Bill Ritchie and Keith Reynolds cartoons.

[Kashgar]

You're more than welcome Peter.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

the logo normally used for TOM, DICK and SALLY circa early 80s always reminded me of NIXON'S style.

BOB NIXON quite concievably still have done rare work for THOMSON in the early 80s; after all, I've seen ODHAMS work by BOB DEWAR and RON SPENCER in the 60s, which I certainly never expected to see..........

[AndyB]

That's my guess too, just the odd page (since he was freelance and therefore not contracted to IPC).

I wonder to what extent he saw the writing on the wall at IPC - certainly, his departure was very much the beginning of the end.

[AndyB]

Checked my Beano books - first appearance in the annuals was indeed 1977, and both strips were by Bob Nixon.

The strip in the 1978 annual was drawn by Keith Reynolds. The implication is that Dave Jenner drew VERY few of the strips.

[Kashgar]

In fact Andy 'Tom Dick and Sally' first appeared in the 1975 Beano Book (like Winker Watson in the Dandy they appeared in the annual before they appeared in the weekly comic) where they were drawn by the elusive Dave Jenner.

[Digifiend]

So they were in the 1975 and 1977 books, but not 1976. That's strange. After all, they would've been in the comic by the time the 1976 edition came out.

[AndyB]

Thanks, Ray.

Digi, my guess is that they were slated for a 1974 start, but were put back a year, so they got into the 1975 annual - but by the time the 1976 one was being put together, they knew the strip had been put back.

It's quite possible that it got put back to secure a replacement artist for Dave Jenner.