Comics UK

I also knew another chap by the name of EDWARD DRURY and he was also a stroppy, childish brat!

There you go! Anyhow; we come to the first really big overhaul of Sparky comic! Most fans think the Feb 1969 changes were the initial overhaul - but I contend that over 23rd & 30th September 1967 the comic underwent its first really significant change of style!

SPARKY No 141 (30th September 1967, 5d)

The comic was into its second week of quite a major overhaul. The title /Logo changed radically to a straightened out `Sparky` in deep red, set against a custard yellow background. Horizontal lines above and below the logo gave a very symmetrical look to the title. The 5d price was now enclosed in a blue diamond shape. This is my favourite ever design of Sparky cover.

Above the title it advertised this week free gift; “Free inside; Target Tiddlywinks”. I don’t know what the free gift on 23rd issue was, so if anyone can help please?

Page 1
The `Sparky` character was now placed back on the cover, swapping with the Moonsters who reverted back to the final page (a bad mistake in the overhaul methinks!). He goes camping this week.

Page 2
`Deputy Dawg` The cartoon series had been a big success on the telly, so the comic gave a comic strip version a run out. A very puzzling move for Sparky comic as this was the only time they encroached onto `T.V Comic’s territory.

Sadly, the comic version never matched the TV series and was soon dropped.

Pages 3, 4 & 5
New Story! ` Big Ossie`. Yes! Yet another animal based story! This effort featured a tame Ostrich that was owned by Tim and Mary Parker. Supposedly set in 19th century South Africa, it had a 1960s look to it. Quite abysmal indeed!

Page 6
Top half, `Charlie Chutney`. The comic adventures of a Cook. Bottom half `Meddlesome Matty` Young girl tries to be helpful but it nearly always goes wrong. Both strips started the previous week (23rd September), never found Charlie much fun, but I quickly warmed to Matty!

Page 7
`Peter Piper`

Pages 8 & 9
`David Copperfield`. This was the first in a series of adaptations of works by famous authors. The Charles Dickens classic was the first to be realised in this format. Artwork was quite superb!

Page 10
`Write to Sparky`

Page 11
`Keyhole Kate`


Pages 12 & 13
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora`. It’s fitness time with `Jim Nastic` and `Tramp O’ Leen`. This was one of the poorest Dave and Dora stories ever. This particular one was one of the first of stories filled with ever more stupid puns and word bending phrases. Sadly, the strip lost virtually any originality and became awfully formularised.

Page 14
`Pansy Potter` The Pansy Potter strip would now become bi-weekly, rotating with new fun character `Tom Tardy`.

Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`

Pages 16 & 17
`Klanky` This was the first episode of Klanky’s second run in Sparky, the first had been in June to September 1966. Klanky’s rulers (on the yet unnamed home world he was constructed), decide to send him to Earth again in order to help human kind again.

Klanky would become a firm favourite in the comic, appearing on and off up until 1974.

Pages 18 & 19
`Davey Spacer in Giant land` Another character beginning a second run! Davy Spacer had first appeared in 1966 in a story where he was a giant on a planed of little people. The story was based loosely on Jonathan Swift’s `Gullivers Travels`. This second tale followed the Brobgdanian chapter where Davey is the small fellow in a Land of Giants.

Pages 20 & 21
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon`

Page 22
`Hungry Horace`

Page 23
`Snapshot Sid`. The comic adventures of a young free lance news photographer. Sid had begun the week previous.

Page 24
Top three quarters is `The Moonsters` now back on the rear of the comic, where they would see out their run. Bottom quarter is a four panel preview titled “Four Fun Pals in a Pickle”. First panel is `Klanky`, who, in this colour panel, turns out to be red! Second panel `Snapshot Sid`, third is `Deputy Dawg, and fourth panel features new story `Tom Tardy` the boy who is always late for school!

Both stories on page 6 are ex-Dandy (1940s). Were they reprints or remakes?

I assume they were newly-comissioned works, Digi, as the artist responsible----GEORGE DRYSDALE----was certainly active on SPARKY during this period.


these next three items are dated 22 OCT, '66:

note on frame 5 of NOSEY PARKER: the lad has clearly just received a beating from NOSEY:

------but the editor has had the sensitivity to edit out the scenes of corporal punishment.

Charley Chutney was originally an Allan Morley strip - so yes, that would make them new strips.

Editing out corporal punishment in 1966? Dennis the Menace still got the slipper and The Bash Street Kids still got caned back then, so the censorship is surprising.

I don't think it was edited out...it wasn't needed..

Dennis the Menace still got the slipper in the 1980's.

