Sparky fun strips

Formerly known as Classics from the Comics, this forum covers all of DCT's retired titles, like Beezer, Topper, Victor, Nutty and Sparky!

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I know the final Sparky Potter artist you mean, Alan---I thought he was a Spanish artist?

Kashgar
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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Kashgar »

Slightly out of sequence as he came at the end of Pansy Potter's run but the artist you mean is Evi De Bono and, despite his rather exotic sounding name due to his Maltese extraction, he is a Londoner born and bred.
Now back to the list

1969

Esky Mo - Robert Nixon
Harry Presto - Hugh Morren
We Are the Sparky People - Jim Petrie
Wyatt Twerp - Ron Spencer
Helpful Henry - Hugh Morren
I Spy - Les Barton
Cap'n Hood - Artist unknown
Kings of the Castle - Ken Harrison
Puss n' Boots - John Geering
Sam's Snake - Phil Millar

Changeover artists

Keyhole Kate - Brian White

1970

Ali and his Baba - Mal Judge
Wyatt Twerp and Bugsy - Ron Spencer
I Fly - Phil Millar
Rudolph the Redcoat Mountie - Mike Lacey
Trouble Bruin - John Geering

More to follow

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

Ah---that 1968/70 Sparky lineup sends a shiver down my spine: unforgettable stuff from those long-gone days.


Many thanks, kashgar and Alan.

Great to see that SPARKY is getting decent coverage on here.......

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by alanultron5 »

The `Cap'n Hood` artist is one of a very select few unknown who only drew one strip in the comic! The `Granny Cupp` artist too (Though he dis a couple of strips in the 1967 & 1968 books "Stoneage Stella and "Dotty Daydream" Another couple of rare artists are whoever drew both "Snip and Snap" & "Jumbo and Jet" and "Some Mummies Do `Ave `Em" Oh! I think the "Baron Reisch's Pudding" artist only drew that strip!

In 1974 I think- Jim Petrie was absent from "Sparky People" for about three weeks- the artist who filled in there is unknown to me.
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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Kashgar »

Oh I should have included the Brian Walker takeover of the ISpy strip in 1970
Now on to 1971

1971

Ma Kelly's Telly - Les Barton
Willie Getaway - Phil Millar
Tom Kat - Phil Millar

Changeover artist

Pansy Potter - John Geering

1972

Captain Cutler and his Butler - Robert Nixon
Snip and Snap - Michael Green
Dreamy Daniel - Gordon Bell

1973

Jumbo and Jet - Michael Green
Minnie the Tea Lady - Jim Petrie
alanultron5 wrote: Another couple of rare artists are whoever drew both "Snip and Snap" & "Jumbo and Jet" and "Some Mummies Do `Ave `Em" Oh! I think the "Baron Reisch's Pudding" artist only drew that strip!
As we are near the end of this comic strip countdown I'll put you out of your misery a little ahead of time, Alan. Re 'Some Mummies Do 'Ave 'Em' this was drawn by Charles Sinclair who, amongst other things, also drew basil Brush for TV Comic and 'Baron Von Reichspudding' was the work of Alan Rogers who drew a number of things for the Topper in the same period.

Next 1974-1977

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Lew Stringer »

alanultron5 wrote:The `Cap'n Hood` artist is one of a very select few unknown who only drew one strip in the comic! The `Granny Cupp` artist too (Though he dis a couple of strips in the 1967 & 1968 books "Stoneage Stella and "Dotty Daydream" Another couple of rare artists are whoever drew both "Snip and Snap" & "Jumbo and Jet" and "Some Mummies Do `Ave `Em" Oh! I think the "Baron Reisch's Pudding" artist only drew that strip!

In 1974 I think- Jim Petrie was absent from "Sparky People" for about three weeks- the artist who filled in there is unknown to me.
Snip and Snap and Jumbo Jet were drawn by Mike Green. He later drew Weedy Willy for Oink!
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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Phoenix »

Kashgar wrote:Jumbo and Jet - Michael Green
Would this be the same Jumbo And Jet serial, Kashgar, that started in Tracy in January 1981?

