followed by a 'turn-of-th-20th-Century- job: [all these pages dated JUNE 11, 1966:
---more railroad rollocking from BOB WEBSTER:
AND LASTLY for today, more colourful capers courtesy of our back-page 'star':
The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Moderator: AndyB
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
'CHILDREN of the SECRET POOL, part 2;
followed by a 'turn-of-th-20th-Century- job: [all these pages dated JUNE 11, 1966:
---more railroad rollocking from BOB WEBSTER:
AND LASTLY for today, more colourful capers courtesy of our back-page 'star':
followed by a 'turn-of-th-20th-Century- job: [all these pages dated JUNE 11, 1966:
---more railroad rollocking from BOB WEBSTER:
AND LASTLY for today, more colourful capers courtesy of our back-page 'star':
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alanultron5
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Moving along now to the listing from Sparky No 73, which was from June 11th 1966.
SPARKY No 73 (11 June 1966, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` try to form pop groups!
Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 & 5
`New Story! `Boy in the Forest of Fear` A feral boy tries to live amongst wild creatures of a forest, with little initial success. This is one Sparky story I have no recollection of at all!
Page 6
`Hungry Horace`
Page 7
`Winnie the Witch`
Pages 8 & 9
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` A pair of living hands help with the housework.
Page 10
`Write to Sparky`
Page 11
`Fireman Fred`
Pages 12 & 13
`The City under the Sea`
Page 14
`Hockey Hannah`
Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Pages 16 & 17
`Huffy, Muffy and Tuffy`
Pages 18 & 19
`Children of the Secret Pool`
Pages 20 & 21
`Rory, the Horse of many Masters` The adventures of a horse that passes from owner to owner in Edwardian England. One more entry in the cannon of Sparky animal stories!
Page 22
`The Slowdown Express` “Next week-“Freddie the Fearless Flyâ€
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
`Top three quarters is `Sparky`. Bottom quarter of page is an (illustrated) advert for next weeks “Freddie the Fearless Flyâ€.
SPARKY No 73 (11 June 1966, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` try to form pop groups!
Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 & 5
`New Story! `Boy in the Forest of Fear` A feral boy tries to live amongst wild creatures of a forest, with little initial success. This is one Sparky story I have no recollection of at all!
Page 6
`Hungry Horace`
Page 7
`Winnie the Witch`
Pages 8 & 9
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` A pair of living hands help with the housework.
Page 10
`Write to Sparky`
Page 11
`Fireman Fred`
Pages 12 & 13
`The City under the Sea`
Page 14
`Hockey Hannah`
Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Pages 16 & 17
`Huffy, Muffy and Tuffy`
Pages 18 & 19
`Children of the Secret Pool`
Pages 20 & 21
`Rory, the Horse of many Masters` The adventures of a horse that passes from owner to owner in Edwardian England. One more entry in the cannon of Sparky animal stories!
Page 22
`The Slowdown Express` “Next week-“Freddie the Fearless Flyâ€
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
`Top three quarters is `Sparky`. Bottom quarter of page is an (illustrated) advert for next weeks “Freddie the Fearless Flyâ€.
A Face unclouded by thought.
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Well, what goes around, comes around! I must admit that I don't normally trawl through threads devoted to specific comics, such as this one, but earlier today I happened to do so. I was amazed to see that I actually recognised several of the stories that Alan and others have dealt with so far. The editorial staff of Sparky and their writers certainly did some research, scouring Thomsons' filed copies of their story papers for ideas. Interestingly, five of them can be traced back to The Wizard.
Kipper Feet is the story that goes back the farthest. It debuted in 1929 as a serious text story, and a further series appeared the following year. The walrus reappeared in 1954 with a couple of humorous episodes in cartoon form in colour on the cover.
Minnie Ha-Ha with her pet talking raven was clearly influenced by three serials about the detective Craig Crane. The first was The Raven Talks in 1944, the second being The Raven Talks Again in 1947. This second serial was repeated in picture form in The Victor in 1962, with the somewhat confusing title of The Raven Talks. A third serial, The Menace Comes On Fridays, appeared in The Rover in 1955. There was a text reprint of this in The Victor in 1967. Crane's raven provided crucial information in all the stories. It is interesting to speculate that children's author, Joan Aiken, might have been influenced by these stories, as she wrote some tales for the BBC programme Jackanory about a little girl called Arabel and her talking raven Mortimer Jones. The first collection of these stories appeared in 1972 as Arabel's Raven.