I find it hard to believe that "Meddlesome Matty" was a 1940s strip- well, not the one in `Sparky` those were obviously 1960s episodes! I daresay there was a 1940s `Meddlesome Matty` in Dandy- but not those particular stories in Sparky 1967 to 1970.

For my sins I still think Sparky's `Matty` is a doppleganger of Melinda Messenger!

Anyhow! Here is the next listing.

SPARKY No 153 (23rd December 1967, 5d)


Page 1
`Sparky` paints his fence.

Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`

Page 3
`Peter Piper`

Pages 4 & 5
`Klanky`

Page 6
Top half `Meddlesome Matty`, Bottom half, `Charlie Chutney`

Page 7
`Hungry Horace`

Pages 8 & 9
`Davey Spacer in Giantland`

Page 10
`Write to Sparky`

Page 11
`Snapshot Sid`

Pages 12 & 13
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` They become television characters.

Page 14
`Tom Tardy` The boy who is always late for school. This strip and `Pansy Potter` would take alternate turns in the comic.

Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`

Pages 16 & 17
`Big Ossie`

Pages 18 & 19
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon`

Pages 20 & 21
`David Copperfield`

Page 22
`Harry Carry`

Page 23
`Deputy Dawg`

Page 24
Top three quarters, `The Moonsters`. Bottom quarter, advert for next week’s Christmas Sparky, with `Sparky` dressed as Santa!

now we enter the unchartered realm of 1967, and today's batch of goodies is rather splendid indeed:

[all from ish 114: 25 March, '67].



the ethnic stereotypes in the much-maligned SPARKY character stories also include Eastern cliches in this next example:




and yet more top-quality artwork courtesy of WOEFUL WILLIE: complete with attractive young women,
of the sort that were rare indeed in THOMSON comics of this period.

The artwork of Bill Wainwaring in the `Willie` strip is in my opinion, the finest in Sparky's entire history! I truly loved the "Willie" strip; it was so `way-out`. As well as the brilliant artwork, the storylines were utterly surreal and so captivating. The search for `Old Tom's Almanac` section, was possibly the apex of the whole run!

I am amazed to realise it only ran for about eight months!

Now! On with the listings. We now enter 1968; the year of "Big Billy Bigg" and those very well drawn classic book adaptations. The first of these "Uncle Toms Cabin" was a bit ironic-appearring in a comic that had title page character of `Sparky`.

1968 was also the year that the comic began to gradually move away (in November & December) from it's 1967/8 style. Changes that culminated in the Feb 1969 overhaul.

SPARKY No 165 (16th March 1968, 5d)

Page 1
`Sparky`. Has he got a chauffer driven car? No! just a bicycle.

Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`

Page 3
`Peter Piper`

Pages 4 & 5
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon`

Page 6
Top half, `Meddlesome Matty`, Bottom half, `Charlie Chutney`.

Page 7
`Harry Carry`

Pages 8 & 9
`The Magic Sword`. A fair haired youth faces many tasks before he can attempt to overthrow a tyrant kind in middle age Europe.

Page 10
`Write to Sparky`

Page 11
`Snapshot Sid`

Pages 12 & 13
`Big Billy Bigg` This character originated in Europe.

Big Billy Bigg is the world’s strongest man. He, his aunt Aggie and friend, Professor Barabas get into many adventures. This opening story sees the `tube` aliens from Jupiter attempt to invade Earth for its supply of grass (garden variety) which they need to live on. They shrink Billy, Aunt Aggie and the Professor down to their size of about six inches!

A truly bizarre storyline!

Page 14
`Deputy Dawg` This was the last episode. It would be replaced by “The Snooks”.

Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`

Pages 16 & 17
`The Floating Farrells`. Professor Farrell predicts a `second flood` of world-wide proportions. The authorities don’t believe him so, he and his family begin to construct a modern-day Ark; one that is spherical in shape.

He, his wife and children Mark and Sara strive to save as many land based animals as possible when the deluge begins. A great story! I really enjoyed this strip, the artwork was superb and many of the stories were most inventive.

Pages 18 & 19
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` meet a talking Nanny goat. The strip would now see out the rest of its days in Sparky in B /W format. Sadly, it had run out of steam with each week’s episode following the same tired format.



Pages 20 & 21
`Uncle Toms Cabin` This was a picture strip adaptation of the Harriet Beechers –Stowe story about slavery.

Page 22
`Hungry Horace`

Page 23
`Pansy Potter` “Next Week; Tom Tardy”

Page 24
Top three quarters, `The Moonsters`. Bottom quarter is a preview of next week’s new fun strip, “The Snooks”. The Snooks was a sort of “Terry and June” strip (a good few years before Terry and June) featuring Herbert and Marie Snook.