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Kashgar »

Hi Derek. Not having my Tracy's handy I couldn't say
but I'd guess not.
Now to 1974
Baron von Reichspudding - Alan Rogers
Herman's Horrorscopes - Phil Millar
Thingummyblob - Albert Holroyd
Superwitch - David Gudgeon

Changeovers
ISpy - John Fox
Pansy Potter - Evi de Bono

1975
Ah Choo - Les Barton
Some Mummies do 'ave 'em - Charles Sinclair

1976
Planet of the Nirdles - George Martin
The Circus of P T Bimbo - Shneider

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Digifiend »

Sam's Snake in 1969? Were they copying Sid's Snake from Whizzer and Chips, which debuted in the same year?

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

The Sparkys' Sam's Snake came before the IPC version,Digi---this was covered by us on the forum a while back and we checked the 1969 comics---there was just a few weeks in it, though!

These strips were extremely similar in concept, with a large snake using his coils to great visual effect being the central axis of both strips; I reckon the similarities were an honest fluke, though.....there was much less examining of each others' output between IPC and DCT than you might suppose, as I discovered myself when I visited the DCT offices 30 years back.

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

kashgar, old chappie-me-lad;

I have checked your usual in-depth data, impeccably researched and presented as ever, ---and augmented by rabid SPARKY enthusiast Alan Smith, whose enthusiasm for this journal clearly knows no bounds.


However, I can see no reference to the phenomenon known as MR Bubbles, that delightfully surrealist work featuring that bubble-bound squeazy-bottle imp.

The Bubbular One appeared around 1968-69, and had a high turnover of various artists of the non K-tel variety, notably the peerless Pam Chatau, the flavoursome James Fox----whose work on this character was much more attuned to the subject than his later mismatched I SPY sets, in my humble view-------amongst others.

I even have a one-off Mr Bubbles strip from 1970, most unusually rendered by one Brian Walker.

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by alanultron5 »

Going back to Michael barratt- he did one "Moonsters" page mid 1966 as well as their Sparky Book appearance (1967 I think)
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Kashgar
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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by Kashgar »

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote:kashgar, old chappie-me-lad;

I have checked your usual in-depth data, impeccably researched and presented as ever, ---and augmented by rabid SPARKY enthusiast Alan Smith, whose enthusiasm for this journal clearly knows no bounds.


However, I can see no reference to the phenomenon known as MR Bubbles, that delightfully surrealist work featuring that bubble-bound squeazy-bottle imp.

The Bubbular One appeared around 1968-69, and had a high turnover of various artists of the non K-tel variety, notably the peerless Pam Chatau, the flavoursome James Fox----whose work on this character was much more attuned to the subject than his later mismatched I SPY sets, in my humble view-------amongst others.

I even have a one-off Mr Bubbles strip from 1970, most unusually rendered by one Brian Walker.
Hi Rab,

Sorry about the 'Mr Bubbles oversight. I think this came about because Alan and myself would probably put 'the bubbular one' in different categories i.e comic strip/ comic adventure strip. I should have had him in my comic adventure strip listings because of the format of the strip if nothing else but somehow he slipped through the net and in the end didn't appear in either.
'Mr Bubbles' first appeared in Sparky No240 and ran without a break until No546. It was begun by Pam Chapeau but obviously in over 300 appearances there was the oppurtunity for other artists to have a go among them, John Fox. I'll certainly have a look and see if I can spot any 'others' I can identify.

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

cheers, kashgar---I absolutely 'get' what you are saying and I was misinterpreting the theme of the thread---muchos apologies to all concerned.

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Re: Sparky fun strips

Post by alanultron5 »

Yes! MR BUBBLES I class as fun-adventure strip!! Sorry Ray- but "Tom Kat" `NOT` drawn by Phil Millar! Had three artists. Started off with Gordon Bell; then Les Barton took over for middle part of run. It finished with artist I can't yet discern- but `NOT` Millar. Phil's one of the most distinctive artists- his style so recognisable. Afraid that He is not on `Tom Kat`
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