WoW! The Forbidden Fountain

World of Wonder issue 75 (August 1971) contained this piece on one of Jacques Cousteau's many exploits, illustrated by Gerry Haylock. (Click for larger images)

The Experimental Art of Diving

 Running in Eagle from January 1965 (Vol. 16 No. 2) until the penultimate issue in April 1969 (Vol. 20 No. 16), The Guinea Pig told of the adventures of Mike Lane whose job was to test the inventions of Professor Dee. This story appeared in the 1966 Eagle Summer Special. (Click for larger images).

Mike gives a spectacularly bad piece of advice on page three of the story. it's a good job the other diver can't hear him! Can we spell "lung over-expansion injury" boys and girls?!

Several artists worked on the strip but the longest-running was Gerry Haylock (1928-20??) who drew this example. In the late fifties he drew various strips for Girl and then in the sixties worked on Knights of the Road for Eagle before taking on The Guinea Pig. In 1969 he began working on Land of the Giants for Joe 90 and continued when the comic was merged with TV21. Some of his best-known work was on UFO and Doctor Who for Countdown/TV Action. Look out for my next post which will feature an example of his work from World of Wonder.

The Valuable Art of Diving

 I'm hoping you'll treasure today's selection of images!

Published in 1977, Robert Daley's Treasure tells the true story of Mel Fisher's attempt to find the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, vice-flagship of King Philip IV of Spain, and the treasure it was carrying.

I'm not quite sure if these two are having a fight or not. I guess if treasure's involved then it's a distinct possibility!

Some of you might remember Harry E. Rieseberg from a post I made last year.

Norman Kenyon (1901-2001), 1960

Well these two are definitely having a scrap! The title translates as Two Men, One Woman and a Treasure.

The 1967 Valiant Annual contained an eight page feature The Treasure Seekers. One story was given a whole page...

...while two other tales got smaller mentions.

Sadly I've yet to find any sunken treasure but there's always the next dive!

The Copper's Art of Diving

Here's a couple of quick items from the pages of Jag, both featuring police divers. I'm not sure who the artist is on the second piece but the first is by Art of Diving favourite Mike Western.

The Dangerous Art of Diving

In 1968, Fleetway Publications launched their third boys' comic named after a big cat, Jag. Unfortunately it couldn't replicate the success of Lion and Tiger and it was merged with the latter after just 48 issues. Those 48 issues did provide some material for this blog though and I'm sharing some today.

This first piece from issue seven is illustrated by Tom Kerr, a prolific contributor to Fleetway/IPC's range of comics. Regular Art of Diving readers will recognise the story told in the last few panels! (Click for a larger image).

These next three pieces also feature real-life incidents.

You can read more about "Operation Struggle" here.

You can read more about the loss of the S4 here.

Three of a Kind - Harry E. Rieseberg

 Harry E. Rieseberg wrote a number of books with "treasure" in the title, all mixing fact with a healthy dose of fiction! Here are some examples:

1942

I've featured this 1954 paperback cover before but thought I might as well include it again here as a bonus:

1957

I'm assuming the title of this one reflects his minimalist phase!

Artwork by Albert Orbaan whose other work includes The Real Book About Mountain Climbing, No Room for a Dog, Battles and Bloodshed and the Mike Mars Astronaut series.

1962

Cover by Donald M. Yena (b.1933), an artist primarily known for his western paintings.

Two of a Kind - Red Sea Diver's Guide

My first visit to the Red Sea was in 1998 and I returned in 2000, with many subsequent visits. I remember having a copy of the second volume here on some of those early trips. I've dived the wreck on the cover, the Giannis D, many times but I don't think I've ever seen a diver quite as colourful as the one portrayed! I particularly like the way the artist has depicted the reflections on the surface. The first volume is a recent discovery for me. The diver's pose is somewhat unusual but it's certainly a striking design.