Comics UK

Hopefully, this will transfer ledgibilly from my `Word` document. It is a full log of every Sparky comic `fun pal` appearance in every issue! Followed by a log of all `Adventure` strips!

I believe this is the first truly comprehensive guide to Sparky characters individual issue appearance.



Appendix (1) `Sparky Fun Strips`


The Sparky `fun` strips are not easy to catalogue as there were so many `rotated` ones in the first few years and some strips popped out for a week or two so often but I have made the attempt to log every single issue they appeared in.The worst culprits were `Pansy Potter`, `Tom Tardy` `Meddlesome Matty` `Charlie Chutney` `Sam’s Snake` and `I. Fly` with countless ins and outs in their runs!

Where fun characters such as `I. Spy` or `Big Billy` Bigg` return after a gap I have put all their run in year they first appeared. I put each year separately and log those new strips/fun pals that commenced that year. Of course 1965 has the most strips!

If there is a consecutive run of four or more issues I have printed these as, e.g 1-4, 6-67 etc. three issues or below get individual numberings, e.g 1. 2. 3. Repeats ` are included with a note in brackets to highlight which issues are repeats.

With the `Sparky` and `Moonsters` strips I have distinguished which episodes each strip was on the front or back covers. With `Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` I have highlighted where the strip changed from colour to black and white. I have also applied this distinction when the `Puss N’ Boots` strip went to two colour pages and back to two black and white in its later days in the comic.

I will first list each year, e.g (1965) then those strips that commenced that year. I shall list the issue No each strip started in and the issue it terminated in. Gaps of ten or more will be noted and when strips have separate runs such as the `I. Spy` strip, I shall highlight these! Here is a example using the `I. Spy` strip

(1969)

`I. Spy` (1969 – 1976) 211 – 279. 300 – 321. 333 – 355. 360 – 396 (colour)


Here we go!


SPARKY `FUN` PALS.



(1965)



`Sparky` (1965 – 1969). 1. (Back cover). 2 – 34 (front cover). 35 – 139 (back

cover). 140 – 210 (front cover)


`The Moonsters` (1965 – 1968). 2 – 34 (back cover). 35 – 139 (front cover).

140 – 199 (back cover).



`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` (1965 – 1968). 1 – 34 (colour). 35 – 56 (B/W).

57 – 59 (colour). 60 – 79 (B/W). 80 – 87 (colour). 88 – 106 (B/W). 107 – 160

(colour). 161 – 204 (B/W).



`Hungry Horace` (1965 – 1977). 1 – 156. 158 – 174. 176. 177. 178. 180 – 185.

187 – 625. 627 - 652.



`Keyhole Kate` (1965- 1974). 1 – 170. 172. 173. 175 – 355. 359 – 450. 452 - 488.



`Joe Bann and his Big Banjo` (1965 – 1967). 1 – 25. 32. 38. 39. 43. 44. 48. 49. 53.

58. 59. 61. 62. 64. 68. 70. 72. 77. 138.



`Freddie the Fearless Fly` (1965 – 1966). 1 – 24. 28. 35. 42. 47. 51. 54. 58. 74.

91.



`Jeff ye Jolly Jester` (1965- 1966). 1. 2. 5. 8. 11. 14. 17. 20. 23. 30. 36. 40. 42. 46.

47. 50. 52. 53. 57. 65. 66. 68. 89.



`Hockey Hannah` (1965- 1966). 1 – 24. 29. 37. 41. 46. 51. 55. 60 – 63. 66. 67. 69.

70. 71. 73. 74. 76.



`Minnie –Ha –Ha` (1965- 1966). 1 – 24. 26. 33. 37. 40. 43. 45. 50. 52. 55.


`Flubberface` (1965 – 1966). 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 27. 31. 34. 38. 39. 44. 49.

54. 59.



`Hairy Dan` (1965). 1. 3. 8. 11. 18 – 23. 29.



`Dick Turpentine` (1965). 1. 3 – 6. 12.



`Nosey Parker` (1965 – 1967). 1. 3. 5 – 26. 29. 83. 85. 87 – 104. 107 – 139.



`Stoneage Steve` (1965). 1. 5.



