Thursday, 31 May 2012
Frank McDiarmid's Nobby's Hobbies
Irmantas has posted some examples of Frank McDiarmid's Nobby's Hobbies strip from Cor!! in 1971, a strip which was previously unknown to me.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
How are the Cheeky fallen...
Bruce has posted a couple of examples of the Cheeky strips from Whoopee and Wow! Sadly, by this stage in his career the toothy funster was allocated just a single row of panels each week, and space was so limited that Frank McDiarmid's signature was reduced to just 'F'.
IPC seem to have had a policy of rationing exclamation marks, as when Wow! merged into Whoopee!, the latter comic lost the ! that it had proudly displayed since its first issue.
IPC seem to have had a policy of rationing exclamation marks, as when Wow! merged into Whoopee!, the latter comic lost the ! that it had proudly displayed since its first issue.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Cheeky Weekly cover date 11 November 1978
The lead characters from Why, Dad, Why? are featured on this week's main cover pic, in what appears to be artwork produced specially for the cover by the feature's regular artist, John K Geering. The comic's title is incorporated into Son's speech balloon. I like Dad's pontificating pose.The Cheeky's Week…Sunday strip introduces a theme that will run throughout the issue, as the toothy funster presents the First Blunder of The World. Our grinning pal then enjoys a swift gag with Manhole Man, unaware that by the end of this issue he will have another manhole encounter which is not so agreeable.
The continuation of Sunday on page 2 features some excellent Frank McDiarmid artwork, especially Cheeky's Mum and Dad spinning in the wake of the toothy funster's dash to the TV - lovely.
The Cheeky Annual 1979 is the subject of an ad on page 6, the third and final time this year's annual (dated one year ahead to extend its life on the newsagents' shelves beyond the end of the current year) will be advertised in Cheeky Weekly.
 |
| Gran inadvertently gets involved in a rugby scrum Art by Ian Knox |
On the Monday page, we learn that the Second Blunder of The World was made by whoever it was that gave notoriously noisy nosher Crunching Chris a whole box of crisps for his birthday.
On page 8 this week's Joke-Box Jury panel are looking suitably amused by a selection of £2-winning gags.
On Tuesday the perpetrator of the Third Blunder is revealed as mirthful mailman Postie, whose deliveries will be delayed as he has become stuck in freshly-laid quick-drying cement.
A rather familiar plot is in evidence on the Skateboard Squad page, as the intrepid trio again apprehend a thief who has made off with the takings, this time from a 24 Hour Laundry. The Squad had previously recovered the circus takings in the comic dated 18 February 1978, and 6 Million Dollar Gran retrieved the cinema takings in the 29 July 1978 issue.
Wednesday sees the Fourth Blunder - Bump-Bump Bernie taking a dive teeth-first into the pavement, after which Mechanic hands the toothy funster this week's copy of The Mystery Comic.
Inside TMC, there's televisual torment for the put-upon cover-star parent in Why, Dad, Why?
Thursday's blunderer is painter and decorator Willie Brushiton, who is stranded atop his ladder after painting it beneath him while climbing it.
 |
| Calculator (with Charlie) transforms crabby kittens into mollified moggies Art by Terry Bave |
Krazy Town's nutty knitter Granny Gumdrop and the giant ball of wool into which she has knitted herself, is Friday's Blunder of The World. The toothy funster himself becomes the seventh and final Blunder of The World on Saturday when he falls down an open manhole. Someone really SHOULD have a word with Manhole Man about leaving his aperture uncovered.
Emerging from his pavement plunge predicament, Cheeky's spirits are lifted as the comic rounds off with a Cheeky's Pal Puzzle posed by risible refuse remover, Sid the Street Sweeper.
