Ted Ritchie

Ted Ritchie made his entrance in the very first issue of Lion back in 1952, a badge of honor that marks him as a true founding figure of that beloved IPC anthology — and he stuck around for a remarkable eighteen years, a testament to the loyalty he inspired in readers across two generations. Created by Barry Nelson at the dawn of British comics' postwar golden age, Ted carved out a steady presence through decade after decade of Lion and eventually Lion and Eagle, accumulating 80 catalogued appearances and at least one collector-significant key issue along the way. He shares those ink-and-paper adventures with a wonderfully eclectic cast — Gary Stewart, Burt Travis, the inventive duo of Gadgetman and Gimmick-Kid, and the memorably named Sludge — which gives you a real sense of the lively, anything-goes spirit that made Lion such a cornerstone of British comics culture. For collectors with a passion for IPC history and the rich tradition of British anthology storytelling, Ted Ritchie is exactly the kind of character who rewards a deeper dig.