The "gross comics" debate

[Digifiend]

Bea started in 1998, but did Cuddles and Dimples ever use the nappy gag before then?

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Cuddles and Dimples had nappy gags in the 80s, Digi, but any 'mess' was unseen, but strongly suggested. There was also dogs walking away from wet walls after clearly 'urinating'. The later BEANO gags were noticably more graphic, [if comic] though.

[MikeC]

Thanks for the info. Not such a new phenomenon as I thought!

[Peter Gray]

late 80's Whizzer and chips annual...

[bustercomic]

I've skim read some of the points in this thread and it's interesting to read.

Personally I quite liked my Buster just the way it was, I was never the kid that got all the fart jokes anyway so probably would have been put off.

That said, overall I think people's expectations have loosened over the years. To the point that at work our very own Horrid Henry can talk about gross class zero (Snot, Bogies, Fart, Poo we're all sick and so are you!) yet the only complaints we get are about the frequency with which episodes are screened.

I can imagine a decade or so back parents wouldn't have allowed tripe like this on the telly.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

SWEENY TODDLER must surely have been IPC's most naturally-funny -in -style strip.

[felneymike]

Is it just me or did the Beano have something VERY similar to that in the late 80's and very early 90's? I just about remember something from an annual (probably Beano 1992, about taking rude photographs)... think it was by the same artist, even.

[PaulTwist]

In this month's Classics from the Comics I was a bit taken aback to see a completely naked man in a sauna in Calamity James... from 1986!

Wouldn't get that these days, I'd wager.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

The naked male form is always seen or depicted as deeply offensive and repulsive...I suppose it is, really!

[Digifiend]

Is it just me or did the Beano have something VERY similar to that in the late 80's and very early 90's? I just about remember something from an annual (probably Beano 1992, about taking rude photographs)... think it was by the same artist, even.

Sounds like Little Larry, and yes, both it and Sweeny Toddler are drawn by Tom Paterson.

[Old Freddy]

The main difference between sweeney toddler and Little Larry was that Larry's strips were told in the form of poems, and Sweeny Toddler was more a more traditional comic strip.

With fart gags, I must say I don't find them funny myself, and never have done, but it doesn't go to say no one else does. When I watched Cartoons and read comics when I was younger, there wasn't many fart gags, or snot gags or anything like that really. Back in the mid nineties cartoons tended not to be "gross" but "cheeky" or "naughty" in the way that sometimes a character would say "crap" and get away with it, although these days I don't tend to hear stuff like that in cartoons.

Fart gags have been around for some time, just they are used more often, or maybe are just more noticable in newer comics. I've never found it funny because I've often just thought myself that being disgusting isn't usually required. I mean I certainly wouldn't buy a comic like the dandy X-treme if it featured stuff about genitals but I doubt it would go that way ever, especially seeing as when the Beano reprinted Desert Island Dick from the Topper, he became Desert island RICK!

[ajsmith]

Here's an example of what I'd call smart, deeply original, and cool fart humour. By John Miller from 1987...

[felneymike]

What was it with these "underground comix" and excessive straight lines anyway?

Was the 80's recession so bad they saved for years to buy a ruler and then made sure they got thier money's worth?

[ajsmith]

Hey, John Miller is a law onto his own, and still drawing in the same style, as this 2009 cover will attest:

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

John Miller's stuff almost looks like it's been done by using a stencil: I'm all for diversity in comics however, and I like to see original styles emerge, even if obviously this won't please everyone.