Jack Staff.

Chat about stuff other than Transformers.
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inflatable dalek
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Jack Staff.

Post by inflatable dalek »

In order to make up a three for two offer I picked up the black and white trade of all the early Jack Staff issues on a whim. Nver really heard of the character outside of a few ads in the Devils Due Joe/TF crossovers but the art style appealed to me.

It's brilliant, bright funny British super hero shenanigans you can easily imagine taking place down the road from Combat Colin. Some lovely attention to detail as well, with WWII soldiers based on Dad's Army and Steptoe and Son as fearless vampire hunters. With guest appearences by The Spider (and how did they get away with calling him the Spider anyway?) The Steel Claw and Robot Archie Tom Tom The Robot Man I guess there's at least one other person on here who's read it...
Cliffjumper
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Hell yeh - it started out as a pitch to Marvel for a Union Jack series instead, incidentally. This is why there's a blatant set of Invaders clones in one story (though I think that's in the colour books). Instead, Marvel made a dull, featureless story about terrorists, and roped in characters like Sabra and whatever other losers were kicking around Europe. Twats.

Very good stuff, providing you have a few issues (or a trade) to plough through - a bit choppy for singles.

The Spider - the character has a really weird copyright status. They've no right to the name or something (hence The King of Crooks not featuring the name on the cover), just to the likeness - I'm guessing the aged Spider in Jack Staff looks sufficiently different for it to fly. Also, though, there's been a huge amount of goodwill shown (it helps that the Fleetway stable weren't big enough to attract some big corporation, and until fairly recently were owned by parties who'd love to see the characters back in print, but didn't have the money, or had other motives - Titan, for example, would want a shot at British rights for Jack Staff trades and so on). Albion even featured the A. Chinnard alias... Plus big comic companies know now what bad press comes with stamping on the balls of a smaller company for nebulous reasons.

That said, I think the homage angle's been toned down as the book's gone to Image and DC have the Fleetway rights (well, they might still do... it's difficult to tell, seeing as they did nothing with them).
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Cliffjumper wrote: Very good stuff, providing you have a few issues (or a trade) to plough through - a bit choppy for singles.
With the numerous chaper breaks I'm finding it hard to tell where each original issue ended, it does feel like a few of them might not have had the title character in at all (not that that's a problem).
That said, I think the homage angle's been toned down as the book's gone to Image and DC have the Fleetway rights (well, they might still do... it's difficult to tell, seeing as they did nothing with them).

Apparently they no longer use the Spider name (according to Wiki anyways), but from where I am- just past his second appearance and the Claw showing up- it looks like no one calls it him in his retirement anyway. Fantastic character anyway, the resolution to his first appearance was was obvious but still brilliantly done, "I lied".

Is the Q Agent with a necklace that stops her dying supposed to be a Kelley's Eye spoof?
Cliffjumper
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Post by Cliffjumper »

I think it's an open secret that she has the Eye of Zoltec... I don't think it really got expanded on before the series began to gain attention and Grist started toning down the stuff that was based on other publishers' work.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Finished it today, excellent stuff. Loved the discussion on the Union Flag/Jack at the end (a nod in the direction of his original pitch I take it?). Is the Victorian Escapologist based on anyone specific from Fleetway or had he already started to reign in the copyright skirting and its supposed to be a vague Adam Adamant homage?
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Post by Cliffjumper »

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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Marvel at my lack of knowledge. I do wonder what I'd make of the title if I wasn't at least familiar with a few of those characters...

Speaking of laughing in the face of copyright, its worth checking out last Monday's episode of Doctors on the I-Player. Sylvester McCoy plays a washed up actor who was a childrens TV time travelling hero in the 80's as The Amazing Lollipop Man. As long as you fast forward through the non-McCoy regular Doctors plots bits of the episode he's wonderfully sweet and melancholy and plays against the material to great effect (when he gets mistaken for Jon Pertwee he doesn't just go for comedy over reaction but looks rather sad and put upon at the same time).

And put a wig on him and the guy looks twenty years younger no problem...
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