Sunday, November 18, 2012

Steve Beckett's Whizzer and Chips

Here are two recent sketches by Dandy artist Steve Beckett, one of Sid and Slippy and one of Shiner! The characters live on!






Footsie the Clown in Chips

From 28th January 1978
Footsie the Clown is a well-known character who appeared in full colour on the back page of Wham! in the mid 60's. But did you know he also appeared in Whizzer and Chips in the 1970's?

Originally he appeared in black and white and the strip just looked out of place in the comic, the lines were so much thinner than other strips. It did look a bit better when blue was added (blue because he was in the Chips section), but for some reason the character never really seemed to fit in.

From 4th Feburary 1978
In Denis Gifford's Catalouge of Comic Characters, he states that Footsie only appeared in Whizzer and Chips in 1975, however both the above examples are from 1978.


Friday, November 2, 2012

Issue No. 3 - 1st November 1969


Date: 1st November 1969

Price: 6D

Free Gift: Super Full-Colour Guy Fawkes Mask



This issue is important because it is the first fireworks issue. A general review of the comic can be found here: 
http://www.wackycomics.com/2012/11/fireworks-fun-with-whizzer-and-chips.html

Contents:

Pg. 1 - Sid's Snake - Mike Lacey, Full Page, Full Colour
Sid is going to charm Slippy because he believes he'll be afraid of all the bangs of the fireworks, but what Slippy really can't stand is the music from Sid's snake charming pipe! So Slippy slithers away, and Sid mistakes him for a Jumping Jack, followed by a Catherine Wheel. Whilst warning his friends to look out for his fearsome snake a prankster puts a banger in his pipe - destroying it! Sid returns home, assuming Slippy is hiding somewhere, scared stiff from the fireworks, only to discover he is lying in his bed - fast asleep! And he can't play any music because his pipe is destroyed!

Number of Panels: 9



Pg. 2 - Message from The Editor, and a message from a raider from Chips!
The first appearence of Nipper.

Pg. 2 - Nipper - Terry Bave, Half Page, Black and White
Stand By For Laughs From This Merry Maker!
Nipper throws a stick for his dog to fetch, but after ten minutes he is wondering why it is taking him so long. When the dog returns, he comes back not with the stick but the a policeman's truncheon - with the policeman still holding it!

Nunber of Panels: 5

Pg. 3 - Me and My Shadow - Terry Bave, Full Page, Black and White
A Box Of Fireworks Puts The Lid On The Shadow's Antics!
Shadow runs off with Smudger's fireworks, with intentions to use them the following day when everybody elses have gone! He runs into the shed, and a few minutes later, walks back out with them. Smudger runs and grabs the box off him, but when he opens it that evening he discovers that it is just nuts and bolts - shadow had been playing a prank! The actual fireworks had been locked up in the old trunk, and only shadow had the key! Fortunatly, the trunk had been put on the bonfire, so they could enjoy the fireworks after all!

Number of Panels: 11
Art by Stan McMurty.
Pg. 4 - Odd-Ball - Stan McMurty, Full Page, Black, White and Red.
A Crafty Bully Tries To Get Ahead By Using Odd-Ball!
Nobby and Odd Ball are looking forwards to using their fireworks but a bull steals Odd Ball to use as a head for a guy. When asking for a penny for the guy Odd Ball sticks his tounge out at the lady and she gives the bully nothing! A bit cinfusedm the pully throws the guy onto the bonfire and puts his biggest banger in its mouth - but Odd-Ball starts to eat it, and then chases the bully. When the banger explodes, he opens his mouth and all the sparks go over the bully! Nobby and Odd Ball are left to enjoy their fireworks in peace!

Number of Panels: 12

Pg. 5 - Little Saver - Terry Bave, Full Page, Black and White
Susie Has The Best Dressed Guy In Town - And No Wonder!
Susie has fireworks, but the other kids want to set them off early! After they give up the chase, they decide to go home and get some old clothes for their guys, but none of their mums have any - Susie has been collecting them all! They all march round to Susies house in demand for some, and they can have them - on two conditions. One - they promise not to throw bangers at her again and two, they all bring their guys to her house for a big fireworks party!

