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Having shown you the DUDLEY D. WATKINS page from ALLY SLOPER #1, I thought I might as well show you some of the rest of the ish, including artwork by FRANK BELLAMY and HUNT EMERSON. The mag was the brainchild of the late DENIS GIFFORD, collector and comics historian, and creator of LOOKS FAMILIAR, a well-known TV show of the '70s. (There was also a radio version of the programme called SOUNDS FAMILIAR.)
Denis was a cartoonist himself, The DANDY's PANSY POTTER (who popped up again in The SPARKY in the 1960s) being one of various strips he drew at the start of his career, and also STEADFAST McSTAUNCH for KNOCKOUT (the 1939-'63 version) and later, WHIZZER & CHIPS. (Same name, but the character was a dog in the former comic and a human in the latter.)
It's somewhat ironic that this debut issue featured not only Watkin's first strip, but also Bellamy's last. Sadly, the mag only survived for four issues, but if you'd like to see some pages from the other three, be sure to let me know in the comments section - even if you don't get a £1 or a t-shirt for being published.
I seem to remember reading about Denis Gifford having a nasty fall at home because the stairs were covered in comics. I wonder what he'd think of the modern-day Beano?
ReplyDeleteI doubt he'd be impressed by all the fart jokes for a start, Lee. And I'd be surprised if he wasn't underwhelmed by some of the artwork.
ReplyDeleteThey don't put fart jokes in the Beano, do they? Whatever next? Fat Slags? Yes please, Kid, I would like to see the other 3 issues.
ReplyDeleteBeano's full of fart jokes these days, JP. Hardly what you'd call sophisticated humour. And believe it or not, it did sometimes indulge in more subtle chuckles in days gone by.
ReplyDeletePutting 'adult' humour (i.e. fart / snot / poo jokes) in children's comics does NOT make them more grown-up. It makes them more childish.
ReplyDeleteKid, I've got to ask, are your new Anonymous security measures also keeping out regular valuable contributors like McScotty? If so, it will have a detrimental effect on the communal feel your blog has grown to achieve ( like a bunch of mates all getting together ). I will miss their contributions, I don't know what you have had to endure from the hate campaign, but I see it as a victory for them if we can no longer see what our regulars have to say. Is there any other way of dealing with the cyber-stalkers, without denying decent folk their right to make an anonymous comment?
ReplyDeleteI was bidding on some of these Ally Sloper magazines on eBay earlier this year, and lost - so it's nice to see what I've missed.
ReplyDeleteThose Hunt Emerson pages are fantastic!
Exactly, Lee. It's not 'sophisticated' humour - something which The Beano did actually achieve on occasion with certain Dennis strips back in the '50s from time to time.
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Don't worry, JP, McScotty's still contributing his valued comments. And if any other semi-regular commenters really want to add their voice, I'm sure they won't mind opening a Google account to do so. It's a small price to pay for keeping out the riff-raff.
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These are the actual copies I bought back in the '70s, THB - still in perfect condition. Stay tuned for more of the same in the not too distant future.