Cheeky Weekly Star Guests in Whoopee! (part 7)

As IPC's 1979 Star Guest promotion reaches its 14^th week (in participating comics cover-dated 30 June 1979), our attention turns once again to Whoopee which is hosting visitors from the toothy funster's title on even-numbered weeks of the sales drive. This time our affluent Arab chum Mustapha Million has been recruited to make a sales-boosting trip into Whoopee's pages. This is the second occasion on which Mustapha has been called upon to represent Cheeky Weekly as a Star Guest, the first time being in the promotion's 9th week over in Whizzer and Chips.

Mustapha's latest Star Guest outing sees his pal (and sufferer from Cheeky Weekly Inconsistent Hair Colour Syndrome) Jimmy embroil our moneyed mate in a boating-pond brouhaha. Thankfully, the loaded lad soon has everyone happy again, and the strip finishes with an exultant utterance of the name of the host comic in an attempt to subliminally engender sympathetic feelings towards the feature among its readership.

Whoopee 30 June 1979
Art: Joe McCaffrey
Many thanks to Irmantas for this scan

This Star Guest page, which was new and never appeared in Cheeky Weekly, is drawn by Joe McCaffrey, who had taken over the Cheeky Weekly artwork duties on Mustapha from Reg Parlett in February 1979.

Any Whoopee readers sufficiently taken with the antics of our prosperous pal to immediately subscribe to the toothy funster's title would have been delighted to find that Mustapha appeared in the same week's edition of Cheeky Weekly (although it was to be his final time within the pages of Cheeky Weekly's Mystery Comic section) and all subsequent issues of Cheeky's comic. After Cheeky Weekly folded, Mustapha transferred into Whoopee itself, and later into Whizzer and Chips.

Cheeky Weekly cover date 30 June 1979

Art: Frank McDiarmid

Swiftly following bandage badinage with Bump-Bump Bernie, our toothy pal has his 19th front cover encounter with Manhole Man (in what is the final Cheeky's Week...Sunday cover strip - more on that later).

Dick Millington takes up the Cheeky's Week pen from Frank McDiarmid as Sunday continues on page 2, where the toothy funster informs readers that he's looking forward to Saturday, the occasion of the Vicar's countryside ramble.

Despite the mounting excitement over the forthcoming rural excursion, Cheeky makes sure he's home and in front of the TV in time to watch the latest episode of 6 Million Dollar Gran. This week our favourite aged automaton enters a modern-day jousting contest. The reference to the synthetic senior citizen's 'bionic wrist muscles' as Gran parries her opponent's mighty sword stroke demonstrates the writer has again forgotten that Gran is a robot, as was clearly established in the first issue.

Art: Ian Knox

On Monday the forthcoming ramble is still preoccupying the youth of Krazy Town, and if you've ever wondered what Dick Millington's version of Calculator Kid would look like, direct your eyes to the final panel...

Art: Dick Millington

This week's Star Guest, on page 11, is Chelsmsditch's rival to Gran, Supermum, paying a visit from Whoopee.

On Wednesday Gunga Jim provides Cheeky with this week's Mystery Comic, retrieving the fabled funny paper from within his turban. In the latest edition we learn what befalls the unwise tax officials who decide to pursue the moolah owed by Des' disastrous family.

Art: Mike Lacey

There's a full complement of Mystery Comic features this week (although Elephant On The Run has been reduced to a single page due to the presence of an ad for The Stickits), which is pleasing since this is the final issue to feature the Mystery Comic as a conceptual grouping of strips in the centre pages. Let's enjoy the episode of Why, Dad,Why? given the honour of bringing this last edition of the perplexing publication to a conclusion.

Art: John Geering

Returning to Cheeky's Week on Thursday, there's evidence of adjustment to the final panel, wherein a Frank McDiarmid rendition of the toothy funster has been substituted for Dick Millington's art. The spectacle of Uncle Hamish travelling at high velocity in the penultimate frame leads me to suspect the original final panel contained the intro to Speed Squad, who are absent this week, possibly bumped by an advert.

Art: Dick Millington

Pages 26 and 27 are host to the final instalment of Menace of The Alpha Man. The masked marauder's true identity is revealed, but Cheeky Weekly readers who submitted entries for the associated competition following the final clue in the comic dated 16 June 1979 will have to wait until the winners are named 'in a few weeks'.

Cheeky's message on the Chit-Chat page carries the first intimation of changes in the offing...

...and the toothy funster and slimy sidekick further tantalise readers on page 29...

Saturday's much-anticipated ramble is enjoyed by all, and after the exertion Cheeky is in need of a sustaining plate of his mum's finest fish and chips. Snail, ever conscious of comic sales, take the opportunity to raise the excitement regarding next week's comic.

Art: Dick Millington

The Burpo Special, whose subject this week is substandard sleuth Sherlock, brings the comic to a conclusion, and also closes another chapter in Cheeky Weekly's history as the comic prepares to undergo another revamp next week.