Number of Panels: 17

Pg. 6 - Kings of The Castle - Mike Western, Full Page, Black and White
Pg. 7 - Kings of The Castle (cont.) - Mike Western, Full Page, Black and White
Sword In Hand, The Kilted Figure Advanced!
After investigating a noise, Scrapper is grabbed my a mysterious arm and faces a man in a kilt, who is the sworn protector of the castle! He threatens the family to leave, and when Scrapper runs to tell everybody they come and investigate - and discover a secret passage! At the end they see the man in the kilt - who pulls a lever to open up a trapdoor below!

Number of Panels: 15

Pg. 8 - Give a Dog a Bone - Graham Allen, Full Page, Black, White and Red
Our Pooch Digs Up A Live Bomb... To Keep The Fun Ticking Over!
Whilst trying to bury his bone Pooch comes across a live bomb, which he tosses away! A policeman quickly discovers it and radios the local authority! They soon move in to see if it is still active, but pooch thinks they are after his bone! He chases them away, and just as they are at a safe distance the bomb explodes, leaving a giant crater for Pooch to bury his bone at last!

Number of Panels: 13

INTO CHIPS SECTION 


Pg. 9 - Shiner - Mike Lacey, Full Page, Full Colour

After getting a black eye whilst trying to protect his bonfire, Shiner is worried that he won't be getting any fireworks! So before going home he buys a mask of a martian, which scares his mum so much she faints! When she comes round she sees Shiner with his black eye, and is proud of him - thinking he had to fight off the martian! 

Number of Panels: 9

Pg. 10 - Space School - Mike Higgs, Full Page, Black and White
Thanks To The Boys, Some Rivals See Stars On The Moon
The Moon Crater Gang challenge Space School to a fight, so the kids persuade Teacher to take them to the moon to study moon dust. When there they sneak off, defeat the Moon Crater Gang and return to teacher just before they leave - without him even noticing!

Number of Panels: 14

Pg. 11 - Batty Bat - Reg Parlett, 1/3 Page (Vertically, shared with Angel Face and Dare Devil), Black and White
A Twin Line-Up Of Laughter Raisers! Eyes Down For Fun!
Batty Bat is once again looking for somewhere to sleep, and flies into the underground train station and onto a tube. When hanging upside down on a handrail, a man turns round and says "I say, Old Chap! Do you mind not looking over my shoulder and reading my newspaper!"

Number of Panels: 4

Pg. 11 - Angel Face and Dare Devil - Mike Lacey, 2/3 page (vertically, shared with Batty Bat), Black and White
A Twin Line-Up Of Laughter Raisers! Eyes Down For Fun!
Our (still) unnamed lad has a bunch of dry wood for a bonfire, and is deciding where to light it! Sudden;y, Angel Face and Dare Devil pop up! Dare Devil suggests setting it up and the school and burning it down, but Angel face says that the teachers will just come to him! Dare Devil then suggests outside an ice-cream factory so that all the ice-cream will melt and he can have it! But once again Angel Face says it wont benefit him when he is frozen and the factory owners get hold of him. Meanwhile, during all the arguing it starts raining and the wood gets soaked - meaning he'll never be able to use it for a bonfire!

Number of Panels: 8


Pg. 12 - Puddin' Tops - Terry Bave, Half Page, Black, White and Red
The Kids Clothe Their Guy... But Dad Won't Wear It!
When the latest issue of Whizzer and Chips is posted through their door, they decide to use the free gift mask and build a guy - using random clothes they find. Unfortunatly, their Dad's best clothes - and he isn't happy!

Number of Panels: 6

Pg. 12 - Karate Kid - Terry Bave, Half Page, Black, White and Red
Karate Kid Earns A Big Hand For His Chip-Chop Work!
Lots of kids are bringing old wood and furniture to Karate Kid for him to chop up. He gets confused as to why so many people are coming - then he realises he's been invited to a bonfire - with all the wood he chopped up!

Number of Panels: 9

Pg. 13 - Ginger's Tum - Terry Bave, Full Page, Black and White
Ginger Fails To Get Ahead Despite His Natty Hat!
Ginger heads to the fireworks display - but only for the food! However, when he gets there  he approaches the wrong type of Banger - the fireworks themselves! He decides to wear some protective gear until he gets to the barbecue and so wears an old pan on his head. Unfortunatly, it won't come off an he has to sit there listening to others eat everything!

