Cheeky Weekly cover date 31 Dec 1977

 Happy Christmas, pals!  And so we reach a Cheeky Weekly milestone, the first Christmas issue. The front page dispenses with the British comic tradition of a snow-topped title, but Frank McDiarmid furnishes a seasonal, Christmas cracker-based cover with a nice falling snow background.

This is a great issue, with Frank firing on all cylinders as he delivers a whole festive-fun-packed Cheeky's Week.  Included are such treats as a group photo featuring the whole of the Cheeky clan (hope Flash Harry used the 'reduce tooth glare' setting on his camera), and Cheeky scoffing a huge slice of Christmas pud in front of 6 Million Dollar Gran on TV.  There's even a Cheeky's Week page in full colour.

Krazy Town looks very seasonal under a blanket of snow, although it poses something of a problem for Snail.  Even Gloomy Glad has the Christmas spirit, and everyone is looking forward to the Vicar's Boxing Day party.

As promised in last week's comic, in this week's Skateboard Squad story we discover which presents the Squad bought for each other with their reward money.  Er, skateboards.  Right.  However, the ingenious team find that by inverting their boards they can travel on the snow.

Sadly, it seems Snail doesn't get a look in with the Christmas grub, but he does get to read the rather unsatisfying concluding chapter of James Bold's first adventure, Fangs of Fear. Although Bold will be back with a new adventure next week, this is the final edition to show Cheeky having a sneaky bedtime read of a Bold novel.

At the Vicar's party there are 2 interlopers; Pongo Snodgrass from Krazy comic makes his only appearance in a Cheeky's Week's strip (although he will appear in a later Creepy Sleepy Tale and 6 Million Dollar Gran episode), and Billy Bunter, also in a one-off appearance, is assumed by the other partygoers to be Krazy's Micky Mimic.  Wipeout, the canine member of The Skateboard Squad, makes his debut as part of Cheeky's Week, but I'm not sure if he was invited.  Skatie from the Squad is also present in her second Cheeky's Week appearance (her first being in the 03 December 1977 issue), but Skipper seems to be absent.

The comic ends on a cliffhanger - who will be the first person through the front door on new year's day?

As it's Christmas, I won't mention that on page 9, Cheeky's mum says that Dad gave Cheeky the racing game, when on page 2 we clearly see it's from Aunt Sarah.

 

Cheeky Weekly	Cover Date: 31-Dec-1977, Issue 11 of 117
Page	Details
1	Cover Feature 'Christmas Issue' 1 of 2 - Art Frank McDiarmid
2	Christmas Morning (single appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)
3	Christmas Morning (single appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)
4	Skateboard Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen
5	Christmas Dinner (single appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)
6	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
7	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
8	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
9	Christmas Day (single appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)
10	James Bold 'Fangs of Fear' 11 of 11 - Art Lopez (final art on feature)
11	James Bold 'Fangs of Fear' 11 of 11 - Art Lopez (final art on feature)
12	Boxing Day (single appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)
13	Boxing Day (single appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)
14	Ad: IPC 'Spotter Book next week'
15	Wednesday - Art Frank McDiarmid
16	Creepy Pantomime (single appearance) - Art Keith Reynolds (single art on feature)
17	Creepy Pantomime (single appearance) - Art Keith Reynolds (single art on feature)\Wednesday (conclusion) - Art Frank McDiarmid
18	Thursday - Art Frank McDiarmid
19	Home Movie 'Xmas Past' - Art Jack Clayton
20	Friday - Art Frank McDiarmid
21	Mustapha Million - Art Reg Parlett
22	Mustapha Million - Art Reg Parlett
23	Friday - Art Frank McDiarmid
24	Old Comic reprint from Film Fun 'Frank Randle'
25	Joke-Box Jury
26	Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid
27	Cocky Doodle reprint from Buster\Ad: IPC 'Roy of the Rovers' 1 of 8
28	Bam Splat and Blooie reprint from Buster\Ad: IPC 'Shoot' 1 of 13
29	Interval - Art Frank McDiarmid
30	Space Family Robinson 'Forest of Fear' - Art John Richardson
31	Space Family Robinson 'Forest of Fear' - Art John Richardson
32	New Year's Eve (first appearance) - Art Frank McDiarmid (single art on feature)

Bruce looks at Cheeky Annual 1981

Bruce continues his retrospective on the Cheeky annuals here.

Profile - Walter Wurx

Walter Wurx suffered from an affliction that today's advertisers are describing as overactive bladder.  Whenever Walter was around, Cheeky would delight in spouting (pardon the pun) mischievous double entendres that reminded master Wurx of his urgent need to visit the little boy's room.  Walter would then depart in haste, seeking the nearest comfort station.

