I SPY--------- THE FIRST EPIC SERIAL

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Great idea for a theme, Alan! Here's my two bob's worth:

greatest serial [in order of quality]:

1] I SPY versus the Incredible MR X


[probably coz it was all new to me back then]

2] OPERATION I SPY [it's really as good as the debut, but it's very different.]

3] FANTASMAGOR DIAMOND HUNT [sorry, Alan, I'm a stickler for the early stories!]

4] versus MR TEMPEST: great drama, pacing and spectacle.

5] MASTERMIND MACHINES; fantastic new direction.

6] MYSTERIOUS MR X MYSTERY: great artwork and a gloriously quirky plot.

7] AYE Mc SPY: top-notch comedy cavortings.

8] FANTAS-MAGORIAN: not bad at all, just a bit on the short-of-length side.

9] T-T-TERRIBLE GRANNY: too much fumbling about in the early chapters, great artwork though.


BEST OVERALL INSTALMENT:chapter 5 of 'versus INCREDIBLE MR X': explosive.action-packed and inventive: this one has the lot!!


MOST DRAMATICALLY EFFECTIVE EPISODE[S]: gotta agree with Alan on this one: easily the opening and closing instalments of OPERATION I SPY: gripping, unforgettable stuff!


BEST CLIFFHANGER: too numerous to mention: almost all of 'em! In fact it's a lot easier to simply list the one 'cliffhanger' that doesn't quite work: episode one of 'T-T-TERRIBLE GRANNY'.


GREATEST OPENING to an episode: for sheer atmosphere, it has to be episode 3 of AYE Mc SPY; that eerie image of MR X, MAHAIREE, KARATE CHIP and SLINKY in torchlight haunted me for decades!


VILLAINS in terms of importance:

1] MR X: without a doubt, the most single-minded, driven foe of the series....the fact he doesn't have MASTERMINDS' riches in the first place is of no consequence to him.

2] MR MASTERMIND: though he only starred in two serials, his input to the series was immeasurable. Also the only villain who actually conquered the world-----albeit breifly!

3] MR TEMPEST: for sheer ambition, [blotting out the SUN, no less!] this helmeted dude took the proverbial biscuit!

4] MAHAIREE YOGI: another dementedly-driven wrong 'un with a 10-foot animated beard, no less,

5] SLINKY SNITCHOVITCH: a devious do-badder from behind the PUTTY CURTAIN.


6] AYE Mc SPY: a threat in the early episodes, only. A highly-originally-concieved character, at least in the visuals department.


7] KARATE CHIP: only 3 appearances from KC, but he posed a manic menace in the first two [he only really made up the numbers in TARTAN TERROR!]


8] CAMMY FLAGE: the most innocuos, nondescript baddie of the early serials-----possibly by virtue of his disguise skills. Oddly enough, CAMMY worked better as a team member in the final story.


9] HOOTS Mc BAGPIPIES; all the way from single-page instalment 2 and the first-ever villain: this is a long way [thematically and visually] from OPERATION ISPY!





the deadliest THREAT for I SPY:



1] the MATIC-MEN: sinisterism incarnate.


2] TEMPEST'S SUN-BLOCKER MACHINE: this baby affects all planets in known solar system!


3] MASTERMINDS' MACHINES from serial 7: no less than WORLD WAR 3 was the net result of these muthas!


4] the ROBOTIC I SPYS/ SUPERSPY from 'versus I ncredible MR X: world-conquering stuff, alright!

5] MR X'S FANTAS-MAGORIAN: a real party-pooper, this one!


6] Mc SPY'S paralytic porridge: unseen menace in a Scottish breakfast cereal!


7] MR X'S radio-controlled fleas [serial 8]: unusual, but enough to see the top-hatted desperado in the hotseat of power!


8] SUPERTANK: it's rein of terror was brief, but effective, in a GERRY ANDERSON sort of way...



9] the FANTASMAGOR DIAMOND: it blasts through mountains, and deflects the suns' rays into laser mode.


10] SUPER-IRONS: MR X'S manic machines were eerie, but ill-concieved: they create worldwide havoc only in dry-cleaning terms.


11] SUPER-STICKY TOFFEE: great comic value, but not exactly up there with the MATIC-MEN!

[alanultron5]

Don't worry one bit about disagreeing with my faves Rab! Be heck of a dull place if everyone agreed all the while! We were different at different age when we read the I. Spy series back in 1969. As I said before-if I had been your age of (Was it Seven?) then the two eight parters i'm certain would be much higher on my list!

