It began as the dream of three, like-minded long-time readers of Look-in who wanted to read again the picture strip adventures they once read as kids. That dream became the Look-in Picture Strip Archive. But three dreamers do not make a complete archive...

We need your help! If you have similar dreams to us and have a bunch of Look-ins lying around somewhere gathering dust, please consider a bit of scanning and make at least three people very happy. Read on!

The Look-in Picture Strip Archive needs YOU!

Do you have a collection of Look-ins from anywhere between the seventies and nineties? Issues that are not yet represented in the Archive? Or perhaps you even have a complete collection of a certain picture strip you once loved? I know the three of us have, very stupidly in our youth, tore up those now-precious magazines and collected strips like The Bionic Woman and Logan's Run, ignorantly throwing away all the other pages save for those centre-spread pinups of the (then) latest pop idol. How silly were we!?!?!

If you have the issues and if you have just a little bit of spare time on your hands, please scan a few of those precious mags in for us. If you can kindly oblige, here are the few guidelines we have:

First off, contact us with a list of the issues you have available. We have issues in our own personal collections that we haven't got round to scanning in as yet or haven't actually put up on the archive yet so we don't want to duplicate work. That's a waste of everyone's time. Send us a list stating the issue numbers you have, the years they were published in, or even the pages of a particular strip you have collected. We'll compare it to our master list and then email you back with our own wants list. That's the start.

The scanning process is quite important. We ask that any scans be done at a minimum of 100dpi, preferably 150dpi, and saved as high quality JPGs. Also, please ensure that you have your scanner software set to 'descreen'! This setting will surely be available within your scanner software somewhere. Descreening is important to reproduce the dot screen of the printing process. This will make the scan take longer to complete but makes for a far superior quality or scan than with the descreen setting turned off.

So as we don't get confused with what you might send us, please can you name your scans in the following convention:

1974_no30_tomorrowpeople_01.jpg. This will be a really big help to us in the long run!

No need to crop or resize your scans, or even attempt to clean them up for us, as Daz is our resident graphic designer and takes pride to 're-master' them himself (he's weird like that).

So, when it comes time to contact us with that initial email, here's where you send it to:

And that's about it! We're in no hurry to complete the archive if it ever will be completed as it is. With your help though (and you know who you are!) we might one day just make it, who knows. We'd like to think that that day will come sooner than later and the Archive will be the fitting homage to a much-loved, fondly remembered and now long since vanished British comic magazine called Look-in.

Scan when you can!

Daz, John & Steve.
 

...anyone who is an authority on the history of Look-in, someone who knows the strips that appeared, which artist drew what, etc. Or even anyone who has knowledge about one strip even. However much you know about the mag we want to hear from you! Do you have what it takes to become our Official Look-in Historian?
Our very first Look-in scanners, Brian Wilson, John Archbold, Mark Williamson, Ian Nightingale, Alan Grice & Gary Wilkinson! Many thanks for your contributions, lads. And here's to everyone else who is to come in the coming weeks and months... cheers everyone!