Walter made 57 leg-crossing appearances in Cheeky Weekly, most regularly on Saturdays.

In the the late 70s, pee jokes in mainstream (if you'll pardon another pun) children's comics were an entirely new, rather daring development and delighted kids of the time.

Character	Total Issues	First Appearance	Final Appearance
Walter Wurx	57	22-Oct-1977	19-Jan-1980

The Features - 6 Million Dollar Gran

A spoof on the popular TV show of the period, The Six Million Dollar Man, 6 Million Dollar Gran appeared in all but 3 issues of Cheeky Weekly.  In the first episode, robotics expert Professor Potts unveiled his new creation, an android 'so lifelike that it has cost six million dollars to make'.  Immediately after presenting the robot to his colleagues at the World Authority for Scientific Projects (WASP), an attempt was made to steal this technological wonder, but the robot overcame its would-be abductors.

Fearing his synthetic humanoid may fall into enemy hands, Potts made the questionable decision to take the robot home to his family.  However, in a cunning ruse to disguise its true nature, the 'metal masterpiece' was dressed as an elderly woman, and Potts' children, Pete (referred to as Billy in the first episode) and Pauline (whose hairstyle was different in subsequent adventures), adopted the robot as their granny.

Any readers keen to find out more about the mysterious WASP organisation were to be disappointed, as that aspect of the story was never mentioned again (although the Prof was seen working in a laboratory in the 22 September 1979 issue).  Instead, most of the scripts just played with the idea of a deceptively powerful old lady who often foiled felons or carried out rescues.  Early episodes were introduced by a caption explaining that Gran is a robot, but after the 6th instalment such captions appeared only sporadically, sometimes just describing our heroine as a 'super-gran'.  The captions ceased entirely after the 31 December 1977 issue.  New readers were left to work out for themselves what was going on as Gran's true nature was rarely mentioned from then on, and in some of the strips even Gran seems to forget she is not human.

For the majority of the issues of Cheeky Weekly, the page preceding the 6 Million Dollar Gran feature would show Cheeky rushing home to watch Gran's latest adventure on TV.  Gran appeared most regularly following the Sunday page (39 times), with 37 appearances after the Sunday evening page (the Sunday evening feature came to an end in the issue dated 23 September 1978 - in the following issue Cheeky told us that Gran's programme had been moved to a mid-day slot), and 10 after Monday.  Near the end of the comic's run, as the feature continued its trajectory towards the rear pages of the comic, Gran wouldn't follow directly from a Cheeky's Week page.

Until Cheeky Weekly dated 06 May 1978, the final panel of each 6 Million Dollar Gran story showed Cheeky looking at a caption on his TV which read  'End of Episode XX. Tune in again next week', but in the following stories the episode number was omitted and sometimes the caption would just read 'The End'.  The final time that Cheeky was shown to be heading home to watch Gran was in the 30 June 1979 comic.  As mentioned above, in subsequent issues, the Gran page wouldn't follow directly from a Cheeky's Week page, most regularly following Calculator Kid.  From the issue dated 21 July 1979 the final-panel-showing-Cheeky-watching-TV idea was abandoned, and the strip would fill the whole of the final page of each episode.  The final reference to Gran being a TV show, the title panel which showed a TV screen, was revamped on 15 December 1979.  In this issue the original title was replaced by a simple, unadorned caption and the new style of title panel continued (albeit with the traditional snow-covered variant in the 29 December 1979 issue) for the remaining 7 issues until Cheeky Weekly's demise.

In the 19 January 1980 edition, Gran's usual strip was replaced with a spot the difference puzzle based on a panel lifted from her story in the issue dated 17 March 1979.

Mustapha Million is seen watching an episode of 6 Million Dollar Gran on TV in the first panel of his strip in the comic dated 29 April 1978.

I suspect that the Gran strip which was prepared for the 1978 Christmas issue of Cheeky Weekly (one of the issues that failed to appear due to industrial action) was eventually published in the 1980 Cheeky Annual on pages 9-11.  In the annual, It seems to me that the wording of Gran’s first speech balloon has been changed to refer to a new year party, but Gran brings a giant Christmas cracker. Also, a Jim Petrie rendition of Cheeky has been substituted in the final panel, where in Cheeky Weekly we would see Cheeky looking at a ‘The End’ caption on the TV.

6 Million Dollar Gran was the only feature in Cheeky Weekly to regularly run to 3 page stories, although not all the episodes were that lengthy.  84 episodes were 3-pagers, 27 were 2-pagers, and 3 stories completed on a single page.

