Comics UK

As the countdown to Christmas day continues, I have decided to diversify----for one day only----- from the Cartune Phunnies theme that has characterized these postings.

PHASE 5: Judge Dredds' first Christmas offering, in the days he was stationed on Luna-City One, in other words on the colonized Moon. In the real World, it's been 40 years this week since any human activity on the Moon by us Earthlings---the Chinese have landed an unmanned probe just a few days ago, so according to the writers of this comic, there will be lots of activity building a large Lunar City up there between now and 2099 [the time this story is set]:


2OOO AD; Prog 44, issue dated 24 December, 1977. 'Red Christmas' [last page only]




Even a lot of 2000 AD/DREDD buffs express considerable disdain for the very early period [1977] of this strip, but I love it, yes, Mike Mc Mahons' artwork looks clunky and chunky, but most of the artwork of the first year is electrifying and bristling with invention, whatever the relative crudity of conception and execution.

Following that fairly vintage sci-fi interlude, it's now back to the:

'CARTUNE PHUNNIES' section, with IPC 'cartoon' titles of a certain vintage making up the basic thrust of this threads' 'themology'.


Appropriate to this train of thought, we now leap forwards in time to Christmas 1975, and here's the Festive entry for that particular year:

IPC mega-stalwart Robert Nixon was well-established within the company fold by this time, having jumped ship from the more traditional D C Thomson sometime in early 1973.

One of the finest-ever comics contributers in my humble view, he just couldn't put a foot wrong when it came to putting accross appeal and vitality.

Here from the same issue of MONSTER FUN,: issue 29, dated Dec 27, 1975 we see his creation KID KONG about to 'get his Christmas jollies' and he doesn't look too sure [like many kids, before they start to appreciate the opposite sex]:

-Can you show the next pages Spy...looks great Robert's drawings...
IPC were brilliant in the 70's..

Sure thing, Peter----tomorrow morn, old son.


Happy Birthday, by the way!

Here we go, then, my good Mr Gray, I do hope it lives up to your expectations.




Although Robert Nixons' work became undoubtedly less detailed and sketchier over time during his tenure at IPC [ approx 1973-1984] there is no denying that even his 'zippier' material had an appeal factor and attractive edge that seemed virtually peerless.

I do feel that a lot of his early 80s material like Buytonic Boy was perhaps a bit too rushed-looking and sure enough on his return to D C Thomson, his earlier output there looked like he spent a bit more time on his artwork.


Some of his very early work for IPC, including Frights of the Round Table for WHOOPEE! in 1974 was very illustrative and must have been time-consuming, but sadly the economics of the comics payment system never encouraged apt reward for higher-quality material [in most cases].

Today we backtrack a wee bit within the IPC archives, in order to serve up an example of the first Christmas issue of the early 70s KNOCKOUT: dig that astonishing '2p' entrance fee!


I must admit that this cover to the ever-entertaining FULL HOUSE has me stumped: the early covers of course were usually penned by the always-amusing and proficient Reg Parlett, however here we seem to see a paste-up of more than one artist.


Some elements of this page are definitely Reg-imented*, like the characters held aloft in frame one, and even the design of the bath in frame 3, but other aspects of the design, like the skeleton Boney and the characterization of Santa Claus and his sleigh above the title clearly originate from elsewhere.

Maybe it is all by Reg, though: the more I study this, the more mysterious it gets!



* 'Reg-imented': as if drawn by Reggie Boy.

-Thanks Spy...
The cover has you say is not by Reg...But still fun seeing all the characters and there different quirks..

I'm convinced that's 100% Reg, just beautifully ghosted.

AndyB wrote:I'm convinced that's 100% Reg, just beautifully ghosted.

I think it's by Joe McCaffery, who took over the feature from Reg.

Thanks for your valued input, gents. Maybe Reg penciled this, and Joe inked it?


From the same Christmas Day 1971 issue of KNOCKOUT, here's a memorable offering from the able nib of Mike Lacey-----great surrealism in this concept,----although the outlandish scenes of endless objects and beings sprung from Petes' Pockets are untypically restrained and indeed absent here.

The usual high standards of Mikes' technique are patently apparant:

Here's the first Christmas Whizzer and Chips:



And here's Champ and Me and My Shadow from that issue:





And here is a similar strip from the early 50s from Illustrated Chips. Oddly in most of these stories the Shadow doesn't really act as a catalyst.





Here are some non comic Christmas covers:









Here's the back cover advert from the Woman's Pictorial:



And finally a nice colourful advert for chocolates:

Wow, those are great, Steve!

Thanks so much for getting right into the spirit of things----clearer and larger images than my efforts, to boot!

I was going to add some imagery from WHIZZER and CHIPS' first Christmas number of 1969, but you've beaten me to the punch!

I have some other stuff lined up, though.....

It was difficult to get those W&C pages straight. My printer is a bit of a stretch from my pc and i have to press "scan" and then hold the pages flat to get a good impression. Often the result comes out at an angle and I have to make several attempts before the muscles in my arms get cramp. Wish I could find an A3 scanner.

I keep meaning to get an A3 scanner, Steve, but it's the same old story----funds never quite seem to allow.


In the meantime, here's another early 70s IPC gem, from BUSTER and JET issue dated Dec 25, 1971: ---a 'companion piece' of sorts to COR!!'s 'Hire a Horror'------Rentaghost came first, I seem to recall, and never fear, this item is most certainly by the good Mr Parlett: