The issue of Shiver and Shake that went on sale this week 41 years ago saw the introduction of not one, not two but "four super fun features". The full-page advertisement from the previous week's issue shows what they were.
Although it isn't the order in which they appeared inside the comic, I'll look at them as they appeared on the advertisement, starting with Charlie Williams and moving clockwise. Williams was a Shake resident, appearing on page five of the elephant's comic or page fifteen overall. Illustrated by Alf Saporito this strip is rather similar in format to the celebrity strips that appeared in Buster in the early 1960's. Below is Charlie's page with a Charlie Drake page underneath for comparison. Illustrated by Arthur Martin, it can be found in Buster dated 19th May 1962.
Wizards Anonymous is next, and it appears just over the page. This strip is my favourite of all the new features - it has a good, fun story with excellent accompanying artwork by Brian Walker.
The other two new features both appear in the Shiver section. Ghouldilocks is next on the above advertisement, and appears on page eight. The artist is Stan McMurtry and this particular episode is a reprint from Jag, although some fresh pages were drawn for her run in Shiver and Shake.
The final of the "new fun features", both on the advert and in the comic, is Grimly Feendish, a character originally created by Leo Baxendale as Eagle Eye's arch nemesis in Wham. Here the artist is Stan McMurtry and this episode is a reprint from Smash no. 58. Some new strips were produced for Shiver and Shake by a young Tom Paterson.
It may be little known to anybody in the U.K but Eagle Eye, another of Leo Baxendale's fantastic creations, who originally appeared in Wham was reprinted across the channel in France.
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Although I can't read French the artwork is still good to see all in one place and I think it's long overdue that the stories are printed here in the U.K, along with other classic comic strips.
On the topic of Leo Baxendale in France I also recently discovered that his creation Willy the Kid had some strips appear in a French publication called Eppo, and that these particular strips were fresh to the paper and have never seen the light of day in English. Unfortunately I couldn't find the complete strips (but I am tracking down issues of Eppo) but somebody has been good enough to scan almost 250 of the French Eagle Eye (where he has been renamed to Archibald Razmott) strips, all available in one convenient location. Please click the link below to go there!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39629411@N00/sets/72157608567824513/
Spies were the big thing in the 60's, and of course comic spies were quick to catch on! The first thing that came to mind when I thought about comic spies was Wham!'s Eagle Eye Junior Spy, particularly the early episodes illustrated by Leo Baxendale. Eagle Eye was a brilliant strip, wonderfully drawn, written and best of all - coloured! The example shown here is from Wham! No. 4. I've chosen this one because it has wonderful colours!
Spy Smasher Smith appeared originally in Lion, but the example I have is from the 1970 Whizzer and Chips Holiday Special (which, as far as I'm aware, is the only time Smith appeared in that title). Agent 005 is often reffered to as "Smith", or 'Mr. Smith", just as James Bond is reffered to as "Mr. Bond"!
Whoopee!, although beginning in the mid 70's, also had a spy feature within its pages. Graham Allen illustrated Spy School which is, as it's name suggests, a school for spies! This example is from issue No. 22.
I - Spy is another well-known strip, illustrated by Les Barton for the rather successful Sparky comic. However, Brian Walker did some fantastic long stories for the annuals, such as this one from the 1979 book!
And finally - Super Steve! Illustrated by Robert Nixon, Steve was the wonder-boy who worked for the Everso Secret Service (their enimies were the N.M.E!), after he purchased a special potion (or tonic) from an old man in the street (erm?) for 12 1/2p - hence the earlier name - 12 1/2p Buytonic Boy! Super Steve originally appeared in Krazy, but when the comic merged into Whizzer and Chips he went with them, lasting in the title for many years to come!