Frank McDiarmid provides only the cover strip this time, with Dick Millington delivering 8 Cheeky's Week elements and Mike Lacey furnishing the Burpo Special. Clearing space for the forthcoming changes, the following strips come to an end this week as mentioned above;

Cheeky's Week...Sunday

Menace of the Alpha Man

The Burpo Special

...and the Mystery Comic section also concludes, although all the strips that had been contained within its pages will continue, freed from being grouped about the centre of the comic.

See you back here next issue for our first sampling of Cheeky Weekly's 'New Look'!

Cheeky Weekly	Cover Date: 30-Jun-1979, Issue 86 of 117
Page	Details
1	Cheeky's Week (final appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (final art on feature)
2	Sunday - Art Dick Millington
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 Dick Millington
7	Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave
8	Ad: WH Smith
9	Tuesday - Art Dick Millington
10	Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton
11	Star Guest 'Supermum' - Art Dicky Howett (single art on feature)
12	Wednesday - Art Dick Millington
13	Tub 'Mystery Comic' 34 of 34 - Art Nigel Edwards
14	Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 34 of 34 - Art Joe McCaffrey
15	Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 34 of 34 - Art Joe McCaffrey
16	Elephant On The Run 'Mystery Comic' 34 of 34 - Art Robert Nixon
17	Disaster Des 'Mystery Comic' 30 of 30 - Art Mike Lacey
18	Mystery Boy reprint from Whizzer and Chips 'Mystery Comic' 37 of 37 - Art John Richardson
19	Ad: The Stickits (final appearance)
20	Why, Dad, Why? 'Mystery Comic' 28 of 28 - Art John K. Geering
21	Ad: IPC 'Cheeky Summer Special' 5 of 6 Ad: 'Whizzer and Chips Summer Special' 2 of 3
22	Ad: Action Man (first appearance)
23	Thursday - Art Dick Millington
24	Joke-Box Jury
25	Friday - Art Dick Millington
26	Menace of the Alpha Man (final appearance) reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury (final art on feature)
27	Menace of the Alpha Man (final appearance) reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury (final art on feature)
28	Chit-Chat
29	Ad: North Pacific Flyers\Ad: IPC 'Cheeky Weekly: New look next week'
30	Saturday - Art Dick Millington
31	Saturday - Art Dick Millington
32	The Burpo Special (final appearance) 'Sherlock' - Art Mike Lacey (final art on feature)

Cheeky's Week Artists Cover Date 30-Jun-1979

Artist	Elements
Dick Millington	8
Frank McDiarmid	1
Mike Lacey	1

The Best Of Whizzer and Chips Annual

Since reading about Egmont's new The Best Of Whizzer and Chips Annual on Lew Stringer's blog I have been trying to track down a copy. There's no Sainsburys on my local high street, so my first trip was to the nearest store which, I was disappointed to discover, has no book section so my expedition was fruitless. Today I headed out to Crayford.

I was soon hurrying through the portals of the superstore in question. Targetting the book section at the back of the shop it wasn't long before I spotted a stack of TBOWACAs in the children's area. Further investigation revealed another stack on the 'Book Charts' shelves, where TBOWACA occupied 29th position and companion publication, the less-than-snazzily-titled The Best of 70s Girls' Comics Annual, nestled next door at number 30. Both are priced at £7.99 on the back cover but cost £3.99 as per the sticker on their front covers.

I bought a copy of each to support the project in the hope that we may see Egmont produce some more gems from their Classic Comics archive.

A quick glance at the books looks promising - the paper quality is much better than some of the original annuals, and there is colour of some kind (either full or spot) on every page of TBOWACA. The pages are tinged with yellow, which is presumably an effect added to enhance nostalgic feelings among the readership, a result that I quite liked.

I wondered whether there might be some Cheeky-related strips in the W&C annual. There aren't, but the Tiny Tycoon 2-pager commencing on page 30 looks to me to be the work of Frank McDiarmid ghosting Tom Williams. There's a slightly jarring moment on the 'welcome' page which says 'We hope you have fun with the Chip-ites and Whizzer-kids'!

I'm very pleased with these books and looking forward to settling down for a good read. Egmont have done justice to the strips and I'm very much hoping that this is just the first batch of an ongoing series. The Best Of Cheeky Annual next year?

Profile - Farmer Giles

Farmer Giles is of course rhyming slang for a medical condition on which I was going to elaborate, but as I don't want to pile on the agony for any readers suffering the ailment in question I decided I'd just sit on it instead.

In Cheeky's world, Farmer Giles was the purveyor of farmyard fun who first appeared in the 08 July 1978 issue and bowed out in the final edition of the toothy funster's comic, having clocked up appearances in 78 issues.

The first case of the Farmers
Cheeky Weekly 08 July 1978
Art: Frank McDiarmid pencils

Quite why a farmer was wandering the urban landscape of Krazy Town was never explained (although judging by his manure-laden boots, his livestock couldn't be far away), but the affable agrarian dispensed many a stereotypical “oo-aaar” along with his rural repartee.

