31 Review N5: Muthu Comics # 311 Norungiya Naanal Marmam - நொறுங்கிய நாணல் மர்மம் – Detective Julian – Buck Ryan – Feb 2009

Dear ComiRades,

Those who are blessed with Sharp Memory can recall that Muthu Comics No. 309 was On Sale from the 1st week of July 2008 (சித்திரமும் கொல்லுதடி) Featuring Nick Raider (C.I.D ராபின் in Muthu Comics) and Muthu Comics No. 310 was on sale from 28th Oct 2008 (After a Gap of 105 Days) பொன்னில் ஒரு பிணம் featuring Martin Mystery (மர்ம மனிதன் மார்டின் in Muthu Comics).

So, after 98 Days Yours Truly received Muthu Comics Issue No 311 today (3rd Feb 2009). The first issue from Prakash Publishers in this particular year. The feeling was ecstatic and can't be described in words. However, there is a big danger of this kind of Schedule: What happens normally when you receive a book after a gap of 3 months, your expectation level goes up day by day while waiting for the book and when the story turns out to be a normal to average one, the reader gets angry. Mr S.Vijayan, the Famed editor of Muthu Comics, must consider this also.

The Latest issue of Muthu Comics is titled as Norungiya Naanal Marmam - நொறுங்கிய நாணல் மர்மம் (The Case of the Broken Thistle) featuring Buck Ryan who is Christened as “Detective Julian” in Muthu Comics (for reasons known to the Editor himself). This is Detective Julian’s third adventure to get published in Lion Comics. The first two adventures didn’t create much impact with the ComiRades. However, the title of the latest issue itself has created a lot of ripples in the comics circle.The arrival of this book has also eased some of the pain from watching my favourite Tennis Player Roger Federer losing (Again) to Rafael Nadal (Who has the support of our comics Doctor) in the Epic Men’s Singles Final of Australian Open 2009 Day Before Yesterday.  

Muthu Comics No 311 – Norungiya Naanal Marmam – 67 Page Story	Original Cover of நொறுங்கிய நாணல் மர்மம் English-Reference

The Storyline is very much similar to what has now been registered as “Buck Ryan – Detective Julian Style” whereby the story unfolds with lots of twists and the way the case is solved is a classic case of how to move a detective thriller. Kindly read the story as TCU is in No Mood to disclose the storyline, as a norm over the reviews and also to keep the ComiRades enthusiasm till they get this book.

1st Page of நொறுங்கிய நாணல் மர்மம் Detective Julian/BuckRyan	Editor S.Vijayan’s Comics Time in நொறுங்கிய நாணல் மர்மம்

There was a second story in this book as well. It features Roger Moore. More details on this are furnished elsewhere in this post. The Next issue is the much advertised Mandrake Adventure நிழல் எது? நிஜம் எது?

Agent Roger Moore -The Saint – Story 1st Page – 47 Page Story	Next Issue Advertisement–Mandrake After a Long Gap–Will it be Liked?

As mentioned elsewhere in this post, this is the third appearance of Buck Ryan – Detective Julian in Lion Comics. The first and second adventures are available with M/s Prakash Publishers and you can order this to make your complete collection of Buck Ryan series in Lion Comics.

Buck Ryan’s 1st Adventure in Lion Comics As Detective Julian	Issue No 152,Dated Sep 1999, கார்ட்டூன் கொலைகள் Buck Ryan
Buck Ryan’s 2nd Adventure in Lion Comics As Detective Julian	Issue No 158,Dated Feb 2000 பரலோக பரிசு Buck Ryan

Detective Julian was Actually introduced to the Tamil ComiRades By Rani Comics under the Name Rayan (துப்பறியும் நிபுணர் ராயன்), Which was very close to his original Name Ryan. Kudos to Mr Ramajayam who was instrumental in bringing this wonderful character to Tamil Language. Buck Ryan has appeared in 4 Stories when Mr RamaJayam was planning the issues (3 of them got published while he was in charge and 1 got published when he left Rani Comics). Here are the Details of the issues in which Ryan made his presence in Rani Comics.

Buck Ryan’s 1st Appearance in Rani Comics in எகிப்திய மம்மி	Issue No 57,Dated 1st Nov 1986,Mayakka Oosi மயக்க ஊசி Buck Ryan
Buck Ryan’s 2nd  Appearance in Rani Comics in துப்பறியும் பெண்	Issue No 69,Dated 1st May 1987 துப்பறியும் பெண் Buck Ryan
Buck Ryan’s 3rd Adventure in Rani Comics ஜனாதிபதி கொலை	Issue No 83,Dated 1st Dec 1987 ஜனாதிபதி கொலை Buck Ryan
Buck Ryan’s 4th Adventure in Rani Comics கொலைகார கேப்டன்	Issue 102,Dated 16th Sep 1988 கொலைகார கேப்டன் Buck Ryan

Some of the Strips of Buck Ryan drawn by Jack Monk are available in Net and here are few samples for the TCU Readers:

Buck Ryan’s Daily Strip Drawn By Jack Monk in Daily Mirror	Daily Mirror Strips of Buck Ryan for Reference – Jack Monk

As per the latest trend in TCU, Here are the details of the Creative People behind this wonderful comics. It was very tough to get the background details of the creative people and TCU has done the very best to provide the maximum details possible. Apologies for Not getting Their Photo’s, Though.

