Monthly Archive for February, 2004

Ok. If you remember characters such as these -

Adam Eterno, Big Klanky,Black Max, Dolmann, Faceache, Fishboy, Frankie Stein, Galaxus, General/Admiral Jumbo, The Iron Fish, Janus Stark, Kelley’s Eye, Kid Chameleon, Robot Archie, The Spellbinder, The Spider, The Steel Claw*.

Then, you read way too many British comics as a child, and are lying about your age.

Characters like this (and hundreds more) appeared during what was the heyday of British comics, from the 1950′s to the early ’70′s. Yes, amazingly we did have a thriving market until it collapsed in the ’90′s and now all children have to read are American reprints and merchandising opportunities (I won’t go into the whys and wherefores of this situation, only to say that W.H.Smiths newstand policy has a great deal to do with it). The inventiveness and downright weirdness of writers and artists has gone, to America mostly. In addition, although 2000AD tries to keep the flag flying, it too has seen better and more illustrious days.

Also, you must never call these characters “Super-Heroes.” That was for the Americans, a more brash and in your face type of character. No, even though every single one of the above mentioned showed all the signs of being “Super-Heroes,” they were above all that. They were adventurers, explorers of the unknown, gentlemen thieves etc, definitely not “SUPER-HEROES.”

And very few of them are remembered today.

Except, some people do.

Jack Staff © Paul Grist

One of these is Grant Morrison, who in Book Three of Zenith, brought a load of them back (under different names and look naturally, but you could tell) to fight a multi-dimensional war against the bad guys.
Another is Paul Grist.

Grist obviously remembers, and loves, a lot of the old characters and a few of them turn up in the collected Jack Staff: Everything Used to Be Black And White.

Jack Staff is, or was, Britain’s very own super-hero. At the end of the sixties, he disappeared and was forgotten. But now, with a very familiar friend on the streets of his hometown, plus the return of an old foe he finds himself putting the costume on again.
Straight away, Grist gets into the adventure. And although the “origin” story is just a replay of Marvel’s own Union Jack/Invaders/Baron Blood storyline, Grist gives the tale a very British feel by introducing characters that are instantly recognizable to the reader.

Jack is a working class hero straight out of the Alf Tupper handbook, whilst Becky Burdock: Girl (soon to be Vampire) Reporter, is one of those annoying, pesky girls, who were always trying to muscle in on the boys adventures. Q Unit is the epitome of secret service branches that looked after the “Question Mark” crimes, Tom-Tom is Robot Archie, and best of all are Albert and Harold Bramble: Vampire Hunters. With these two, Grist shows us what he has in mind with the comic. A lot of the humour comes from taking beloved British persona and putting them into situations that strangely fit them (Harold still complains about his father interfering with his love life), and he has no intention of pandering to the American market by explaining some of the references within (a certain Home Guard group also get a cameo). Grist introduces other old characters with The Spider (still called, and looking like, The Spider, strangely), The Steel Claw (working for Q Unit, but still a crook at heart), mystics like The Druid (who breaks down the third wall, by talking to the reader) and Morlan The Mystic (a real mystic who looks more like a less hairsuit Alan Moore).

Jack Staff © Paul Grist

But the applause (for he would expect it) must go to Charlie Raven: Victorian Escapologist Extraordinaire. This take on Janus Stark still has the arrogance and disdain of the original character, doing it only for the thrill of the adventure and relief from the tedium of everyday life. The fact that he’s spent nearly a century entombed in a lead coffin hasn’t mellowed him (the reason he couldn’t escape is explained. This is no David Blaine). His adventure with Jack (defeating a time leech in human form, bent on world domination) is both strange and funny (nobody will believe he is who he says he is, but keeps escaping when the authorities lock him up). Raven also gets the only adult sub-text in the whole book when he decides not to escapes his chains and save his urchin side-kick from death.

Further sub-plots to do with Becky Burdock: Vampire Reporter goes untold in this volume, but it all seems to be leading up to something big. As is the mystery of how old Jack is (he’s fought in both World Wars, and seen Charlie Raven, on stage, in the Victorian era)

Grist has a nice clean line style, with good expressions and a solid understanding of comicbook conventions. Minimalist backgrounds bring all the action to the fore and panels flow into others with no jarring breaks. A filmic quality is sustained over the whole book and the humour doesn’t bow to cynicism, but instead is gently deprecating about the whole super-hero shtick. Thanks to joining up with Image, Grist has now moved Jack into colour and although he is still a slow artist (expect no more than four or five issues a year) the quality has been maintained with even more yesteryear characters turning up. In the latest issues we’ve had a more sinister explanation for the strength of Captain Hurricane and the arrival of General Jumbo, and autistic child able to build incredible toys.

Best of all, for a British writer Grist has no axe to grind. There is no angst in Jack Staff. Jack may be a blue-collar worker, but he could not care less about class or race when somebody is in trouble. He may have fought in both World Wars, but he’s not going “Why, why, why?” or contemplating about the futility of it all. Coppers may be idiots, but they’re out to see justice done and gentlemen thieves still have manners and not obscene sexual practices. Good, exciting adventure is the order of the day and it’s a welcome return to the reading of childhood.

Newspaper editors are still scumbags though.

Jack Staff, Vol 1: Everything Used to Be Black and White is by Paul Grist and published by Image, priced £12.99.

*Honourable mention must also go to:- The Bash Street Kids, Beryl The Peril, Biffo The Bear, Billy The Cat, Billy Whizz, Black Bob, Buster, Captain Hurricane, Desperate Dan, Dirty Dick, Korky The Cat, The Numbskulls, Q-Bikes/Karts, Rodger The Dodger, Sid’s Snake, my all-time favourite, Alf Tupper-The Tough of the Track and of course, their creators:- Eric Bradbury, Pete Sutherland, Leo Baxendale, David Law, Dudley D. Watkins, Jeff Bevan, Malcolm Judge, Jack Prout, Reg Smythe, Ken Reid, Solano Lopez, Reg Bunn