Rory, The Horse Of Many Masters very much recalls two serials. The first was The Pony That Laughs from 1949, a picture version of which appeared in The Hotspur in 1965 as Snip, New Forest Pony. The second was Son Of Thunderhoof from 1952, which got a picture version in The New Hotspur in 1962 as Fury - Story Of A Dartmoor Pony. This went on to underpin Storm, Son Of The Moors in Judy in 1971.
The Year Of The Vanaks recalls The Yellow Sword, a 1955 tale about an invasion of England by the Kushanti from a fictional Eastern country. The resistance was led by John Maitland. A picture version appeared in The New Hotspur in 1962. A sequel appeared in The Wizard in 1957 called Will O' The Whistle. More interestingly, the original story was to be rewritten as When The School Bell Rang for Judy in 1973. Here a youngster called Wendy Maitland was a vital cog in the resistance movement as she was a codebreaker.
There were three text series about Lonely Wood between 1954 and 1956, but in these gamekeeper Frank Freeman was the father. Billy, his son, was a cripple with a wheelchair. This aspect of these series in The Wizard was used in Molly Of Lonely Wood, which debuted in the first issue of Bunty in 1958.
Finally, Those researchers I referred to earlier would also have discovered Pocahontas - Red Indian Princess in the same issues where they probably saw Molly of Lonely Wood.
Kipper Feet is the story that goes back the farthest. It debuted in 1929 as a serious text story, and a further series appeared the following year. The walrus reappeared in 1954 with a couple of humorous episodes in cartoon form in colour on the cover.
Minnie Ha-Ha with her pet talking raven was clearly influenced by three serials about the detective Craig Crane. The first was The Raven Talks in 1944, the second being The Raven Talks Again in 1947. This second serial was repeated in picture form in The Victor in 1962, with the somewhat confusing title of The Raven Talks. A third serial, The Menace Comes On Fridays, appeared in The Rover in 1955. There was a text reprint of this in The Victor in 1967. Crane's raven provided crucial information in all the stories. It is interesting to speculate that children's author, Joan Aiken, might have been influenced by these stories, as she wrote some tales for the BBC programme Jackanory about a little girl called Arabel and her talking raven Mortimer Jones. The first collection of these stories appeared in 1972 as Arabel's Raven.
Rory, The Horse Of Many Masters very much recalls two serials. The first was The Pony That Laughs from 1949, a picture version of which appeared in The Hotspur in 1965 as Snip, New Forest Pony. The second was Son Of Thunderhoof from 1952, which got a picture version in The New Hotspur in 1962 as Fury - Story Of A Dartmoor Pony. This went on to underpin Storm, Son Of The Moors in Judy in 1971.
The Year Of The Vanaks recalls The Yellow Sword, a 1955 tale about an invasion of England by the Kushanti from a fictional Eastern country. The resistance was led by John Maitland. A picture version appeared in The New Hotspur in 1962. A sequel appeared in The Wizard in 1957 called Will O' The Whistle. More interestingly, the original story was to be rewritten as When The School Bell Rang for Judy in 1973. Here a youngster called Wendy Maitland was a vital cog in the resistance movement as she was a codebreaker.
There were three text series about Lonely Wood between 1954 and 1956, but in these gamekeeper Frank Freeman was the father. Billy, his son, was a cripple with a wheelchair. This aspect of these series in The Wizard was used in Molly Of Lonely Wood, which debuted in the first issue of Bunty in 1958.
Finally, Those researchers I referred to earlier would also have discovered Pocahontas - Red Indian Princess in the same issues where they probably saw Molly of Lonely Wood.
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Very interesting post phoenix4ever. I enjoy it when links between titles from different eras and formats can be discovered and in doing so reveals a kind of tangible genealogy of juvenile literature.
One factual error though, both of the 'Raven' series that were repeated in Victor were in the text format, neither were transformed into picture strips. From memory I'm certain that the first had heading blocks drawn by Calder Jamieson and the second by Jerry Butchart.
One factual error though, both of the 'Raven' series that were repeated in Victor were in the text format, neither were transformed into picture strips. From memory I'm certain that the first had heading blocks drawn by Calder Jamieson and the second by Jerry Butchart.
