Sunday 21 February 2016

Jet #1 (1971)



Over the years there have been a number of short lived comics on the British market and Jet was one of these launching in May 1971 and lasting just 22 issues before merging with the long running Buster. This was a comic that passed me by when it came out but it's actually rather good and a shame it didn't last longer.

Jet opens with Von Hoffman's Invasion an offbeat story about a mad Nazi scientist who after spending 25 years in prison for his crimes is released into the modern world and decides to have his revenge on old blighty. His weapon? Enlarging gas that he uses not just to create monstrosities out of  local insects and other wild life but is somehow able to control these creatures with his voice.

This popular strip lasted into the merger with Buster so may be remembered by those who didn't get Jet at the time.

 

Other features included The Sludgemouth Sloggers about a town that lives in permanent rain and is going broke who enter a competition to change their fortunes, Partridges Patch which tells yarns of a village copper and his dog unappreciated by his career orientated boss and the inevitable world war two story Sergeants Four.

Paddy McGinty's Goat comes up next and is about an alien stuck in Ireland who changes himself into a goat to escape detection. The stuff British comics were made of!

Humour in the form of The Kids of Stalag 41 takes the full colour centre pages and is exactly what the title suggests.  The Germans have not reckoned with the antics of British school children!

This beng a the era of Wacky Races sees a bizarre car race take place in jolly old England in Crazy Car Capers. There's a footy story (which I always skip) Adare's Anglians, more humour from Faceache, Athletics with the Kester Kid, and adventure with Bala the Briton set in ancient times.

Overall well worth a read. Some strips lasted a little longer in Buster and there was one Annual published that year. Deserved a longer life.

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