Jack Monk, The creator of Buck Ryan, Graduated from the Bolton art school and made his debut as, of all departments, a sports illustrator for the Bolton Evening News. He subsequently worked for the Evening Chronicle.Later on He Joined The Daily Express. In 1934, he created two comic strips for the Daily Express - 'Can You Beat It?' and 'The Funny Side of Northern Towns'. These two kept Jack Monk busy for two years.Later on, he joined the Daily Mirror and made an adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 'Terror Keep' with Don Freeman. That was the first time that Jack Monk was working with Freeman.

In 1937, ‘Terror Keep’ ran into Copyright Issues and the Writer-Artist Duo had to stop working on that title. That was the time they decided to go for their own strip series without any "Inspiration" 'Buck Ryan. The strip ran in The Daily Mirror from 22 March 1937 to July 1962. 25 Years of run for a strip. Amazing run, indeed. However, Only when Compared to "Kanni Theevu - கன்னி தீவு" of Tamil Daily Thina Thanthi தினத்தந்தி, this longevity gets diluted.

The profile of Buck can be defined as: Young British private investigator, brown-haired and two-fisted, Battles crime and evil wherever he found it, whether the criminals were kidnapers, German spies, or more interesting villains like the crime boss, Twilight. Buck had a habit of taking in reformed villainesses as his sidekicks. The stories of Buck Ryan are often described as Slow by the present generation of ComiRades, who fail to understand the subtle variations that keep the mystery element engaging till the very end. Slow, May Be. Boring – Never.

In the Mid 1960s, Monk started working for the comic magazines by Fleetway and D.C. Thomson, and created 'Commander Cockle' in Lion, 'Wee Tusky' in Sparky, 'Inspector Jellicoe' in Hornet and 'Million Pound Mutt' in Debbie. A Complete research on these magazines show that apart from Buck Ryan, no other work of Jack Monk appeared in Tamil Language, Or for that matter, in India.

Description	Artist for Buck Ryan – Detective Julian	Script Writer for Buck Ryan
Pseudonym	Monk	Don Freeman
Full Name	Jack Asthian Monk	Don Willie Freeman
Nationality	United Kingdom	United Kingdom
Time Line	1904 – ? (Still Trying to Get Details)	1911 - ?
Info Links	Wiki Link, Lambiek Link	Lambiek Link, Belinda, jane
Famous For	Buck Ryan	Adventures Of Jane
Creator Of	Terror Keep, Commander Cockle, Inspector Jellicoe, Million Pound Mutt (Debbie)	Belinda Blue Eyes (Daily Mirror), Adventures Of Jane (Daily Mirror)

Logo Of Saint – Simon Templar

The Second Story in Muthu Issue No 311 is பாவம் ஒரு புலி featuring Super Star Roger Moore. Agent Roger Moore / Saint is appearing for the 5th time in Prakash Publishers with this story. Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint (Named as per his initials) in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris' participation were published in 1997. The character has also appeared in motion pictures, radio dramas, comic strips, and three television series.

He has the unique record of appearing in most of the Prakash Publishers Comics. Here is the record:

(1) Thigil Comics – Made his Debut with Kodai Malar 1986 in விரட்டி வரும் மரணம்

(2) Mini Lion Comics – Appeared in தெரிந்தவரை பற்றி தெரியாதவை Segment.

(3) Muthu Comics – Appeared in Issue No 169 in தலை வாங்கும் சிலை

(4) Lion Comics* – Saint’s Story Appeared as James Bond 007 in Century Special.

Considering the length of the post, A Detailed post on Saint / Agent Roger Moore is awaiting in TCU and will be done very shortly with interesting details. The details of the creative heads behind this particular story are as follows:

Description	Artist for Saint – Agent Roger Moore	Script Writer for Saint – Agent Roger Moore
Pseudonym	MS	Leslie Charteris
Full Name	Santiago Martin Salvador	Leslie Charles Bowgyer Yin
Nationality	Spain	United Kingdom (Born in Singapore)
Time Line	1935	12th May 1907 – 15th Apr 1993
Info Links	Lambiek Link	Wiki Link, Saint Official Web Site
Famous For	James Bond & The Saint	The Saint
Creator Of	Dick Turpin, Mendoza Colt	The Saint

For Those who came in late, The following are the scans of the stories he has appeared in so far:

Introduction of Super Star Roger Moore – Free Lance Detective Not Agent	Roger Moore’s 1st Story Viratti Varum Maranam விரட்டி வரும் மரணம்	Back Wrapper of Thigil Kodai Malar Agent Roger Moore
	Coming Soon – The Story Never Came

 Here are some of the interesting info on Roger Moore (Of Course, Dated 1988).

