phoenix4ever wrote:
OK, who took my new thread on a forum for Mandy, Judy and Bunty, and what have you done with it? At the very least I would have expected the courtesy of an explanatory email. Mystery stories are clearly not restricted to the pages of Mandy or Sparky. Presumably I'm supposed to assume that I should have put it in the Girls Titles section, but if so why is it not there? Will this post disappear now? Read it quickly folks just in case.
If you mean your thread suggesting such a forum, it's still there, in 'Suggestions.'
EDIT: Have reread, you're obviously referring to a different post, so please ignore this!
Kashgar mentioned this on another post...
From memory I think you're referring to a strip he did in the New Hotspur titled 'The Cat Street Kids'.
Other strips he did in this format were The Moonsters and Spadger and his Pals in Sparky and Rover & Wizard respectively.
Is Spadger and his pals by Bill Ritchie in Sparky early days?
Has anyone got a scan of this...thanks in advance...
Righty ho! Another list/Line-up from further in 1967. Why on earth the wonderful "Willie the woeful Wizard" strip was ended is one of the great `disasters` that I think befell the comic in 1967. Strips such as "Prentice Pete", Greedy Gus" and "Terry had a little Pig" were woeful efforts that I believe should have gone to the wall!
By 1967 it is clear that Sparky was floundering badly! Hence the big September re-launch! And now!!
SPARKY No 116 ( 8th April 1967, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` The Moonsters are taught April fool jokes by Peter and Penny.
Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 & 5
`Invisible Dick`. Not long into its Sparky run, and already boringly repetitive. How many bullies did he `teach lessons to? Must have been hundreds!
I never took to the strip at all! As I said earlier, I think the character of Dick Dickson became very `smarmy` and too much of a `goodie-goodie` in my eyes. The strip soon became utterly predictable by using variations of basically the same plot=Dick teaches various bullies a lesson with his torch.
In my final letter to the Sparky office in May 1971, I tore into the strip (tore a strip off!!) in a big way! I accused them of treating readers like cretins with continual use of one storyline and I fervently hoped that Dick Dickson would get his head well and truly kicked in! I was a pretty angry sort then!
Anyhow! Since buying some 1972 Sparky’s (I only read them up top June 1971) I was very pleased to see better stories used in `Invisible Dick` (The potholing one is a beaut!) and that Dick didn’t always win out! Maybe my tirade had an effect!
Page 6
`Winnie the Witch`
Page 7
`Hungry Horace`
Pages 8 & 9
`Keepers pf the Dancing Drums` Unusual story about an African dancing troupe who have to reach Johannesburg to perform, while a mystery enemy tries to sabotage their journey. I don’t recall this one either.
Page 10
`Write to Sparky`
Page 11
`Pansy Potter`
Pages 12 & 13
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` Back in the colour middle pages, Dave and Dora travel to where magic is made.
Page 14
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 15
` Sparky’s Puzzles`
Pages 16 & 17
`The Lost Ponies of Thor` This was another animal based adventure; this one concerning two children trying to preserve the last few ponies of a special breed. Very dull indeed!
Pages 18 & 19
`My Grockle and Me`
Pages 20 & 21
`Willie the Woeful Wizard` Final episode in which Willie finds out that the King of Pom does need him and that all his friends have thrown him a big `welcome home` party!
I had recently written to the comic stating how much I enjoyed this delightful strip! Result? It ended for good! So much for reader feedback!
Page 22
`Nosey Parker`
Page 23
`Fireman Fred`
Page 24
`Top three quarters, `Sparky`. Bottom quarter is an illustrated preview for next weeks new story `Greedy Gus`, the adventures of a horse with an appetite for anything! Yes! Yet another animal based story.
Page 1
`The Moonsters` All go Tree Logging! “Trees on the Moon!?â€
Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 & 5
`Me and my Grockle`
Pages 6 & 7
`The Cave Kids` Adventures of a prehistoric family. Must confess that I can’t recall this strip at all!
Page 8 & 9
`Prentice Pete` This was an unbelievably dull and trite strip that relays the adventures of an apprentice to a fitter and joiner. Unfortunately for credibility, Pete is thicker than the Black Forest! In one episode he can’t distinguish between a dog and a fox! Even five year olds would know that! One of the comic’s very worst offerings!
Page 10
`Write to Sparky`
Page 11
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Pages 12 & 13
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` Go ballooning. This strip was a James Malcolm effort.