All 10 Cheeky's Week elements in this issue are pure Frank McDiarmid, and he does a cracking job. Not since 23 September 1978's comic have we seen an issue where the Cheeky's Week artwork has been provided by more than one artist. Starting with the 30 September 1978 issue, the comic has settled into a pattern where Frank McDiarmid does all the Cheeky's Week art in every other issue. The alternate issues have all the Cheeky's Week art provided by either Mike Lacey or Frank McDiarmid pencils.
| Cheeky Weekly | Cover Date: 11-Nov-1978, Issue 56 of 117 |
| Page | Details |
| 1 | Cover Feature 'Why Dad Why' - Art John K. Geering (single art on feature)\Cheeky's Week - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 2 | Sunday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 3 | 6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox |
| 4 | 6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox |
| 5 | 6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox |
| 6 | Ad: IPC 'Cheeky Annual' 3 of 6 \Ad: Lego (first appearance) |
| 7 | Monday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 8 | Joke-Box Jury |
| 9 | Tuesday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 10 | Skateboard Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen |
| 11 | Silly Snaps\Ad: IPC 'Whoopee' 4 of 9 |
| 12 | Wednesday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 13 | Tub 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 34 - Art Nigel Edwards |
| 14 | Why, Dad, Why? 'Mystery Comic' 6 of 28 - Art John K. Geering |
| 15 | Mystery Boy reprint from Whizzer and Chips 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 37 - Art John Richardson |
| 16 | Elephant On The Run 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 34 - Art Robert Nixon |
| 17 | Elephant On The Run 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 34 - Art Robert Nixon |
| 18 | Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 34 - Art Reg Parlett |
| 19 | Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 34 - Art Reg Parlett |
| 20 | Disaster Des 'Mystery Comic' 7 of 30 - Art Mike Lacey |
| 21 | Thursday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 22 | Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave |
| 23 | Ad: IPC 'Mickey Mouse' 5 of 18 \Ad: Shredded Wheat |
| 24 | Friday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 25 | Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton |
| 26 | Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 27 | Tweety and Sylvester 'The Howl Larious Cat' |
| 28 | Tweety and Sylvester 'The Howl Larious Cat' |
| 29 | Interval - Art Frank McDiarmid |
| 30 | The Terrible Trail to Taggart's Treasure reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury |
| 31 | The Terrible Trail to Taggart's Treasure reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury |
| 32 | Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid\Cheeky's Pal Puzzle 'Sid the Street Sweeper' - Art Frank McDiarmid |
Cheeky's Week Artists Cover Date 11-Nov-1978
| Artist | Elements |
| Frank McDiarmid | 10 |
Thursday, 24 May 2012
The pages - Page 13
For the first 2 issues, Cheeky Weekly's thirteenth page was the home of the Old Comic feature. In the third issue, the Wednesday feature was to be found in that location, the only time it appeared on page 13. Old Comic returned the next week and for the 2 issues which followed.
The Tuesday feature then moved in for 2 issues, before Old Comic returned for another 2 week run on page 13.
In 31 December 1977's Christmas issue, page 13 was the home of that issue's second Boxing Day page, but the following week Tuesday was back. However, Old Comic then resumed its page 13 run for a marathon 12 weeks during which it carried strips plucked from the yellowing pages of comics from years gone by such as Chips, Swift and TV Fun, until Tuesday laid claim to the page again on 08 April 1978.
Further archive fun was to be had on page 13 as Old Comic resumed occupancy for another 4 weeks until Tuesday again interrupted for the following 2 issues.
Old Comic was back on page 13 in Cheeky Weekly dated 27 May 1978 with a Reg Wootton Sporty strip from Knockout, but Tuesday regained control of the page for a further 3 weeks until ousted again by Old Comic in the 24 June 1978 issue. The following week saw Old Comic's final appearance on page 13, although the feature continued to appear in Cheeky Weekly until the issue dated 16 August 1978.
In the 08 July 1978 issue, tenacious Tuesday returned to page 13, where it remained for the following 2 issues, the 22 July 1978 issue being the last in which Tuesday would appear on the thirteenth page for just over a year. Although the Tuesday feature continued throughout the comic's run, summer 1978's Mini Comics promotion and Cheeky Weekly's September 1978 revamp, which resulted in The Mystery Comic moving into the centre pages, meant that Tuesday had to shift towards the front of the comic to make room.
The 29 July 1978 issue saw the first of 2 page 13 appearances of ads for that staple of many a breakfast table, Weetabix. The following week the same location featured that issue's second page of sketches sent in by the lucky winners of the Draw Hid Kid competition, which had run in the comic dated 27 May.
In the issues dated 12 and 19 August 1979, page 13 was home to the first page of each issue's Creepy Sleepy Tale, the only times that this feature appeared in that location.
