An old annual, probably 'sixties vintage

[ZlodeyVolk]

I have been searching, off and on, for another copy of an old strip cartoon annual that my parents gave me when I was yet a lad, back in the 'sixties—possibly before '69, if my recollection of where we lived (in Sydney, Australia) at the time is accurate. Sci-fi themed, of course, with rockets and nifty personal aircraft, hostile robots, and possibly aliens (I'm not sure).

I think its contents were a mixture of strip cartoons and short articles, but all I (vaguely) remember is the cover, which depicted a struggle between an occupant of one of the nifty personal aircraft and one or two little robots that looked like kitchen tidies with glass domes on top, segmented tentacle-like arms and legs, and big, flat circular feet. The struggle was taking place above a rocket launch pad. The illustration occupied the entire cover and wrapped around the spine, to continue on the back cover.

Hardcover, large format book.

I've searched for the usual suspects: Dan Dare, Eagle Annual; Lion Annual; but none of the covers Google cares to show even comes close to the image I recollect. If anyone on Chrons can help me track this down, I'd be a happy bunny.

Cheers!

 

[PaulMmn]

I'm not sure exactly what a 'kitchen tidy' is, but robots with tentacle-like arms and legs and big, flat, circular feet sounds an awful lot like the robots in the comic book "Magnus, Robot Fighter." see Magnus, Robot Fighter - Wikipedia
--Paul E Musselman

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

@PaulMmn: sibling, you are speaking to one of the few people on this entire continent who remembers Magnus Robot Fighter. As a matter of fact, I have a lot of the old Gold Key comics and the entire Dark Horse archive collection. In short: no, it's not Magnus Robot Fighter.

I should have said that it was a British comic series. The rocket ships looked like big V2's. The personal aircraft looked (to my eye) like grasshoppers, of all things. And a kitchen tidy is a little cylindrical dust bin, for use in the kitchen. Stick a glass dome on top; add two tentacle arms and two tentacle legs; and that's about the idea.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

This may or may not help, but I've just found a couple of comic resources
Grand Comics Database
List of comic titles

Valiant is another comic that springs to mind that had a scifi element

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Not Valiant, but thanks for the links. While kicking around with one of them, I stumbled upon something called "Supercar Annual". Never heard of it, before today; but some of the covers—

—have the same "look and feel". Similar art style, composition and layout.

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

British Comics has allowed me to eliminate a few suspects (Eagle, Lion, Tiger, Valiant, Rocket), but it doesn't list the Supercars annuals shown above.

 

[Nozzle Velocity]

Rick Random?

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

No, worse luck.

 

[hitmouse]

I reckon it might be Hotspur.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

have the same "look and feel". Similar art style, composition and layout

Aha, a clue. Come Watson, the game's afoot.
Now, who was the artist for Supercar (TV series) - Wikipedia
Ah, H. Watts and Bill Mevin. So what else have these two artists produced? Well Bill Mevin has had a hand in the annuals for both Fireball XL5 - Wikipedia and Space Patrol (1962 TV series) - Wikipedia
So perhaps one of these might lead to solving the mystery of the unknown annual.

To be continued...

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

I reckon it might be Hotspur.

If only it were.

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Aha, a clue. Come Watson, the game's afoot.
Now, who was the artist for Supercar (TV series) - Wikipedia
Ah, H. Watts and Bill Mevin. So what else have these two artists produced? Well Bill Mevin has had a hand in the annuals for both Fireball XL5 - Wikipedia and Space Patrol (1962 TV series) - Wikipedia
So perhaps one of these might lead to solving the mystery of the unknown annual.

To be continued...

Well, I'm reasonably confident that it wasn't Fireball XL5, but I could be wrong. I'm already beginning to suspect the thing doesn't exist, and never existed.

 

[PaulMmn]

Fireball XL5 had a "Robby" the robot (mostly plexiglass cylinders with 'things' and blinking lights inside). But more humaniform, rather than dustbin shaped. And no tentacular limbs, but he sort of had the flat, circular feet.

 

[tinkerdan]

No answer just interesting sites.
WONDER STORIES PAGE 1
Wonder Stories - WikiVisually

or this

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/343540277800436594/

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

That's not it … but it's pretty cool.

Since I started this thread, I have gone through so many images of so many covers … I had no idea the British comics industry was so prolific!

 

[pambaddeley]

Just for info, Supercar and Fireball XL5 were both early series by the Andersons who went on to produce Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and others.

 

[Danny McG]

Have you 'Google image' all the TV21 annuals?

 

[hitmouse]

If only it were.

Never mind,
though I would like to see any characters looking more like kitchen tidies than the Iron Teacher:

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Have you 'Google image' all the TV21 annuals?

Not that Google is worth much these days, but yes. I've been through all of the annuals I can find, on websites like those listed above, too, and so far … zip. As indicated, earlier, I'm beginning to wonder if the damned thing even existed. Do you know the 'fuzzy trace' theory of memory? It suggests that each memory comprises a 'gist trace' (for quick recall) and a 'verbatim trace' (for detailed recall); but sometimes the two are separated, after a time; and stray gist traces can become associated with unrelated verbatim traces. So now, I'm wondering if I've not gotten a Magnus Robot Fighter cover in mind, as @PaulMmn suggested.

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Never mind,
though I would like to see any characters looking more like kitchen tidies than the Iron Teacher:

Yeurrgh.