Sid's Snake Returns!

Well, that's partly true. Indeed, Slippy does make a triumphant return, but not in comic strip form, and only as a one off. None-the-less he is back, on the cover of Dave Gorman's latest book - Dave Gorman vs The Rest of the World. It's all about Dave challenging thousands of people to a game of some sort!


It makes you wonder though, did Dave get permission from Egmont to use images of Slippy (who, if you are not familiar with the character, appeared in Sid's Snake in Whizzer and Chips from 1969 to 1990, and in Buster for a few years after that, when the two comics merged), or is he just hoping they won't notice?


It sounds intresting, and I've ordered it, even if it was just to see Slippy back in print!


You can find the book here:

http://www.davegorman.com/projects_vs_the_rest_of_the_world.html

This Week In... 1977 - Krazy! (Updated)

I'm starting another series of 'This Week In' posts, and we start off series two with this Krazy comic from 1977! It certainly has a wacky front cover, illustrated by Smiler artist Nick Baker. The cover was actually to advertise the pull out board game which could be completed after four weeks. It didn't just appear in Krazy though but in several IPC titles, including Buster, Whizzer and Chips and Whoopee.

I always find adverts in old comics intresting, as they ususally advertise something I've never heard of before. This one was an advert for some Cinderella cards which came free with Micky Mouse comic, which cost 9p, 2p more than Krazy. 

The next advert was actually an interative puzzle, with a prize worth £300! Can you spot all the mistakes? Sadly it's a bit late to enter, but you can still give it a shot! 

But now for the really important stuff - the strips! Of course all the strips are good, but my favourite in this issue is this one off Father's Day strip. Drawn by Nigel Edwards.

However, one of my favourite regular Krazy strips was Birdman and Chicken by Trevor Metcalfe. They remind me of the classic fat and thin idea that was regulary used in early comics, particulary strips starring tramps (Weary Willie and Tired Tim are a perfect example, and can be found on the cover of almost any Chips comic).

The Krazy Gang were of course the stars of the comic, and this story drawn by Ian Knox is about the gang getting back on Pongo Snodgrass, the town's smelliest kid, after he took their dad's presents!

However the most popular member of the gang was Cheeky, who had already got his own three page strip inside the front cover, and was soon to get his very own comic (you can read a blog dedicated to Cheeky comic here - http://cheekyweekly.blogspot.com).

UPDATE: As requested by Peter Gray, here's the final page of Cheeky, showing as the barmy going on's inside the Krazy office!

UPDATE No. 2:

I can't believe I forgot to leave the back cover disguise out! This issue it was a holiday brochure, perfect if it's coming up to a holiday and you need to somewhere to hide it quick!

And that sums up this post, tune in next week for another 'This Week In' blog!

Fleetway Origins - The School Team

It would be pretty easy to guess which comic The School Team beagn in, but for those of you who don't know it first appeared in School Fun #1, dated 15th October 1983. Illustrated by Vic Neill, The School Team is about Chumpion School, the school who had never won a trophy in any competition, and with a headmaster determined to win one! When School Fun folded after just 33 issues, The School Team luckily won the readers and survived the merge into Buster, although by that point it's title had been reduced to just 'School Team'. It would last in Buster for just under three years, with it's final adventure appearing in May 1987.

Football in Comics (Part 4)!

This is the final part in the series, and this time we take a look at another Tiger annual, the 1980 one! (not the one pictured above, that's just a fantastic footy cover,courtesy of Clive Huckstepp!) First up is Nipper, about Nipper Lawrence who played for the Blackport Rovers.

Billy's Boots is, as it's title suggests, about a boy named Billy who has a special pair of boots (not only did they used to belong to a proffesional player, but they're special in their own little way as well)!

And finally, Hot-Shot Hamish, the man with the kick like a cannon!

Well, that sums it up for the posts on football, even though Euro 2012 isn't over yet! I hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I did, they gave me a chance to write about comics I wouldn't usually cover. I'll definatly be returning to sports in the future, maybe with the Olympic Games! 


However, if you want more football fun, head on over to Kazoop!, where a few footy comic strips are added EVERY DAY until the end of Euro 2012!

Compal Comics Summer 2012 Results

The results for the summer auctions over on Compal Comics are up, and as always I've picked out a few highlights to share with you! First up is the obvious star of the show - a [vg] 1940 Beano book! With an estimate of £2000 - £2500, the book sold for a whopping £3630!


The first Beano comic and advertising flyer was also up on offer, but with a ripped front cover it was only valued at £650 - £750. Despite this it still fetched a healthly £849.

At lot #49 was a rare edition of Okay Comics Issue No. 6. Okay Comics were UK reprints of U.S. comics, including characters like Mutt and Jeff and Tail Spin Tommy. Okay Comics was originally printed in the U.S. and lasted weekly for 20 issues. It sold within its estimate of £20 - £30, with a final price tag of £24. Definatly one of the cheaper items in the catalouge!

Lot #100 featured some very nice Beryl the Peril artwork by her creator Davy Law! With an estimate of £600 - £700, the final price was much higher selling for a spectacular £1222! Cor!

Beryl the Peril was so popular she even got her own annual, which ran from 1959 to 1988! A [fn] copy of the first annual was up this time, with an estimate of £50 - £70. It sold just within that region, heading out to it's new owner for £69.

Another of Davy Law's creations was Dennis the Menace, who was also lucky enough to get his own annual! The first one (from 1956) in [vg] condition was thrown in with some other annuals, and sold within it's estimate for £89.

Laurel and Hardy were the stars of Film Fun, and so it's no suprise that they were used to advertise the comic! This tin sign from the early 50's was expected to sell for £100 - £150, but instead bidders rose it to an amazing £304!

Early Oor Wullie books are always collectable, and this copy from 1953 in [vg] condition was no exception, selling just over it's estimate at £330.

Smash! issue #3 with it's free gift sold for just £72, despite selling on eBay recently for over £300 - without the original comic! This just goes to show, you can never truly value comics, as they're worth different amounts to different people!

There were just 20 of the Dan Dare figures made, and No. 18 was offered at Lot No. 83. With an estimate of £350 - £450, it actually sold for £550!

Tiger issue one with half of it's original free gifts was offered up this time. With Roy of the Rovers getting discovered, this issue sold for an excellent £930!

That's all I'm highllighting from this catalouge, and the full lot can be seen over at compalcomics.com! The next auction goes live in August, so keep your eyes peeled for any hidden treasures!

Football in Comics (Part 3)!

Roy of the Rovers and Tiger No. 1 on recent stamp.

For part three I've fished out a copy of Whoopee and Wow from 8th December 1984. What amazes me is that there is not one, not two, but five football related strips in this issue! First up is this Team Mates strip by Tom Paterson.

The next footy strip is Toy Boy, where they enjoy a classic game of Subbuteo, but only at the correct time, of course! Art by Terry Bave.

There was even a little bit of football in Ian Knox's Gran's Gang strip, which also, scientifically, proves that old people come out at night.

Lolly Pop discovered that profesional footballers were worth millions, so quickly gets Archie to take it up! As usual, things don't quite go according to plan...! Art by Sid Burgon.

And the final football theme is Ball Boy, where he has a few sports matches to decide who should get the raise! Art by Frank McDiarmid.

 And that sums up part 3! But don't worry - the next part will be here soon (well, sooner than this one took hopefully)! Apologies for the bad scans, but Whoopee doesn't quite fit into an A4 scanner...