COMIC BOOK COMPULSIVE — Valiant Annual 1971
Even though these things are supposed to cover a wide variety of comics I’ll happily admit I revisit some kinds of comics a lot more than others. These tend to fall into the categories of (a) comics I never read when I was kid and (b) comics I wished I could have read when I was a kid. British comics fall neatly into the second so once again here’s another British Annual from Fleetway featuring some of their strange semi-superheroes.
It constantly frustrates and bewilders me that there is such little interest in these comics and characters, both in the UK and in America. I suppose if I was going to be absolutely honest there’s a small part of me that hopes if I keep putting this material out in plain view it will inspire someone somewhere to do something with them. It’s really, really unlikely I know, but never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do.
But in the meanwhile from 1971, Kelly’s Eye! House of Dolmann and The Steel Claw!
— Steve Bennett




































































And here, sadly, is a just-published obituary for Argentinian artist Francisco Solano Lopez, who worked on “Kelly’s Eye” -among many other strips:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/24/francisco-solano-lopez