is to be merged with Vulcan, sales will surely soar.
Vulcan is a newish title consisting entirely of old strips reprinted. Many are well known and loved by ageing aficionados – Robot Archie, The Steel Claw, Trigan Empire. But they will not be loved, I fear, by my readers. Times and readers’ expectations have changed. My assumption is correct. The boost is minimal and disappears within a few weeks.
Valiant’s days are surely numbered. There is little point in continuing to bash my head against its crumbling facade. The siren call of the freelance life sounds again, and I decide I can no longer resist. I have never been a good employee anyway – too rebellious by nature and definitely not good at following orders.
I tender my resignation. John Sanders is, I’m sure, very glad to accept. We have had our issues, he and I, most notably a ham-handed and ill-advised insurrection I tried to organise against his management. I don’t like him and he has plenty of reason to dislike me. He will be very happy to usher me out of the door.
And so my Valiant days are over. Failed again. But I have grown as a story-teller and learned some valuable lessons from my time there, as you will see.