Paddywack bumbled his way onto page 13 in the 26 August 1978 issue, and the following week page 13 was the home of the second page of the debut Silly Snaps filler. The comic dated 09 September 1978 had a high Smurf content and saw the first of that year's Smurfs competitions appearing on page 13 (the second competition based around the warbling blue elves appeared on page 16 in the 09 December issue). The competition shared page 13 with an ad for Bassett's, who were running a promotion that allowed eager consumers of their confectionary to receive a free Paddington Bear book in return for 12 empty sweet bags.
Silly Snaps then enjoyed its second and final page 13 outing, before Paddywack also made his second and final chaotic visit to page 13 in the 23 September 1978 comic.
Cheeky Weekly underwent a major overhaul in the 30 September 1978 issue, with the first appearance of a full copy of The Mystery Comic within the centre of the toothy funster's paper. From this point, for a total of 37 issues until the Mystery Comic idea was dropped, page 13 became host to characters featuring in that perplexing publication, with our chubby chum Tub being the first to lay claim to the thirteenth page, commencing an initial run (or waddle) of his adventures lasting 9 weeks.
For the next 2 issues the second page of Mustapha Million's 2-page adventures occupied page 13, after which there was a 3 week hiatus when no issues of Cheeky Weekly were published due to industrial (in)action.
When the title resumed publication with the comic dated 06 January 1979, Tub was once again on page13, but for the following 2 issues the thirteenth page was an appropriate home for the young lad who brought bad luck to anyone in the vicinity, Disaster Des.
Tub then heaved his bulky frame back onto page 13 for another run, this time spanning 10 issues, until the frantic chase that was Elephant On The Run careered across that page for 4 breathless weeks, each time featuring the second page of a 2-page set.
On 05 May 1979 Tub wobbled back, only to be deposed by the father and son stars of Why, Dad, Why? in the following issue, the only time said perplexed parent and his inquisitive offspring appeared on page 13. Tub proved rather too weighty to be ejected entirely, and was back again in the 19 May 1979 comic, albeit for his final stretch on page 13, which ended on 30 June 1979 after 7 weeks. Our portly pal's strip was the one which featured most regularly on page 13, clocking up 28 belt-straining appearances in that position.
On 07 July 1979, juvenile jinx Disaster Des moved back in for what was to be a 4 week run, after which Tuesday, which hadn't been seen on page 13 since 22 July 1978, made a surprise bid to regain control. However, this was to be the final time that Tuesday would make a page 13 appearance, and the following week Elephant, who was still On The Run, made his last visit to that location in a single page adventure drawn by Barry Glennard.
The 18 and 25 August 1979 issues saw the final page 13 outings for Disaster Des, and in a totally unexpected move, synthetic senior citizen 6 Million Dollar Gran moved the first page of her 3-page story into that location in the 01 September 1979 comic, the only issue in which Gran graced the 13th page.
Feisty Gran was no match for the members of The Gang (a retitled reprint of Whizzer and Chips' strip based on TV series Here Come The Double Deckers), whose mysteriously bus-lacking adventures were to be found on page 13 for the next 10 weeks.
The Gang wasn't the only reprint in the comic at the time, in fact by late 1979 Cheeky Weekly was displaying the classic symptom of an ailing comic - increasing reliance on reprints. Some were straight reprints (such as Soggy the Sea Monster from Shiver and Shake), others (The Gang and Mystery Boy) were reprints under different names and one (Why Dad, Why?) was a rehashed script with new artwork. To compound this sorry situation, the comic began recycling material it had used mere months earlier, gathering together jokes made by or about characters from Cheeky's Week in the form of cut-out booklets. The first page of these 2-page gag collections appeared on page 13 for 11 weeks from 17 November to Cheeky Weekly's penultimate issue dated 26 January 1980.
Page 13 in the final Cheeky Weekly was home to an advertisement for only the third time in the entire run and, as in the 29 July 1978 issue, the product being promoted was early morning stalwart Weetabix. Maybe marketing people are a superstitious breed and most were reluctant to associate their campaigns with page 13. This particular promotion saw cut-out masks featuring the likenesses of a selection of DC comics' superheroes and villains being carried on the cereal boxes.
Count of Elements (or distinct combinations thereof) appearing on Page 13
The Tuesday feature then moved in for 2 issues, before Old Comic returned for another 2 week run on page 13.
