Barrie Tomlinson is a former editor and writer of
British comics
A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper.
British comics are usually Comics anthology, comics antho ...
in the 1970s and '80s.
Tomlinson began his career at
IPC Magazines
TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...
in 1961, initially as a writer and then later as
sub-editor
Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...
on the comics ''
Lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
'' and then ''
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
'', becoming editor of the latter title in 1969. He later became the founding editor of the comics ''
Roy of the Rovers
''Roy of the Rovers'' is a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer and later manager named Roy Race, who played for Melchester Rovers. The strip first appeared in the ''Tiger'' in 1954, before giving its name to ...
'' (1976), ''
Speed
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...
'' (1980), ''
Scream!'' (1984), ''
Wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
'' (1988) and ''
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majo ...
'' (1990). He became Group Editor for Sports and Adventure in 1976, and oversaw the launch of the new ''
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
'' in 1982, something for which he had long campaigned.
Tomlinson wrote most of the stories in ''Wildcat'', as well as "Death Wish" for ''Speed'', all of which continued to appear in ''Eagle'' after the cancellation of the comics in which they had originated. He also wrote "Survivor" for ''Eagle''.
Tomlinson has written two books of memoirs about his career in the British comics industry:
* ''Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff'', Pitch Publishing, , October 2016
* ''Comic Book Hero'', Pitch Publishing, , September 2017
References
* "When Eagles Dared" by Karl Stock, ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #389, 14 November 2017, p. 63
* "Cat O'Four Tales" by Stephen Jewell, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #403, 15 January 2019, pp. 40–43.
* "Fast Fiction" by Stephen Jewell, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #410, 20 August 2019, pp. 50–53
"In Conversation With Barrie Tomlinson"at OldNDazed.co.uk
Living people
British comics writers
Fleetway and IPC Comics creators
Comic book editors
Year of birth missing (living people)
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