The Looking Glass (1996)

 Couple of things I would "tidy up" but these pages from The Looking Glass that Gil Page asked me to put together while he was managing editor at Fleetway are 30 (?!!) years old now. All 112 pp are still in the folder!

These are the layout pages and there was an artist lined up and at one point a colourist but it was decided adding a colourist would make the project too expensive. A limited series with back up original strips of some of the characters was the main idea under the title Jag 96 and why did the idea fail?

One of those former editors hailing and reinventing themselves as heroes of British comics did not want the series to go ahead. They played all sorts of dirty tricks until the idea was shelved. Long story.

The Fleetway Projects That Could Have Been

 

 Someone commented that:

“There was always a persistent rumour that you and Gil Page were involved in secret projects but no one gives out details -Gil Page told someone to ask you but that was years back”

Gil Page was Managing Editor at Fleetway and started with the company when it was the Amalgamated Press -his career spanned over 40 years. Egmont bought up Fleetway and Page was booted out. It was a bit of a blow but he joked that it meant he now had more time for golf!

I first met him in the 1980s after a lot of correspondence. As a Artist/writers agent and trying to sell ccmic projects (Steve MacManus introduced me to someone as “a carpet-bagger of comics in the nicest sense”). Gil filled me in on quite a few things when we met -such as thefact that 2000 AD had a very low readership but that meant that they could call it a “cult following”.

He loved the old characters and we discussed a number of projects. As he said “We have a warehouse full of art and stories we could reprint as ‘classics’ if a new project took off. His greatest enemy -in fact Fleetway’s greatest enemy- was it’s own board room.

I was looking through a copy of 2000 AD while we were talking and mentioned that the last issue was rather bloody but the one I was reading was tame. I was told that every-so-often the “boardroom boys” wanted to see what was being published and for that occasion blood and gore was lessened.

Talking to him about the comic Scream while going over project art Gil told me: “We should be doing a proper hooror comic but the board would not allow that. Scream is the compromise.”

When The Supernaturals (a comic based on the Tonka toys -I have a full set of figures) was abruptly culled I was asked about putting something together to replace it. That project became The Paranormals. The story was finally printed (self published) in Tales of Terror a few years back. It might seem somewhat tame but the idea was to get the board to approve the project then let rip -the super natural child killer staring in at sleeping children in part 2 would have set the tone.

“Can’t afford it” was the board response.

So with Gil helping as much as he could I wrote and drew the 111pp Looking Glass story featuring the classic heroes which would have been re-drawn and coloured and published in parts. Gil loved it. I put together the notes for later stories that pulled in a lot of 1920s/1930s AP characters. I was told that the project would be presented at an upcoming board meeting.

It was rejected.

The board had absolutely no idea about comics and quite honestly were hanging on to whatever salary they were getting until the company died or was sold off. Which is why 2000 AD was sold off cheaply.

So there were a good few projects and along the way, to amuse myself, I doodled whatever came into my head. Getting a rough feel for a character(s). As pointed out in a previous post, nothing sensational or detailed just doodling along.

My blue doodle pad has many images but these are a few. The full extent of what was discussed and planned -at meetings where no one else was present so cannot comment– I’m not about to go into as it would be pointless.

But, yes, a lot was discussed and had Fleetway’s boardroom been of any use the company might still be around.

MEGA POST -A Look Inside The Green Skies

 

A4

B&W

124pp

£10.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/the-green-skies-vol-3-part-1/paperback/product-5j4y7e.html?page=1&pageSize=4

It all began in 1987 and the Black Tower Universe has seen alien attacks, heroes kidnapped to be put into the middle of a war of the gods. 

Despite the deaths and losses the heroes -crime fighters, super powered and members of the magical union have come back but now unaware that alien races are escaping through the Sol system and that a mysterious space fleet is heading towards the inner planets, they find themselves trapped or distracted. 

The Many Eyed One is finally coming. 

The Multiversal Council has quarantined Earth and forbidden any to help. 

The evil has spread and there is treachery striking at the very core of Earth's defenders

A4

B&W

126pp

£10.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/the-green-skies-vol-3-part-ii/paperback/product-nj7wqr.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Following on from events in Green Skies V. 3 Part I the Clone Zone Boyz are increasing in number while those who created them, the Vampirons, continue to plot and await the arrival of their 'God' -The Many Eyed One. 

The Druid finds that his physical and mental state are deteriorating and even the Rev. Merriwether cannot help him. 

Shockingly, the Clone Zone Boyz claims someone close to Merriwether and this leads him to team up with two 'unsavoury' characters. 

In space Krii and Tyn hrrn face a seemingly unstoppable enemy. 

On The Moon the Selenites and representatives of other worlds meet and decide that Johnny Apollo, the Z-Man, is the only one who can lead the counter invasion fleet. 

With the enemy striking Mars and then the Moon things look grim for Earth

 A4

B&W

208pp

£10.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/the-green-skies-vol-3-part-iii/paperback/product-kj6r7r.html?page=1&pageSize=4

The gathered Sol Defence fleet is prepared to make its final stand led by Johnny Apollo the Z Man. If it fails to halt the invaders then the doomsday weapon will be detonated and destroy the entire Sol System. 

Meanwhile, unaware of the threat in space, Jack Flash, the Avenger and others prepare for a final show down with the Many Eyed One; a final confrontation they know they do not have the power to win. 

Is this Humanity...the Earths...final day?

And woven into The Green Skies is the story of the harbinger of destruction: the story of Varik Dann -The Man Who Walked Through a Door and Into Another World

Varik Dann is but one character as we follow the attempts of heroes and adventurers as well as the military as they try to confront the Clone Zone Boys with no idea of who or what is behind them. And in space the very existence of not just the Earth but the solar system rests on efforts to stop an alien invasion fleet and if it cannot be stopped them there will be no conquest: the entire solar system will be destroyed by a doomsday device.

And now, in no particular order -some more art pages!