THE HORNET 596 - Cover Date 8th February 1975
The Hornet Gallery of Sport - Johan Cruyff
Cover art uncredited
Here's an oddity from my collection - I only have the one issue of The Hornet, and unlike most of my comics collection it had Johan Cruyff on the cover. It's an interesting book with a lot of variety in it, there's some sport and some pop, war, adventure, and fishing. It does feel like it comes from a time before Battle, Action and 2000 AD though. As always with these sorts of comics there are no credits alas.
THE HORNET GALLERY OF SPORT: JOHAN CRUYFF
If I ever go on Mastermind my specialist subject will be "the life and career of Johan Cruyff based only on information given in the two page biography printed in The Hornet." I now know more about Cruyff that any other footballer ever.
THE FURTHER TRUTH ABOUT WILSON
The year is 1795 and Wilson is a weird kid who has decided to take himself off into the moors and train his body until it reaches the peak of human perfection. Like Batman but wearing a loin cloth.
JONAH
Now, I've seen Jonah, the world's unluckiest seaman elsewhere. Here he's causing trouble for a ocean going film crew.
BERNARD THE BULLET
The famous amateur sportsman takes on moto-cross in a tweed jacket.
CAST, HOOK AND STRIKE
It's a story about corruption in the competitive fishing community - and despite myself I want to know how young Joe Dodds and a journalist from Angler's Weekly reveal the cheat's secrets.
THE BLITZ KID
A bizarre story of home front football during World War II. Especially odd is how a football player swaps sides just before a game because the opposing team is down a man.
THE STARKAD CURSE
It's a viking story with more than a little in common with The Further Truth About Wilson.
THE NORTH AMERICAN MUSTANG
A biography of the fighter plane, not the horse.
DEADLINE DAN, THE HEADLINE MAN
More fishing! This isn't as compelling as Cast, Hook and Strike though.
THE BIG PALOOKA
Back to World War II and the story of a bizarre commando raid on Norway.
It's not just sport and comics though - The Hornet also has pop! An interview with Kenny Jones, prior to him joining The Who in 1978 (I won't lie, I looked that up) and the back page has articles on Geordie (I also learn from Wikipedia that the lead singer of Geordie became Brian Johnson from AC/DC!), Sparks (these guys I know), Hello (no clue), and Gary Glitter (oh dear).