`Pansy Potter` (1965 – 1976). 2. 3. 4. 6 – 25. 41. 45. 56. 57. 79 – 88. 92. 93. 95.

97. 98. 100 – 103. 106. 107. 108. 110. 111. 114 – 118. 121 – 139. 141. 143. 145. 147.

149. 152. 154. 156. 158. 160. 162. 165. 167. 170. 172. 174 – 186. 188 – 291.

293 – 353. 355 – 365. 367. 369 – 383. 385 - 402. 404 – 502. 504. 505. 509 – 527.

529 – 532. 534. 536 – 558. 560. 562 - 567.



`Frosty McNab` (1965). 2. 4.



`Cuckoo in the Clock` (1965 – 1967). 2 – 139.



`Black Jack, the Chimney Sweep` (1965). 2 – 5.



`Grandma Jolly, and her Brolly` (1965). 2. 7. 17.



`Peter Piper` (1965 – 1977). 3. 6. 8. 12. 15. 18. 21. 24. 25. 27. 28. 30. 31. 32. 35 –

54. 56. 58 – 157. 159 – 180. 182 – 464. 466 - 652.



`Winnie the Witch` (1965 – 1967). 25 – 122.



`The Slowdown Express` (1965 – 1967). 25 – 65. 67. 69. 71. 72. 73. 75. 78 – 82.

84. 85. 90. 94. 96. 99. 104. 112. 113. 119. 120. 128. 129. 132 – 137.





(1966)


`Fireman Fred` (1966 – 1967). 63 – 94. 96 – 127. 130. 131.



`Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer` (1966 – 1967). 80 – 85. 132 – 139.



`My Grockle and Me` (1966 – 1967). 86 – 140.




(1967)


`Harry Carry` (1967 – 1969). 123 – 140. 142 – 154. 157 – 161. 163. 164. 165. 167

– 178. 180 – 186. 188 – 195. 198. 199. 200. 203. 208. 209. 209.



`Meddlesome Matty` (1967 – 1969). 140. 142. 144. 146. 148. 150. 151. 153 – 156.

158. 160. 161. 163 – 178. 180 – 185. 187. 189. 191. 193. 195. 197. 200. 201. 202.

205– 208. 210. 211. 212. 215 - 224.

`Deputy Dawg` (1967 – 1968). 140 – 165.



`Snapshot Sid` (1967 – 1968). 140 – 160. 162 – 168. 170 – 185. 188 – 191.



`Tom Tardy` (1967 – 1968). 140. 142. 144. 146. 148. 150. 151. 153. 155. 157. 159.

161. 163. 164. 166. 168. 169. 171. 173. 175.



`Charlie Chutney` (1967 – 1969). 141. 143. 145. 146. 147. 149 – 152. 154. 155.

157. 159. 161. 162. 163. 165 – 178. 180. 181. 182. 184. 185. 186. 188. 189. 190. 192.

194. 196. 198 – 204. 206 – 209.




(1968)


`Big Billy Bigg` (1968 – 1969). 161 – 169. 179 – 210. 232 – 243.



`The Snooks` (1968). 166 – 169. 171 - 205.



`Clever Claire` (1968). 170 – 178.



`Cheating Charlie` (1968 – 1969). 192 – 195. 198 - 210.



`John Bull Dogg / Barney Bulldog` (1968 – 1975). 200 – 209 (John – back

cover). 211 – 309. 311 – 403. 405 – 480. 482. 483. 485. 487. 488. 489. 491 – 499.

508. 512. 513. 516. 522. 525. 528. (From issue 449 strip titled “Barney”)


`L. Cars` (1968 – 1977). 205 – 652.



`Spoofer McGraw` (1968 – 1977). 206 – 266. 268 - 446. 448 – 499.

502 – (Back cover to 521) - 580. 643 - 652. (Issues 643 to 652 were repeated

Stories from 1969)




(1969)


`Esky Mo` (1969 – 1970). 211 – 259.



`Harry Presto` (1969). 211- 224.



`We are the Sparky People` (1969 – 1977). 211 – 646. 647 – 652 (Repeats from

1970).



`Wyatt Twerp` / And Bugsy` (1969 - 1970). 211 – 229. 261 – 298.



`Helpful Henry` (1969). 211 – 230.



`I. Spy` (1969 – 1976). 211 – 279. 300 – 321. 333 – 355. 360 – 396. (centre

colour) 465 – 467. 500 – 586. (issues 579 – 586 in colour).



`Cap’ N` Hood and his Merry Men` (1969). 212 – 231.



`King’s of the Castle` (1969 – 1976). 230 – 260. 315 – 345. 561 – 578.
`Puss N` Boots` (1969 – 1977). 231 – 652. (Centre Colour, issues 456 – 499, and

587 – 642).



`Sam’s Snake` (1969 – 1973). 244 – 260. 262 – 267. 269. 270 – 278. 280.

282 – 294. 297. 298. 299. 301. 304. 307. 308. 310. 311. 313. 314. 323 – 326. 328.

329. 330. 333 – 338. 341. 343 – 346. 349. 351. 353. 357. 359. 360. 361. 363. 364.

366. 368. 371. 373 – 390. 392. 393. 394. 396 – 401. 403. 405. 407. 408. 409. 411.

412. 414. 415. 416. 418. 420. 421. 423. 425. 426.





(1970)


`Ali and his Baba` (1970 – 1977). 261 – 385. 387 - 652.



`I. Fly` (1970 – 1973). 262. 263. 264. 266 – 269. 271 – 277. 281. 282. 284 – 293.

295. 296. 298. 300. 301. 304. 308. 310 – 314. 323 – 326. 328. 329. 330. 333. 334.

335. 337 – 340. 342 – 345. 347. 354. 355. 356. 358. 360. 362 – 367. 369. 370.

372 -380. 383. 384. 386 – 389. 391. 392. 393. 395. 396. 397. 400. 402. 404. 406.

407. 409. 410. 411. 413. 415. 416. 417. 419. 422. 424. 425. 426.



`Rudolph the Red Coat Mountie` (1970). 276 – 299. (repeats in B/W 603 – 626)



`Trouble Bruin` (1970 – 1971). 280 – 314.





(1971)


`Ma Kelly’s Telly` (1971 – 1972). 315 – 348. 350 – 386. 388. 389. 394 - 402.



`Willy Getaway` (1971 – 1974). 316 – 376. 378 – 384. 385 – 393. 396 – 409.

411 – 451. 468 – 472. 489. 490. 497. 498. 499.



`Tom Kat` (1971 – 1972). 323 – 332. 338 – 345. 360 – 380. 383 – 394.

397 - 401.




(1972)


`Captain Cutler and his Butler` (1972 – 1973). 397 – 426.



`Snip and Snap` (1972 – 1974). 403 – 499.



`Dreamy Daniel` (1972 – 1977). 403 – 569. 571 - 652.





(1973)


`Jumbo and Jet` (1973). 427 – 455.





(1974)
`Baron Von Reisch’s Pudding` (1974 – 1977). 474 – 560. (Issues 500 to 560

Centre pages). 643 – 652 (Centre pages).



`Herman’s Horoscopes` (1974 – 1976). 490 – 499. 522 - 525. 593 – 602.



`Thingummyblob` (1974 – 1977). 500 – 652.



`Superwitch` (1974 – 1977). 500 – 505. 507 – 577. 579 – 585. 587 - 643.

645 – 651.



Minnie the Tea Lady` (1974 – 1977). 501 – 506. 508. 509. 510. 512. 514. 515.

519. 520. 521. 525. 526. 528. 531. 532. 533. 535. 536. 537. 539. 541. 545 – 553.

555. 558. 563 – 569 (Issues 563- 567 back page in colour) 571. 572. 574. 575. 577.

580. 582. 584. 585. 586. 588. 589. 591 - 609. 613 – 620. 623 - 626. 628 – 631.

633 – 642. 648.




(1975)



`Ah! Choo!` (1975 – 1977). 545 – 553. 555 – 562. (From issue 564 half page

- strip) 564. 566. (From 568 on inside page) 568. 570 – 573. 575. 579. 581. 583.

585. 587. 588. 590 – 596. 598. 600 – 605. 607. 608. 610. 613 – 621. 624. 625. 626.