I still regard that first big Mr X story as a superb one! `Fantasmajor` still very enjoyable! Listing this series is (for me) like trying to sort out a similar list of Beatles LPs Not a real weak one in the lot-but somethings gotta be last!

You have a good category in the Best opening to an episode (I should have thought of that) My pick would be the initiation of WWIII with those four frames of Global carnage wrought by MMs machines!

Re-Cliffhangers! I can't see the end frame of every last ep in each series as one! They are just story finale's. Only the finale of Operation I. Spy/Grab could qualify in "Cliffhanging" terms there!

I did toy with a `best plotted story` section-but one story (guess which? is so far ahead in those terms- its a `no-contest` really!

[alanultron5]

My own personal list of villians is

1) MASTERMIND. Conquered world and brought I.Spy closest to ultimate defeat!

2) MR X. Unrelenting, ubiquitious foe!

3) MR TEMPEST. His weather devices a true menace.

4) MAHAIREE YOGI. Master hypnotist and very capable.

5) CAMMY FLAGE. Initially poor-but came superbly to the fore under Masterminds direction.

6) SLINKY SNITCHOVITCH. Very sly fellow!"

7) KARATE CHIP. A cutting edge fellow!

HOOTS MCBAGPIPE. Always garunteed to lob a mean Haggis or two!

No AYE MCSPY in my list as he was only misguided and turned friendly!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

yes.....nobody in comicdom ever lobbed a haggis quite like old HOOTS did!

okay, I think we have covered the main core of the early serials in an in-depth manner, and it's time to tie up some odds-and-ends.

There were two [rather good] LES BARTON I SPY feature-length specials in the 1971/1972 SPARKY annuals......I will cover these later, as it will be good to keep these BARTON riches in reserve.

It's not QUITE the very end of the LES BARTON I SPY saga yet, however, as the next few postings will cover:

the 'LOST I SPYS'






-----or should that be 'lost I SPIES?'



the 'lost' stories in question are a reference to 3 very late BARTON stories that surfaced a lot later: in DECEMBER 1973, in fact. This followed the 1971 b/w BRIAN WALKER stories, and indeed these works appeared over a year later than the full--colour I SPY centrespreads , also by WALKER.


At the time, I was delighted to see I SPY again in his original format, by his original artist: sadly, in our house we had a policy of chucking 'old' comics into the fire, as me ma regarded them as being of as much relevance as yesterday's newspapers.

As a result, the golden BARTON era existed in my memory only, and it was a total joy to see unearthed, unseen gems which appeared out of nowhere........looking at these 3 one-off stories today, it is clear they originate from the early BARTON period, and are less likely to have been newly-comissioned work from 1973. I'm pretty sure this material dates from 1969, going by the artwork/lettering/style of humour.


The formatting of these stories is sometimes uneasy, with 'blowups' evident in the second and third outings: possibly this stuff was intended for use in ANNUAL format, but subsequently shelved, and later 're-cut' for standard SPARKY usage. In any event, I am glad this material finally seen print, as it definately qualifies as bona-fide LES BARTON I SPY.



SPARKY comic, 15 DECEMBER 1973:

he's BACK! the super spy-guy with one hundred and one tricks up his sleeve-----or somewhere!


SURPRIZES! SURPRIZES! for s-s-sneaky spy guyses!


SYNOPSIS: I SPY picks up some important information, and sets about transporting this urgent message back to SPY HQ. Firstly, the message is delivered by mini-toy train; however, his efforts are thwarted by an un-named enemy spy of RUSSKIE appearance, who chops down a nearby tree in attempt to gain the secret. I SPY unleashes a mobile mini-helicopter which hooks the vital message: this is shot down by the RUSSIAN agent. The copter lands on the bad-un's bonce, and our shhh! guy resorts to standard mail-delivery: this turns out to be the RUSSKIE wrong-'un in full PILLARBOX disguise! A less than patient I SPY unleashes the mightiest CANNON in his arsenal, which finally knocks his tenacious opponent out of the running.

Finally reaching SPY HQ, I SPY emerges from a drawer in BOSS' desk, and the vital information is finally revealed: 'enemy spies' get 10 minutes extra tea break than we do!'







A typically silly story of the very early BARTON period, with some neat visual gags, and the most impressive CANNON our hero ever unleashed! [one of the finest visual gags in the entire canon.] The use of motorized toys of the early scenes has great novelty value. The scene where I SPY abandons his suit and enters SPY HQ is a visual gem. BOSS takes the info of the secret message in great earnest at the conclusion, and great comic imagery as he shakes hands with I SPY [who is in the desk cupbooard!] in the suitably tongue-in-cheek final frame. A pretty cool one-off!

the scale of the artwork is larger than usual in these tales.


