''Swift'' was a British weekly comics magazine published by in the UK as a junior companion to the ''

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

''.

Publication history

It was founded by the Rev.

Marcus Morris Marcus Thomas Morris Sr. (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks befor ...

and launched by

Hulton Press Sir Edward George Warris Hulton (29 November 1906 – 8 October 1988) was a British magazine publisher and writer. Early life Hulton was born to Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet, a newspaper publisher and racehorse owner originally from Manches ...

in 1954. After Hultons were sold to

Odhams Press Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and th ...

in 1959, ''Swift'' absorbed Odhams' weekly title ''Zip'' and inherited a number of its strips. ''Swift'' was merged into the ''Eagle'' in 1963.

Comics published in ''Swift''

*'' Arty and Crafty'' by Geoffrey Bond and Martin Aitchison *'' Calling U for Useless'' by Reg Parlett *'' The Fleet Family'', drawn by Frank Bellamy, 1954Frank Bellamy Checklist - Comics
/ref> *'' The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'', classic novel adaptation drawn by Richard Jennings *'' Ginger and Co'', drawn by

Neville Colvin Neville Maurice Colvin (17 December 1918, Dunedin – 1 September 1991, London) was a New Zealand-born cartoonist and illustrator. Dr Warren Feeney has referred to him as "alongside avidLow ..undoubtedly New Zealand's most famous international ...

, 1960-62 *'' King Arthur and His Knights'', by Clifford Makins and Frank Bellamy, 1955-56 *'' Lochinvar’s Ride'', illustrated by D. C. Eyles *'' Nigel Tawney, Explorer'', drawn by Harry Winslade (as Redvers Blake) *'' Paul English'', drawn by Frank Bellamy, Giorgio Bellavitis 1955 *'' The Phantom Patrol'', drawn by Gerry Embleton (later reprinted as ''The Ghost Patrol'' in '' Smash!'' in 1966) *''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in o ...

'', classic novel adaptation drawn by Patrick Nicolle, 1961 *'' The Red Rider'', drawn by

Jim Holdaway Jim Holdaway (28 May 1927 – 18 February 1970) was a British illustrator, who contributed art for numerous comic strips. His best known work was on the ''Modesty Blaise'' comics written by Peter O'Donnell. Art career Jim Holdaway was born ...

*''

Robin Hood and His Merry Men The following are some of the notable adaptations of the Robin Hood story in film and television. Robin Hood, English-language live-action films and television series Theatrical shorts *1908: '' Robin Hood and His Merry Men'', a silent film dir ...

'', by Clifford Makins and Frank Bellamy, 1956-57 *'' Robin Hood and Maid Marian'', by Clifford Makins and Frank Bellamy, 1957 *'' Sir Boldasbrass'' by John Ryan *''

Smiley A smiley, sometimes called a smiley face, is a basic ideogram representing a Smile, smiling face. Since the 1950s, it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram or as a form of communication, such as em ...

'', about a young Australian boy, written by Moore Raymond *'' Swiss Family Robinson'', classic novel adaptation drawn by Frank Bellamy, 1954-55 *'' Tammy the Sheepdog'', drawn by G. William Backhouse *'' Tarna the Jungle Boy'', drawn by Harry Bishop, 1954-63 *'' Tom Tex and Pinto'', western drawn by Harry Bishop, 1954-55

Archival holdings

The

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

holds copies of ''Swift'' from 20 March 1954 to 2 March 1963.British Comics: Select list
/ref>

References

Citations

Sources

* {{gcdb series, id= 80364 , title=Swift Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom Children's magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct British comics 1954 comics debuts 1963 comics endings Magazines established in 1954 Magazines disestablished in 1963 Odhams Press titles