628. 630 – 638. 649. 650.



`Some Mummies do `av’e `em` (1975 – 1977). 568 – 652.


(1976)


`Planet of the Nirdles` (1976 – 1977). 578 – 642.



`The Circus of P. T Bimbo` (1976 – 1977). 581 – 652.



Note! There are some omissions in this table as I decided not to include strips, `Telly Fun` `Pop Mad` `Nutty Nicknames` and `Atrocious`. The first three contained no `fun pal` adventures whatsoever and though `Atrocious` was a genuine `character` all he did was introduce readers jokes (In actuality, virtually no readers submitted any at all so that Millar was forced to concoct his own puns!) that were illustrated by artist Phil Millar, hence, my decision to omit.


* *

Seems to be readable! Here are the Adventure strip logs!


Appendix (2) `Sparky Adventure Strips`

Here is a list of all `adventure` strips carried by the comic. It is in numerical order. No of issues of each strip are represented (in brackets) and repeats too, also highlighted.


(1965)


Title.& Year Issue
Commenced & ceased


`The Young Castaways` 1 - 16 (16)


`Wee Tusky` 1 - 22 (22)


`The Kidnapped Kids` 1 – 15 (15)


`The Palace of Secrets` (Text) 1 - 14 (14)


`Will O’ the Well` (Text) 15 - 25 (11)


`Watch` 16 - 35 (20)


`McGinty the Goat` 17 - 29 (13)


`Kipper Feet` 23 - 34 (12)


`Riddle of the Roughlands` 25 - 34 (10)


`Lonely Wood` 26 - 34 ( 9 )


`Raiders from the Red Planet` 30 - 34 ( 5 )


`Gilpin the Lost, Lost Boy` 35 - 49 (15)


`Wee Tusky` (Series 2) 35 - 42 ( 8 )


`Year of the Vanaks` 35 - 56 (22)


`The Flood that Mother Remembers` 35 - 47 (13)


`Floating Along, Singing A Song` 36 - 47 (12)


`The Downside Donkeys` 43 - 52 (10)


`Goldie` 48 - 61 (14)


`Lost Children of the Forest` 48 - 55 ( 8 )




(1966)


Title Issue Commenced & Ceased


`Quest of the Wandering Wingates` 50 - 59 (10)


`Will O’ the Well` (Series 2) 53 - 59 ( 7 )


`Pocahontas` 56 – 60 ( 5 )


`Lonely Wood` (Series 2) 57 - 59 ( 3 )


`Seven at One Blow` 60 - 72 (13 )


`Huffy, Muffy and Tuffy` 60 - 74 ( 15 )


`City Under the Sea` 60 -79 (20 )
`Children of the Secret Pool` 61 - 76 (16 )


`Rory, the Horse of Many Masters` 62 - 74 (13 )


`Boy in the Forest of Fear` 73 - 83 (11 )


`Big Klanky` 75 - 87 (13 )


`Police Horse Hadrian` 75 - 85 (11 )


`Balloon Family Robinson` 77 - 85 ( 9 )


`Prentice Pete` 84 - 84 ( 1 )


`Willy the Woeful Wizard` 86 - 116 ( 31 )


`Terry had a Little Pig` 86 - 97 ( 12 )


`Nine Hundred Years Ago` 87 - 94 ( 8 )


`The Horse with Wings` 88 - 106 ( 19 )


`Little Davey Spacer` 95 - 107 (13 )


`The Island from the Past` 98 - 109 ( 12 )





(1967)


Title. Issue

Commenced & Ceased.