In 31 December 1977's Christmas issue, page 13 was the home of that issue's second Boxing Day page, but the following week Tuesday was back. However, Old Comic then resumed its page 13 run for a marathon 12 weeks during which it carried strips plucked from the yellowing pages of comics from years gone by such as Chips, Swift and TV Fun, until Tuesday laid claim to the page again on 08 April 1978.
Further archive fun was to be had on page 13 as Old Comic resumed occupancy for another 4 weeks until Tuesday again interrupted for the following 2 issues.
Old Comic was back on page 13 in Cheeky Weekly dated 27 May 1978 with a Reg Wootton Sporty strip from Knockout, but Tuesday regained control of the page for a further 3 weeks until ousted again by Old Comic in the 24 June 1978 issue. The following week saw Old Comic's final appearance on page 13, although the feature continued to appear in Cheeky Weekly until the issue dated 16 August 1978.
The 29 July 1978 issue saw the first of 2 page 13 appearances of ads for that staple of many a breakfast table, Weetabix. The following week the same location featured that issue's second page of sketches sent in by the lucky winners of the Draw Hid Kid competition, which had run in the comic dated 27 May.
In the issues dated 12 and 19 August 1979, page 13 was home to the first page of each issue's Creepy Sleepy Tale, the only times that this feature appeared in that location.
Paddywack bumbled his way onto page 13 in the 26 August 1978 issue, and the following week page 13 was the home of the second page of the debut Silly Snaps filler. The comic dated 09 September 1978 had a high Smurf content and saw the first of that year's Smurfs competitions appearing on page 13 (the second competition based around the warbling blue elves appeared on page 16 in the 09 December issue). The competition shared page 13 with an ad for Bassett's, who were running a promotion that allowed eager consumers of their confectionary to receive a free Paddington Bear book in return for 12 empty sweet bags.
Silly Snaps then enjoyed its second and final page 13 outing, before Paddywack also made his second and final chaotic visit to page 13 in the 23 September 1978 comic.
Cheeky Weekly underwent a major overhaul in the 30 September 1978 issue, with the first appearance of a full copy of The Mystery Comic within the centre of the toothy funster's paper. From this point, for a total of 37 issues until the Mystery Comic idea was dropped, page 13 became host to characters featuring in that perplexing publication, with our chubby chum Tub being the first to lay claim to the thirteenth page, commencing an initial run (or waddle) of his adventures lasting 9 weeks.
For the next 2 issues the second page of Mustapha Million's 2-page adventures occupied page 13, after which there was a 3 week hiatus when no issues of Cheeky Weekly were published due to industrial (in)action.
When the title resumed publication with the comic dated 06 January 1979, Tub was once again on page13, but for the following 2 issues the thirteenth page was an appropriate home for the young lad who brought bad luck to anyone in the vicinity, Disaster Des.
Tub then heaved his bulky frame back onto page 13 for another run, this time spanning 10 issues, until the frantic chase that was Elephant On The Run careered across that page for 4 breathless weeks, each time featuring the second page of a 2-page set.
On 05 May 1979 Tub wobbled back, only to be deposed by the father and son stars of Why, Dad, Why? in the following issue, the only time said perplexed parent and his inquisitive offspring appeared on page 13. Tub proved rather too weighty to be ejected entirely, and was back again in the 19 May 1979 comic, albeit for his final stretch on page 13, which ended on 30 June 1979 after 7 weeks. Our portly pal's strip was the one which featured most regularly on page 13, clocking up 28 belt-straining appearances in that position.
On 07 July 1979, juvenile jinx Disaster Des moved back in for what was to be a 4 week run, after which Tuesday, which hadn't been seen on page 13 since 22 July 1978, made a surprise bid to regain control. However, this was to be the final time that Tuesday would make a page 13 appearance, and the following week Elephant, who was still On The Run, made his last visit to that location in a single page adventure drawn by Barry Glennard.
The 18 and 25 August 1979 issues saw the final page 13 outings for Disaster Des, and in a totally unexpected move, synthetic senior citizen 6 Million Dollar Gran moved the first page of her 3-page story into that location in the 01 September 1979 comic, the only issue in which Gran graced the 13th page.
