Comics UK

It's 45 years today since the first issue of Whizzer and Chips appeared in newsagents across the land. I haven't time to blog about it but here's a post I did five years ago for the 40th anniversary if anyone's interested:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2009/ ... s-no1.html

I used to love Whizzer and Chips. That was really the very first comic I ever bought, and then I think it was COR !!

I think the Whizzer & Chips gimmick gives the comic a unique place in the history of British comics.

Wow, this fact makes me feel really old!

The early editions of the comic especially were very good and were a refreshing change from what D C Thomson were putting out.........Terry Bave must surely have been stockpiling artwork, as his input seems to take up half of the first issue!

I revisited some of the early copies fairly recently [including issue 1] and it's still pretty good stuff overall.

Comics folklore is all the better for including WHIZZER and CHIPS.

Great blog post Lew.
One of my brothers used to read this fab comic from 1978 (with the Krazy merger) right up until 1985!

I used to sneak a peak. Around the early eighties Joker and J.R. Junior Rotter used to rival each other for the top readers rated story.

All classic now!

Maybe all the stuff about the new best of W & C annual should be in this section as im sure the more people that are lucky enough to find it in sainsburys will comment on contents etc.

Muffy wrote:Great blog post Lew.
One of my brothers used to read this fab comic from 1978 (with the Krazy merger) right up until 1985!

I used to sneak a peak. Around the early eighties Joker and J.R. Junior Rotter used to rival each other for the top readers rated story.

All classic now!

Yes, those two characters were very popular with readers. Joker had a nice long run from his beginnings in Knockout in 1971. I'm sure he'd still be popular today if Egmont ever did a new comic. Pity they didn't have him starring in that one-off Joker special they did several years ago. (Just a mag called Joker. No strips as far as I recall.)

Lew Stringer wrote: Yes, those two characters were very popular with readers. Joker had a nice long run from his beginnings in Knockout in 1971. I'm sure he'd still be popular today if Egmont ever did a new comic. Pity they didn't have him starring in that one-off Joker special they did several years ago. (Just a mag called Joker. No strips as far as I recall.)

True Lew. My comic reading nephews then 8 and 10 loved the Beano free jokes in the last Christmas special Beano issue (Dec '13) and had great fun with the old spider in the ice cube, peppery tasting chewing gum, fake choccy biccie, plus pencil through finger jokes. Even though it was for the younger one, the older one really enjoyed them too and it was nice to see them share the fun with their mum and dad.
So even if he/they were a key part of another special I think your right and even reprints would do very well as a one-off. Joker was always using his fake flower to squirt people and playing tricks on his sister.

big bad bri wrote:Maybe all the stuff about the new best of W & C annual should be in this section as im sure the more people that are lucky enough to find it in sainsburys will comment on contents etc.

Whats all this about a new best of Whizzer and Chips annual?

Lew Stringer wrote:

Muffy wrote:Great blog post Lew.
One of my brothers used to read this fab comic from 1978 (with the Krazy merger) right up until 1985!

I used to sneak a peak. Around the early eighties Joker and J.R. Junior Rotter used to rival each other for the top readers rated story.

All classic now!

Yes, those two characters were very popular with readers. Joker had a nice long run from his beginnings in Knockout in 1971. I'm sure he'd still be popular today if Egmont ever did a new comic. Pity they didn't have him starring in that one-off Joker special they did several years ago. (Just a mag called Joker. No strips as far as I recall.)

I expect Joker was popular because we all would love to play jokes like that. We never learned his name - he was always "Joker" - until the last Buster, when his name was revealed to be Jeremy Beadle and he had a run of 29 years. Here's a link to see how the former W&C characters who made it to Buster ended http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/1990s.html

I wonder if there were any crossovers where Joker met Junior Rotter. Not very likely, I guess, but the funnies did like to cross over their strips. So maybe Joker crossed over into another strip.

Another long-standing W&C favourite was Fuss Pot. I reckon it's because we know someone like that all too well in real life - perfectionists, over-demanding people with standards that are way too high, and people who get in a tizzy over the smallest blemishes. And we enjoy the way such people are satirised and get their comeuppances in the Fuss Pot strip.

The 3rd issue anniversary will be along soon:

I liked Fuss Pot from W&C, as it reminded me of people like her - especially my mother; something that rubbed off on me for a negative time.

Joker was good as we like to play jokes, altough he would suffer consequnces and injury from time to time, as a little moral.

Out of curiosity what were the first strips in the firat W&C? There a list somewhere?

i have the first issue but suffice to say its in storage and not sure if I could lay my hands on it without moving thousands of other comics around.

according to Fleetway St the first issue contained the following strips:
Angel Face
& Dare Devil
Aqua Lad
Batty Bat
Champ
Fred's Family Tree
Ginger's Tum
Give the Dog a Bone
Harry's Haunted
House
Hetty's Horoscope
Hot Rod
Karate Kid
Kings of
the Castle
KooKooclub
cartoons
Little Saver
Me and My Shadow
Minnie's Mixer
The Mummy's Curse
Odd Ball
Parker The Parky
Puddin' Tops
Sid's Snake
Slowcoach
The Space Accident
Space School
Steadfast McStaunch
The Stealer
Wear 'Em Out Wilf
The Spectacular
Adventures of
Willie Bunk
http://www.toonhound.com/whizzerandchips.htm