British Comics Update: Radar, The Man From The Unknown
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: This week, we have a super-hero with a difference – Radar, the Man From The Unknown! Launching in 1962, these English-language reprints of an Italian (we think) series featured a Strange Visitor From Another Planet, Radar, who exhibits mighty powers (flight, a ‘danger sense’, enhanced strength and the ability to turn into really oddly-drawn animals, among others). Taking the alias ‘Rock’, he lives a civilian life on Earth accompanied by his lovely girlfriend Brenda, who somehow fails to notice that Rock and Radar are one and the same despite the fact that they have identical features and even wear the same sweater! (Maybe she just thought Rock was a fanboy…) Radar’s, er, radar-sense enabled him not only to sense danger to himself, but also if anyone in the world needed his aid, so his adventures spanned a wide variety of locales. Radar is an oddity; it’s like a vague memory in the minds of a generation of Brits of a certain age, many of whom remember seeing one or two issues in their childhood, but without much recollection of details. We have 14 of the 26 issues in stock of this uncommon series. Of note are the striking and lovely painted covers on many issues – folks expecting the same high standard of interior artwork should, well, brace themselves for disillusionment. Oddly, from about the middle of the run, Radar’s costumed persona and super-feats were replaced on the cover by beautifully-executed but generic illustrations which could come from any number of spy/detective series, but he carried merrily on with his trademarked super-stunts within. Rare in any grade, and this collection is in astonishingly good nick, with only a few bringing down the VF average. Three examples pictured below; for full details, please see our catalogue.
PICTURED: RADAR
#4 VF £15
#11 VF £15
#12 VF £15 SOLD