First Issue: 22nd January 1983
Last Issue: 28th April 1984
Copyright: DC Thomson
Iron Barr
Spike number one, 22nd January 1983, saw the first appearance of local scrap metal dealer, Charlie Barr. Charlie Barr was collecting some scrap metal from the Darbury Rangers football ground when to the annoyance of the other players, who were having a practice game, he mocked the efforts of the goalkeeper. Charlie reckoned he could do better in goals than the goalie. To teach him a lesson, the other players let Charlie go in goals. However, under the eagle eyes of Darbury manager Ted Ingram and club favourite ‘Limp Along Leslie’, Charlie proved such a success in goals that he was signed on the spot. With his robust build and no nonsense attitude, he was quickly nicknamed ‘Iron Barr’ (Mike White).
Limp Along Leslie
Leslie Thomson AKA ‘Limp Along Leslie’ was not the only reappearance of an old British comic character favourite. The new Spike comic also featured the story of ‘The Man in Black’ who mysteriously appeared at the start of a 1500 metres race and broke all records for the 400, 800 and 1500 metres. Spike readers were left pondering the real identity of the mysterious runner who only identified himself as being British and called ‘Smith’.
The Man In Black
Smith was befriended by reporter Harry Cobb who traced him to his home Amberside Moor in Yorkshire. Over the next sixteen weeks Smith won many events including the marathon and pole vault and often referred to the many feats that William Wilson had completed in the past. Harry Cobb slowly began to suspect that Smith was in fact the athlete William Wilson although it would have made him over two hundred years old. In issue sixteen of Spike, Smith finally admitted that he was William Wilson and gave Harry Cobb his diaries. Wilson’s diaries were printed the following week, in issue seventeen, as ‘The Truth About Wilson’. Wizard story paper issue number 1069 had first printed ‘The Truth About Wilson’ as a text story on 24th July 1943 before it was reprinted as a picture story in Hornet comic in 1964.
The first issue of Spike included a free gift of ‘Super Swooper Glider’. Stories in the first issue also included ‘Starhawk’ by Mones, ‘The Man in Black’, ‘5 minute Mystery’ and ‘The Bleak Street Bunch’.
Spike Comic First Issue
22nd January 1983