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Thank you for pointing out my error, Kashgar. I really shouldn't write these posts when I'm tired, it just leads to carelessness and the need to apologise. As far as the artists are concerned, I realise you are working from memory, but it might be worth it to both of us if you were to check your research notes, because the artists names that you gave me a few years ago are George Ramsbottom and Douglas Phillips respectively. The heading block for the first 'Raven' series was apparently by James Walker.Kashgar wrote:From memory I'm certain that the first had heading blocks drawn by Calder Jamieson and the second by Jerry Butchart.
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alanultron5
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Great info coming from other members here! Smashing! Here's the next listing!
SPARKY No 89 (1st October 1966, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` Peter and Penny join the Moonsters as they go mining.
Page 2
`Jeff Ye Jolly Jester`
Page 3
`Peter Piper` Strip has a new artist who draws peter in a far more detailed style.
Pages 4 & 5
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` The duo meet King Canute!
Page 6
`Hungry Horace`
Page 7
Top half is `Nosey Parker`, bottom half is divided into two illustrated panels. Left one is advert for this years `Dandy Annual`. The right hand panel is advert for `Boomerang` (X shaped) free gift in next weeks `Hotspur`.
Pages 8 & 9
`Willie the Woeful Wizard` Willie makes a cheering potion! Without a doubt, this was my favourite ever Sparky strip-until “I.Spy†got into its stride! I even wrote to the comic praising the `Willie` strip.
The artwork by Bill Mainwaering was wonderfully detailed, and the plots were sheer surrealism laced with very subtle humour. This week’s story even has a drug related theme! Willie can’t stop the effects of his `cheerful` potion and only realises by observing a doleful Jailer that it is the smoking of `Mescalweed` (Mescaline) that can cure his potions over jollifying effects! Quite wonderful!
Page 10
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Page 11
`Keyhole Kate`
Pages 12 & 13
`The Horse with Wings`. This was a full colour adaptation of the legend of Pegasus the flying horse.
Page 14
`Fireman Fred`
Page 15
`Write to Sparky`
Pages 16 & 17
`My Grockle and Me` This was the updated version of the early Beano (or was it Dandy?) `Jimmy and his Grockle`
Grockle was the Cornish word for a small dragon.
Pages 18 & 19
`Nine Hundred Years Ago` Adventures of Saxon children. I just don’t recall this at all!
Pages 20 & 21
`Terry Had a Little Pig` Terry Hicks wins a young pig at a garden fete and tries to keep it a secret from his parents. Very insipid stuff! I never enjoyed this strip.
Page 22
`Winnie the Witch`
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
Top three quarters is `Sparky` the bottom quarter of the page is a three panel illustrated preview of next weeks `Slowdown Express`.
This was a very interesting issue indeed. Highlight for me, was it containing my favourite `Willie the Woeful Wizard` strip, which was only a couple of weeks into its eight months run.
I have no recollection of the `Nine Hundred Years Ago` strip at all! Very little recall of the Pegasus story, and what I do recall of `Terry Had A Little Pig` was that it was quite awfully dull.
SPARKY No 89 (1st October 1966, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` Peter and Penny join the Moonsters as they go mining.
Page 2
`Jeff Ye Jolly Jester`
Page 3
`Peter Piper` Strip has a new artist who draws peter in a far more detailed style.
Pages 4 & 5
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` The duo meet King Canute!
Page 6
`Hungry Horace`
Page 7
Top half is `Nosey Parker`, bottom half is divided into two illustrated panels. Left one is advert for this years `Dandy Annual`. The right hand panel is advert for `Boomerang` (X shaped) free gift in next weeks `Hotspur`.
Pages 8 & 9
`Willie the Woeful Wizard` Willie makes a cheering potion! Without a doubt, this was my favourite ever Sparky strip-until “I.Spy†got into its stride! I even wrote to the comic praising the `Willie` strip.
The artwork by Bill Mainwaering was wonderfully detailed, and the plots were sheer surrealism laced with very subtle humour. This week’s story even has a drug related theme! Willie can’t stop the effects of his `cheerful` potion and only realises by observing a doleful Jailer that it is the smoking of `Mescalweed` (Mescaline) that can cure his potions over jollifying effects! Quite wonderful!
Page 10
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Page 11
`Keyhole Kate`
Pages 12 & 13
`The Horse with Wings`. This was a full colour adaptation of the legend of Pegasus the flying horse.
