: 14 He 'read omnivorously' from the age of five, getting books out of the local library, and subsequently attended Spring Lane Primary School. : 17 At the same time, he began reading comic strips, initially British strips, such as Topper and The Beezer, but eventually also American imports such as The Flash, Detective Comics, Fantastic Four, and Blackhawk. : 31 He later passed his 11-plus exam and was, therefore, eligible to go to Northampton Grammar School, where he first came into contact with people who were middle class and better educated, and he was shocked at how he went from being one of the top pupils at his primary school to one of the lowest in the class at secondary. Subsequently, disliking school and having 'no interest in academic study', he believed that there was a 'covert curriculum' being taught that was designed to indoctrinate children with 'punctuality, obedience and the acceptance of monotony'.