Feisty Gran was no match for the members of The Gang (a retitled reprint of Whizzer and Chips' strip based on TV series Here Come The Double Deckers), whose mysteriously bus-lacking adventures were to be found on page 13 for the next 10 weeks.
The Gang wasn't the only reprint in the comic at the time, in fact by late 1979 Cheeky Weekly was displaying the classic symptom of an ailing comic - increasing reliance on reprints. Some were straight reprints (such as Soggy the Sea Monster from Shiver and Shake), others (The Gang and Mystery Boy) were reprints under different names and one (Why Dad, Why?) was a rehashed script with new artwork. To compound this sorry situation, the comic began recycling material it had used mere months earlier, gathering together jokes made by or about characters from Cheeky's Week in the form of cut-out booklets. The first page of these 2-page gag collections appeared on page 13 for 11 weeks from 17 November to Cheeky Weekly's penultimate issue dated 26 January 1980.
| PAGE | COVER_DATE | FEATURE |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 17-Nov-1979 | Knock-Knock booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 24-Nov-1979 | Manhole Man booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 01-Dec-1979 | Doctor Joke booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 08-Dec-1979 | Six-Gun Sam booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 15-Dec-1979 | Mechanic Jokes booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 22-Dec-1979 | Constable Chuckle booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 29-Dec-1979 | Christmas Jokes booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 05-Jan-1980 | Jogging Jeremy booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 12-Jan-1980 | Farmer Giles booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 19-Jan-1980 | Petula Jokes booklet 1/2 |
| 13 | 26-Jan-1980 | Mr Chips booklet 1/2 |
Page 13 in the final Cheeky Weekly was home to an advertisement for only the third time in the entire run and, as in the 29 July 1978 issue, the product being promoted was early morning stalwart Weetabix. Maybe marketing people are a superstitious breed and most were reluctant to associate their campaigns with page 13. This particular promotion saw cut-out masks featuring the likenesses of a selection of DC comics' superheroes and villains being carried on the cereal boxes.
Count of Elements (or distinct combinations thereof) appearing on Page 13
| Elements | Total |
| Tub | 28 |
| Old Comic | 26 |
| Tuesday | 11 |
| The Gang 2/2 | 10 |
| Disaster Des | 8 |
| Elephant On The Run 2/2 | 4 |
| Advertisement: Weetabix | 2 |
| Creepy Sleepy Tale 1/2 | 2 |
| Mustapha Million 2/2 | 2 |
| Paddywack | 2 |
| Silly Snaps 2/2 | 2 |
| Tuesday 2/2\Doug's Doodle | 2 |
| 6 Million Dollar Gran 1/3 | 1 |
| Advertisement: Bassett's\Smurfs competition | 1 |
| Boxing Day 2/2 | 1 |
| Christmas Jokes booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Constable Chuckle booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Doctor Joke booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Draw Hid Kid winners 2/2 | 1 |
| Elephant On The Run | 1 |
| Farmer Giles booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Jogging Jeremy booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Knock-Knock booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Manhole Man booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Mechanic Jokes booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Mr Chips booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Petula Jokes booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Six-Gun Sam booklet 1/2 | 1 |
| Wednesday | 1 |
| Why, Dad, Why? | 1 |
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Profile - Oscar
Cheeky's pal Oscar (whose name was a reference to the coveted Hollywood award) was Krazy Town's junior Hitchcock, creating the 31 Home Movies which flickered across the comic's pages between its first issue and that dated 10 June 1978.
We first saw Oscar and his distinctive dentition on the Thursday page of the debut issue of Cheeky Weekly, when the daffy director hailed our toothy pal to see his latest celluloid sensation. Oscar told Cheeky he had just finished this masterpiece, but his budget obviously didn't stretch to an editing machine, as he was seen grasping a pair of scissors.
During his run of appearances, Oscar would usually call from his bedroom window to tell Cheeky that his latest on-screen opus was ready for viewing, waving the spool of film excitedly and eliciting from the toothy funster a disparaging remark about his lack of cinematic skills. Nevertheless our grinning pal would view the movie, which would appear on the following page of the comic.
In Cheeky Weekly dated 12 November 1977, we learned that Oscar had been filming Cheeky for inclusion in a future film, but sadly that footage was never seen in the comic. In the issue dated 03 December 1977, Cheeky engineered a teeth-loosening punch-up between Louise and Libby, which was filmed by Oscar but again the footage was never used.
In the 31 December 1977 Christmas issue, Oscar told Cheeky "My Christmas was so groovy, I didn't make a movie" (suggesting he was more talented as a poet than as a film-maker), and consequently there was no Home Movie page in that comic. Oscar appeared during the interval at the cinema show in the same issue, the only time he appeared other than on a Thursday.
There was no Home Movie in the comic dated 04 March 1978 - Oscar explained that he had hired "some proper cinema cartoons this week", so the following page was shared by Bam Splat and Blooie and Cocky Doodle strips. Stories featuring these characters had previously been presented as supporting cartoons at the Saturday morning picture show, and all were actually reprints from Buster. The supporting feature in the Saturday morning picture show in that issue was Tweety and Sylvester.
A film director, shouting instructions through a megaphone, appeared in the Home Movie strips in the issues dated 19 November 1977, 04 February, 11 February, 25 February, 18 March, 25 March and 03 June 1978, but on none of those occasions did the director exhibit Oscar's distinctive single-toothed appearance. The director depicted in 19 November's Colditch. The Great Escape movie looked different not only in oral occupancy but also hair colour. In 26 November 1977's The Vikings, and 10 December 1977's When Knights Were Bold, only the director's megaphone was seen.
Oscar was created for Cheeky Weekly and didn't appear in the 'Ello It's Cheeky strip in Krazy.
We first saw Oscar and his distinctive dentition on the Thursday page of the debut issue of Cheeky Weekly, when the daffy director hailed our toothy pal to see his latest celluloid sensation. Oscar told Cheeky he had just finished this masterpiece, but his budget obviously didn't stretch to an editing machine, as he was seen grasping a pair of scissors.
 |
| First appearance - art Frank McDiarmid |
During his run of appearances, Oscar would usually call from his bedroom window to tell Cheeky that his latest on-screen opus was ready for viewing, waving the spool of film excitedly and eliciting from the toothy funster a disparaging remark about his lack of cinematic skills. Nevertheless our grinning pal would view the movie, which would appear on the following page of the comic.
In Cheeky Weekly dated 12 November 1977, we learned that Oscar had been filming Cheeky for inclusion in a future film, but sadly that footage was never seen in the comic. In the issue dated 03 December 1977, Cheeky engineered a teeth-loosening punch-up between Louise and Libby, which was filmed by Oscar but again the footage was never used.
In the 31 December 1977 Christmas issue, Oscar told Cheeky "My Christmas was so groovy, I didn't make a movie" (suggesting he was more talented as a poet than as a film-maker), and consequently there was no Home Movie page in that comic. Oscar appeared during the interval at the cinema show in the same issue, the only time he appeared other than on a Thursday.
 |
| Frank McDiarmid |
There was no Home Movie in the comic dated 04 March 1978 - Oscar explained that he had hired "some proper cinema cartoons this week", so the following page was shared by Bam Splat and Blooie and Cocky Doodle strips. Stories featuring these characters had previously been presented as supporting cartoons at the Saturday morning picture show, and all were actually reprints from Buster. The supporting feature in the Saturday morning picture show in that issue was Tweety and Sylvester.
The 25 March 1978 issue was the only time Oscar appeared anywhere other than the final panel when on the Thursday page - he calls to Cheeky in the first panel of the final row, but in the remaining 2 panels, Cheeky's progress to view the movie is interrupted by the alluring Lily Pop.
Cheeky's search for the Mystery Comic on Thursday in the 29 April 1978 issue was so urgent that he couldn't stop to see Oscar's movie which, consequently, failed to appear.
 |
| Jim Watson |
In the comic dated 17 June 1978 Cheeky, possibly wilting under the slew of sub-standard cinema, declined Oscar's invitation to his latest screening. Evidently, Oscar finally took the hint and neither he nor his movies were seen again in Cheeky Weekly.