Page 14
`Pansy Potter`
Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Pages 16 & 17
`Greedy Gus` Final episode of this pretty poor effort!
Page 18
`Harry Carry` This strip which featured the comic adventures of haulier Harry and his helpmate Sam, replaced `Winnie the Witch`
Page 19
`Hungry Horace`
Pages 20 & 21
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon` This strip was a reprint of a Hotspur comic strip (though at the time I didn’t know that). It featured young castaway Ken and his pet toucan, Tommy. It was a fair to middling affair early on, but improved to such an extent by its final episodes in July 1968, that it remains one of my all time favourite Sparky strips. It changed artists about three times with the artwork of April to July 1968 by far the best.
Page 22
`Nosey Parker`
Page 23
`Fireman Fred`
Page 24
`Top three quarters, `Sparky`. Bottom quarter is an illustrated preview of next weeks story; “Titch, the pup that grew and grew†Yes! Yet another animal based story.
It is clear to me that by mid 1967 the comic was struggling; both in quality and in sales. Stories like `Prentice Pete` and `Greedy Gus` were, frankly, rubbish! I am surprised I stuck with the comic in this year!
The Pegasus strip is one I have little recall of! There is an episode featuring the `Chimera` beast (half Lion, half Dragon) which looks superb! This artist drew quite a few Sparky strips 1965 - 66 then sort of disappeared!
Next line-up! SPARKY No 134 (12th August 1967, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` Stock car racing!
Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 & 5
`Me and my Grockle`
Page 6
`Hungry Horace`
Page 7
`Harry Carry`
Pages 8 & 9
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon`
Page 10
`Write to Sparky`
Page 11
`Pansy Potter`
Pages 12 & 13
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` The telescope that enlarges and reduces objects and people.
Page 14
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Pages 16 & 17
`Titch-The pup that grew and grew`. Young puppy Titch eats a batch of special pig feed and grows to the size of a small horse! Another sleep inducing animal based story.
Pages 18 & 19
`Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer`. This is more like it! A firm contender for the weirdest Sparky (or any other comics) story of all time. A Martian flying saucer crash-lands in the garden of old Granny Cupp. She offers then tea and buiscits while they affect repairs. In gratitude the Martians gift to her an economy size saucer, one that has many useful gadgets.
This was a wonderfully batty strip, which went on some really bizarre flights (sic) of fancy. The comic should have advertised it; say! “Come inside and take a trip `man` with `Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer`. They could have coined the Hippy market!!
Pages 20 & 21
`Prentice Pete`
Page 22
`Nosey Parker`
Page 23
`The Slowdown Express`
Page 24
`Top three quarters, `Sparky`. Bottom quarter of page is a three picture preview of next weeks, `Slowdown Express`, `Peter Piper` and `Me and my Grockle`. Grockle, it turns out is green.
this next batch is from issue dated 1 OCT, 1966; and the first items are an update of GROCKLE courtesy of GEORGE DRYSDALE:
AND NOW; get some colour in yer cheeks with a welcome return to full-colour stock:
----and finally for today, the artist responsible for this quality work may well be same as was responsible for WILLIE the WOEFUL WIZARD from around this point:
alanultron5 wrote:Did anyone know that "Grockle" is an old Cornish word for a small Dragon?
According to my copy of The New Oxford Dictionary Of English, a grockle is a derogatory word for a holidaymaker at an English resort, especially one in the West Country. This information was reinforced in public not too long ago when Ann Robinson told a contestant on The Weakest Link, who had no idea what a grockle was, that it was 'a tourist in the West Country'. Due to financial difficulties during the economic downturn, there should be more opportunities than usual to spot a few this summer.
I always thought that Jimmy and his Grockle ended with the start of World War II, never to return (pretty certain a page count reduction during the early war years ended it in The Dandy Comic anyway). Seems Sparky has a lot of hidden gems! Nice find. I don't suppose it was also in the 1968 Sparky annual?
Alan, you complained about trees on the moon in a Moonsters strip? The moon must've been terraformed. Common sci-fi explanation. About as realistic as being able to breathe there, like in Power Rangers.
more GROCKLE gallavanting. I always felt that GEORGE DRYSDALE'S artwork was a huge influence on the three bears by BOB Mc GRATH, and even today, I can still struggle to tell some of their work apart:
---and now for another dose of first-class artwork courtesy of WOEFUL WILLIE.
