A familiar new film...

Toonpooch · Post by **Toonpooch** » 17 Oct 2006, 08:36

I see Eddie Murphy's latest project is being hyped around the trades and web this morning:

"Director Brian Robbins and Eddie Murphy are reteaming on Starship Dave, Murphy's next project, which is in pre-production at 20th Century Fox. Deep River Productions is producing along with Guy Walks Into a Bar. Shooting is scheduled to begin in March.

Starship Dave is the story of a crew of miniature, human-looking aliens who are seeking a way to save their doomed world. Murphy will play the human spacecraft they travel in (Starship Dave) as well as the ship's captain..."

Hmm. I wonder what DC Thomson might make of this....?

And of course, Starship Dave is coming hot on the heels of Adam Sandler's Click, which everyone knows took its cue from a certain Fleetway gem...

How many more feature films based on Brit strips are waiting in the wings....?

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 17 Oct 2006, 10:40

I'm not with you. What DC Thomson strip is that similar to?

Lew

Toonpooch · Post by **Toonpooch** » 17 Oct 2006, 11:18

...Little people inside/controlling a human. Surely, this is just a half-step away from the Numskulls?

Not that anyone in Hollywoodland will know the strip, of course! - I was just pondering on the similarities...

Shaqui · Post by **Shaqui** » 17 Oct 2006, 13:18

For a moment I thought you were referring to that strip with alien little people who befriend a young boy... but I forget the title of that!

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 17 Oct 2006, 13:23

Toonpooch wrote:...Little people inside/controlling a human. Surely, this is just a half-step away from the Numskulls?

Not that anyone in Hollywoodland will know the strip, of course! - I was just pondering on the similarities...

Ah right. When you said "human spacecraft" the penny didn't drop.

Sounds more like they were influenced by Fantastic Voyage and Inner Space than The Numskulls to me.

Lew

Toonpooch · Post by **Toonpooch** » 17 Oct 2006, 13:49

We-e-e-ll.... If you're gettin' technical... Those films featured miniature humans in miniature ships, inside humans... whereas "Starship Dave" has them inside an automated human...

And before you say it, yes, "Men In Black" featured a similar plot device too...

But - oh - now my brain hurts. I'm getting far too anal for a throwaway comics discussion!

Cap Haggis · Post by **Cap Haggis** » 17 Oct 2006, 13:53

Was that strip "Galaxus" the monster that shrunk when it was scared - it appeared in the Buster I think - there was also a story about small aliens that came to Earth in a spaceship probably nearer the movie) I think it was something like "Martins Mini Men" think that was the Buster as well.

kevf · Post by **kevf** » 20 Oct 2006, 10:00

Wasn't the Numskulls a rip off of Fleetway's The Nervs, in Wham, drawn by Ken Reid?

Chicken & egg situation there.

Kev F

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 20 Oct 2006, 10:56

kevf wrote:Wasn't the Numskulls a rip off of Fleetway's The Nervs, in Wham, drawn by Ken Reid?

Chicken & egg situation there.

Kev F

Not really, as The Numskulls came first.

The Nervs appeared in Smash! by the way, drawn initially by Leo Baxendale, and then the great (and often neglected) Graham Allen took over for the bulk of its run. Ken Reid didn't draw it until Pow! merged into Smash! in late 1968 (to replace the work he'd lost after Dare-a-Day-Davy ended).

You may be thinking of Georgie's Germs in Wham!, but that wasn't drawn by Ken Reid, and was still preceded by The Beezer's Numskulls by a couple of years.

Lew

kevf · Post by **kevf** » 22 Oct 2006, 10:49

I don't know about you, but I make most of my comics history up.

I had one copy of Ken Reid's Nervs and, because it was so superior to any other version, I thought it must have come first. I always thought Numsulls were promising, so much so that they run through the strip I've done for the 2008 annual, Pluggy Love, but I feel they're underused.

They're among far too many Brit comic characters where, having been around for 40 years or more, they have yet to be given distinctive characters.

Now, does anyone remember TV show Herman's Head..?

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 22 Oct 2006, 12:38

kevf wrote:
They're among far too many Brit comic characters where, having been around for 40 years or more, they have yet to be given distinctive characters.

And yet they're still popular.

With some strips, it's the concept itself that attracts the readers. The idea of little creatures controlling a kid from within his head is fascinating enough. Giving each Numskull distinct personalities would sidetrack from what makes the strip attractive, in my opinion.

The thing that let the strip down for me as a child wasn't the concept or the stories but the very simplistic artwork. That's where The Nervs was far superior. That said, The Numskulls was still very popular, so presumably that simple style appealed to most.

It's a shame that when IPC was formed they wanted to more or less "clean up" their comics of anything they considered unsuitable. I remember Kev O'Neill telling me that a memo went around the office to the effect that The Nervs should never be reprinted in their comics because of its vulgarity (even though several other Odhams strips were reused). And it never has, to this day!

Lew

Gary Northfield · Post by **Gary Northfield** » 22 Oct 2006, 21:45

What's the name of the artist who drew the Numskulls for the Beezer?
I actually used to be a bit of a fan of his work as a kid. I picked up an old Beezer Book (1975) recently at Greenwich Market for a quid and I'm trying to work out if he also drew the Banana Bunch, Black Bun and/or The Badd Lads? Or is that someone else? It's the same simple loose style, but after staring at it for the last ten minutes, I've a feeling it's could be a different artist.

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 22 Oct 2006, 23:15

Gary Northfield wrote:What's the name of the artist who drew the Numskulls for the Beezer?

I think it was Malcolm Judge, but I may be wrong.

I don't think it was the same one who drew Banana Bunch, L Cars, etc. Although several people have drawn The Numskulls over the years so I might be thinking of a different time period to you. (I was never a fan of The Beezer for some reason. Dunno why.)

Lew

Steve Bright · Post by **Steve Bright** » 23 Oct 2006, 00:15

Mal Judge certainly drew The Badd Lads, Gary, Lew, and was indeed the original Numskulls artist, as well as Billy Whizz for the Beano. Although I have a feeling Tom Lavery may have been drawing the Numskulls around the mid 70's, possibly later.

The Banana Bunch was originally drawn by Leo Baxendale, but by 1975 I think it would have been Bill Hill (I stand to be corrected by my old DCT chums on any or all of these recollections), who also drew L Cars, and whose daughter Sylvia used to work in the ladies' art department at DC Thomson (yes, they kept them apart from the gents) when I used to work as a sub editor there in the late 70's, early 80's.

I had very brief spells drawing The Banana Bunch and the Badd Lads, and I think I was the last artist to draw the Numskulls before the Beezer folded and Tom Paterson took over when they (Numskulls) jumped aboard The Beano, but that was long after the period you're asking about.

Black Bun completely escapes me at the moment.

Gary Northfield · Post by **Gary Northfield** » 23 Oct 2006, 02:21

Cheers Lew and Steve.
The Black Bun in this annual is definitely drawn by the same artist as the Banana Bunch, so if you're right Steve, that makes it Bill Hill.

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