Things that only ever happen (and happen a lot) in comics

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

moths fleeing from within a hard-up character's pockets.....


literal 'brainwaves' that resemble mini-lightning storms.

Direct contact between the main character and the strip artist, usually ending some sort of falling out, and the character ends up being 'rubbed out'.

Long expanses of immaculate, freshly-layed wet cement.....that doesn't stay untouched for too long.

Items clearly labelled, like: 'cheese: 'extra -pongy', crates of 'fruit [rotten']' usually conveniently situated so it can be used malevolently.

[felneymike]

Having read several Boys' Friend complete stories and 1900's Union Jacks lately... hard-up people find a long-lost relative / a close relative who has long been thought lost, and inherit a huge fortune. It happens all the time in those stories!

[colcool007]

Having read several Boys' Friend complete stories and 1900's Union Jacks lately... hard-up people find a long-lost relative / a close relative who has long been thought lost, and inherit a huge fortune. It happens all the time in those stories!

To be fair, that has long been a literary device in morality tales, where the good but poor person inherits a huge sum due to the benevolence of an elderley relative. This was sent up beautifully in Brewster's Millions.

[presterjohn]

I can't imagine kids these days being impressed by a slap up feed or even a midnight feast. When I was growing up in the 70's though it still seemed like a good reward to me. I guess we just did not have that many options back then. What did a seven year old spend his money on then other than sweets, comics, or small toys?

My favourite images were of Christmas puddings that were always round with icing on top and a sprig of holly. I also fondly remember drawings of fish and chips that always had the chips placed around the fish fan like.

[Lew Stringer]

My favourite images were of Christmas puddings that were always round with icing on top and a sprig of holly.

We still draw them like that today.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Ah! But I Doubt if today's 'Health and Safety'-----er, guardians, would allow traditional flaming christmas puds, or the insertion of coins [used to be sixpences when I was a lad] into the Crimbo pud-mix in the 21st Century Dandy, Lew!

[Niblet]

Another thing that only ever happens in comics - in cold weather, people eating peppermints to keep warm, or using their pepperminty breath to melt something. Eh? What's that about?

[stevezodiac]

I have been watching my Little Rascals dvd box set this week and in one short the kids are in an orphanage with the usual evil governess. She gave them all a spoonful of Castor Oil which I have only ever seen in comics. Has anyone tasted Castor Oil and could you describe the taste? Another thing from the Little Rascals - the double-take shake of the head and open mouthed stare. In one Spanky tells Porky to keep quite and Porky pokes his tongue out at him - cue double take from Spanky - it makes me laugh just thinking about it.

[steelclaw]

Has anyone tasted Castor Oil and could you describe the taste?

Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean and apparently as no odor or taste.

[Niblet]

A script idea that has been used a number of times...

Hero/Antihero (Dennis, Minnie etc) being told by Dad to redecorate their bedroom with flowery wallpaper. Said character is reluctant to embark on the project, and much paste-based hilarity ensues. Eventually character emerges, beaming, from bedroom and Dad looks in to find...yes, they've wallpapered their room with copies of The Beano.

Did anyone ever do that in real life? I'd imagine the paste would make the strip from the other side of the page show through.

[Raven]

I'd imagine the paste would make the strip from the other side of the page show through.

In other words, it would be like reading Knockout (where you had to decipher the story you were reading from the one showing through from the next page).

[stevezodiac]

During the days of punk rock I had a UK Subs album on clear vinyl and if I tried to move the needle to another track I found I was putting the stylus down in the wrong place because I could see the tracks from the other side.

[felneymike]

I could have gone to see them in Lincoln once, in a very narrow pub without an obvious "stage" area, no idea how that was worked!

In 20's/30's issue of Union Jack somebody wrote in saying that had wallpapered a small room with old UJ covers (the secret of what happened to the covers of all those issues bound without them revealed!). But then again those just had one bold picture on the front.

[Niblet]

I'd imagine the paste would make the strip from the other side of the page show through.

In other words, it would be like reading Knockout (where you had to decipher the story you were reading from the one showing through from the next page).

I've never heard of this, but I think I understand what you mean - you held the page up to the light to see what was on the other side, which supplied the missing part of some text or a picture on the page facing you. Was this just in a part of the page? I can't imagine two whole pages being printed incomplete. Also, how successful was it, technically? Comics sometimes have problems aligning colour images on the same page, let alone trying to align images on back-to-back pages!

[Raven]

I've never heard of this, but I think I understand what you mean - you held the page up to the light to see what was on the other side, which supplied the missing part of some text or a picture on the page facing you. Was this just in a part of the page? I can't imagine two whole pages being printed incomplete. Also, how successful was it, technically? Comics sometimes have problems aligning colour images on the same page, let alone trying to align images on back-to-back pages!

No, it wasn't on purpose! It's just that Knockout strips each had one strong colour and the paper it was printed on was so thin and cheap, the story's colours on the next page often accidentally 'bled' through obscuring the strips a little.