Norman Wright's 1993 overview of Sexton Blake's publication history, his companions and his opponents.
Created at the tail end of the Victorian era, Sexton Blake rapidly became one of the most popular fictional characters of the 20th Century. He featured in thousands of adventure stories published in countless papers, magazines and comics. He also appeared in stage plays, radio dramas, films and television serials. In the articles below, you'll discover what made him such a quintessential part of the English landscape for so long; how he changed with the times; his cultural significance; and why he faded from view in the mid-seventies.
Norman Wright's 1993 overview of Sexton Blake's publication history, his companions and his opponents.
Esteemed author Michael Moorcock, who made his 1962 debut with a Sexton Blake novel (CARIBBEAN CRISIS), here gives an insight into the character and evolution of Sexton Blake.
Derek Hinrich here takes us on a journey through the Sexton Blake saga, paying particular attention to the most significant events in the great detective's life.
In 1953, when much of Sexton Blake's publication history remained obscure, Walter Webb presented this analysis of the notable periods in the character's history.
By 1963, it appeared that Sexton Blake had gone out of fashion and was destined for obscurity. Here, Don O'Neill discusses the detective's apparent demise.
H. W. Twyman, editor of UNION JACK during Sexton Blake's "Golden Age," here reveals how and why the UJ transformed into DETECTIVE WEEKLY, and how it instigated Blake's long decline.
Between the world wars, Sexton Blake was confronted by hordes of colourful and eccentric villains ... but what prompted their arrival?
From the 1930s, Blake's greatest foes were noticeably absent and his cases became much more mundane. This period has been ill-regarded by scholars ... but perhaps it's time for a reassessment!
On the pleasures, triumphs and frustrations of collecting Sexton Blake.
TORNADO comic appeared in 1979 and ran for 22 issues. It featured a character named Victor Drago ... but anyone who knew Sexton Blake could see that Drago and Blake were one and the same. How and why did his name get changed?
While still working at Fleetway for W. Howard Baker, a young Michael Moorcock ruminated on the dearth of regular villains in THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY fourth series.
Walter Webb takes a look at the run of obscure and very different Sexton Blake stories that appeared in PENNY PICTORIAL magazine from 1909.
The Sexton Blake stories always reflected the times in which they were written. Here, we see how they represented the British Empire at its height before then charting its gradual collapse.
Walter Webb describes his gradual thawing with regard to the much-maligned New Order SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY.