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It looks a little dated now, and it's difficult to believe it was released in the same week as TV Century 21 (even sharing the same cover-date, except for the latter being dated 2065, not 1965), but Sparky lasted for 12 years as its own comic (compared to the former's 6 year period before it was merged into Valiant in 1971) so it can be rightly considered the more successful of the two titles, at least as far as longevity goes. (Though I doubt it sold as many weekly copies as its rival, but I couldn't say for sure.)
It's unlikely it would ever be published in today's woke age, given the fact that the 'star' of the comic was a little native black boy, even though he was treated with respect and always usually came out on top of whatever situation he was in. Sure, he's a caricature, but anyone who's ever seen an issue of National Geographic knows that such natives existed - and probably still do. (*See photo at foot of post.) To my way of thinking, unless he was being portrayed in a negative light (which he never was), he's no more offensive a character than Fred Flintstone is as a cartoon representative of a white man.
Your opinion may differ, and that's fine - I'm not here to try and convince you otherwise. No, my purpose here today is to pull back time's curtain and show you the complete contents of the very first issue of a comic that is still highly regarded in the memories of former readers who collected it avidly every week. The early issues didn't really hint at the promise of the title it eventually developed into, but it's no less historically important for that little fact, so enjoy the very first issue of the late, lamented Sparky - and then leave a comment if you'd be so kind.
(Click on images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.)
Oops! I don't know how, but I inadvertently omitted the Minnie Ha-Ha page and only just noticed. It was waiting patiently in my file so I've now added it.
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*Below, plucked from the Internet, Wadaabe males - related to Sparky perhaps? They're taking part in some tribal ceremony wherein they wear full makeup and their finest clothes in a traditional mating ritual to attract female partners. (Full makeup, eh? That may just be giving off the wrong signals to the wrong gender. They look happy enough with each other.)
34 comments:
Fascinating! I wonder if the Keyhole Kate strip was repeated material that appeared in the Dandy?
As for Sparky himself, It's hard to believe that the character appeared in the mid 60's.
I thought Sparky's appearance here makes him pretty clever, just like similar juvenile humor strips I grew up with.
But what's the antenna-looking thing on his head?
The ad for No.2 says "Order Sparky right away - it will keep you bright and gay" which certainly sounds dated!
That I'm not sure about, T47, though when Peter Piper started appearing in Sparky, it was new strips, I believe, as he had originally been drawn by D.D. Watkins in Magic. As for Sparky's inclusion, just like with The Beano's Peanut, perhaps it was an early attempt at inclusivity and diversity?
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I'd agree with you, GP, but I suppose some people are determined to see cause for offence where none was ever intended. The thing on his head? I'm not sure whether that's some kind of tribal head-dress or his hair with a covering over the end.
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Yeah, CJ, I wonder when the word was appropriated for its current definition. I don't wonder enough to look it up though.
Grew up with the Sparky and loved its. My favourite strip was from the early 70's when aliens, I'll think, inadvertently shrank a family and the following weeks featuring their miniature adventures. It sounds vague and uninteresting but I liked it. Hope you are well Kid and keep up utterly good work.
I didn't buy it every week, usually restricting myself to free gift issues, but it was a great comic in the lives of many readers during its 12 year run. I now wish I'd bought more. I only have a handful of issues in my collection, but as you can see, it includes the first issue. Is that Triple F, or possibly NB? Keep up the utterly good comments.
All the artwork in Sparky's early years was original although past strips may have been plundered for their script content. Keyhole Kate and Hungry Horace, originally drawn by Allan Morley for Dandy were here drawn by George Drysdale.
Thanks for the info, RM. I suspected Keyhole Kate was newly drawn as I have a dim memory of her attire looking much more dated during her Dandy Years.
Incidentally, Crivs, Ray is a well-respected writer and co-writer of a number of books about UK comics and is, as far as I know, making his debut as a commenter on Crivens today. His presence and knowledge are most welcome.
Thanks for the kind words Kid. They are much appreciated.
And also much deserved, Ray. Cheers.
Sparky debuted a few years before I did so the first time I was aware of it was when it merged with The Topper, my first regular comic. Of the strips above, only Hungry Horace survived to and beyond the merger, Horace looking very different to his original incarnation. I was never really struck by the Sparky characters who appeared in The Topper however I did like the idea of a comic inside a comic. I don't think any Topper characters were sidelined due to the merger as they previously had another pull-out comic looking back at older issues, if memory serves. I was probably annoyed when that began as it would displace Nick Kelly from the centre pages in colour.
I can't recall whether I ever actually bought a combined issue of Topper and Sparky, M, and I think it was years later before I realised that Sparky was no longer around as an individual comic. Funny thing is, it felt like its 12 year span was forever, whereas it's 47 year absence seems nowhere near as long.
Although I bought ( or was bought) a few of the early Sparky comics it always seemed to be aimed a very young readers. Even although I was only 5 years old at the time those early issues never appealed to me, that was until around 1968/69 when it became a bit more anarchic( similar to the Beano) with the introduction of strips like the Sparky People, I Spy, Spoofer McGraw and the excellent Puss n Boots.
Well, it probably WAS aimed at very young readers, McS. In fact, most of the contents may've been held on standby for just such an occasion as a new comic from a rival publisher. When DCT learned of plans for City Magazines to launch TV21, they maybe rushed-released Sparky to steal some of its thunder. Unlikely? Maybe not as much as some would think.
I meant to say in my earlier post (although forgot - the hazards of typing replies on a mobile phone) that I thought the cover was awful. More like an advert flyer for a new comic rather than that all-important attention-grabbing cover. It looks like it was put together at the last minute. Having said that, it wouldn't have stopped me buying it at the time, had I been around. I always bought the first 3 issues of a new comic.
