The Mystery Comic

Buster, Whizzer and Chips, Whoopee, Wham, Smash, you name it!

Moderator: AndyB

Post Reply
User avatar
philcom55
Posts: 5170
Joined: 14 Jun 2006, 11:56

The Mystery Comic

Post by philcom55 »

Normally I don't bother with IPC's humour comics from the 1970s onward, but I was sufficiently intrigued this morning by a copy of Cheeky Weekly for September 30th 1978 that I decided to pick it up. For one thing it contains the first episode of Bob Nixon's agreeably silly 'Elephant on the Run', but I was even more interested in this cover announcement:

"At Last! The Mystery Comic is to be seen inside. All of it!"

As far as I can tell, this eight-page supplement became a regular feature for several months, but I can't help wondering why it needed to be partitioned from the rest of the comic - or, for that matter, what the 'Mystery' was! And what on earth is Sid's Snake doing on the cover???

Image

I'd be interested if anyone can enlighten me on these questions. Also, does anybody know who drew those marginal illustrations on the cover? (and was the same design used on all subsequent installments?)

- Phil Rushton

User avatar
stevezodiac
Posts: 4957
Joined: 23 May 2006, 20:43
Location: space city

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by stevezodiac »

The margin drawings look like the work of J Edward Oliver. If our three esteemed and much missed gurus hadn't left comics UK i'm' sure they would have come up with the answer. Now its down to us lesser mortals to exercise our brain cells.

User avatar
blaing
Posts: 956
Joined: 07 May 2010, 01:22
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by blaing »

Niblet posted his thoughts on the Mystery Comic on his blog here

User avatar
-MikeD-
Posts: 372
Joined: 06 Jan 2011, 18:15
Location: Hull - UK
Contact:

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by -MikeD- »

stevezodiac wrote:The margin drawings look like the work of J Edward Oliver...
I think it's the work of Ed McHenry...
http://leejamesturnock.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... 9faff0d4c3
stevezodiac wrote:If our three esteemed and much missed gurus hadn't left comics UK i'm' sure they would have come up with the answer. Now its down to us lesser mortals to exercise our brain cells.
Hoho!
My new art blog...beta version... http://mikedcuk.blogspot.co.uk

User avatar
stevezodiac
Posts: 4957
Joined: 23 May 2006, 20:43
Location: space city

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by stevezodiac »

Not J Edward Oliver then. Sure looks like his style though. The gurus are looking on like the three floating heads in the Superman movie shaking their heads in derision. Who's Ed McHenry?

Its the Phantom Zone for me. Aarrghh!

User avatar
-MikeD-
Posts: 372
Joined: 06 Jan 2011, 18:15
Location: Hull - UK
Contact:

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by -MikeD- »

stevezodiac wrote:Who's Ed McHenry?
He did a lot of the editorial illustrations and celebrity pictures in Krazy. I'm not sure which strips he drew. But we do have a Krazy/Cheeky expert on this board somewhere... :)
My new art blog...beta version... http://mikedcuk.blogspot.co.uk

AndyB
Throgmorton
Posts: 2322
Joined: 01 Mar 2006, 20:00
Contact:

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by AndyB »

Certainly is Ed. I came across him properly in Wow, where he drew Here is the News.

The "Mystery" comic was a running gag in one of the Cheeky's week strips - not being Niblet, I couldn't tell you which day (although I suggest you check his blog!) Each week, Cheeky would go looking for it, and someone different would have it.

For the first part of the run, the only part of the mystery comic to feature in Cheeky was Mustapha Million. When it changed to a pullout, I think it was to make it more real to the readers, and draw more people in.

User avatar
blaing
Posts: 956
Joined: 07 May 2010, 01:22
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: The Mystery Comic

Post by blaing »

In the early issues, it was usually on a Friday, but later on the day changed. for example on the final issue of 1978, the Mystery Comic was changed to Wednesday. After the decision to integrate the Mystery Comic elements into Cheeky's week, the plot device ended.

here is the Wednesday page from 9/12/78 issue...

Image

Post Reply