Article About Super Star Roger Moore in Jan 1988 Issue of Mini Lion Comics – Mention About Thigil Comics

Super Star Roger Moore’s 1st Appearance in Muthu Comics - Wrapper	Muthu Comics No 169–Thalai Vangum Silai தலை வாங்கும் சிலை
Saint Story Appearing in Lion Comics As James Bond 007	Lion Comics 100 – Century Special – Saint Story மரண வியாபாரி
Agent Roger Moore Re-Appearing in Muthu Comics in 2008	Muthu Comics Issue No 307 – Katril Karaindha Kadhanayagan

Now that the story review is over, TCU Requests all the ComiRades who have enjoyed this wonderful story to rate this issue as per the following Norms: No கள்ள வோட்டு, Please. ComiRades, must take a note that their voting is made into a report form and being sent to M/s Prakash Publishers for their reference. Hence, your voting DOES Count towards the betterment of the comics that you love to read.

Parameters To Be Considered Rating Points Cover Art Work – Comparative with Original 15 Story Line – Detective Julian – Buck Ryan 15 Story Line – Agent Roger Moore - Saint 15 The Original Artwork (Respective Artists) 10 The Translation By Editor S Vijayan 20 The Editorial Section Where He Sells the Concept 10 Printing Quality / Packaging / Presentation 10 Others (Snippets / Fillers / Series / Trailers / Ads) 5   Rating Result Points Platinum Rating Above 90 Gold Rating Above 75 < 90 Silver Rating Above 60 < 75 Steel Rating Above 40 < 60 Rusted Iron Rating Up to 40

As a Pattern, TCU Updates on the Happenings in the Tamil Comics Cyberspace Arena:

(1) Comicology: Rafiq Raja Has done a wonderful review of the Super Computer Max of the 13th Floor in his latest post Thigil Comics Issue No 56. Have a Look.

(2) அ.கொ.தீ.க: Enemy No 1, Comics Doctor Has posted a new post after a Long, Long Time. As Usual he covers up his Laziness with reasons such as Connectivity Problem, International interruptions on his growing popularity etc. This post is all about the War Related stories in Our Beloved Tamil Comics Publications.

(3) க.கொ.க.கூ: Teasers are also the the much happening thing and Mr Comics Priyan has also jumped on to this with his trailer on Secret Agent RajniKanth. The guessing game is on and so is Gummy (Very Hilarious Comments, Though).

(4) கனவுகளின் காதலன்: The Father of the Teasers, The Man who introduced Trailers to the ComiRades, Mr Kanavugalin Kaadhalan has Unveiled His (Yet Another) Master piece. Yes, he has done a complete review of the much advertised – Yet to Be Published- கோட் நேம் மின்னல் in Operation Insiders.

(5) முதலை பட்டாளம்: Mr Bruno Brazil has given us the complete list of the Mini Lion Comics and the Junior Lion Comics published by Prakash publishers with some attractive cover scans in his latest post.

Others Like Olaga Comics Rasigan (Greatest Ever Comics), Share Hunter (Vedhala Nagaram), Siv are also waiting in the wings.

Here is an Update on the Latest Happenings of Tamil Comics Publication (Who else? M/s Prakash Publishers Only).

(1) Lion Comics: The Next Issue of Lion Comics is getting ready and will be available on stands in the last week of February 2009. The story is மாண்டவன் மீண்டான் featuring Agent X-9 / Phil Corrigan.

(2) Comics Classics: ComiRades where wondering what will be the next issue of Comics Classics as there was no information about the next issue in the last Comics Classics that got released. However, Editor S Vijayan has thrown in a Surprise by mentioning that the next issue “விண்வெளி கொள்ளையர்” featuring The Greatest Ever Hero that the Tamil Comics Ulagam Has Seen – The Steel Claw இரும்புக்கை மாயாவி. The other surprise element is that it will be published in The original Size – A4. Expect a Surprise Post on this from the Comics Doctor very soon.

(3) XIII Special: Reliable sources inform that the Book is getting closer to the final stage and will reach to those who have booked it in the months of April / May. Additional information is that it is a Limited edition. Hence, Those who want to own a piece of Comics History, Go – Grab it.

Happy reading season for the ComiRades.A  Humble request to all the ComiRades who visit and Comment in TCU: Kindly do visit all the above mentioned Blogs and Do post your views over there as well. it REALLY means a Lot to all of these Bloggers.

As usual, post your comments in the comments section. For those who want to Pen their thoughts in Tamil, Kindly Use the Option Provided in the Widget in the sidebar.

Thanks & Regards,
King Viswa.