 |
| Art: Mike Lacey |
It's a while since we
had a special, themed Cheeky Weekly (the most recent was 31 March 1979's Jersey edition) but as promised last week, this issue is the disco
special. The cover's title background is adorned with suitably
festive stars and there's a star of a different kind in the cover
strip as Mick Jagger drops in to enjoy a joke with Cheeky and affable
agriculturalist Farmer Giles. Mick is notably silent, probably because they
would have had to pay him more money had he been given dialogue.
This is the final time that Mike Lacey will draw a Cheeky's Week cover strip.
On page 2 it soon
becomes clear that, as we go through the week in anticipation of
Saturday's disco, there'll be a plethora of poptastic puns and a deal
of disco drollery.
 |
| Art: Mike Lacey |
Sadly, 6 Million Dollar Gran is too preoccupied with entering a cross-Channel flying
race to participate in the top ten tomfoolery.
Calculator Kid is in
festive mood, but his destination is not the disco; he's been invited
to a fancy dress party. Silicon-chipped sidekick Calc advises Charlie to take an unlikely route,
involving much mud and brambles, to the celebrations. Arriving in a
tattered and grimy state, Charlie of course wins a box of chocs for his 'tramp outfit'. This is one of those rare occasions when the
outcome of Calc's microchip machinations is less than optimal...
 |
| Art: Terry Bave |
What's New Kids makes a surprise return on page 8 – readers probably assumed that the advertising feature had been dropped as it last appeared in the 10 February 1979 edition.
The toothy funster
has no trouble tracking down a copy of the current Mystery Comic, as
it seems the perplexing publication has been posted on billboards
across Krazy Town this week.
 |
| Art: Mike Lacey, who is careful not to show any detail of the Mystery Comic's front cover |
Elephant on the Run
is reduced to a single page for the first time, but it's a typically fun episode in which our pachyderm pal
employs his ventriloquial and trunk manipulation skills to evade his
dogged pursuer (although it's unclear how the doll becomes larger
when on the bus than it had been on stage).
 |
| Art: Robert Nixon |
The latest Star Guest
instalment fetches up within the Mystery Comic for the 6th
(and final) time. On this occasion the comic-within-a-comic is host
to Whoopee's 2-Ronnies-inspired Sheerluck and Son.
There's further intrusion upon the Mystery Comic as, in keeping with Cheeky Weekly's theme, the instructions for IPC's new dance craze, The Cheeky Hustle, make their appearance. Readers are invited to cut out the instructions which consist of a series of drawings depicting the toothy funster in various stages of terpsichorean frenzy. Rather than presenting a boring set of pics, I wanted to show an actual demonstration of the dance. However, having failed to interest Mick Jagger in the job, but at not inconsiderable expense (well, the cost of a plate of fish and chips), I have persuaded Cheeky himself to get down and strut his funky stuff...
 |
| Art: Jimmy Hansen |
There's further intrusion upon the Mystery Comic as, in keeping with Cheeky Weekly's theme, the instructions for IPC's new dance craze, The Cheeky Hustle, make their appearance. Readers are invited to cut out the instructions which consist of a series of drawings depicting the toothy funster in various stages of terpsichorean frenzy. Rather than presenting a boring set of pics, I wanted to show an actual demonstration of the dance. However, having failed to interest Mick Jagger in the job, but at not inconsiderable expense (well, the cost of a plate of fish and chips), I have persuaded Cheeky himself to get down and strut his funky stuff...
 |
| Art: Jimmy Hansen |
Here's an accompanying track for the full disco ambience...
After Cheeky's dancefloor exertions there's an opportunity to relax with this week's Mystery Boy episode before the Mystery Comic concludes with Disaster Des. The presence of Star Guest and the Hustle instructions means we're deprived of Mustapha Million this week.
The Cheeky Weekly
section resumes with Joke-Box Jury's usual varied (and sometimes
inappropriate from today's viewpoint) mix of gags, before Cheeky's
Week reaches Thursday and the mounting anticipation of the
forthcoming disco.
Of course there are
no disco-related elements in the latest instalment of Menace of the Alpha Man (partly because it's a reprint but mainly because the
titular antagonist is not given to displaying his dancefloor moves),
following which readers are for the first time invited to submit
their guesses as to the identity of the masked menace. Although the
strip hasn't yet concluded, all the necessary clues have been
provided and prizes of £2 are on offer to the senders of the first
50 coupons correctly naming the hooded villain - the answers will be
opened on 26 June.
That leaves only the Chit-Chat page to be negotiated before we finally arrive at
Saturday's disco.
 |
| Mike Lacey again |
The toothy funster is a little premature in his assertion that 'That's all we have time for', because the comic rounds off with a Burpo Special in which the subject is Burpo himself. The Burpo Special is drawn by Frank McDiarmid, but all the other Cheeky's Week pages this week are by Mike Lacey, with Jimmy Hansen contributing the Cheeky Hustle booklet.
Cheeky's Week Artists Cover Date 16-Jun-1979
| Artist | Elements |
| Mike Lacey | 9 |
| Frank McDiarmid | 1 |
| Cheeky Weekly | Cover Date: 16-Jun-1979, Issue 84 of 117 |
| Page | Details |
| 1 | Cheeky's Week - Art Mike Lacey (final art on feature) |
| 2 | Sunday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 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 | Monday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 7 | Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave |
| 8 | What's New, Kids |
| 9 | Tuesday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 10 | Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton |
| 11 | Ad: The Stickits |
| 12 | Wednesday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 13 | Tub 'Mystery Comic' 32 of 34 - Art Nigel Edwards |
| 14 | Elephant On The Run 'Mystery Comic' 32 of 34 - Art Robert Nixon |
| 15 | Star Guest 'Sheerluck and Son' - Art Barry Glennard (first art on feature) |
| 16 | Why, Dad, Why? 'Mystery Comic' 26 of 28 - Art John K. Geering |
| 17 | Cheeky Hustle (single appearance) - Art Jimmy Hansen (single art on feature) |
| 18 | Cheeky Hustle (single appearance) - Art Jimmy Hansen (single art on feature) |
| 19 | Mystery Boy reprint from Whizzer and Chips 'Mystery Comic' 35 of 37 - Art John Richardson |
| 20 | Disaster Des 'Mystery Comic' 28 of 30 - Art Mike Lacey |
| 21 | Joke-Box Jury |
| 22 | Ad: IPC 'Buster Holiday Special' 3 of 3 Ad: 'Angler's Mail' 1 of 2 |
| 23 | Thursday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 24 | Speed Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen |
| 25 | Friday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 26 | Menace of the Alpha Man reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury |
| 27 | Menace of the Alpha Man reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury |
| 28 | Who Is The Alpha Man? (single appearance)\Ad: Dunlop Playsport (first appearance) - Art Nick Baker (first art on feature) |
| 29 | Chit-Chat |
| 30 | Saturday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 31 | Saturday - Art Mike Lacey |
| 32 | The Burpo Special 'Baby Burpo' - Art Frank McDiarmid |
The money which bought the plate of fish and chips to persuade Cheeky to do the dance was well-spent indeed!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed his performance :)
DeleteGroovy man...love the animation Peter Gray
ReplyDeleteThanks. Cheeky had to have a lie down afterwards!
Delete