Preview: ‘Kelpie The Boy Wizard’ — Classic John Burns Arthurian Sword & Sorcery

by Richard Bruton

With art by the sadly passed John M. Burns, one of the greats of Brit comics art, Kelpie The Boy Wizard is a beautiful fantasy from 1960s Brit comics…

Originally published in the pages of Wham! here in Britain, Ken Mennell and John M. Burns‘ Kelpie The Boy Wizard is another classic of Brit comics, lovingly restored and collected by The Treasury of British Comics.

When we lost legendary British artist John M. Burns in December 2023, the comic industry came together as one to share their experiences of the man and his art, an artist producing work of amazing quality since the mid-1950s. Kelpie came about in the mid-’60s and, along with Wrath Of The Gods, is considered one of his finest early works in a career full of highlights.

Now, on the 60th anniversary of Kelpie, it’s time for a complete collection of the fantastical tale of an apprentice sorcerer to Merlin, great wizard of the Arthurian court in the time of Camelot.

Kelpie’s new to the world of sorcery and is immediately thrown into things in the defense of the realm as he attempts to prove his mettle to his new, cantankerous and difficult master.

The Raven, The Weird Sisters of Doon, and the shape-changing Beast with seven heads are all determined to see the fall of Camelot and the destruction of King Arthur and all who stand with him – and that includes the young apprentice in service to Merlin.

It’s classic Arthurian myth and legend of course, but you can see so much of things that would come later on in prose, comics, and film… young boy wizard getting schooled in witchcraft and wizardry – yep, there’s a lot here that has fuelled an awful lot of modern works, so it’s quite right that we now get to see the original.

But more than the story and the setting, this ones a joy for Burns’ beautiful and classical style, perfect for the classical tone of Kelpie, all serious sword and sorcery stuff, packed with monstrous monsters and fantastical happenings.

Stories included are: ‘Kelpie the Boy Wizard’ and ‘The Beast With 7 Heads’, and an extra strip from Wham! Annual 1966.