Comics UK

Kashgar wrote:Other strips did appear with previous connections though eg 'Lonely Wood' which had been used as a backdrop for a number of nature stories and strips in the past, in particular in Wizard in 1954 (1464-1484) and 1955 (1529-1540) with prose tales illustrated by James Crighton and in Bunty in 1958 (1-20) and New Hotspur in 1960/61 (61-73) with picture strips 'Molly in Lonely Wood' and the True Life Nature Series respectively with artwork in both cases by Ken Hunter. The artist Urnau provided the artwork for the Lonely Wood strips in Sparky.

Of the various series of stories about Lonely Wood, the most persuasive are the first one and especially the third one in The Wizard because, broadly speaking, they remove humans from the scene, apart from poachers, and allow the reader to watch the animals and birds going about their daily lives. By so doing, sentimentality is removed as well. If a polecat kills a duck and takes it back to its nest as food for its young, that's just the way things are, whether we like it or not. The second series, that is based around the outdoor education of gamekeeper Frank Freeman's crippled son Billy, is the one that influences Molly In Lonely Wood in Bunty, and The New Hotspur's True-Life Nature Series.

Ray mentioned in an article on Phil Shrimptons `Beano/Dandy` newsletter that the 1966 Sparky strip "Seven With one Blow" had a precedent in the original `Magic` comic.
There is one more `re-activated` character we haven't yet mentioned. A character who I think originally predates even `Nosey Parker`! This is my Sparky favourite (Ahem!!) "Invisible Dick" Goodness me! If ever the comic wasted an opportunity -in my view- it was with its presentation of this character. Basically, it had about three plot-lines that were endlessly regurgitated in barely changing format!

yes! there were (In my view) a few good episodes- the 1971 `Potholing` story is just superb! But, for me it was basically a truly boring effort. The old black mark for the comic as I see it. But, if others are happy with `Dick` then please don't mind me; it's just a personal gripe.

alanultron5 wrote:There is one more `re-activated` character we haven't yet mentioned. A character who I think originally predates even `Nosey Parker`! This is my Sparky favourite (Ahem!!) "Invisible Dick" Goodness me! If ever the comic wasted an opportunity -in my view- it was with its presentation of this character.

Yes, Alan, there were five series of Invisible Dick in The Rover from 1922. Dicky Brett was introduced to readers in the very first issue (4 March 1922). The key to Dicky's ability to become invisible is sniffing a concoction inside a strange bronze bottle that he half-inches for his own use from Professor Peter Knowles's study. According to the professor, who is Dicky's uncle, the casket containing the bottle came from the tomb of a magician who had lived a couple of thousand years before the Christian era began. These series were excellent. Great fun!

I thought Invisible Dick artist Tony Speer had a good style, and I liked the black beam of the torch instead of a white one.

Yes it was pretty repetitive, but there was one two-part story from Summer 1969 where a monkey was involved that sticks in the memory.....perhaps the concept should have tried out longer and continued-next-week stories in this mould.

Invisible Dick was also a main feature in a picture strip in the first 96 editions of the Dandy (1937-1939) drawn by George Ramsbottom. The mode of how he achieved his invisibilty changed across the decades but Dick, in various incarnations, would appear and indeed disappear in a number of Thomson titles across forty years.

alanultron5 wrote:Fantastic data Ray!! Afraid i'm after another artists identity if possible! This one intrigued me as apart from one strip- they never contributed on anything else in Sparky- apart from a `non comic` strip in the 1967 book- I think! Artist in question penned "Granny Cupp" in the comic and "Dotty Daydream" in the book. Had very intriguing style in my view!

Hi Alan, I'm afraid that this time I cannot answer your query. Of all the Thomson comic titles that I have researched over the years Sparky remains the most problemmatic and there must still be a dozen or so artists who worked on the title whose names remain to be discovered. The early years being particularly difficult to research because of the disparate nature of the staff it employed who then, after several years, were reassigned to the boys' and girls' titles from whence they had come.

The Granny Cupp writer ---or artist----turned up about a year ago on Tony Ingrams' Comic Wiki Sparky page on this character, who expressed delight that his creation was covered there----some sort of info could be garnered there.