I SPY'S DEVICES: listening ear-trumpet/ motorized model train,/ mechanized mini-helicopter,/ full-scale ultra-cannon.

[alanultron5]

Looking at them, they are circa early days of the strip (First 14 eps) If you look closely at the figure `outside` window when I Spy is eating (In second ep) it's Mr X!! They seem too brief to be Sparky Book stories-they may be Les Barton own scripted stories that were sidelined when Pete Clark came on board as writer!

I agree with Rab that it seems majority of first 14 eps were Les' own scripted works! Pete Clark was brought in for the three parters and longer seriels and Les abandoned (temporarily) three of his own I.Spy strips already drawn! Just my guess-but they do have the look of eps that would have been, say, Nos 9, 10 & 11 in the series! Instead of "Super Irons" story!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

the LOST I SPYS: second instalment of 3.

SPARKY COMIC 22/12/1973; issue 466. [special Christmas Issue].


SPY CANTEEN

When in doubt------DON'T EAT OUT!


SYNOPSIS: I SPY is disgusted by the putrid taste of the porridge dished up at SPY CANTEEN, and reveals to SPARKY readers why he is reduced to eating this gunk: this moves into flashback scenes of his previous gastrinomic experiences. The first cafe he visits sees him served up with a large mug of tea which contains mini-seamines [they are tipped out onto the floor, where they explode]. Next up, a second cafe serves up a plate of deadly soup, which is infested with a mini-submarine! I SPY is always equipped with his torpedo-proof hat [!] however, [much to the chargin of MR X, who is lurking in the background].

Returning to SPY HQ, our hero discovers a swiss roll and jug of milk on the table: a devious hand appears out of the false-bottomed jug, and lights a fuse on the fake swiss roll. I SPY is disgusted with the artificial taste, and deposits the disguised stick of dinamite into the jug, where it explodes, devastating the spy hidden underneath [this character was disguised as a waiter earlier on]. The final frame sees I SPY returning to the murky delights of the appaling goo served up at SPY CANTEEN, which at least he knows is safe!



above: MR X can be seen uttering TERRY THOMAS-like quips in the opening frame.


Again, this episode is imbued with the same charm of the very early one-pagers, in a straightforwards, novel story that is a fine addition to the canon. The notion of I SPY actually eating at all was very rare indeed within the strip [only the haggis in the second-ever episode springs to mind] and here is a tale dedicated to our hero seeking out decent grub: very unusual indeed! Brilliant BARTON details in the opening frame: the eyeballs motif on the bowl/'I SPIDER' scuttling away [I GO!] . MR X makes a welcome cameo here, though his role is remarkably restrained. The mini-submarine-in-the-soup-gag had appeared earlier, [though likely drawn later] in the full-colour painted BRIAN WALKER tale HOTEL SPLENDIDE, which had graced the 1973 SPARKY annual.

Great understated drama in the second-last frame, as I SPY casually strolls away from the devastating explosion created by the booby-trapped swiss roll.

Also remarkable for having I SPY confide to SPARKY readers directly: this never happened at any other time in the strip's history that I can remember. A nice one-off with large-scale panels throughout.


SECRET DEVICE: torpedo-proof hat.

[alanultron5]

It is a mystery to how they exist at all! I just don't see them as Sparky Book material. I stand by my view these were already in the pipe-line for episodes following the `Karate Chip` ep (No 8 in the run) and were sidelined when Peter Clark came up with the "Super Irons" and "Sticky Toffee" three parters!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

the 'lost' I SPYS': [3 of 3].

SPARKY issue 467: 29/12/73.

CLOWN CAPERS


A....HO-HO! -----funny plan.....to catch a..........HA-HA!.....funny man!

SYNOPSIS: I SPY receives a telephone call from BOSS warning that a sinister SPY in full-clown regalia is out to get him. Our hero scales a very steep gradient, unaware it is a long plank propped up by a rickety pile of toddlers' building-blocks; I SPY plummets off the edge into the waiting clown's NET: this turns out to have a false bottom, and the joke is on the shhh! guy.

The clown character now activates a device of his own: a large lapel button, which 'pings' off, transforming into a deadly dagger. I SPY escapes this threat by ducking down within his standing coat once again.........now he endeavours to sprinkle some powerful itching powder liberally over his foe. The clown menace is reduced to scratching frantically, and laughing hysterically. I SPY puts up a sign saying: LAUGHING NOT ALLOWED; penalty jail, and an officer of the law duly escorts the cackling clown to the local cop-shop, much to I SPY'S delight.