Number of Panels: 12

Pg. 14 - Parker the Parky - Terry Bave, Full Page, Black and White
Parker's Plan Goes Sky-High Today - And That's Not All, Either!
Parker doesn't want the kids building a bonfire or and blowing off fireworks in his park - so he confinscates them all and hides them in a hollow tree. When a man is walking past smoking his pipe, he throws the match into the tree and all the fireworks go off at once - and one of the trees hits Parker on the head, making him enjoy the fireworks in the end!

Number of Panels: 13

Pg. 15 - Harry's Haunted House - Reg Parlett, Full Page, Black and White
Harry Dampens The Enthusiasm Of A Would-Be House Buyer!
An intrested buyer of Harrys house is looking round, but Harry isn't intrested in selling. He tries to scare them off by floating through the wall, but they mistaken it for fungus and spray it with a solution! He then goes into the roof and drills a hole in the water tank and pipes, soaking the house whilst the man runs out! unfortunatly, the house continues to flood, and Harry needs a plumber urgently!

Pg. 16 - The Space Accident - Ron Tyrner, Full Page, Black, White and Red
Pg.17 - The Space Accident (cont.) - Ron Tyrner, Full Page, Black, White and Red
The Boys Made A Desperate Dash For Freedom
After the boys and policemen found nothing at the site - they decided to run for it thinking they'd be put in prison for wasitng police time! The police decide to go to their homes and wait for them to show up, but instead they hide under the bridge. They then see some fish, and when David points at it, something zaps from his finger and the fish turns into a giant. They run over the bridge but the fish breaks it in half seperating the two boys. They try to reach out for eachother, but can't quite reach!

Number of Panels: 15


Pg. 18 - Hetty's Horoscope - Terry Bave, Full Page, Black and White
Hetty Cashes-In On A Case Of Mistaken Identity!
Hetty goes into the newsagent to get herself a copy of Whizzer and Chips so she can use the mask on her guy, but when she comes out she takes the wrong person with her - taking a REAL old man by mistake! Still thinking it was her guy, she sells it to some kids who soon discover it to be a real man, and they want their money back!

Number of Panels: 12

Pg. 19 - Wear 'Em Out Wild - Mike Lacey, Full Page, Black and White
Mum's Well And Truly Floored By Her Lad's Antics!
Wilf has no money as he had to spend it all on worn out clothes, so he runs home to see if he can earn some cash doing odd jobs for his mum! But he runs in on her newly polished floor, leaving muddy footprints everywhere! He is left to clean it up when she is gone, and he overdoes it a bit by the door. When she stands there, she falls through the floor and into Wilf's cart. When he is wheeling her to the doctor people think she is a really realistic guy, and Wilf returns with a small fortune!

Number of Panels: 12

Pg. 20 - The Spectacular Adventures of Willie Bunk - Frank McDiarmid, Full Page, Black and White
Pg. 21 - The Spectacular Adventures of Willie Bunk (cont.) - Frank McDiarmid, Full Page, Black, White and Red
Willie Bunk Took To His Heels... But Still His Rivals Closed In!
Willie is off to Sammy's house to look after him when his mum is gone, and decides to take some of his fireworks along to show him. However, on the way he is chased by some bullies who want the bangers. They chase him into a garden and he hides up a washing line. He puts on his magic specs and suddenly sees himself upon a french ship, and the sheets are the sails. He releases the sail which plunges on the bullies, and makes his getaway on a lifeboat (actually a cartie), and lands ashore right on Billy's doorstep!

Number of Panels: 20

Pg. 22 - Aqua Lad - Terry Bave, Full page, Black and White
Mischievous Aqua Lad gets A Rocket For His Pranks Today!
Aqua Lad is scaring all the fish with his fireworks, but one of the rockets he fires at them is a dud, so they fire it back! It lands perfectly in his box of fireworks, and they all explode at once, breaking off part of the cliff - the bit with him on it! Once he's in the water all the fish try and get revenge!

Number of panels: 12

Pg. 23 - Steadfast McStaunch - Denis Gifford, Full Page, Black and White
Here's A Pal Who Will Know All The Answers... With Your Help!
Steadfast McStaunch has to once again battle various puzzles to get to the Wicked Witch - using the readers help! But he's smarter than the witch though, and manages to pass them all!

This page also revealed the name of the Chip-ite on the Editor's letter page in Whizzer:


Number of Panels: 10

Pg. 24 - Hot Rod - Alf Saparito, Full Page, Full Colour
Can You Picture Hot Rod As An Artist? Just Watch, Pals!
The King has offered the princess to any knight who can get rid of Hot Rod, and they are all trying to get her! Even Hot Rod knows he can't defeat all the knights coming towards him, so he grabs a bit of burnt tree and draws on the princess' picture, making her look ugly and old!

Number of Panels: 11

BACK INTO WHIZZER SECTION

Pg. 25 - The Mummy's Curse - Reg Parlett, Full Page, Black, White and Red
Abdul Has A Plan - But He's Too Tied Up To Accomplish It!
Abdul has a plan to escape the Mummy, and he tricks him by pretending Professor Potts is hiding in an empty coffin! When the Mummy walks in he hammers a nail into the door - to trap the mummy forever! But instead of hitting a nail, he whacks his thumb. The mummy offers to wrap them up in a bandage, and instead completely wraps him up, and then continues to follow the professor!

Number of Panels: 12

Pg. 26 - The "Stealer" - Tom Kerr, Full Page, Black and White
Pg. 27 - The "Stealer" (cont.) - Tom Kerr, Full Page, Black and White
Another Masterpiece From The Misguided Genius Professor Clueless!
The reason the Professor's space flight crashed was because his Gyro-Compass went wrong, and he need's Arty to "borrow" one from the air base. In order to steal one, he gives Arty an anti-gravity device. But, whilst in mid-air he discovers that it can only last a few minutes, and he crash lands in the pond in the local park!

Number of Panels: 15

Pg. 28 - Fred's Family Tree - Artist Unknown, Full Page, Black and White
Fred's Guy Fawkes Ancestor Proves An Explosive Character!
The council are going to blow up Fred's family tree overnight, but Fred spots them loading the gunpowder. He climbs up the tree to warn his ancestors, and comes down with Guy Fawkes. They trip up the council workers, knocking themselves unconcious, and run away with the gunpowder. Guy Fawkes of course wanted to blow them up - so they destroy the council buildings! The two men assigned to get rid of the tree get the blame!

Number of Panels: 12

Pg. 29 - Slowcoach - Mike Lacey, Full Page, Black, White and Red
A Firework Takes Slowcoach For A Trip To Remember!
Slowcoach's mum says that Slowcoach would need a rocket behind him to get to school on time. He takes this seriously, and heads to the fireworks shop. He can't get a rocket, but he does manage to (somehow) get the world's largest catherine wheel, which he lights to get to school! Unfortunatly, he crashes into a wall and it turns into a Jumping Jack, and he then crashes into a water barrel. Thinking he has it under control, he slams the lid on and sits on it so the firework can't come out. But instead the entire barrel is catapulted into orbit, and he crashes through the school roof!

Number of Panels: 12


Pg. 30 - Champ - Leo Baxendale, Full Page, Black and White
Trust The Champ To Take First Prize For Firework Fun!
The big Bully Benny Boyle squirts Champ's smashing firework with his water pistol! Champ is furious, but needs money so walks around with his Guy. But Benny Boyle steals that too, and that crosses the line! So Champ gives Benny what for and walks around with Benny as his guy instead - and people give him money to get rid of it - it's far too ugly!

Number of Panels: 13

Pg. 31 - KooKoo Klub - Denis Gifford, Full Page, Black and White
Don't Delay... Send In An Entry For The "KooKoo Klub" Today!
Various jokes illustrated by Denis Gifford.

Number of Panels: 8

Pg. 32 - Minnie's Mixer - Angel Nadel Quirch, Full Page, Full Colour
Comical Minnie Gives A Naughty Cyclist A Rough Ride!
Minnie decides to only use her magical mixer for good, but when aHarry Floggit cycles past and pulls her hair, she mixes him up with his bike to teach him a lesson! Later she sees an old lady trying to get onto a full bus but the bus conductor won't let her, and so mixes her and the bus together. Suddenly she realises she has to unmix them, and tries to catch up with the bus!

Number of Panels: 12