 |
| Dick Millington |
A film director, shouting instructions through a megaphone, appeared in the Home Movie strips in the issues dated 19 November 1977, 04 February, 11 February, 25 February, 18 March, 25 March and 03 June 1978, but on none of those occasions did the director exhibit Oscar's distinctive single-toothed appearance. The director depicted in 19 November's Colditch. The Great Escape movie looked different not only in oral occupancy but also hair colour. In 26 November 1977's The Vikings, and 10 December 1977's When Knights Were Bold, only the director's megaphone was seen.
 |
| Mike Lacey |
Oscar was created for Cheeky Weekly and didn't appear in the 'Ello It's Cheeky strip in Krazy.
| Character | Total Issues | First Appearance | Final Appearance |
| Oscar | 35 | 22-Oct-1977 | 17-Jun-1978 |
Oscar - Number of appearances by Element
| Element | Number of Appearances |
| Thursday | 35 |
| Interval | 1 |
Oscar - Number of appearances by Page
| Page | Number of Appearances |
| 19 | 30 |
| 18 | 2 |
| 21 | 2 |
| 20 | 1 |
| 27 | 1 |
Count of elements by artist
| Character | Artist | Total Elements |
| Oscar | Frank McDiarmid pencils | 14 |
| Oscar | Frank McDiarmid | 6 |
| Oscar | Unknown Cheeky Artist 1 | 5 |
| Oscar | Jim Watson | 4 |
| Oscar | Barrie Appleby | 4 |
| Oscar | Dick Millington | 2 |
| Oscar | Mike Lacey | 1 |
Goodbye Whoopee!
George has been looking at the final issue of Whoopee! which hit the newsagents just over 5 years after Cheeky Weekly merged into it.
George's post includes a nice 2-page spread by Frank McDiarmid, which introduced Whoopee! readers to the new fun pals they would meet the following week, when Whoopee! in turn merged into IPC's mighty Whizzer and Chips.
Friday, 11 May 2012
Cheeky's Week artwork credit reassigned
This reassignment of artwork credits has necessitated updates of a number of posts, the most significant being;
- The other Cheeky artists - Frank McDiarmid pencils 2 - this post now retitled The other Cheeky artists - Unknown Cheeky Artist 1
- Cheeky's Week artist roundup
- Cheeky's Week - Artists by issue and %
- Cheeky Weekly Index
- Cheeky Weekly Index - Artist Key
...and the remainder...
- The Features - Suddenly
- Profile - Manhole Man
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 14 January 1978
- Profile - Bump-Bump Bernie
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 21 January 1978
- Profile - Teacher
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 28 January 1978
- Profile - Lily Pop
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 11 February 1978
- Profile - Doodle Doug
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 18 February 1978
- Profile - Hid Kid
- Profile - Short-Sighted Dustman
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 04 March 1978
- Profile - Jogging Jeremy
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 11 March 1978
- Profile - Gunga Jim
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 25 March 1978
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 01 April 1978
- Profile - Cheeky's Mum
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 08 April 1978
- Profile - Granny Gumdrop
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 22 April 1978
- Profile - Six-Gun Sam
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 29 April 1978
- Cheeky Weekly cover date 06 May 1978
- Profile - Milkie
- Profile - Herman
- Profile - Goalie Cat
- Profile - Telephone Pole Man
- Profile - Mechanic
- Profile - Spiv
- The Pages - Page 11
- Profile - Ursula
- The features - Wednesday (conclusion)
- Profile - Flash Harry
- Profile - Auntie Daisy
Please note that the credit Frank McDiarmid pencils is, I believe, still valid so remains unchanged. That artist combination was responsible for 9 renditions of Harry between 07 January 1978 and 18 August 1979, 8 of which conformed (more or less) to Frank's original version of the character. The first occasion on which Harry was rendered by Frank McDiarmid pencils does actually cause me a little concern, as Harry is depicted with his face obscured by the camera and flash (see below), which could mean that the inker chose to obscure Harry's face as he/she had no visual reference for Harry's design (Harry had made his first appearance, drawn by Frank McDiarmid, the previous week), and if that was the case then obviously the page wasn't based on Frank's pencils. But at the moment I'm choosing to believe that Frank did the pencils and decided to emphasise the flash in this panel because the character's name is Flash Harry, so I don't think there's sufficient evidence to revise my opinion that this is in fact Frank's pencils being inked by another hand.
 |
| Flash Harry - Frank McDiarmid pencils 07 January 1978 |
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