EVERYTHING about this very last LES BARTON instalment indicates that it was a very early incarnation of the strip: the simplistic, very silly story, the design of I SPY himself clearly in tandem with the early one-pagers, -----even the 'my name's BERT!' running gag from BOSS re-appears after a long, long, absence. The very strange spy-clown character proves to be one of I SPY'S most wilfully bizarre opponents ever, with slapstick elements coming to the fore as seldom seen in the strip before.

The formatting of this story is uneasy; 13 frames are spread out over 2 pages [some of the early one-pagers easily managed the same amount in half the space]. For whatever reason, a couple or more of the frames are clearly blown-up, and the overall set appears to be something of a mix-and-match job. Great fun, however, and fantastic that this work eventually saw the light of day. It's not clear if LES BARTON was aware this work was ever published: he likely got paid for it, but it is equally likely this work was held back for a good 4 years.


for what it's worth, here's the last-ever published LES BARTON panel in all it's glory:



above: I SPY chortles in coded delight at his opponent's come-uppance.


SECRET DEVICES: I SPY'S hat-telephone, handy itching-powder supply, 'laughing not allowed' signage and mallet.



[many thanks to ALAN for supplying me with the visuals of this rare piece.]

[alanultron5]

The three stories weren't `Pre`-the first 14 published stories as Boss spy looks like his issue Four and later image! I still think they were one page efforts for publication just after the `Karate Chip` ep which was the eigth I. Spy issue! You can tell many of the frames have been `expanded` The frame count of these three-two page- stories is equal to frame count of those first 14.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I SPY was out of the SPARKY running between late May-October, 1970.

When he finally returned, the strip undergone a 'transformation' of sorts, with a new artist at the helm: BRIAN WALKER.

Throughout this year, SPARKY itself underwent further changes, though nothing as radical as the previous year. January heralded in some new characters, promoted with the usual 'free gift' fanfare:




'WYATT TWERP' had been a colour centre-spread attraction of early 1969. Oddly enough, the character returned the following year, though his appearance was very different........even although the artist was the same: RON SPENCER. TWERP was given a demented nemesis, BUGSY MULDOON. the debut offering:




BUSHBOY also first appeared in this January 17 issue, and remained a popular centrespread attraction in the comic in this period.....another artist took over the artistic duties later on, however.......





the inside back cover of the same issue also featured the introductory appearence of this MALCOLM JUDGE vehicle. The colour-scheme of very early pages were somewhat disorientating to read, due to the colour schemes used, which were too contrasted, and before long, this strip settled into a more reader-friendly black-and-red inking format:

[Digifiend]

Ali's Baba (as the name was shortened to at some point) must've been popular, as it continued into Topper, and later appeared in The Dandy (as reprints), although the strip was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie, giving Baba a proper name but at the cost of Ali's! Of course, the original couldn't use the Green Genie name because of the lack of colour printing. I guess Dandy's version wasn't popular, because it was quickly dropped (when the comic relaunched) despite having what must be an almost 20 year archive of stories to use.

[alanultron5]

It was a pretty inventive strip and had one lovely `I. Spy` themed episode which Rab has highlighted in this thread!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

the 'FLICKER PICS' was one of the more memorable free gifts given away with SPARKY:



almost 40 years ago, a classmate,----- knowing I was a huge SPARKY fan, ---- donated the free gift, but not the comic, to me at breaktime. At dinnertime, two ruffians nicked the flickerpics off me, and fled with the booty. I got an older pupil to chase after them, where they were cornered in a churchyard: they claimed they 'chucked the free gift away', and I never saw it again. Later on however, my ma returned from the City centre with the comic and gift. Who sez schooldays were always the happiest of your life?


I FLY debuted around this time: earlier pages were the most effective, with everyday objects taking on the role of outsized props . spider was a really off-putting arch-villian, however.........




PUSS n BOOTS went through an inventive phase during this era, with more diversity served up than was often the case in the later, more formulaic excursions:

[alanultron5]

I HATED! School! Someone kindly informed me that though the face of `Sir` was never shown in the comic; the features of real-life Editor, Ian Chisolm were a loose template for the features of `Spider` and that it was a `private joke` which he only found out about years later! Hope its true!

[Digifiend]

I wonder why I Fly wasn't called Freddy the Fearless Fly, since it was obviously based on the Dandy strip.