I SPY--------- THE FIRST EPIC SERIAL

[Kashgar]

And a little later Bill Ritchie's 'Simple Spyman' in Cracker.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

thanks, steelclaw.....the 'I SPY' 'CHAMP' entries were newly-comissioned works, with BRIAN WALKER'S artwork resembling his style more on 'SMASHER' for 'DANDY' a little later. The concept here is clearly 'zippier', more like the pocket cartoon......

----yes, Phil, I well remember the eccentric ODHAMS characters who capatilized on the 60s SPY BOOM.....'B.U.N.G.L.E.' etc, I was thoroughly amused by this stuff as a kid. 'SEND for KELLY' was a more restrained, traditional funnies SPY STRIP, but it was OK and often had effective 'cliffhangers' [the most memorable being, I felt, KELLY and CEDRIC suspended by their feet in a bottleneck drainage system, as the water rises nearer them: and with advancing CROCODILES rising nearer them.......]


GRIPPING STUFF!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

SERIAL FOUR: INTRODUCTION.


Part of the joy of following the 'I SPY' strip was the fact that when one serial ended, you had no idea what to expect next with a brand-new story, the strip's refusal to conform to usual formulaic conventions was one of the elements that lifted it out of the 'ordinary'.

Most of the time, this method worked wonders, however the following strip, the unpromosing-sounding 'I SPY and his T-T-TERRIBLE GRANNY' was in all likelihood the strip that ventured a bit too far from what was expected from the UK'S premier COMICS SPY.

The resultant serial is admirably experimental, and the finished article is preferable to simply rehashing past glories, and the key differences here are:




the different-scale artwork [five rows of panels, rather than the usual four are the norm for the first 9 out of the first 10 pages here], making the artwork more compressed, which looks fine actually, it gives the characters a 'cuter' look, and actually reflects the scale of artwork used in today's 'BEANO/DANDY', though this stuff is still more detailed than most...


-----the strip still LOOKS teriffic, forever shifting viewpoint and offering up surprize: however a less-than-inspired 'lead villian' [the frankly unimpressively-named 'CAMMY FLAGE' ] is, perhaps by the virtue of his DISGUISE skills, a nondescript do-badder who ranks nowhere near the EXOTIC AURA of MAHAIREE YOGI and the rest.......

----which is probably why another new character has been brought in, 'GRANNY SPY' ---a blazing battleaxe, known to wield a mean motor-cycle. These conflicting characters are thrown together in an almost SITUATION COMEDY-like scenario in the opening pages, but in 1969, if I wanted sitcom, I found it in ITV shows like 'ON THE BUSES', or 'DOCTOR at LARGE': from 'I SPY' I expected something more akin to slapstick fantasy cavortings, ----and indeed, these qualities are delivered here--------the final climatic battle, in which I SPY and the rest have a showdown against CAMMY in his stolen hi-tech SUPERTANK ranks alongside the finest-ever 'I SPY' 'bullets-n-shellfire' mayhem, as anarchic and gloriously chaotic as anything in the series, this side of WORLD WAR II.


Also contains tantalizing fragments of I SPY'S 'backstory' -----if any D C THOMSON character ever deserved the MARVEL/DC COMICS approach of a detailed 'ORIGINS' treatment, then it was surely I SPY, who arrived fully-fledged and functional in EPISODE ONE.

In short, the most untypical early serial, a bit lopsided in execution, but with shards of undesputed creativity and spectacle, but really it's for the 'BUFFS ONLY', and I'm grateful this story is still here to re-evaluate.

PART ONE SHORTLY.

[alanultron5]

I'm afraid that i'm no fan of Grannie Spy at all Rab! A lurch too far towards `knockabout` comedy for my taste. I would be 15 years old by then and i recall i was hoping the strip would get a bit more `serious`.

It must be rekoned that the Sparky staff didn't want to lose their 7 to 10yr old fan base overnight-before my age group (12-16) caught on to the newr `zanier` comic. Thankfully, the "I Spy" strip did get more `serious` towards the end of its first season!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

stick with this one, though, Alan.......despite it's low-key beginnings, it goes on to deliver spectacle not seen since the debut MR. X 'X-TRAVAGANZA'.......granted, this one is disjointed and slapstick-based, but by virtue of it's unusual qualities, it's paradoxically one of the most unique ' I SPY' entries......





above: BOND got the attentive charms of URSULA ANDRESS in 1962, but in 1969, all poor old 'I SPY' got was a 'kissie' from GRANNIE SPY: ............ subversive scriptwriting from those rascals at 'SPARKY' 40 years ago.



SPARKY issue 247: October 11, 1969:

'I SPY and his T-T-TERRIBLE GRANNY' [yep, it's the unhippest 'I SPY' title ever, readers!] part 1 of 5.



'Meet Granny Spy....90 years old....short-sighted and... DANGEROUS!'



SYNOPSIS: MASTER of DISGUISE expert CAMMY FLAGE approaches SPY HQ: his mission: to obtain the PASS he needs to breach the secret MILITARY BASE that houses the prototype SUPERTANK, which has the capabilities to wreak havoc on the world......

------assuming the guise of window-cleaner [complete with ladder, from his MARY POPPINS-esque tiny, resourceful kitbag] he manages to spy on I SPY and BOSS at an elevated-level floor. PIDGEON-POST delivery sevices bode the bad news that I SPY'S GRANNY is on her way to visit her favourite grandson, and as SPY HQ goes into instant LOCKUP mode, CAMMY manages to snaffle the desirable PASS as early as frame 5, and he legs it, down the high ladder he has used.

