Sparky No 1

[steelclaw]

Dave & Dora is excellent I wonder if the writter was on any substances he couldn't have been.
Mr Bubbles I used to love as well.

[Digifiend]

I agree about Mr Bubbles, from the few examples I've seen.

[alanultron5]

Pam Chapeau who composed the best `Dave & Dora` stories was the creator of `Mr Bubbles`

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

yes, Pam contributed the delightful whimsy of many 'MR BUBBLES' sets, and also the previous 'Dreamy Dave' centrespread.


pages 15 and 16 of the debut comic featured this gritty----too gritty , perhaps-----'social realism' drama, which appeared a full two decades before Eastenders:





artwork by David Ogilvie.

[Peter Gray]

Very impressed with the story..certainly keeps you on edge..and Sparky was meant to be for juniors very out of place...Sparky was a strange mix..
Why on earth The Beano or Dandy can't do stories like this today...I'm sure kids would lap it up if its this good..

Is Pam a Woman? Laura H has a rival to the crown if so..

[Kashgar]

Yes Peter, Pam is Pamela. She was one of two female artists working on Sparky in the early days. The other lady sadly seems to be only remembered by her surname Gold. She missed out on an appearance in Sparky No1 but only just, turning up in No2 drawing 'Cuckoo in the Clock'.

[Digifiend]

Is Pam a Woman? Laura H has a rival to the crown if so..

Nobody ever said that Laura was DCT's first female artist, only that she's the Beano's first. Pam never drew for the Beano, so Laura still holds that record. Speaking of which, have any female artists ever worked for Dandy, Beezer, and Topper?

[alanultron5]

A few months after the "Kidnapped Kids" story finished in issue 15 the awful "Moors Murder" news broke! Had events been just those few months ahead, that strip could have been curtailed as gang leader Gus gets quite voilent with the children! He clouts one heavily across the face in issue 7 and gives the young lad a real belting with his trouser belt in issue 10.

Without doubt! It is the harshest strip I ever encountered in such a comic!

P.S I am posting Rab three more pages from No 1. The `Minnie Ha-Ha` page and the first two of the "Palace of Kra" text story!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

pages 18-20 are inked by a chap by the surname of Rawlins [thanks to kashgar for info] , with BILL HILL doing the honours on Nosey Parker on page 20:

[NP]

...have any female artists ever worked for Dandy, Beezer, and Topper?

Yes, in 1985 Dinah Mo in Dandy was often drawn by a young lady from St Helens. Although I did meet her once, I'm afaraid I don't recall her name. Ray will know.

[alanultron5]

Oh! Looks like I already posted Rab pages 18-20! I do know he hasn't-yet-got the `Minnie-Ha-Ha` page; but its on its way!

I am afraid I didn't like the artwork on 1970s `Dinah-Mo` all characters in the strip had Peanut shaped heads!

[Digifiend]

I think you must mean Dinah Mite. Dinah Mo didn't debut until 1983 and was drawn by Ron Spencer.

[NP]

Alan, it's easy to be confused, as I always prove, but I did say 1985, not 1975, so that was a clue!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

page 21: FLUBBERFACE by Bob Webster:




followed by FREDDY the FEARLESS FLY courtesy of Albert Holroyd:

[alanultron5]

Apologies for my mistake! Yes! the 1970s `Dinah-Mite` I just cannot rate that art style i'm afraid!

Ah! "Flubberface" Really loved that strip! It was my favourite alongside `Dave & Dora`

Persons may wonder why I `bang-on` about Sparky comic so much! It was the first ever comic I had from issue No 1! I had been reading the `Dandy` & `Beano` -plus the occassional `Topper` & `Beezer` but Sparky was `my comic` in the sense that I grew up with it and followed the characters from the start!

The only time I missed some was in April 67 when the "Willy the Woeful Wizard` strip ended! It upset me that such a fantastic strip was gone and I left off the comic for a month! I went back to it though and only missed one at Easter 1968 after that!

I had every Sparky -bar those mentioned- to about June 1971! Sadly-I sold them to `Webb's Book Store` in `Pipers Row` Wolverhampton! What a mistake!