Page 14
`Fireman Fred`
Page 15
`Write to Sparky`
Pages 16 & 17
`My Grockle and Me` This was the updated version of the early Beano (or was it Dandy?) `Jimmy and his Grockle`
Grockle was the Cornish word for a small dragon.
Pages 18 & 19
`Nine Hundred Years Ago` Adventures of Saxon children. I just don’t recall this at all!
Pages 20 & 21
`Terry Had a Little Pig` Terry Hicks wins a young pig at a garden fete and tries to keep it a secret from his parents. Very insipid stuff! I never enjoyed this strip.
Page 22
`Winnie the Witch`
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
Top three quarters is `Sparky` the bottom quarter of the page is a three panel illustrated preview of next weeks `Slowdown Express`.
This was a very interesting issue indeed. Highlight for me, was it containing my favourite `Willie the Woeful Wizard` strip, which was only a couple of weeks into its eight months run.
I have no recollection of the `Nine Hundred Years Ago` strip at all! Very little recall of the Pegasus story, and what I do recall of `Terry Had A Little Pig` was that it was quite awfully dull.
A Face unclouded by thought.
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Sorry, Kashgar, again!! I now realise that you were referring to the heading blocks in The Victor, not the ones in The Wizard. You carry on, I'm going back to bed.phoenix4ever wrote:I really shouldn't write these posts when I'm tired
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
much thanks for all this very informative facts, pheonixforever and kashgar; what seems to be emerging is the fact that early SPARKY was very much a 'mix-n-match' job, I always knew that a fair percentage of their more humorous characters were contemporary updates, but it transpires that a fair whack of their more 'serious' story tales also have a long history.
Much of the 'new' strips were updated stories with top artists however, so it still qualifies as an actual, 'live' comic. These next pages are from issue 89, dated 1 OCT, 1966:
Much of the 'new' strips were updated stories with top artists however, so it still qualifies as an actual, 'live' comic. These next pages are from issue 89, dated 1 OCT, 1966:
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
as Raven has pointed out, Albert Holroyd's work was sometimes a bit charmless, however when he took the time to add good perspective work and varied angles, his material was very good:
NOSEY PARKER, as envisaged by BILL HILL:
next, some absolutely stunning artwork on the WOEFUL WIZARD strip; first-class draughtsmanship all the way, with attention to detail that is second-to-none:
[part 2 of this lush medievel strip next posting].
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colcool007
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Just to add to Phoenix's post and one amendment. The Raven Talks was actually published in the Victor in 1962 as a text story not as a picture story; I know as I have skipped it a few times! Must sit down and read it one of these days. 
Will Of The Whistle also got a further outing in the Victor 12 years after its debut in the Wizard as a picture story, but I am beggared if I can name the artist.
The Yellow Sword and Kushtani always reminds me of the Black Sapper story (published in 1970's Hotspur and Red Dagger) where Britain was invaded and the Black Sapper played a major part in the Resistance Movement.
Will Of The Whistle also got a further outing in the Victor 12 years after its debut in the Wizard as a picture story, but I am beggared if I can name the artist.
The Yellow Sword and Kushtani always reminds me of the Black Sapper story (published in 1970's Hotspur and Red Dagger) where Britain was invaded and the Black Sapper played a major part in the Resistance Movement.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Just to put the record straight, Col, as there seems to be some confusion here. The serial The Raven Talks was not repeated in The Victor, either as a text story or a picture strip. The story you are referring to was originally called The Raven Talks Again, which was repeated in text form in The Victor in 1962 under the title The Raven Talks. Kashgar drew my attention earlier on this thread to my error, an inexplicable one because all my notes here state quite clearly that it was a textual repeat.colcool007 wrote:Just to add to Phoenix's post and one amendment. The Raven Talks was actually published in the Victor in 1962 as a text story not as a picture story
So that this post is not entirely negative in nature, I am uploading a couple of scans relating to the original Jimmy Johnson And His Grockle, a story that has been mentioned a couple of times recently on this strand. One is the cover of issue 514 of The Rover (Feb. 20th 1932), b/w because I only have a photocopy of this issue, the other being the heading block picture from the first instalment.
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
JIMMY JOHNSON'S GROCKLE was yet another very early THOMSON strip that got the mid-60s SPARKY update, phoenix, as you are doubtless aware of......examples of the 're-vamp' coming up on here shortly..............
