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The inside story of the British comic industry - from the man who ran it!

Started by IndigoPrime, 11 November, 2019, 10:19:53 AM

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IndigoPrime

The must-read memoir of 2020 is the fascinating inside story of one of British comics' biggest movers and shakers – King's Reach: John Sanders' Twenty-Five Years at the Top of Comics.

One of the key figures of British comics in the late 20th Century, John Sanders masterminded the output of Britain's biggest comics publisher, IPC, over 25 years – launching more than 100 titles, selling millions of copies every week, battling censorship and industrial disputes, and coming up against one of the century's most notorious crooked business tycoons!

For the first time, he now steps into the limelight to reveal his story and that of the medium that would go on to dominate global culture, even as the newsstands it relied upon declined.

King's Reach: John Sanders' Twenty-Five Years at the Top of Comics will be published by Rebellion Publishing in paperback on 9th July 2020.

From King's Reach Tower in London, Sanders oversaw the launch of hugely popular titles like Tammy, Battle and the revolutionary 2000 AD, all while fighting corporate battles to expand the UK's comics output, facing down the government and the media in censorship battles, and witnessing the effect of changing tastes on a decades-old industry.

At the head of an industry that, at its peak, sold 10 million comics per week, Sanders details how he strove to keep comics relevant to generation after generation and, with artists employed across the globe to service the voracious appetite of readers, he was in the hot seat for one of the biggest cultural shifts in living memory.

The story of British own-brand comics belongs almost exclusively to the twentieth century – the era in which they were born, flourished and died. The millions of children who read them were aware that despite their weekly publications being often derided by adults,   the stories were finely crafted, and the pictures were commercial art at its zenith.

Now, resurrected by serious adult readers and by academics, comics are recognised as being an important marginal note in the story of English literature.

"The story of British own-brand comics belongs almost exclusively to the twentieth century," says Sanders. "The era in which they were born, flourished and died. The millions of children who read them were aware that despite their weekly publications being often derided by adults, the stories were finely crafted, and the pictures were commercial art at its zenith. Now, resurrected by serious adult readers and by academics, comics are recognised as being an important marginal note in the story of English literature.

"This is a book written for those grown-up comic fans. But I hope it will be also read and enjoyed by the millions of people whose dreams were enlivened, and whose youthful years were made enjoyable, by comic book heroes they still remember with affection."


Richard S.

Just starting to read this and I've already spotted a few instances where some 'corrections and clarifications' are required. I'll record them as I go along...

page 33 - Eagle launched in 1950 (not 1951)

page 33 - Marcus Morris had already transformed his parish magazine ('Anvil') into a magazine with national distribution. It's thus not right to describe Morris as someone "...who had never published anything in his life" 
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 40 - when launched Ranger was priced at 1/- not 1/3 (but it may be that the dummy that John Sanders saw was priced at 1/3)
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 41 - there's no story in Ranger called 'Westward the wagons'
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 42 - Ranger was launched in 1965. Speed and Power was launched in 1974. So you can't say that they were contemporary titles
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 44 - again reference to Westward the Wagons - this actually appeared in Tina comic not Ranger. Tina launched in 1967 (2 years after Ranger)
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 46 - there weren't any free gifts with Ranger in the 'boom' period described. Not much of a boom then (unless there was TV advertising).
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 92 - "...the era of the TV comic was still far away" this is a comment from, supposedly April 1969 [one month after the launch of Bobo Bunny comic] and yet TV comic had launched in 1951 and would last until 1984
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 100 - Eagle was launched in 1950 not 1951 [cover date of issue 1 was 14th April 1950]
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 100 - "Years later, Paul de Savary" not "Yeas later, Paul de Savery"
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 122 - probably Ruggero Giovannini rather than Reggiero Giovanini
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 161 - when discussing Asterix Sanders says "...it wouldn't have fitted too well alongside Valiant or Buster" and this was why he'd never published it before.
In fact Asterix had run in Valiant in 1963/4 [16/11/63-04/0464, under the title of "Little Fred and Bid Ed and then "Little Ed"]
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf

Richard S.

page 161 - when discussing a meeting in the 1980s with Dargaud (the publisher of Asterix) Sanders offers to run the strip in Look and Learn for 3 months.

Asterix did run in Look and Learn - but in 1966/67 [25/06/66-22/04/67, Asterix & Cleopatra was run as 'In the days of good Queen Cleo']
For 2,500+ other posts about all aspects of British comics then why not check out my blog at
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/

Follow me on twitter @richardandsheaf