What's the date?

I picked up this Shiver and Shake annual from a bookshop today, only to notice that it hasn't got '1975' written underneath 'Annual' on the cover. Anybody know why?

The image from Tony's Trading:

Christmas Knockout - 1971!

Well, I was planning to be writing a full length post about the 1971 Knockout Christmas speacial, BUT - my scanner has gone mad and is scanning everything on an angle for some reason??? So I decided to take photots of the pages instead - and all of them came out blurry - save for the Super Seven centre spread by Mike Lacey. It's nice and colourful, so I thought I'd share it with you none-the-less!

Maybe I'll do the full comic next year?

Chrsistmas Beano - 1968

This is one of my favourite chrismas Beano comics, probably because it was one of my first. It sported a very nice cover by Dudley D.Watkins, but there had been better covers in the past, and there were better ones to come.

Inside Minnie the Minx celebrates christmas like anybody else her age would - waking up at 4:30AM and opens all her presents within ten minutes! A very funny story - I like the way the times are added in and it's only a minute between each box! Hilarious! On the second page shows a small advert for that year's Beril the Peril annual - which is strange as she didn't even appear in The Beano? Surely it would have been better if they'd advertised that years Beano annual so that kids could "hint" their parents for one? Art by Jim Petrie.

On the centre spread is a very nice, colouful Bash Street Kids story by David Sutherland - the most festive story in the comic!

Elsewhere in the comic Lord Snooty and his pals try to help Santa find them in the castle, but soon discover that he can't fit down the chimney! Art by Robert Nixon.

And finally, a very nice, funny christmas Dennis the Menace strip by Davy Law. My favourite part of the whole strip is in the last box where 'Sounds of festive whackings' is penetrating through the door!

You can read Dennis' first Christmas over on Kid Robson's blog:

http://www.kidr77.blogspot.com/2011/12/denniss-first-christmas.html

Whizzer and Chips' last christmas...

Whizzer and Chips has always been my favourite comic, but sadly it folded in October 1990, meaning that it celebrated it's last christmas in 1989 (although there was a Buster with Whizzer and Chips chritmas number in 1990).

Most of the stories in this issue have a christmas theme except for four of five, some of them were reprints.

Of course, Whizzer and Chips was 'two comics in one', and each group - the 'Whizz Kids' and the 'Chip-ites' had their own sections of the comic. Within those sections were letters pages to either Sid or Shiner, and readers would post in letters saying nasty things about the "Weedy Whizz-kids" or the "Crummy Chip-ites"! I always enjoy reading these pages, and in this issue they have a nice festive theme - so I though I'd show them too you!

And finally, although a reprint from either Cor! comic, an earlier Whizzer and Chips comic or maybe even Buster, a festive TomBoy strip. Art by Brian Lewis.

Overall a great festive comic! If only Whizzer and Chips was still with us!

Buster Christmas - in 1960!

Yum! One whole yard of Jaffa Cakes!

Buster was launched waaaay back in 1960, sub-titled 'The Son of Andy Capp'. I was lucky enough to pick up a collection of the earliest issues (#5 and above, there were 8 of them) for just £15! Within that bundle was the first ever Christmas issue from 1960! So sit back, get out your yard long pack of Jaffa Cakes and enjoy the beauty of this rare comic!



There could have been two christmas issues that year, as the issue following the one above went on sale on the 23rd December. At the end of the message below I think a better thing for Buster to have said would be "Don't delay! Do it TODAY!" instead of "Don't delay! Do it NOW!"

Another Christmas comic coming soon!

Christmas Jackpot Annual

The 1984 jackpot annual has a bit of a festive cover, as did most of Fleetway's annuals that year, this one starring Top of the Class. As you would probably expect with an annual like this, not many of the stories inside had a christmas theme. I found one, and a few with a bit of snow.

The one christmas themed story is this Laser Eraser story. In the first box the tree has a label on it reading 'MR ODDSOCKS', a nice feature! Art by Robert Nixon.

There were quite a few stories that featured snow in them, in Kid King it melts so he replaces it with icing! Here is a 'Little and Large Lenny' strip (the character was probably based upon the comedy show 'Little and Large') , artwork by Artie Jackson.

Another christmas comic coming soon!

Jim Petrie Interview

Jim Petrie,the artist for Minnie the Minx, The Sparky People and others, was recently interviewed in Classics from the Comics #174, which then ended the following issue (I think...). He is most well known for Minnie the Minx, who he drew for 40 years, producing over 2000 strips for the weekly, annuals and comic libraries. Here's the interview, and a two page Minnie story.

The issue also had a page showing what Jim has been up to in his retirement.

Free Copy of Beano #452

Just a short post today. I'm sure you've all seen the first Dennis the Menace strip which appeared in Beano #452 on March 17th 1951. Since original issues usually sell for around £150 (although there is one currently on eBay for a buy it now of £450! And yes, it is definitely an original.), you can read the issue along with this years Beano and Dandy annual for just £12.99! (Although, instead of The Beano and The Dandy it's main focus this year is 60 years of Dennis the Menace.) But from now on I'd watch out for this issue on eBay as I'm sure some dodgy people are already thinking about selling them as originals....

Scream Inn Board Game!

Scream Inn was a popular comic strip in Whoopee and was drawn by Brian Walker! But - to my complete suprise - there was also a board game! Produced in the 1970's by Denys Fisher, it was described as "A howling, hair raising, 3D action game." Intrestingly though, none of the characters from the story featured in the game, exept for the ghost. Another intresting piece of comic history, along with Ken Reid's Frankie Stein model, and the game can be picked up on eBay for around £70. Here's a few images:















The later instruction booklet was a bit more boring:

Another board game made by Denys Fisher is called Ghost Train, but I don't think this is related to IPC. Pictures below.

Jerry Robinson 1922 - 2011

Mike Marts, editor of the Batman series at DC Comics, called the artist "a pioneer in storytelling".

Robinson, who was first hired to draw comic books in 1939, aged 17, is credited by many as crafting the Caped Crusader's arch-enemy The Joker.

"I think the name came first - The Joker. Then I thought of the playing card," he said, last year.

Green-haired villain The Joker first appeared in 1940 and was later brought to life by actors Cesar Romero, in the 1960s TV series, Jack Nicholson, in 1989 film Batman, and Heath Ledger, in 2008 movie The Dark Knight.

"The streets of Gotham City are a little lonelier today," said Marts.

However Batman creator Bob Kane claimed he and the series' original writer Bill Finger created the character.

Robinson was hired by Kane in 1939 after the two met at a resort in Catskill Mountains where Robinson was selling ice cream, wearing a white jacket covered with his own illustrations.

In the 1950s, he drew comic strips and cartoons for Broadway magazine Playbill.

After leaving the Batman team in the early 1940s, he went on to create comic book characters including nuclear superhero Atoman.

In later life, he taught at New York's School of Visual Arts and was president of both the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and the National Cartoonists Society.

He also curated a number of major exhibitions of comic book art in the US and all over the world.

"Jerry brought a realism to comics - and a sense of humour," said Kochman, his editor at Abrams Comic Arts, which last year published a book entitled Jerry Robinson: Ambassador of Comics.

"He saw the value of comics as an art."

Robinson is survived by his wife of 57 years, two children and two grandchildren.

From BBC News -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16105961