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
BTW 'The Raven Talks Again' was further reprinted as 'The Raven Talks' in text format in the revamped Wizard in 1974 with heading blocks supplied by Ted Rawlings. If I recall it correctly the reason that they never saw fit to reprint the first series, ie the actual series 'The Raven Talks', was because it was mainly concerned with black-marketeering, a topic that its young readers would have known all about in the 1940's but which may have been a bit lost on boys of the 1960's/1970's generation.
The 'Lonely Wood' text series on which the Sparky picture series were based were also reprinted in the text format in the Wizard in 1976 coincidentally.
The 'Lonely Wood' text series on which the Sparky picture series were based were also reprinted in the text format in the Wizard in 1976 coincidentally.
Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
Kashgar wrote:BTW 'The Raven Talks Again' was further reprinted as 'The Raven Talks' in text format in the revamped Wizard in 1974 with heading blocks supplied by Ted Rawlings. If I recall it correctly the reason that they never saw fit to reprint the first series, ie the actual series 'The Raven Talks', was because it was mainly concerned with black-marketeering, a topic that its young readers would have known all about in the 1940's but which may have been a bit lost on boys of the 1960's/1970's generation.
The 'Lonely Wood' text series on which the Sparky picture series were based were also reprinted in the text format in the Wizard in 1976 coincidentally.
Well remembered Kashgar,
The Raven talks Part 1 was first published in Wizard No.231 on July 13th 1974 for 11 parts.
The Raven Talks(Part 1 No.231)(Part 2 No.232)(Part 3 No.233)(Part 4 No.234)(Part 5 No.235)(Part 6 No.236)(Part 7 No.237)(Part 8 No.238)(Part 9 No.239)(Part 10 No.240)(Part 11 No.241)
Sorry didn't mean to hi-jack this thread with Wizard.
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alanultron5
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Re: The Sparky File 1965 to January 1969.
And Now!
SPARKY No 92 (22nd October 1966, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters`. The Moonsters milk their Mooncows. The Mooncows also just have the one eye.
Page 2
`Pansy Potter`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 &5
`My Grockle and Me`
Page 6
Top half, `Nosey Parker`. Bottom half, left panel, `Free in Bunty, a Gay Bunty Bracelet`. Right panel, The Sparky Book 1967`. The 1967 book (issued in September 1966) was the first Sparky book.
Page 7
`Hungry Horace`
Pages 8 & 9
`Willie the Woeful Wizard`. Willie enters the Bongovian Cup competition for Magicians and Sorcerers.
Page 10
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Page 11
`Keyhole Kate`
Pages 12 & 13
`The Horse With Wings`
Page 14
`Fireman Fred`
Page 15
`Write to Sparky`
Pages 16 & 17
`Terry had a Little Pig`
Pages 18 & 19
`Nine Hundred Years Ago`
Pages 20 & 21
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora`. Dave and Dora visit the `Silly Isles`.
Page 22
`Winnie the Witch`
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
Top three quarters, `Sparky`. Bottom quarter, an ad for next weeks Sparky.
SPARKY No 92 (22nd October 1966, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters`. The Moonsters milk their Mooncows. The Mooncows also just have the one eye.
Page 2
`Pansy Potter`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 &5
`My Grockle and Me`
Page 6
Top half, `Nosey Parker`. Bottom half, left panel, `Free in Bunty, a Gay Bunty Bracelet`. Right panel, The Sparky Book 1967`. The 1967 book (issued in September 1966) was the first Sparky book.
Page 7
`Hungry Horace`
Pages 8 & 9
`Willie the Woeful Wizard`. Willie enters the Bongovian Cup competition for Magicians and Sorcerers.
Page 10
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Page 11
`Keyhole Kate`
Pages 12 & 13
`The Horse With Wings`
Page 14
`Fireman Fred`
Page 15
`Write to Sparky`
Pages 16 & 17
`Terry had a Little Pig`
Pages 18 & 19
`Nine Hundred Years Ago`
Pages 20 & 21
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora`. Dave and Dora visit the `Silly Isles`.
Page 22
`Winnie the Witch`
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
Top three quarters, `Sparky`. Bottom quarter, an ad for next weeks Sparky.
A Face unclouded by thought.