I. Spy - the `years of decline, Sparky & Champ

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

CONGRATULATIONS to Alanultron5 in winning SPARKY COMIC number one

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

The sole MASTERMIND story of the colour series is sprightly and entertaining, but very different to previous excursions due to the overtly comic tone, which is very obviously played for laughs......the artwork is 'zippier' and more condensed-looking as well.

The premise of this tale-----Mastermind's tiny, hand-held age-altering raybeam, which works on humans as well as objects-----serves up much imaginitive imagery, and here we see poor BOSS reduced to the status of baby:



This issue also contains a fairly unusual PUSS and BOOTS story. Unlike later, more familiar storylines of this battling pair, the earlier period single-pagers sometimes featured guest appearences from other SPARKY characters, and if you look closely, you will make out I SPY himself in the closing frame!





Both pages from April 29 1972 issue.

[alanultron5]

Thanks all for congrats messages! (Sparky No 1!) I daresay `non` comic collectors would raise eyebrows at what I paid, but I recently missed out on two chances of getting a No 1 issue recently and thought that was it!! If this issue No1 had `not` had the free gift I would have had to think hard on it-but I believe the flying snorter balloons are extremely rare now and I do like to get the free gifts as well, so I went for it!

[alanultron5]

Mr Mastermind does look rather different to me in that story- but not as big a difference as Mr X in "Ice Cream Crooks" The change to that character from "Ghost of Mr X" certainly seems `different` Maybe if Rab can later post photo's we can mull it over!

The `Mastermind` story featured a very innovative concept with the `age` device, but unlike the B/W series, not too much plot evolved and these three eps were mostly a `chase` scenario, but it was a decent enough finale for the `Mastermind` character in the Sparky I. Spy strip.

[steelclaw]

Nice one Alan for buying Sparky(It was buy it now )I know how much you paid , wish I had the money.
It's great that someone on this forum has bought it I hope we can see some scans of what's inside.

[alanultron5]

Steel! I will certainly be making some colour & B/W copies of pages from it and will post to Rab (I. Spysshguy) who might pop up a scan or two! Yes! I have paid a lot-but I had recently (last month & a bit) missed out on two copies of No1; and thought that would be my lot!

The free `Flying Snorter` gift is an `Ultra-Rare` fellow as nearly all of them eventually burst or got lost! I am not certain if the `snorter` with this one is fully intact by the photo, but any form of it is better than nothing!

[steelclaw]

The free `Flying Snorter` gift is an `Ultra-Rare` fellow as nearly all of them eventually burst or got lost! I am not certain if the `snorter` with this one is fully intact by the photo, but any form of it is better than nothing!

It is great to have a free gift specially something that's 45 years old and made of rubber, you should vaccum pack it when you get it so it doesn't deteriorate any more.

[alanultron5]

Steel! What I will do, is get a straw and blow a bit of talcum powder into the inside so as to stop the insides sticking together (which usually causes deterioration in latex!) I have some light vaseline to coat the outer surface and then I will put it in a `non` reactive bag! OH!! Goodness! If any stranger read what I just put (not knowing the subject) they'd think I was preparing some kind of sex toy!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

The artwork in this episode--and in many others from this point on----is often done within three sets of panels, not the usual four, resulting in more spaciously-set out frames. This story has some great visual gags that belt along at a brisk pace, and just check out that VERY unusual cliffhanger to this unforgettable episode:

[alanultron5]

Mastermind is very like his `champ` appearance! Can't get used to him in that story-looking that way-but in Champ he somehow suited the strip better!

Ah! The final James Fox story in Sparky! It was in issues 484-486 (March/April 1976)a three parter in where Mr X has devised a helmet (which he wears) that can control all machinery including I. Spy's!. It differs from the `Skywaymen` story in that X's helmet not only can shut off machinery (as did Skywaymen's reactor) but can control it to do a X wishes!

Only I. Spy's `non` mechanical gadgets work and he is up against it for virtually all the three eps!

I. Spy wins the day with a ruse! Dressing up as an old lady he badgers Mr X into raising his hat in good manners to a senior citizen! Mr X for once becoming gallant, does so and I. Spy can `clobber` him once the helmet is removed!

Poor old Mr X is sentenced to 10 years hard labour and fined 20 pounds!!

The concept was superb and I think it would have made a tremendous six parter in the Les Barton , early Brian Walker era!

Anyhow! That was it for I. Spy in Sparky comic-but! there were three Sparky book - James Fox drawn stories circa 1977/78/79 books! I shall review them next!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

[May 13, 1972].

Perhaps this is what Alan means by a 'drop in standards' regarding the artwork, Lew: this is the first WALKER instalment where the artwork looks noticably rushed. Maybe Bri had less time than was needed to finish the job , though, as this episode and last ran to an untypical-of-this-period three pages.


Still very funny and effective visually, however, and I'm not trying to take anything away from the artwork presented here: later episodes saw a return to form, in terms of detailed artwork within the same series.


This story lacks the complexity of previous highlights, but is still a cracker in it's own right: very unusual and entertaining.

[Lew Stringer]

I see what you mean regarding the sparse backgrounds but what immediately comes to mind is a) the script only calls for a conflict between the characters, not lots of detail, and b) similar one-on-one conflicts have happened before in the strip but in its black and white days Brian or Les would have made the background look busier with inking effects - cross hatching, shading, tone, etc. - something that would look too oppressive now the pages are in colour.

The quality of Brian Walker's work there is as good as it's ever been. I'll say no more on the matter.

[alanultron5]

Getting on to the first of the James Fox `Sparky book` stories we find I. Spy up against `Knitting Nora` in a seven page offering in the 1977 dated book. Sadly, not full colour, but a Black, White & red affair!

`Nora` was a east european spy whose knitting needles and wool were deadly weapons! Afraid I can't regard this as very good though the title page of the story looked like a crochet work and is most eye catching!

[Digifiend]

I have that annual, and have to agree about the title page. It really stands out.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Last week's sparser artwork may be explained by the extra time that may have been 'robbed' from the previous story, in order for Bri to work out the complex layouts needed for this next story: these panels rank among the most accomplished ever attempted within the entire saga, and in fact I reckon they're on par with some of the stuff put out by MAD magazine:


[May 20, 1972]: