I Spy in Whoopee

[dandy mad]

Never knew that you live n learn etc

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Les Barton drew the first strips of this character, published from Feb 1 1969, for around 60 odd weeks------I Spy was seemingly 'killed off' around May 1970, but returned that October, where Brian Walker took over the art duties [from issue 300] , this ran on and off until late Summer 1972 [the later ones were in colour] followed by one final Walker set in 1974, 'Doctor Spook' which may have been held back for whatever reasons.....three Barton one-offs [again, possibly 'held-backs'] surfaced in Dec 1973.

The more widely-seen James Fox version debuted in issue 500 [1974, around the time WHOOPEE! was launched].

P.S. Thanks for providing the handy visuals regarding the Funf, Fil!...er, sorry, that should read ' Phil!'

[Lew Stringer]

I wonder if Hanna Barbera's Secret Squirrel could have been another influence? He might not have been dressed all in black like the Cloak and I-Spy but I remember being hugely amused by the way in which he concealed a seemingly inexhaustible array of unfeasibly large weapons and gadgets in his trench coat and fedora hat!

- Phil Rushton

The Cloak was based on Mike's fanzine character The Shudder, ( a Shadow parody) which debuted in 1964 I think.

I suppose all of those comic spies (and Secret Squirrel) were influenced by the success of the Bond movies, and the general interest of the times for spy fiction.

[George Shiers]

Here’s another one which Brian Walker sneaked into the episode of Scream Inn printed in Shiver and Shake No. 51 (February 23rd, 1974). Isn’t it Chief from Sparky’s I.Spy reading the paper behind the conductor?..

Well spotted!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

SCREAM INN was such a stylish strip, with Brians' ink lines almost oozing off the page: I don't think the strip would have worked quite as well with any other artist. Fantastic, gloomy-looking, macabre-but-very-accomplished fare.

He was the absolute 'right' choice for the art duties on this assignment, I reckon.

Does anyone else recall the episode where 'paste-ins' over some of the character heads by another artist with an incompatible style were used throughout the story, that were obvious and jarring...very startling and surreal!

Sorry, I can't pinpoint the date of this issue.....