They were a middle aged, middle class couple. Their daughter Freda would sometimes appear with the two children (boy and girl). Neigbours were the Crabb’s, who they sometimes argued with.

Re: Big Billy Bigg - If the shrinking aspect wasn't included, it would've been too similar to Desperate Dan - they even both have an Aunt Aggie! Surely they could've called the aunt something else? Never heard of it anyway, so would like to see an example if possible please.

BIG BILLY BIGG will be coming up here at some point, digifiend....

------and now for more gems, courtesy of issue 114, [25 MARCH, 1967]:

firstly, more surrealistic frolics from DREAMY DAVE and DOZY DORA:


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BOB WEBSTERS' most consistent creation for the comic:



---and another incarnation of NOSEY PARKER from the THOMSON staff artist who also drew TOAD in the HOLE for TOPPER:

Didifriend! Lew Stringer has posted some info on Big Billy! Seems the strip is a Belgian import! I can't recall it's original title (though Lew mentioned it) Maybe Lew can add a bit more on Billy if he catches our posts here!

Next listing!


SPARKY No 173 (11th May 1968, 5d)

Page 1
`Sparky` Sparky takes up jogging.

Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`

Page 3
`Peter Piper`

Pages 4 & 5
`Blondel the Wandering Minstrel` This strip which is beautifully drawn by Bill Mainwaering was based on the legend of the Minstrel who supposedly searched throughout Europe for the imprisoned Richard the Lionheart following his capture on returning from the crusades.

Page 6
Top half, `Charlie Chutney`, bottom half, `Meddlesome Matty`.

Page 7
`Harry Carry`


Pages 8 & 9
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon` The story started it’s final phase where Ken and his toucan `Tommy` are both trapped in the volcanic caverns that riddled the island he was castaway upon. It was a superb storyline and due to change of artist, beautifully drawn.

Page 10
`Write to Sparky`

Page 11
`Snapshot Sid`

Pages 12 & 13
`Clever Claire` Drawn by `Billy Bigg` artist, Claire was an emancipated `Daily Post` news reporter, who along with her friends, Ginger Snap and Sandy embarked on a South American adventure fraught with danger.

This was a very modern style story with a character (a self sufficient woman) virtually unknown to British comics in the 1960s. Claire never returned after this stint; a shame as her character was very progressive.

Page 14
`Tom Tardy` “Next week! Pansy Potter.

Page 15
`Sparky’s puzzles`

Pages 16 & 17
`Uncle Toms Cabin`

Pages 18 & 19
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora`. The pair meet various `Time-pieces`. A new artist took over the strip for a few weeks. In my view, it was the worst artwork ever in any comic I ever read!

Pages 20 & 21
`South Seas Suzy` It must have been a good year for strong female characters in Sparky. In this strip young fairground stall holder, Suzy becomes honorary Queen of a small South Seas island (as you do!). Her adventures pitted her against an evil witch doctor.

Page 22
`Hungry Horace`

Page 23
`The Snooks` this `Terry and June` style comedy strip is still an enigma to me even now! Who on earth in the comics readership could it have been aimed at? It was also drawn by the `Billy Bigg` artist.


Page 24
To three quarters, `The Moonsters`. Bottom quarter is a three picture preview of next weeks stories, Pansy Potter, Snapshot Sid and Harry Carry.

This was an interesting edition. Two strips featured strong willed leading female characters, Claire and Suzy. Outside of girl’s comics, what other Thompson (or I.P.C or Odhams) comics could compare?

alanultron5 wrote:Didifriend! Lew Stringer has posted some info on Big Billy! Seems the strip is a Belgian import! I can't recall it's original title (though Lew mentioned it) Maybe Lew can add a bit more on Billy if he catches our posts here!

Has he indeed? I'll run a search then. By the way, you got my name wrong...

He mentioned it no less than three times! Two just misidentified the nationality, but the third is useful, so I'll post the link, in case anyone else is interested:

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... &start=150 - page 11 of the I Spy thread. It's a Flemish strip called Jerom.

No need to post a Big Billy Bigg strip by the way - there's already one on page 12 of the I Spy thread. Didn't expect to find that, as it's off topic. You can tell it's foreign, it doesn't resemble any other Thomson strips from that era. According to Wikipedia, it ran until 1982, with a sequel continuing until 1991. Guess it wasn't popular here, or else it would've surely continued until Sparky's demise at least.

more mirth, mayhem and melodrama from the 25th of MARCH 1967 issue:

[love how GROCKLE has a tailored logo-image for each individual story, by the way.]:




and now for more standard adventure fare: