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The Wizard was the third of the ‘Big Five’, first published
The last issue of The Wizard (1970) was published
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424 |
424 |
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The Wizard merged with The Rover and the first issue of Rover and Wizard was issued the following week
The title ran to 447 issues before reverting to The Rover
The Wizard was relaunched
Below are some of the characters featured in The Wizard:
WILLIAM WILSON, COOL CASSIDY, CAPTAIN
SCARLETT, CATAMOUNT JACK, RED MACGREGOR, GEORGEOUS GUS, RED STAR ROBERTS, TOM
SMITH, LESLIE THOMSON,
And the stories:
THE “Q” TEAM, THE HAUNTED HEAVYWEIGHT,
THE VOICE ON THE WIRE, THE CIRCUS OF SUDDEN DEATH, SMITH OF THE LOWER THIRD, V
FOR VENGEANCE, THE TRUTH ABOUT WILSON, LIMP ALONG LESLIE, MY NUMBER IS NINE,
THE SECRETS OF THE HANDCUFF KING, KASHGAR THE TERRIBLE, THE WOLF OF KABUL.
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A SELECTION OF THE WIZARD COVERS |
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120 |
189 |
350 |
467 |
494 |
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January 3rd 1925 |
May 1st 1926 |
August 17th 1929 |
November 14th 1931 |
May 21st 1932 |
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529 |
578 |
628 |
676 |
683 |
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January 21st 1933 |
December 30th 1933 |
December 15th 1934 |
November 16th 1935 |
January 4th 1936 |
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734 |
754 |
786 |
801 |
883 |
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December 26th 1936 |
May 15th 1937 |
December 25th 1937 |
April 9th 1938 |
November 4th 1939 |
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898 |
1169 |
1289 |
1326 |
1444 |
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February 14th 1940 |
April 10th 1948 |
October 28th 1950 |
July 14th 1951 |
October 17th 1953 |
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1599 |
1634 |
1686 |
1744 |
1970 Last Issue |
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October 6th 1956 |
June 8th 1957 |
June 7th 1958 |
July 18th 1959 |
November 16th 1963 |
The Wizard Title List 1942
- 1963
Following are a selection of stories featured in THE WIZARD:
ADVENTURE STORIES
4 CHALLENGES
FROM “Z”
Two of the
world’s greatest masters of magic are face to face in a challenge that means
death for one of them!
Click here to
read the last episode of 4 Challenges from “Z”
THE ATLANTIC
MONSTER:
The personal
diary of a naval officer who witnessed the terrifying spectacle of a huge
waterspout moving across the
This first
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1945.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Atlantic Monster.
THE BIG TREE:
Sam Walker a
photographer is part of an expedition into the heart of
Click here to
read the last episode of The Big Tree.
CAPTAIN JANUARY:
Read about
Captain January, of the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military
Police.
Click here to
read an episode of Captain January.
CRIMSON COMET:
Here is the
story of an astounding struggle to stop a runaway comet from wiping out the
world.
This first
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1946.
Click here to
read the first episode of Crimson Comet.
THE CIRCUS OF
SECRETS AND SHIVERS:
Jack Heaton, a
talent scout for the Hackfield Circus, discovers that the circus boss and
circus performers of the Astor Two-Ring Circus are aliens from another planet.
Click here to
read the last episode of The Circus of Secrets and Shivers.
THE CLUTCHING
HAND:
Inspector
Lannigan has finally caught up with the man behind the Clutching Hand.
Click here to
read the last episode of The Clutching Hand.
FAMOUS MEN OF
THE WEST (WILD BILL HICKOK):
FAMOUS MEN OF
THE WEST also had stories of: Doc Holliday, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Billy the
Kid and others.
Click here to
read the Wild Bill Hickok episode.
THE FIRES BENEATH THE DESERT:
The astounding story of a descent into earth’s eternal
flames.
Taken from the Wizard issue 1037 dated November 13th
1943.
Click here to read the first episode.
I SAW THE END OF THE WORLD:
The amazing
experiences of a man who witnessed the destruction of the world – and survived
to tell the tale.
Click here to
read the first episode of I saw the End of the World.
The Noah’s
The peoples of
earth have begun to colonise the distant planet.
Click here to
read the last episode of I saw the End of the World.
THE INVISIBLE
ARCHER:
Meet the
marksman of deadly menace.
Ramrod Rolt
wears three guns—and nobody can draw ‘em but Ramrod.
This first
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1958.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Invisible Archer.
I WAS WITH
John Caldicott
sails on the Beagle with Charles Darwin, a mixture of fact and fiction.
Click here to
read the first episode of I was with
THE MONSTER IN
Overnight in the heart of
It’s already 300 feet high – and still growing.
