On this day, 4 May 1974: Lion and Thunder
On this day, 4 May 1974 … Lion had by this stage been running for over twenty-two years, but would see only two more issues before being merged into Valiant. I chose to feature this particular issue because it’s a fun, colourful, action-packed cover, but to be honest the front page is where the thrills start and finish. I’ve looked at quite a few Lions over the last few months – all in the early 1970s by which time the comic was already long past its heyday, but this is the least inspiring of the lot. There are quite a few stories that I hadn’t even heard of before now - The Team Terry Kept in a Box, Marty Wayne (He’s Heading for Fame!), Sark the Sleeper, The 10,000 Disasters of Dort – and they mostly follow that Lion-esque formula of good old common-or-garden British chaps thrust into fantastical situations, generally with a military or sci-fi theme. It’s all a bit tired.
Spellbinder: Geoff Campion (artist)
The Team Terry Kept in a Box: Mike White (artist)
Masters of Menace: Angus Allan (writer), John Catchpole (artist)
Sark the Sleeper: Jose Antonio Munoz (artist)
Robot Archie Fights the Smasher: George Cowan (writer), Ted Kearon (artist)
Adam Eterno: Solano Lopez (artist)
The Last of the Harkers: Tom Tully? (writer), John Stokes? (artist)
The 10,000 Disasters of Dort: Mike Butterworth (writer), Stdio Bermejo (art)
Steel Commando: Frank S. Pepper (writer), Alex Henderson (artist)
Mowser: Reg Parlett (artist)