Our very own Alan Smith [no less] instigated that particular Wiki entry.

Ray! i'm so grateful for what you provided here! The `Granny Cupp` artist must remain elusive- but you provided me with so much more since this thread started! Rab! The `Dick` monkee story was a three-parter, I think the only time the strip did a three-part story! I found the idea of getting a live chimp in the post utterly daft back in 1969, never mind today!! That uncle in an earlier two-parter had landed himself at the Dickson's abode along with his Native `Servant` in a story that beats every `Sparky` character adventure for racist ignorance! It really was a terrible story- would be banned instantly today!

I did find a few `Dick` stories good- but a bare few indeed! The way the character used to address the readers in the final panel really `got` to me! I do `sound off` at Dick I suppose, but goodness me! It just bugged me! A strip written & produced like that in an otherwise superb comic!

I did (personally) think Tony Speer's work tailed off somewhat in his time on `Dick` I compared it to his style on the `Castawy Kids` (From comics first 15 issues! I certainly noticed the difference.

Tony Speer was a good figure artist though Alan, whatever you thought of the concept of the strip.

His work was very active and fluid, and perhaps that is the main reason the strip ran for so long......his stuff was always moving whatever the limitations of the scripts provided for him.

I like a lot of Tony's work Rab; especially his drawing in pre "Invisible Dick" Sparky- and his work on most of `Dick` looks fine. but! by 1974 he seemed to lose definition a little to me. Check his strip in the 1976 Sparky annual- it really `isn't him` at all, if you see what I mean.

"Dick" was the longest running adventure strip in the comic. It had first (1967) season just 16 episodes- but second season July 1968 to August 1974 was 317 episodes!! Total of 333 episodes!

"Mr Bubbles" was `runner up`from August 1969 to July 1975 with 306 episodes all one season.

In Bronze position is "Klanky" Season 1 =13 eps, Season 2 = 20 eps, Season 3 = 29 eps, season 4 = 20 eps and season 5 = 122 eps. A total of 204 episodes.

Shortest `Adventure` strip was in 1966 with `Pocahontas` of just 5 episodes! There were shorter runs "Lonely Wood" series 2 just three eps, "Baloon Family Robinson" series 2 just two eps AND! that one episode of `Prentice Pete` in 1966- but these all had two seasons- "Pocahontas" just 5 episodes in its only season.

alanultron5 wrote:Shortest `Adventure` strip was in 1966 with `Pocahontas` of just 5 episodes!

That was short, Alan, given that Pocahontas - Red Indian Princess had had seventeen instalments in Bunty in 1958.

I am very impressed with all you guys' in-depth, seemingly know-all-this-stuff-by-heart facts and figures---which is one of the reasons this very forum was well worth founding.

I just dip into the original comics, but I have no idea of how many episodes such-and-such ran for, other than my very favourite strips.

AH!! It was previously in `Bunty`? Yes! just Five episodes in `Sparky` Phoenix. I think as with the "David Copperfield" run that it had been `truncated` in Sparky. In early 1966 a new set of `free-gifts` and `New strips` were introduced and `Pocahontas` was ended quicker to make way! I wonder who the artist was?

The second "Will O' the Well` strip - in picture format was just six episodes!

The longest running `fun-pal` was "Hungry Horace" the only strip to last from issue No 1 to 652 (final issue) he did miss a few appearances in 1968 and one in 77- but was comic's longest lasting `fun-pal`

The shortest! I suppose those very early re-print style characters "Frosty McNab" and "Stoneage Steve" are joint shortest with just two appearances! Later on the lovely "Clever Claire" had a run of just Eight episodes in mid 1968! Oh! if only there had been more `Claire`!!

If you put Sparky Comic into Google search engine you will get a link into the old 26 pigs forum section regarding `Sparky` comic! It's interesting as contributors include Gordon Cook, Jim Petrie and George drysdale's Grandaughter, Laura Cowper! Its a few years old- but a facinating insight!

That item on 26 Pigs about Sparky was the first-ever reference to the comic I ever discovered on the net, a good while before I knew this site ever existed.