Approaching MOTOR sounds cause him to panic and don his first DISGUISE, that of a 'KEEP-LEFT' sign [!] though this doesn't prevent him from being bopped by the advancing GRANNY SPY, who proceeds to RRREVVVVVV her motorscooter up the steep gradient of the abandoned ladder.......

Inside, BOSS reasons that I SPY'S Gran can't be nearly as bad as is made out, just as she SMASHES through into SPY HQ. BOSS notices that the SUPERTANK PASS is gone, and orders I SPY to stop mucking about and get after whoever stole it. BOSS' impatient behaviour is rewarded by a BOP from GRANNY'S handbag.......outside, I SPY unveils CAMMY from his 'KEEP-LEFT' guise, and brings him in for interrigation.

CAMMY truthfully denies all knowledge of the PASS' whereabouts [it had actually landed, unknowing to everyone, in the elaborate mini-jungle that is the FOILAGE in GRANNY'S hat during the motorized collision-encounter] and GRANNY effectively puts her foot down in SPY HQ proceedings, locking up CAMMY in HQ'S holding-cell, [complete with 'cosy' ball-and-chain] so I SPY and BOSS concoct a plan to deliberately let CAMMY esk-ape, in the belief he can lead them to the PASS' whereabouts......



-----however, GRANNY storms into frame, demanding the pair give SPY HQ a badly-needed SPRING-CLEAN..........










positively the lowest-key opening to any extended SPY-STORY thus far, however neccessary plot-elements are establshed so more desirable absurdities can follow in the script department. Most blatantly the most non-dramatic, mundane 'cliffhanger' ever from the series, [deliberate, apparantly] redeemed only by the surrealist use of cobwebs which are visibly attached to the COMIC-FRAMES, rather than the internal environment.

even I SPY'S GADGET-COUNT is modest in this one: just his motorized unicycle.

Difficult to believe that this restrained opener would usher in climatic scenes of grand spectacle from such a moderate basis.

[alanultron5]

Rab! This story is probably the one I recall least. I really had thought "Cammy Flage" was one of the `first 14` issue villians!

Trying to puzzle out the remainder of the season! It's either "Mr Tempest" or "Mr X's" `Fantasmagorian` epic! (Granny Spie was in that one as well-if i'm correct!)

Followed by "Mr Mastermind's" debut, with the final two stories bieng "Mr X" with those `super strength fleas` and finally "Operation I Spy". Am I warm Rab?

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

ye're ABSOLUTELY spot on, mate! -----the absolute definitive, chronological order, as specified......However, tomorrow, I'm off to sunnier climes for a fortnight, so no computers for me for a coupla weeks.....I'll be back, though......



------have a better one.

[Peter Gray]

Have a nice time..

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

oh, I intend to, PETER;



-----[in my dreams!] the above is actually one of the less racy images put out by their tourist agency to attract punters. Pretty effective marketing!

[alanultron5]

Lucky you! We're all left here facing the oncoming `Siberian` blast over the next few days!

[alanultron5]

Though Rab has left us all knee deep in Snow! (For two weeks) I shall still pop the odd post here!

For me-the second half of the Les Barton 1969-70 "I Spy" season was the better! For one, the plotting of the stories was more thorough-to me it was! The latter stories had stronger villians too! There were two great "Mr X" stories, a really good one featuring "Mr Tempest" and his amazing weather control device! finally..there was the debut of "Mr Mastermind!.

Up untill then, "Mr X" had been the prime "I Spy" villian, but in my personal view, I found "Mastermind" a more cohesive threat. His first encounter with "I Spy" which featured the deadly vending machines was (I think) the first really complex "I Spy" plot in the series. The return "Operation I Spy" for me, stands `head and shoulders` above all the preceding stories that season!

It is a story that has the best plot, in my opinion, and has the least humour in it, which I certainly preferred!

"Mr Mastermind" really showed what a dangerous adversary he was in this story, by the way he led the other three villians ("Cammy Flage, Mahairre Yogi and Mr Tempest") Plus! Masterminds near indestructible `Matic Men`. For me, he had surpassed "Mr X" in villianous terms!

"Operation I Spy" is a truly superb tale! Any "I Spy" fan needs it in their collection.

For me "Operation I Sp

[alanultron5]

I Don't know if Rab will continue after the Les Barton era-It would be nice if Brian Walkers best period, the B/W 1970-71 season could be highlighted as well.

[alanultron5]

The 1969-70 season changed in it's emphasis regarding `villians` featured! Early on, all were spies of one kind or another, even "Mr X". However, when the strip changed to the longer style of stories, the `opponents` of "I Spy" became villians or `arch-villians`.

"Mr X" now became a character who wanted to rule the world, as did "Mr Tempest" and in particular, "Mr Mastermind!

The 1970-71 season drawn by Brian Walker, again featured "X" and "Mastermind" as would be `world conquerors`. Alongside these were "Doctor Q" and the renegade "Skywayman". The only `lesser villian` that season, was "Fingers" (`the Voice`) who was on a par with "Cammy Flage" )from the preceding series) in low key villiany!

Sadly, from what few issues I have; of the colour 1971-72 series, there is a `regression` back to `Spies` as opponents, and a return to `knockabout` humour!

[philcom55]

While Rab is still off in Caracas having fun in the sun with the Nolan Sisters I thought I'd illustrate his point about Brian Walker's colouring skills with this page from the 1973 Sparky Annual:

- Phil R.

[Peter Gray]

I love Brian Walkers work...very detailed and good colouring..
He was great on Scream Inn!!
He is good at drawing destruction love that building and red sky......(Smasher.. Dandy)