The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.

[Digifiend]

I never said they didn't, I only asked to see the proof - and since you've told me where to find it, I'll be able to take a look at my leisure. Thanks.

[alanultron5]

That's OK Digi! I don't have a scanner-but posted P.Copies to Rab (I Spyshhhguy) so he could put up scans here! I have some very early Dave and Dora eps in Sparky's Nos 2, 6, 7, 9, & 11. They aren't much more than toddlers in those! Of course-differing artists change them a bit-but even late in 1968 their original artist is still drawing some of their adventures and they do look a bit older!

[alanultron5]

I have a few early `Dave & Dora` eps now! Some of them are `SO` surreal! I truly loved them at the time and seeing them again brings back those old memories! Neither the Dandy or Beano rarely produced such surrealism in the 1960s, hence my affinity to the Sparky. `Willie the Woeful Wizard` (1966-67) was another series chocked full of `wonder`

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

more evocative BLUE LAGOON imagery, first up from issue 179: [23 JUNE, 1968]:





Sorry about the abrupt jump in continuity......this is from 3 issues later, 13/7/68:

[Phoenix]

I have to say that Ken looks as if he needs to get it on again with Barbie. After all, where relationships are concerned, one can't but tou can.

[alanultron5]

I'd certainly love to know how the series ended! According to Kashgar, `New Hotspur` ran another series of Ken / Larry's adventures, past when he reached `his` side of the Island! Really love to know what happened next!

[Kashgar]

In the fourth Hotspur series (322-335) drawn by George Heath (first two issues) and Jim Bleach Larry temporarily loses his sight after witnessing the glare from an atomic explosion of an island in the far distance. After he regains his sight he finds that his island is overrun by all sorts of weird marine creatures thrown up by the same explosion, a problem that is only resolved when he is forced to evacuate the island just prior to it being destroyed by a volcanic eruption, a further consequence of the nuclear testing.
He then makes his way to another island on which he finds a tribe of natives still suffering from the blindness that he had been plagued with originally and sets about helping them to recover. Finally a Royal Navy frigate arrives to repatriate them all but Larry is thought drowned after attempting one final act of bravery and is left behind. He then makes the new island his home, alone again, (apart from Tommy his toucan) naturally!

[alanultron5]

Thanks Kashgar! It's a shame Ken never got rescued though!" Surely that lone yatchsman would have told the authorities! In a way i'm glad Sparky didn't show those last adventures as it seems a very daft bit of Sci-Fi was introduced into the strip.

You also mentioned earlier in this thead Kashgar that Bill Holroyd didn't draw those final adventures. Yes! I'm glad now that Sparky ended it where Ken and Tommy reached their own side of the island. Cheers!

[Digifiend]

A lot of the info in this thread would be good to have at felneymike's wiki, British Comics Issue by Issue.

Wiki homepage: http://www.crystal-knights.co.uk/doku.php?id=start
The Sparky article I just created: http://www.crystal-knights.co.uk/doku.php?id=sparky

[alanultron5]

Digi! I am currently compiling an extensive `Sparky file` which-hopefully will be published in instalments in `Crikey!` magazine! They are to print a abbrieved synopsis of the comics history-by me; but I asked if I could get together a really comprehensice piece for them. Tony Ingram has indicated they would be happy for me to do so- all unpaid! A labour of love Y'know!

[Digifiend]

http://www.crystal-knights.co.uk/doku.php?id=sparky_2 I've added some of the information for issue 2 to the aforementioned wiki. It'll be a long job to get every issue added for one title, let alone every comic.

Sparky is one of the titles Kashgar hasn't indexed isn't it? Kinda the purpose of this thread (and a couple of others) in the first place. It's a real pity these kind of indexes aren't more widely available, I think felneymike's wiki is intended to change that. But the existance of a printed index for any comic is always welcome.

It's just a pity Crikey isn't sold in Hull...

[felneymike]

http://www.crystal-knights.co.uk/doku.php?id=sparky_2 I've added some of the information for issue 2 to the aforementioned wiki. It'll be a long job to get every issue added for one title, let alone every comic.

Sparky is one of the titles Kashgar hasn't indexed isn't it? Kinda the purpose of this thread (and a couple of others) in the first place. It's a real pity these kind of indexes aren't more widely available, I think felneymike's wiki is intended to change that. But the existance of a printed index for any comic is always welcome.

It's just a pity Crikey isn't sold in Hull...

Ahh the nature of wiki's, i didn't even know stuff was being added! Of course i ought to keep an eye on it more while i'm not doing anything, i haven't put a single image on it yet, or worked out how! XD

How many Sparky's were there? I write small BASIC computer programmes that can knock up a list of links to issue pages in seconds. Of course making those pages seperatley can be time consuing, it too me ages to do a small batch of Adventure's from a bound volume i have, and i was only describing one of the stories!

I think it might be best if all the very bare bones are got down first, just like the dry, statistical indexes that exist. And then "interesting" stuff can be added later!

[Digifiend]

How many Sparky's were there?

652 over 12½ years.

I'd manually done about 20 of the issue page links when I realised something. A quick way to edit them without using any BASIC program - just copy the data from the Adventure editing window and paste it into Notepad, use the find and replace function to, in this case, replace Adventure with Sparky, then paste it into the Sparky page's editing window. The Adventure edit window can be closed without saving, and the Sparky one is sorted in seconds.

Explanation on images. http://www.dokuwiki.org/images Basically, you add images by clicking this icon on the editing screen.
But you haven't activated the media manager. 404 Error. http://www.crystal-knights.co.uk/britco ... er.php?ns=

[felneymike]

Hmm, oops. I'll have a poke about with that, hope i don't have to re-install the thing! (again!)

[alanultron5]

I am trying to index when every `adventure` and `fun` strip began and ended eg Issue No and dates. Sadly, 1966 and 67 are not as accurate as i'd like as issues from these years are very tough to find! However, I think my `file` will be over 90% accurate.

Issues of `Crikey` are regulary on E.Bay. Many comic shops advertise them there often at set sale prices!