EXCELLENT MEDIEVEL visuals throughout; how on earth is work of this quality sadly relegated to comparitive history, and not more widely-seen?
[last four items from issue dated 22 OCT, 1966-----[NO.92].
Digifiend wrote:I always thought that Jimmy and his Grockle ended with the start of World War II, never to return
Not at all, Digifiend. They are all over the place these grockles, you just have to know where to look. Gilda Rossi got one, their adventures together being recounted in Gilda's Grockle in Judy 546 (Jun. 27 1970) - 557 (Sep. 12 1970). The scans here are the first page from 546, before the grockle hatches and starts to grow with every mouthful of whatever takes its fancy, including firelighters, the second page from 554, by which time it is so big and powerful that it is capable of giving Gilda a lift on its back as it flies around (I could have referred to this in my post about animals with wings transporting people, if I'd only thought on!), and the final page from the serial in 557, in which it jumps overboard from a cruise ship and makes for a tropical island where it has spotted another grockle. Ahhhhh.
Grockle did used to be a old English word for a small Dragon-and yes! It is now used as a derogatory word by Cornwelliens for `outsiders`
The `Willie the Woeful Wizard` strip was; and is, my second ever favourite Sparky strip (just behind I.Spy) I adored it!! It could get so surreal! One story, where Willie is asked by the `With It Witch` to track down `Old Tom's Almanac` was utterly bizzare!
Willie discovered that the `Indian Rope Trick` was the answer! He climbed up the rope and found himself in a land above the clouds `Nohow Land`. He met Genie Kelly and avoided the seven headed serpent whose gaze turned all to treacle! The Almanac was in a Library that floated in the clouds!
And now! the next listing!SPARKY No 138 (9th September 1967, 5d)
Page 1
`The Moonsters` Peter and Penny visit a Moonster garage.
Page 2
`Keyhole Kate`
Page 3
`Peter Piper`
Pages 4 & 5
New Story! `The Balloon Family Robinson` The adventures of the Robinson family set in 1861. Their wooden house is carried by large balloons.
Page 6
Top half `Nosey Parker`. Bottom half is a two picture advert for, on the left, the 1968 Sparky annual. On the right, the free gift of an assembly glider in next weeks Hotspur.
Page 7
`Harry Carry`
Pages 8 & 9
`My Grockle and Me`
Page 10
`Write to Sparky`
Page 11
`Joe Bann and his Big Banjo`
Pages 12 & 13
`Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora` They meet the `Firelighters`
Page 14
`Pansy Potter`
Page 15
`Sparky’s Puzzles`
Pages 16 & 17
`Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer` Granny goes fishing and catches a whale!
Pages 18 & 19
`Prentice Pete`
Pages 20 & 21
`The Lonely Lad of Blue Lagoon`
Page 22
`Hungry Horace`
Page 23
`Cuckoo in the Clock`
Page 24
Top three quarters `Sparky`. Bottom quarter of page is a two panel affair. Left panel is ad for free `Key Ring` in next weeks Bunty. Right panel is `Sparky` announcing new of free gifts to come.
Issue 138 was the penultimate `old style` Sparky. The comic would undergo a overhaul on September 23rd and 30th that, in my view, was every bit as radical as the February 1969 changes.
Digifiend wrote:I always thought that Jimmy and his Grockle ended with the start of World War II, never to return (pretty certain a page count reduction during the early war years ended it in The Dandy Comic anyway). Seems Sparky has a lot of hidden gems! Nice find. I don't suppose it was also in the 1968 Sparky annual?
Alan, you complained about trees on the moon in a Moonsters strip? The moon must've been terraformed. Common sci-fi explanation. About as realistic as being able to breathe there, like in Power Rangers.
No DF Jimmy and his Grockle didn't appear in the 1968 Sparky Book although they did make an appearance in those for 1969 and 1970 drawn by George Drysdale (possibly his last work) and Mike Lacey respectively.
alanultron5 wrote:The Pegasus strip is one I have little recall of! There is an episode featuring the `Chimera` beast (half Lion, half Dragon) which looks superb! This artist drew quite a few Sparky strips 1965 - 66 then sort of disappeared!
The artist in question Al was a guy called Edward Drury. He had a really interesting style, instantly recognizable as his but it appears, despite his talents, he was graced with a stroppy, argumentative nature that made editors loathe to work with him. As well as his work for Sparky I remember he did a very memorable series of Karl the Viking for Lion when Don Lawrence wasn't available.
