LION 21ST Feb 1970

I only vaguely remember Lion comic - it were a bit before me time, you see - and I was surprised when I checked Wiki to see that it ran from 1952 - 1974. At it's demise it was, as was the tradition with ailing British comics, merged with a stronger selling title. This it merged with Valiant which itself was swallowed up by Battle a couple of years later.






This issue is from 1970 and features a cover story starring wrestlers, Stringbean and Hambone. The first story inside the covers is Carson's Cubs which is a football story about a team managed by Joe Carson. Next we have Spellbinder and that is followed by our cover stars Stringbean and Hambone. Sports strips were always popular in British comics but I can't think of another story with wrestling as it sport - no doubt someone out there will know of a few.















Zip Nolan of the Highway Patrol follows and then we are back in Saxon England for a story entitled, Flame of the Forest.













Then from the past into the future for a SF strip entitled, The Fugitive from Planet Scor - it seems to deal with a plot to destroy the Earth. Ahh such great times.










General Johnny is up next and this is followed by Paddy Payne warrior of the seas. Robot Archie is next and I remember Archie from the Valiant which I used to read from time to time. Another sports story follows with Oddball Oates and then we have Dan Dare. I was surprised to find Dare here as I thought he'd only ever appeared in The Eagle and 2000AD before getting his own comic years later, but then I discovered that the Eagle had merged with Lion a few months previous of this issue. The Eagle is mentioned nowhere on the cover of this issue so obviously the title had been faded out. I suspect that Dan Dare was the only character to survive thus far.




The comic ends with Mowser the Cat which again I remember reading from various