Every kid in the land would've been asking their mother to buy 'that new comic', M, and mothers aren't known for paying too much attention to the specifics of their kids' requests. So when mum saw a brand-new comic proudly declaring itself as such staring up from the newsagent's counter, that's the one she'd have bought. I suspect the comic was put together in a hurry to deflect the impact of TV21, but I also think DCT knew what they were doing, rushed or not.
I loved the early years of sparky. Wasn't so keen on the era of Barney bulldog and L cars . I still have a few of the annuals but none of the comics. I remember Invisible Dick and have a DcThomson published novel by frank topham about the character. By the way I have books by Ray Moore about beano dandy topper beezer and buster. All brilliant. Wish there was one about sparky
Well, if there isn't one, you've given Ray an idea for his next index, AL. I've had the 2nd Sparky Annual (1968) for decades now, and tonight I bought the first on eBay. As for Invisible Dick, that would describe mine as I can't see it over my pot belly any more. Back to the sit-ups when I have some energy.
Are you going to show the covers of your Sparky annuals, Kid?
If I remember rightly, I only have 3 at the moment, which will be 4 when the 1967 one arrives. I'll show them then.
Kid, that anonymous comment was me - don't know why it showed as anonymous.
Actually, I thought it might've been you, CJ, but wasn't 100% sure.
Sparky was racist though you must admit. Old fashioned stereotype ugly caricature in tribal dress on a modern British street pandering to racist ideas of black people. Shameful.
No, he was a cartoon representation of a specific type of tribal native, who followed The Beano's Peanut character as an early example of diversity and inclusivity - even if that last part is a retroactive analysis. Or are you telling me that Keyhole Kate was a good-looking, positive representation of nosey females? Or that Hungry Horace was a positive portrayal of someone who was a bit overweight and had a keen appetite? The word to remember here is - humour. Try developing a sense of it.
I don't know what they taught you at school but Black people never dressed like that in Britain. Its the way racists think they look like. End of!!
Yes, it's the end of your 'stir-it-up' nonsense. Are you saying the editors of The Sparky were racists? Of course they weren't. To dress Sparky like a UK schoolboy would have diminished his individuality and uniqueness as a comic character. You'll be saying next that The Three Bears in The Beano presented an unrealistic image of bears, as they wore clothes, spoke English, and looked daft so the editors must've been 'bigots'. There's a big difference between what happens in reality and what occurs in a comic in order to raise a laugh.
Sparky was never mocked or ridiculed for how he looked (just accepted for who he was), always came out on top, and readers laughed WITH him and not AT him. In my book, that's pretty positive, not racist. Now, you've had your fun (a straining at gnats and swallowing camels kind of fun though it was), so kindly go and haunt a churchyard.
All the Sparky covers are here Kid. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/sparky-140/4000-866737/
Ta, S, I'm sure that Sparky fan-Crivs will find them interesting. Having now had a look, I see that Sparky sometimes 'came a cropper', but this was just to meet the demands of the situation for comedic effect, not because he was a native black boy from a far continent. All DCT characters sometimes ended up with egg on their faces, regardless of who they were.
There was a Sparky File created by a guy called Alan Smith which I supported by giving details of artists etc. Sadly it has never been made available in book form. So just in case some Crivvites are interested in the names o the artists who contributed to Sparky No 1 here they are
Joe Bann - Bob Webster
Keyhole Kate - George Drysdale
The Young Castaways - Tony Speer
Jeff ye jolly jester - Bob Webster
Hockey Hannah- Andy Tew
Wee Tusky - Jack Monk
Hungry Horace - George Drysdale
Dreamy Dave & Dozy Dora - Pam Chapeau
The Kidnapped Kidds - Dave Ogilvy
The Palace of Secrets - Jack Rawlins
Nosry Parker - Bill Hill
Flubberface - Bob Webster
Freddy the Fearless Fly - Albert Holroyd
Dick Tupentine - Alan Gibson
Stone age Steve - Graham Millar
Hairy Dan - Alan Gibson
Sparky - Ron Spencer
The woke agenda has spoiled everyones fun. Little Plum Our Redskin Chum was stopped as well. Are comics even comical anymore?
Thanks for all that info, Ray, it's good to know who drew what. Was Alan Smith the guy who was editor of the IPC war pocket libraries by any chance? I have a notion it was either Alan Smith or Brian Smith, but I just can't remember. Thanks again. Oh, incidentally, if you'd like to do a guest post on Crivens, just say the word. (Time this blog had a little class.) Or even advertise your indices or whatever. Cheers.
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The woke thing mystifies me, S, as it's not consistent in my view. For example, I see some ethnic minority pupils have been added to The Bash Street Kids, but characters like Peanut, Little Plum, and Sparky were surely the forerunners of diversity and inclusivity - even if they weren't introduced for that reason. I don't see them as racist, because to me, racism is when the intention is to be abusive, negative, cruel, or designed to ridicule and diminish a particular 'race' of people, and Peanut, Plum, and Sparky were treated like every other character. Nowadays, it would be claimed to be racist not to include such characters, yet Peanut was The Beano's mascot, and Plum and Sparky had their very own strips. What's racist about that?
Hi Kid,. The Sparky Alan Smith has no connection to IPC. He's just a guy who decided to turn his love of Sparky comic into a history of the same.
Thanks for the kind offer of doing a guest post. I'll certainly consider it.
Thanks for that, RM. Of course, given my failing memory, it's always possible I'm misremembering the IPC guy's name anyway and that it's something else completely. And a guest post spot is yours should you ever decide you want one. Cheers.
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