Comics UK

It's funny how some 'facts' about comics history tend to become repeated over and over until nobody thinks to question them anymore. One such is the idea that while somebody who looked very much like Flo used to make regular appearances in Buster's strip when it was subtitled 'Son of Andy Capp', Reg Smythe's most famous creation never actually appeared himself (viz. "Andy was never seen (he was probably off down the pub), though Buster's mum looked a lot like Flo." - quoted from page 91 of Paul Gravett's excellent 'Great British Comics').

Having accepted this piece of received wisdom myself it therefore came as something of a surprise to me when I noticed the following scene while trawling through some old comics yesterday: - Phil Rushton

I've seen his Dad before as well..
4th Feb 1961
10th Sept 1960
18th June 1960

Also accurate is the position of the stairs in relation to the front door. And the picture on the wall showing Andy with a cigarette on his bottom lip is reminiscent of Smythe's style. Andy Capp's door number in the Mirror is 37. Is it shown as being that in the Buster at all?

I've STILL been unable to track down the single frame from the newspaper strip where ANDY appears without his cap; anyone on here SEEN/can scan in this rarity?

Regarding Andy in Buster, he did make a guest appearance in the mid 1990s, although never uttered a single word....from memory Buster was hunting for his Dad.

I have the edition tucked away at home - will dig it out over the weekend.

updates heading onto the Buster website this weekend include a continuation of the page by page - now working on the late 1980s!

Hiya,

The Full Strip is visible over at

http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/andycapp1.jpg and http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/andycapp2.jpg
(be patient, they're large files and may take a while to load)

but for those only interested in seeing Andy....here he is!

It's not letting us see the images

I can see the images.

Just keeps redirecting to hotlink.jpg in both Safari and Firefox

Maybe they're a bit too big.......I'll scale them down slightly and let you know when you can try them again

Andy capp and flo were in an episode of family guy last night on bbc3 has andy or any other british comic character appeared in cartoons from across the pond?

The problem with the Andy Capp in Family guy is that hes a cockney! Reg Smyth was from Hartlepool, Andy Capp is mentioned in the Simpsons a few times, homer sleeps on the couch and says 'That Andy Capp was onto something' and in another episode he laughs at one of the cartoons and sighs 'oh Andy Capp you wifebeating drunk'

or something like that

Thanks for the info steve i thought it strange andy capp being a cockney as you say he is from the northeast and i didnt know he appeared in the simpsons was andy a cockney in that or had matt groening done his homework and give him a geordie accent

Quite a few Americans seem to think that all English people speak in a Dick Van Dyke-esque version of the Cockney accent.

"Of course i live in London. EVERYBODY in the UK lives in London, we're too stupid to think of using the rest of the country" - A webcomic author (from the Essex coast), shortly after the 7/7 bombings when somebody popped up on his forum going "Give us a sign!"