Red Dagger D.C. Thomson Compilation Picture comics.

Page updated June 2011 with details about a Red Dagger Braddock story published in Spanish.

Readers who had missed some or all of a characters adventures or who just wished they could have their favourite characters adventures compiled into one or more volumes, got their wish with D.C. Thomson's Red Dagger comics. These 64 page compilation books featured a different story and character every month. Braddock featured three times and Alf Tupper just twice. The stories weren't just from the Victor and the Hornet, they also featured stories from other D.C. Thomson comics such as Bullet, Wizard, Warlord and the Hotspur.

With the re-interest in the Victor and British comics in general, perhaps future compilations maybe published. Lets hope so.

I'm hoping to add further front cover scans as they become available.

Below is a list of all thirty Red Dagger issues published and several front cover scans.

My thanks to Jamie Stripe for the front cover scans of Red Dagger issues 6 and 7.

Red Dagger (a 64 page compilation picture story from D.C. Thomson comics, including The Victor, Hornet, Warlord, Bullet, Hotspur and Wizard).

1 - Twisty (sport; football; featuring Twisty Lunnan; re-printed from the Bullet, issues 1 - 20, 1976; artist Barrie Mitchell).
2 - Tough of the Track (sport; athletics; featuring Alf Tupper; re-printed from the Victor, issues ? - ?; artist Sutherland?).
3 - Morgyn the Mighty (adventure; featuring Morgyn the Mighty; re-printed from the Victor, issues ? - ?; artist ?).
4 - Sniper (WW2 army; featuring Sniper Kelly; from the Warlord comic, issues 155 - 171, 1977; artist Carlos Cruz).
5 - Midge Miller - the original six stone weakling re-printed from the Bullet comic, issues 17 - 25, 28 - 30; 47 - 49, 52 - 57, 55 - 57; artist not known).
6 - Cast-Iron Bill (sport; football; featuring 'Cast Iron' Bill Steele; re-printed from the Wizard comic, issues ? - ?, 1973; cover artist Kennedy).
7 - Killer Kane (WW2 RAF; featuring Pilot Officer 'Killer' Kane; re-printed from Warlord comic, issues 89 - 100, 1976; artist not known; cover artist Kennedy).
8 - They Can't Tame Tasker (sport; boxing; featuring Alf Tasker; re-printed from the Bullet comic, issues 58 - 72, 1977; artist not known).
9 - Terror in the Tall Tower (adventure; featuring Don Ballard; re-printed from the Wizard comic, issues 28 - ?, 1975; artist Denis McLoughlin; cover artist Kennedy).
10 - Killer Kennedy (WW2 RN; featuring Lieutenant-Commander Killer Kennedy; Sub-Lieutenant Bill Doyle; from the Victor comic;
11 - The Smasher (adventure; featuring Red Raglan; Ferret; Doctor Doom; re-printed from the Bullet, issues 61 - 62; 68 - 72; 90 - 101, 1977/78; artist Terry Patrick; cover artist Ian Kennedy).
12 - Braddock and the Flying Tigers (WW2 RAF; featuring Sergeants Braddock and Bourne; re-printed from the Victor, issues 98 - 124; artist Shone; cover artist Kennedy). (note - translated into Spanish, see below for further information).
13 - The Frozen Man on the Mountain (secret service; featuring Jake Jeffords, British agent of Dept. X; re-printed from the Wizard comic; artist Denis McLoughlin; cover artist Kennedy; original strip title - The Frozen Man).
14 - Morgyn the Mighty (adventure; featuring Morgyn the Mighty; re-printed from the Victor comic, issues ? - ?; artist Kearon?; cover artist Kennedy).
15 - Cast-Iron Bill (sport; football; featuring 'Cast-Iron' Bill Steele; re-printed from the Wizard comic, issues ? - ?; artist not known).
16 - Tiger McTaggart (WW2 Army, Crete; featuring Sergeant 'Tiger' McTaggart; re-printed from the Wizard comic, issues ? - ?, 1973; artist Kennedy; cover artist Kennedy).
17 - The Secret of Black Island (secret service; featuring Jake Jeffords, British agent of Dept. X; reprinted from the Wizard comic; artist Denis McLoughlin; cover artist Kennedy; original Wizard strip title - Sign of the Shark).
18 - That Mascot Called Monty (sport; football; featuring Bernard Briggs; re-printed from the Hotspur comic, issues ? - ?, 1976; artist Marti?; cover artist Kennedy).
19 - Braddock of the Rocket Squadron (WW2 RAF; featuring Sergeants Braddock and Bourne; re-printed from the Victor comic, issues 362 - 380; artist Shone).
20 - The Black Sapper (Britain invaded adventure; featuring the Black Sapper; re-printed from the Hotspur comic, issues ? - ?, 1971; artist Terry Patrick).
21 - Run Paul Run (19th Century American West; featuring Paul Emmett; re-printed from the Wizard comic, issues ? - ?, 1973; artist not known; cover artist Kennedy).
22 - The Tough of the Track (sport; athletics; featuring Alf Tupper; re-printed from the Victor comic, issues 71 - 92; artist Sutherland).
23 - Dozy Danny (sport; football; featuring Dozy Danny; re-printed from the Hotspur comic, issues ? - ?; artist not known).
24 - Flying Fury (WW2 RAF; featuring Sergeant Fury; re-printed from the Hotspur comic, issues ? - ?; artist Ron Smith; cover artist not known).
25 - The Blitz Kid (WW2 Home Front; sport; football; featuring Arnold Tabbs; re-printed from the Hornet comic; issues 123 - ?; artist Giralt).
26 - Death Rider (sport; motor-cycling; featuring Bernard Briggs; re-printed from the Hornet comic; issues ? - ?; artist not known).
27 - V for Vengeance (WW2 Resistance; featuring Alymar Gregson; The Deathless Men, known as Jack, followed by a number for example, Jack Ten; re-printed from the Hornet comic, issues ? - ?; artist Philpotts; cover artist not known).
28 - Cast, Hook and Strike (sport; fishing; featuring Joe Dodds; Ernie Dodds; re-printed from the Hornet comic; issues ? - ?; artist Sutherland; cover artist not known).
29 - Braddock of Bomber Command (WW2 RAF; featuring Sergeants Braddock and Bourne; re-printed from the Victor comic, issues 1 - 28; artist Shone; cover artist Kennedy).
30 - Eleven Little Soccer Boys (sport; football; featuring Danny Hawke; re-printed from the Hornet comic, issues 273 - 292; artist Marti; cover artist Kennedy).

The Red Dagger front cover scans are from issues 6, 7, 10, 13, 1, 19, 22, 28 and 29 respectively. Not all of these stories appeared in the Victor or Hornet comics. But those that didn't do have Ian Kennedy illustrated covers. So that's good enough for me and I wouldn't want to deprive many of his fans from seeing his work. (Note - the front cover of issue 7 below is not I think by Kennedy. However, I believe that the colour cover is by Kennedy.

On a recent trip to Barcelona, I visited a weekly book and comic fair, where I bought a Spanish copy of Red Dagger 12 Braddock and the Flying Tigers. The front cover and three pages have been reproduced below. For those of you those Spanish is slightly rusty (mine's seized solid), the English version is produced below the Spanish version. There are possibly other Red Daggers that have been published in Spanish, but at the moment I have no other details. The front colour cover below for the Spanish version of the story might be the same as the British version, on the other hand it might not be! I've no confirmation on this as yet.