Taken from the Wizard issue 1381 dated August 2nd
1952.
Click here to read the First episode.
THE TWO
DETECTORS:
The episode is
earlier than any of the other’s listed but I thought I would include it.
Click here to
read the last episode of The Two Detectors.
THE VOICE ON THE
WIRE:
Police are
assisted in solving various crimes by an anonymous telephone caller.
Also printed
under the title: “It’s The Voice on the Wire” & “The Telephone Terror”.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Voice on the Wire.
Click here to
read the last episode of The Voice on the Wire.
THE WOLF OF
Along the
untamed North-West Frontier of
Click here to
read the first episode of The Wolf of Kabul.
SCHOOL STORIES
SMITH OF THE
LOWER THIRD:
Click here to
read an episode of Smith of the Lower Third.
THE WORLD’S
SPELLING CHAMPION:
Schoolmaster,
Bartholomew Bandy, can spell every word in the English language correctly.
Fairground promoter, Tich Kelly, plans to make a fortune out of Bartholomew.
Click here to
read the first episode of The World’s Spelling Champion.
SPORTS STORIES
BERNARD BRIGGS:
Bernard
appeared in WIZARD, HOTSPUR and HORNET.
Bernard
(Bouncing) Briggs was a powerful young fellow who earned his living as a
General Dealer, he had a yard of his own in Slagton, and he rode a motor bike
with a sidecar made from an old bathtub. He was a keen amateur sportsman taking
up various sports including: Baseball, Boxing, Football, Ice Hockey, Rugby
League, Tennis and Wrestling. Bernard excelled at all the sports he tried.
Click here to read
an episode of Bernard Briggs – Bernard takes up tennis.
Click here to read another episode of Bernard
Briggs - This time he’s a goalkeeper.
THE BOYHOOD OF
BERNARD BRIGGS:
Bernard is
eleven, and following the death of his parents and a bust up with his only
relative, Uncle George, Bernard becomes a dealer in scrap to keep his
independence.
Click here to read episodes 1 - 5 of The Boyhood of
Bernard Briggs.
Click here to read episodes 6 - 10 of The Boyhood
of Bernard Briggs.
Click here to read episodes 11 - 15 of The Boyhood
of Bernard Briggs.
Click here to read episodes 16 - 20 of The Boyhood
of Bernard Briggs.
GORGEOUS GUS:
Jeepers! A footballer with his own dressing-room, creases in his shorts,
a valet to attend him!
Ah, but this is no ordinary footballer, boys! This is Gorgeous Gus.
Click here to read the first episode of Gorgeous
Gus.
LIMP ALONG
LESLIE:
Leslie Thomson
(Limp along Leslie) a lame boy had two ambitions: to play football for the
famous Rangers (based in the town of
Click here to
read a double episode of Limp along Leslie, in which Leslie meets Nick Smith in
an F.A. Cup semi-final.
MAGNUS THE
MUSCLE MAN:
Magnus carries
out amazing weight-lifting feats, accompanied by his coach, Charlie Corbett,
and
Click here to read
the first episode of Magnus the Muscle Man.
MY NUMBER IS
NINE:
Centre
forward, Stan Stagg, plays for
Click here to read
the first episode of My Number is Nine.
THE BAFFLING
BOWLER FROM NOWHERE:
Broadshire’s
spin bowler, Bob Gregory, has a secret past as a wanted criminal.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Baffling Bowler from Nowhere.
THE HAUNTED HEAVYWEIGHT:
World boxing
champion, Don Gurney, is haunted by a face from the past.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Haunted Heavyweight.
THE Q TEAM:
The Q Team taken
from The Wizard 1946.
This is the
first story entitled The Q Team and not to be confused with the second story
which appeared in The Wizard 1962.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Q Team.
THE TRUTH ABOUT
William Wilson
was born at Stayling village in 1795.
At the age of
14 he ran away, and determined to improve his physique beyond normal, lived
wild on Ambleside Moor. There he met a hermit who passed on to him the secret
of long life.
First recorded
sighting of
At these
Championships,
Up to the
start of the war in 1939,
During the war
he served in the Royal Air Force as a Spitfire pilot. After winning 25 air
victories he was shot down in the Battle of Britain.
After the war
he devoted his skill and knowledge to helping wounded and disabled men back to
normal at an
He next
penetrated into the African Congo, alone, and discovered an ancient Greek
civilization—an African Athens. He competed against the picked Greek athletes
of this secret city.
Following
this, he then pitted his astounding athletic skill against Chaka’s black
athletes.
As a supreme
test of mental and physical powers,
Read some of
the chapters below:
Click here to read an episode of
Click here to read double episode of
Click here to read another double episode of
THE YELLOW
Cycling story
with mystery rider Tom Tetford.