The occupant of Giles' hat gets his moment in the spotlight
Art: Frank McDiarmid

Just 7 weeks after his debut, Giles appeared on the cover of the 26 August 1978 comic, whereon he was depicted in a cornfield. The prominence given to the rustic rascal on the front page may have given readers the impression that abundant agricultural antics were in the offing but in fact other than his front page feature, Farmer Giles was present only on page 2.

Despite being mentioned on several occasions,
Farmer Giles' Dad appeared only once -
Cheeky Weekly 03 November 1979
Art: Dick Millington

Our favourite funny farmer returned to the front cover on the 24 February 1979 edition, accompanied by a flock of sheep.

Cheeky Weekly dated 07April 1979 featured the highest number of elements to include our harvesting humourist in a single edition - he turned up on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Farmyard fun was in evidence during Giles' Burpo Special appearance in the 14 April 1979 issue.

Art: Frank McDiarmid

Agricultural antics returned to the front cover of the comic dated 21 April 1979, and yet again on the 16 June and 23 June 1979 editions.

Cheeky and pals spent Saturday on Giles' farm in the 21 July 1979 comic, a trip which concluded with a slap-up farm feed.

Yikky-Boo gets rural
Art: Mike Lacey

In her post-cinema-usherette career, Ursula was briefly employed on Giles' farm as a scarecrow, but was sacked for scaring the animals and staff as well (11 August 1979). This experience didn't stop Giles creating some scarecrows resembling the frightening-faced-female in the 19 January 1980 edition.

Red rustic raillery
Art: Frank McDiarmid

Giles' battered rustic headgear was home to a mouse, who was most frequently depicted when the artwork was pure Frank McDiarmid.

Farmer Giles made a guest appearance in the Skateboard Squad story dated 28 October 1978, and Cheeky's Cut-Out Comedy Catalogue of Farmer Giles Jokes appeared in the 12 January 1980 comic.

Giles was created for Cheeky Weekly and never appeared in Krazy.

Character	Total Issues	First Appearance	Final Appearance
Farmer Giles	78	08-Jul-1978	02-Feb-1980

Count of elements by artist

Character	Artist	Total Elements
Farmer Giles	Frank McDiarmid	46
Farmer Giles	Mike Lacey	21
Farmer Giles	Frank McDiarmid pencils	12
Farmer Giles	Dick Millington	4
Farmer Giles	Barrie Appleby	4

Whizzer and Chips - The Cheeky Raids part 5

New readers start here...After Cheeky Weekly folded and was incorporated into Whoopee as of February 1980 six strips that had originated in the toothy funster's title survived the merge and continued to appear in the amalgamated comic. Whoopee itself foundered in March 1985 and was merged into Whizzer and Chips. Three of the surviving Cheeky Weekly strips successfully negotiated this second merge and went on to appear in the newly combined publication, rather inelegantly titled 'Whizzer and Chips now including Whoopee'. The survivors were Mustapha Million, Calculator Kid and (appearing only twice) Stage School. Cheeky continued to appear, but as a member of The Krazy Gang, who had moved into W&C when Krazy, the comic in which the Gang originated, expired in April 1978.

Whizzer and Chips had a long tradition of sending characters from the Chips section into Whizzer and vice versa. These cross-comic forays were known as 'raids'. In this series of posts I'm chronicling the raids involving the ex-Cheeky Weekly characters who made the transition into Whizzer and Chips, all of whom were allocated to the Chips section. For the purposes of this series, although this particular manifestation of the toothy funster didn't directly descend from Cheeky Weekly, I'm including Cheeky's Krazy Gang appearances as those of an 'ex-Cheeky Weekly character'.

Well, it had to happen. Two weeks after intrepid Charlie and Calc infiltrated Odd-Ball's story, came the first issue of Whizzer and Chips wherein ex-Cheeky Weekly characters both perpetrated and fell victim to raids.

On the receiving end of a rascally raid was the toothy funster himself, in his role as a member of The Krazy Gang. Can you identify the wily Whizz-Kid interloper? Scroll down for the answer...

Whizzer and Chips 01 June 1985
Art: Bob Hill

...Animalad, sufferer from a peculiar animalady which allowed him to undergo bestial transformations.

The revenge raid was made on Boy Boss. Are you able to identify the courageous ex-Cheeky Weekly star who was called on to perform the heroic deed? Scroll down once again, where all will be revealed...

Whizzer and Chips 01 June 1985
Art: Frank McDiarmid

This was the second time our brave Bedouin buddy Mustapha embarked upon a cross-comic sortie. This issue also saw the second raid to be carried out upon the Krazy Gang (in the post-Whoopee-merge era which is the subject of this series).

The reciprocal raids in this issue of W&C mean the current tally of Ex-Cheeky Weekly raiders vsThe Rest remains a draw, with 3 incursions now chalked up for each team. More raiding fun soon!

Whizzer and Chips Cover Date	Raider	Raided
06 April 1985	Mustapha Million	Super Steve
04 May 1985	Bloggs (Store Wars)	Mustapha Million
11 May 1985	Joker	The Krazy Gang (Cheeky)
18 May 1985	Calculator Kid & Calc	Odd-Ball
01 June 1985	Animalad Mustapha Million	The Krazy Gang (Cheeky) Boy Boss