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| Copyright REBELLION |
In answer to thousands of requests (okay, would you believe one or two?), here's another random couple of anarchic KEN REID FRANKIE STEIN strips from WHAM! #s 19 & 23, published back in the faraway days of 1964. When I look at Ken's artwork, as well as being wonderfully drawn, it's also just funny to behold - humour springs from every panel. Unlike some of the artwork in a desperately and despairingly doomed comic which died on its 75th birthday last year, it's a masterclass in how to do comics right. Would-be cartoonists take note!
20 comments:
I love the detail going into that old man in the second strip!
Ken certainly never stinted on detail, that's for sure. He was at the top of his game in those Frankie strips.
Awesome!!! I never tire of looking at Ken Reid's work from the mid sixties - as you say; at the top of his game.
I know Frankie did not appear in every Wham! from his debut in issue 4 to his demise (until revived by Robert Nixon) in issue 166, I think; but when he did he wasn't always drawn by Ken Reid. Such perfectionism took its toll on his health I believe. Kid, would you know who any of the artists that filled in for him were? Just for the trivia buffs and historians.
The artist who usually filled in for him on Frankie was the same one who later drew The Spooks of St. Luke's in Thunder, but I can't think of his name, or, indeed, if I ever knew it. I'll try and get back to you on that. Frank McDiarmid, I think, sometimes filled in for him on Faceache, but I'll have to double-check, not having an issue to hand.
By way of reply to PhilSee’s comment, Ken’s last Frankie Stein was indeed in WHAM! issue 166 but until then he was only filled in for by one artist, who didn’t even pretend he was ghosting Ken because I’m sure he realised he was no match for the master. I don’t know his name either but he stepped in for Ken in WHAM! issues 89 – 108 and then in issue 118. I think the same artist drew Frankie Stein in Wham! annuals 1968, 69, 70 and 71.
WHAM! issues 89-108 was the period when Frankie Stein was at Madam McAbre’s Academy for Frustrated Freaks where there was no Micky or Prof. Cube, only a crowd of really weird creatures. One can only imagine how excellent those sets would have been, had Ken been able to work then…
Frank McDiarmid did indeed ghost Ken Reid on Big Head and Thick Head in the Dandy and later on Faceache in Buster. He was Ken’s best copyist IMHO.
Frank McDiarmid did fill in on Faceache on occasion, and I hate to say it but he didn't do such a great job. A lot of the 'scrunges' looked more like doodles than flesh and blood monsters.
Thanks, Irmantas. I knew about Big Head & Thick Head because I've posted some examples, but I was focussing on the Odhams/IPC/Fleetway strips. McDiarmid seemed to follow Reid pretty closely on the DCT stuff, but I got the impression he wasn't trying as hard to be faithful on the Faceache strip, beyond a basic nod in its direction. As you pointed out in your comment, Mr Straightman, his Faceache work was pretty weak. However, it's all-too apparent that no one could really 'do' Reid as well as the man himself.
Wonderful stuff thank you for showing these (not seen either strip before) It realy was sad that the fill in strips were of such poor quality in Wham!as Reids version has to be one of UK comics high points - Does anyone know if he did indeed do a strip for 2000ad called "Dummy" and if any of these saw the light of day? McScotty
First I've heard of that Reid strip, McScotty. Perhaps some other readers can help.
Thank you Irmantas for the info - complete with issue numbers! I have seen one installment from the Scottish episodes posted online, involving the Loch Ness Monster and a lumber yard (!); it's not bad but it's not Mr. Reid, I too would love to have seen how he handled such an assortment of weird characters. I have been trying to compile a mini history of some of the UK comics, especially Wham!, a bit of a who did what in which issue (love a good list) - Ken Reid is easy to tell but Baxendale less so - I know that the signature is a given for the genuine article but if some other strips are ghosted then they do a close impression. Did he always sign? Also read that there was one of Ken Reid's faceache pages deemed too gruesome to publish at the time, only seeing the light of day years later - anyone have a link to an online posting (it must have surfaced online!) Thanks.
Phil, it was Dare-a-day Davy from Wham! or Pow! who had an episode pulled because it was thought to be too gruesome for young readers. Davy was dared to resurrect Frankenstein. You can see it here: http://www.savoy.abel.co.uk/HTML/picts2.html
On the question of whether Baxendale always signed, that's a difficult one. Even if he did, some editors may have whited out his signature, which is what happened with some of Ken Reid's strips. I have a feeling that he didn't always 'though, later on.
Kid - thanks for the link, and the correction - this is why I am researching this stuff - to fill in big gaps in my knowledge! I have been enjoying reading the American Comic Book Chronicles (1960-64 volume)from TwoMorrows and kinda wish something similar was put together to cover the UK comic history. Who knows, if we wait long enough...
My pleasure. Although there's always a chance that a Faceache page was also pulled for the same reason. Who knows?
I think TwoMorrows published a book an U.K. comics. True Brit, it might've been called. I've got it, but it's not to hand.
Always such mischievous fun in Ken Reid's work! I don't see much of any contemporary comics these days (there probably aren't many left?). Of the more 'recent' artists I *have* seen, for me only Mike Pearse really has the ability to transcend the age of the reader and instantly stimulate the funny bone like KR and Leo Baxendale.
Dare-A-Day Davy was in Pow! As for the Frankie Stein eposide with the Loch Ness monster that PhilSee remembers seeing online, it was in WHAM no. 84 and was illustrated by Ken Reid, there is no doubt about it :)
I was pretty sure that Davy was in Pow!, Irmantas, which was what I first typed. However, the site which supplies the link says it was Wham!, so I thought I'd cover both options rather than dig out my back issues.
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Ric, was it Mike Pearse who drew the new Jonah strips a few years back? If so, yes, he's really good.
Re the "Dummy" strip (that was the title of the strip ) it was supposed to be in 2000AD (I think it was reported in an issue of "Escape" or "Comics World" I will try to look it out) the premise was it was about the last man on earth left alive after an atomic strike, he was mutated and each week he tried to find ways to kill himself but his mutated body would save him at the last minute (by turning his body into a propeller (for example) and fly him to safety etc) - I have never heard anything about this apart from this review (and it was from someone high up at 2000AD (seemingly they shelved the strip as it was to controversial at the time but a few strip were produced ) McScotty
McScotty, that rings a bell now that you describe the premise, although I don't associate it with 2000 A.D. Could it have possibly been for one of the Odhams comics, like Pow!? (I'd expect it was Gil Page, perhaps, in the interview you mention.) Another man who would know is Pat Mills, and there's a link to his site in my blog list. Why not pop over and ask him?
Kid, if you mean Jonah in the Dandy of the mid-nineties, I am told the artist was Keith Robson.
Ah, might've known it would be a Robson behind such good art - it's genetic. (No, we're not directly related, but I thought I'd bathe in some reflected glory anyway.)
Thanks both. (And all.)
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