`Keepers of the Dancing Drums` 107 - 122 (16 )


`Invisible Dick` 108 - 123 (16 )


`The Lost Ponies of Thor` 110 - 119 (10 )


`Greedy Gus` 117 - 127 ( 11 )


`The Cave Kids` 120 - 131 (12 )


`Prentice Pete` (series 2) 123 - 140 (18 )


`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon` 124 – 183 ( 60 )


`Titch, the Pup that Grew 128 – 137 (10 )
and Grew`


(Series 2)
`Balloon Family Robinson` 138 – 139 ( 2 )


`David Copperfield` 140 – 158 (19 )


(Series 2)
`Davey Spacer in Giantland` 140 – 157 (18 )


`Big Ossie` 141 – 155 (15 )


`Klanky` (Series 2) 141 – 160 (20 )




(1968)


Title. Issue
Commenced & Ceased.
`The Magic Sword` 156 – 168 (13 )


`The Floating Farrells` 158 – 170 (13 )


`Uncle Tom’s Cabin` 159 – 178 (20 )


`Blondel, the Wandering 169 – 181 (13 )
Minstrel`


`South Seas Suzie` 171 – 186 (16 )


`The Old Curiosity Shop` 179 – 198 (20 )


`Invisible Dick` (Series 2) 182 – 466 468 – 499 (316): Repeats, 563 – 586

594 – 652


`The Captive Kidds` 184 – 195 (12 )


`Sacramento here we Come` 186 – 197 (12 )


`Sailor Brown’s Schooldays` 196 – 210 (15 )


`The Boyhood of Deadwood 198 – 210 (13 )
Dick`


`The Coral Island` 199 – 210 (12 )




(1969)


Title Issue
Commenced & Ceased


`Klanky` (Series 3) 211 – 239 (29 )


`The Jungle Ark` 211 – 226 (16 )


`Davey Spacer` (Series 3) 227 – 240 (14 )


`Mr Bubbles` 240 – 546 (306 ) Repeats, 627 – 652
(note! Between issues 300 and 314 this strip was placed in the middle pages in full colour!)


`The Jungle Walkers` 241 – 254 (14 )


`The Misery King` 255 – 260 ( 6 )





(1970)


Title Issue Commenced & ceased


`Bushboy` 261 – 275 (15 )


`Around the World
with Klanky` (Series 4) 280 – 299 (20 )


`Four Legged Fred` 299 – 314 (15 )




(1971)


Title. Issue
Commenced & Ceased


`The Mini – Martins` 322 – 332 (11 )
`Bushboy` (Series 2) 346 – 359 (14 )


`Tess of the Taoki` 356 – 363 ( 8 )




(1972)


Title. Issue
Commenced & Ceased


`The Wild West Kids` 364 – 376 (13 )


`Klanky` (Series 5) 377 – 465. 467 – 499 (122 )




(1976)


Title. Issue
Commenced & Ceased.


`North Sea Oyl` 587 – 592 ( 6 )

Wow, that must have taken an enormous amount of work. I don't think I would have embarked on my blog if it had involved looking at 12 years of comics, so I really appreciate the effort you must have put in. Great stuff.

The usual in-depth and utterly comprehensive data from Mr. Smith; SPARKY must surely now be the most in-depth UK comic covered within this forum, with probably the most in-depth coverage of a single comic character [I SPY, 1969-72 episodes].



BEANO/DANDY have undoubtedly generated more posts, but these comics have run since the late 30s and are still ongoing........quite different altogether.

Well, to be fair, Beano doesn't need such coverage on the forum, as there's an official release (The History of the Beano: The Story So Far) which covers everything up to 2007 (2008 of course is incomplete, as that's the year of publication), the listing being an updated version of Ray Moore (Kashgar)'s Beano Diaries. I wish they'd done the same for Dandy (there was the Dandy Monster Index, but that's out of print and now long out of date, as I understand it only covers up to the early 90s, same as Beano Diaries did).

well done on your sparky quest alan,it must have taken a long time and lots of hard work but if you love your comics then nothing involving them is hard work,although it makes me want to get some issues more than ever now
maybe i should try & do something similar with nutty

Nice work. Just one thing , you forgot to mention that the Mummies strip was also a cover strip and that they crossed over into the Peter Piper strip at one time albeit as one or two panels,

regards,

The Cap.

Cap, if anyone were to record all guest appearences/crossovers between characters featured in most comics, the research would be never-ending, exasperating to read, and futile!

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote:Cap, if anyone were to record all guest appearences/crossovers between characters featured in most comics, the research would be never-ending, exasperating to read, and futile!

I can't really agree with this view. Research of this type is never never-ending. It ends when the researcher completes it. I accept that readers of the finished work based on the research may choose to skip it, but it should be there for those who want to see it there, being themselves completists perhaps, or researchers themselves into some other aspect of, for example, the very area referred to here. In my opinion, futile is not a word that should be applied to any research in any area of life.