Click here to read the first episode of ‘The Yellow
Jersey.
THERE ONCE WAS A
GAME CALLED FOOTBALL:
The year is
2148 and two schoolboys, Phil Mason and Lawrie Hill re-discover the ancient
game of Association Football.
Click here to
read the first episode of There Once Was a Game Called Football.
Click here to read the last episode of There was once a Game Called Football.
WAR STORIES
THE BOMBS WITH
THE PURPLE STRIPE:
World War Two
adventures, in which three British soldiers, Corporal Jumbo Whalen,
Lance-Corporal Sam Singh and Lieutenant Felton, carry out raids against the
Germans using unorthodox weapons.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Bombs with the Purple Stripe.
THE PLANE WITH
THE WAGGLY TAIL:
The doctor
with the secret that can save one hundred thousand men.
Click here to read the first episode of The Plane
with the Waggly Tail.
THE SECRET WAR
OF H.M.S. WADDLING DUCK:
Lieutenant-Commander
Radstock takes H.M.S. Thunderer (Waddling Duck), a First World War monitor
ship, into battle against German U-boats during the Second World War.
Click here to read the first episode of The Secret
War of H.M.S. Waddling Duck.
V FOR VENGEANCE:
V for
Vengeance was the motto of The Deathless Men.
These were
underground fighters who had escaped from German prison camps during the Second
World War to wage a war of vengeance and terror against top Nazis. A list of
names and members of the Gestapo, and Nazi officials of various ranks,
finishing with the final three - Goebbels, Goring and Hitler - would be pinned
to the victim after they had been killed, with that victim's name crossed off
with a thick red line. They were also nameless men with each member given a
'Jack number'. Wearing black hoods to hide their identity, none were taken
alive, as each member would bite on a poison capsule to avoid capture. Their
leader Colonel Von Reich, second in command to Himmler in the Black Guards, was
Jack One.
Click here to
read an episode of V for Vengeance from 1942.
Click here to
read an episode of V for Vengeance from 1959. (See below for next three
episodes).
Click here to
read three episodes of V for Vengeance from 1959.
RED VENGEANCE:
The last
episodes of V for Vengeance were published in The Wizard in 1961.
The episode
below is the very last one.
Where The
Faceless Men finally reach
Click here to
read the very last episode of Red Vengeance from 1961.
THE YELLOW SWORD:
Dazed by the
suddeness with which their country has been conquered, the people of
They are too
bewildered to fight back—yet!
This first
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1955.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Yellow Sword.
The signal to
fight for freedom rings round the world—from the Hopebridge school bell.
This last
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1956.
Click here to
read the last episode of The Yellow Sword.
WILL O’ THE
WHISTLE:
For a second
time,
This last
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1956.
Click here to
read the first episode of Will O’ the Whistle.
Carried by
radio, the shrill note sounded by Will o’ the Whistle was the signal for
resistance fighters all over
D-for-Deliverance
Day had come!
Click here to
read the last episode of Will O’ the Whistle.
“YOUR BEST
FRIEND IS YOUR RIFLE!”:
The crackshot
private leads the sealed-off six.
Click here to
read the first episode of “Your best Friend is your Rifle!”.
MISCELLANEOUS
BLUE PENCIL BILLY:
He has his
boss in fits of rage.
He’ll have you
in fits of laughter.
Blue Pencil
Billy’s hired twice—and fired twice—on his first day at work.
This first
episode appeared in the Wizard in 1954.
Click here to
read the first episode of Blue Pencil Billy.
THE DOG WITH THE
The first of
the ‘Talking Dog Series’ from 1946.
Click here to
read the first episode of The Talking Dog Series.
THE FLYING
PIEMAN:
Meet Bill King,
the Flying Pieman,
Click here to read the first episode of The Flying
Pieman.
GO, MAN GO!:
“With a one,
two, three—we’ll jive all day.” So begins the story of rock-and-roller Danny
Dixon.
Click here to read the first episode of Go, Man,
Go!
GINGER AND THE
DUKE – AND THE WEE BLUE BOOK:
The story of
Click here to read the first episode of Ginger and
the Duke – and the wee blue book.
Click here to read an episode of Ginger and the
Duke – and the wee blue book.
Click here to read the last episode of Ginger and
the Duke – and the wee blue book.
THE COMPLETE STORIES
Click here to read: The Demon Barber of Hut 15.
Click here to read: Hank the Swank – the crook with the
look.
Click here to read: The Spring-Heeled Spy.
Click here to read: The Twisted Trail of the Forty Fakes.
Click here to read: The Weird One on my Wing.
Click here to read: The Wrong Road for Big Willie.
Vic Whittle 2008
© D. C. Thomson & Co
Ltd