Mostly boys stories with a few one line comic strip jokes and "Spadger's Spot for Puzzles".

I remember the Wizard because it had - for quite a while - that preposterously un-PC front page, Spadger's Isle. In fact the reason I looked for it on the Internet was because a friend of mine brought back from Thailand a tube of Darkie Toothpaste, with a libellous picture upon it of what in those days (1940s and earlier) would have been referred to uninhibitedly as a Nigger. (You may not believe it if you are under 40, say, but I remember Nigger shoe polish - that was the colour, not the brand - and ads for ladies gloves at Harrods which listed the colours available as Navy, Nigger, Beige etc. ).

What has it to do with Spadger? Well, simply that Spadger's Isle was a bird's eye view of an island run by some man called Spadger and his younger sidekick - they employed black labourers (referred to cheerfully by Spadger as 'the Nigs') of stupefying imbeciility, whom one could observe putting up lop-sided shacks and doing all manner of idiotic things through misunderstanding simple instructions. I don't know whether you are familiar with these old editions of the Wizard. I was hoping I would be able to find an illustration or two to show my American friend how things were in those days in Britain, but have had no luck. But as experts I'm sure you know all this.

I also remember people reading the Wizard when I was in the army (from 1953 to 1956). My regiment was the 15th/19th Hussars, which was part of the Royal Armoured Corps - in training we wore a RAC badge which consisted of a mailed fist surmounted by a crown. Needless to say it was called 'the Wanking Spanner'. This was evidently not known to the editors of the Wizard, for they produced a WWII story called 'Sergeant Blake of the Iron-Fists'. This was read avidly by the troops. - Nigel Eddis

Reading The Wizard regularly for a period in the late 40s or early 50s, I remember a number of serialized stories. For example, ‘V for Vengeance’ (I think it was called) involved the Deathless Men, dressed in grey and with masks, ex-inmates of concentration camps, seeking out German war criminals and assassinating them. A football-based serial involved a team (Darby Rangers possibly) with a gipsy centre-forward named Ishmael and another player with a leg disability called Limpalong Leslie (!) who specialized in bending the ball (quite an unusual concept in those days, especially given the material footballs were then made of). Another one involved a pacifist character called Johnny Appleseed who went around planting apple trees in the pioneer west, totally unarmed but protected from assorted villains by the ferocious Slocum! of the Six Knives. I think Appleseed was a real person, but has since become legendary. There was also a story, set in the future, in which Britain was conquered by the Kumasi, cruel and oriental of course. Opponents of the new regime were ‘extinguished.’ The Kumasi were eventually thrown out through the resistance’s ability to develop new weapons technology. Then there were the Wilson serials starting, I think, with the one in which most of the England test team was killed in an air crash on the way to Australia and Wilson took over a ragbag of nonentities and made them into a team which won the Ashes. His thunderous fast bowling is the main feature, shattering stumps and sightscreens. Then there were other Wilson serials involving his unbeatable running, and hints that he had been around for a hundred years or more. Another cricketing story (title unremembered) involved an outrageous character called Briggs (possibly no first name), basically a working class caricature who upset his middle-class colleagues in the team, not to mention their opponents. A superb bowler (spin), he ties the batsmen in knots. But he also appeals for lbw when fielding at square leg. Sergeant Blake, I recall, was mysteriously able to strut around occupied Europe in his British army uniform helping British PoWs. Later, a few single-page comic strips appeared. Wilson’s exploits appeared in this format and I remember that Desperate Dan did also, much to my surprise. - Martin White

Wilson? Surely to give him his full title, The Amazing Wilson? And not only was he around a long time: the cartoon version suggested he frequently and mysteriously reincarnated. It would be interesting if a canny promoter staged a one-off mid-distance race between Wilson, Alf Tupper, some token toffs and any number of Eastern Europeans. - Chris Marshall

Alf Tupper first appeared in the Wizard as a prose story in 1949 and the stories were put into comic strip form in 1962 as DC Thompson's began scouring their archives for characters to update for the newly published Victor. - John Crumpton

I remember Wilson being a fairly scrawny lad born centuries ago, who wore a one-piece, tight fitting black woollen knitted costume. He was on his own, so doubtless some tragedy had left him an orphan. He seemed to live on the moors, probably in a cave, and his main aim in life was to lift a massive boulder over his head. This scenario was maybe set up by a wizard, or mystery man. Anyhow he eventually made it, and became immortal, while his spartan living and dedicated training made him unbeatable in any sporting challenge. This would have been in the 1940's and maybe it was artful propaganda - persuading the starving population that strict exercise, no smoking or drinking, and living on spartan rations would make us champions,and of course, win the war.

My first comic in about 1938-39 was Radio Fun. I was 3 or 4 years old and there was a Scotland Yard story which my Dad had to read to me as soon as it arrived. I think it concerned Inspector Stanley and his sidekick Constable Bloom. This was probably a bit of clever parental propaganda, because it made me determined to learn to read it for myself, which I very quickly did.

I have just found your site after typing "Splinter Kelly" into Google - without success, but "Rockfist Rogan" did the trick. Does anyone know where I got Splinter Kelly from? I'm sure he was a character in either Champion, Hotspur or Wizard, and I have the impression he was in the RAF. Maybe not, as I also get the gist of a catchphrase which sounds like "The one man brains trust" ... maybe senility's taking over.

I'm certainly confused over which character was in which comic. Remember Cannonball Kidd, I'm pretty sure he played for England while he was still at school. Then there was APE Carew who was a godlike prefect who our hero fagged for. The Ape could play any sport brilliantly, pass exams easily, settle disputes skilfully, all while keeping our hero (whose name I forget) out of trouble. Not sure how it would read these days. Regards, - Cass Cassidy

Have I imagined it or was there a Wizard character called Limp Along Leslie: a soccer playing little shepherd boy who, because he had one leg shorter than the other, had such an amazing body swerve that he was snapped up to play on the wing in the 1st Division? I think he also has a sheepdog that used to run up and down the touchline alongside him. Then again, I could be wrong. - Mike Pearson

I recall Cannonball... Didn't he burst footballs with the power of his shot? Mind you, I have seen mention of him on eBay, and in connection with the Hotspur comic, one I shall buy if I win the auction! Although, I seem to remember him from the Wizard. I wonder if he had a free transfer?