OK, Phoenix...how about:




'POINTLESS'?

There are many pointless jobs in existence [I've done a few of 'em] but cataloguing appearences where characters interact in each other's strips is a new low in 'job creation', that would surely appeal only to 'trainspotters' and anoraks of the poorest calibre.

I have a real passion for several comics, but I doubt if I could be bothered compiling data on a subject as trivial as listing all character's 'guest appearences' over the duration of an entire comic's lifespan , on the grounds it is totally needless and obscure. As well as being 'sad' and pathetic.......I'm not knocking the research done here on Sparky, it's well worth doing, but the detail has to stop somewhere, or we will get to the point of listing useless facts just for the sake of it: there is a lot more to life than recording routine, commonplace interaction between comics characters, which was , and is, ten-a-penny from all comics publishers

If not, there should be!


It's one thing to have passion and enthusiasm for a subject, but to concentrate exclusively on something so commonplace and mundane as recording different characters' appearences in each other's strips is the hallmark of somebody with too much time on their hands!

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote: I doubt if I could be bothered compiling data on a subject as trivial as listing all character's 'guest appearences' over the duration of an entire comic's lifespan , on the grounds it is totally needless and obscure. As well as being 'sad' and pathetic.......I'm not knocking the research done here on Sparky, it's well worth doing, but the detail has to stop somewhere, or we will get to the point of listing useless facts just for the sake of it: there is a lot more to life than recording routine, commonplace interaction between comics characters. ...../.....It's one thing to have passion and enthusiasm for a subject, but to concentrate exclusively on something so commonplace and mundane as recording different characters' appearences in each other's strips is the hallmark of somebody with too much time on their hands!

You wouldn't be able to slide a cigarette paper between the meanings of futile and pointless, Rab. We will just have to agree to differ on the extent of research required to reach complete coverage of any project. I would be thorough, you seem not to see the point of that. To me it is a question of standards, most of which I imbibed as a child. The relevant standard in this instance can be seen here in one of my father's many mantras, If you are going to do a job, do it properly. If you are not going to do it properly, don't do it at all.

Hitler 'done his job properly',Phoenix, but it would have been better for everyone else if he never done it at all! [Or never done his job' so 'thoroughly' at any rate].

Seriously, though, I am all for listing appearances of comic-characters appearing together if the approach used is unique enough or rare: two examples that impressed me on this score were:


the 1969 BEANO BOOK , which had artwork by Dudley D Watkins and Bob Mc Grath appearing together within the same frame,

or the appearance of D C Thomson character BABY-FACE Finlayson in an strip relating the final story of an IPC character in an IPC comic: I've never seen this one, but it sounds well worth seeking out...I've never heard of anything so blatant in the comics industry as this example, though there may be others, of course.

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote:Hitler 'done his job properly',Phoenix, but it would have been better for everyone else if he never done it at all! [Or never done his job' so 'thoroughly' at any rate].

Fortunately for us, Rab, he didn't do anything like enough research. He lost a war that was eminently winnable well before America got involved, basically because he decided to take on Russia at the same time. And his research on Russia was inadequate because he didn't seem to factor in a plan B in case he didn't win before that country's harsh winter. So he lost there as well.

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote:Seriously, though, I am all for listing appearances of comic-characters appearing together if the approach used is unique enough or rare: two examples that impressed me on this score were: the 1969 BEANO BOOK, which had artwork by Dudley D Watkins and Bob McGrath appearing together within the same frame, or the appearance of D C Thomson character BABY-FACE Finlayson in an strip relating the final story of an IPC character in an IPC comic

And how would these facts be known about in the first place if somebody hadn't done the kind of research I am advocating?

The first one [Watkins/Mc Grath] I discovered myself, but you are correct, the Baby-Face example was discovered after I read a Dennis Gifford book.

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote:The first one [Watkins/Mc Grath] I discovered myself

And didn't you get a real buzz from your discovery? Can you put up a scan please, or at least identify the panel and the strip, so that we can all have a look at it.