Gran's adventures in Cheeky Weekly were drawn by Ian Knox (94 episodes), Nigel Edwards (18 episodes) and Mike Lacey (2 episodes).  In the Mustapha Million strip in the comic dated 29 April 1978 (as mentioned above), Reg Parlett draws Gran on TV in the first panel.

Despite it being made clear in the first episode and subsequent introductory captions that Gran was a robot, on several occasions in the comic the aged automaton's fantastic abilities were referred to as bionic (examples here, here and here). This was clearly an attempt to attract fans of the popular TV show that the strip spoofed, which was often referred to by the public as The Bionic Man. Why, then, didn't the scriptwriter just make Gran bionic in the first place? One online dictionary defines 'bionic' thusly;

Having anatomical structures or physiological processes that are replaced or enhanced by electronic or mechanical components.

 

TV's 6 Million Dollar Man gained his electromechanical upgrades as a result of injuries suffered in a terrible accident. Having a sweet old granny lose some limbs or vital organs or otherwise undergo ground-breaking surgery was clearly not really an option for a humour strip aimed at children, so Gran was envisaged as entirely synthetic.

Gran survived the merge at the end of Cheeky Weekly's run, transferring into Whoopee in February 1980, and the character featured regularly until Whoopee itself was subsumed into Whizzer and Chips in April 1985, although as from Whoopee! and Cheeky dated 09 May 1981 the strip was retitled Robot Granny.  Following Whoopee's absorption of Wow in July 1983, the title of the strip was again changed, this time to Gran's Gang.  See here for more info and examples of Gran's post-Cheeky Weekly incarnations.

In the special skateboard issue of Cheeky Weekly dated 04 February 1978, someone resembling Gran appears in the Skateboard Squad strip as one of the spectators watching the Squad give a display of their boarding skills.  This cannot actually be Gran, since in Cheeky's universe (in which the Squad also exist), Gran is a fictional character from a TV show.  We must therefore assume that a member of the crowd is wearing a Gran mask, possibly as a publicity gimmick by the TV company, or maybe the wearer of the mask is a Gran fan. A little harder to explain is the 6 Million Dollar Gran story in Cheeky Weekly dated 06 October 1979, in which the Potts kids invite the synthetic senior citizen to their party. At the end of the strip, Pete and Pauline are delighted to welcome "Our chums from Cheeky Weekly" (including Cheeky, Baker's Boy and Mustapha Million among others) to join the festivities. Although, as mentioned above, Cheeky had not been shown heading home to watch Gran on TV since the 30 June 1979 issue, and the feature had not ended with the toothy funster watching a 'The End' caption on TV since 14 July 1979, so maybe we're supposed to infer that the nature of Gran's relationship with the Cheeky universe had changed by this stage.

Gran also appeared on page 31 of the final issue of Cheeky Weekly dated 02 February 1980, as those characters who would survive the merge with Whoopee! met their new comic chums.  I think we can allow a little license in this instance, since Gran had not been depicted as a TV programme in Cheeky Weekly since July the previous year, and anyway the editor had little option than to include Gran alongside the other characters who would transfer into Whoopee!  However, having said that, Paddywack, whose ambiguous position in Cheeky's universe mirrors Gran's, (being a fictitious character who made one appearance in Cheeky's world) also survived the merge yet did not appear in that meeting between refugees from Cheeky Weekly and their Whoopee! Pals.  Cheeky Weekly remained inconsistent to the end.

Gran - The Whoopee Years

                                                                                                                                                         

Feature	First Appearance	Final Appearance	Total Issues	Total Issues Missed In Run	Page History
6 Million Dollar Gran	22-Oct-77	02-Feb-80	114	3	3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,14,15,19,24,25

Issues Missed In Run

02-Dec-78

09-Dec-78

19-Jan-80

                                                                                                                                   

Feature	Artist	Number of Issues	First Appearance	Final Appearance
6 Million Dollar Gran	Ian Knox	94	22-Oct-1977	26-Jan-1980
6 Million Dollar Gran	Nigel Edwards	18	25-Mar-1978	02-Feb-1980
6 Million Dollar Gran	Mike Lacey	2	24-Jun-1978	22-Jul-1978

Gran - The Whoopee Years

Bruce looks at Cheeky's Pals from Krazy

Bruce has posted a couple of the Cheeky's Pals pages from Krazy comic here.

The Other Cheeky Artists - Frank McDiarmid Pencils

In this post I'm going to look at the Cheeky's Week artwork that I have attributed to 'Frank McDiarmid pencils' (FMP).  To quote from my earlier post here -

'I originally thought [some of the artwork in question] was by Tom Paterson but I got no support when I postulated this theory on the Comics UK forum.  However, RobFilth on the forum suggested that these pages may be Frank's pencils inked by another artist, and Lew Stringer put forward the idea that possibly Frank had an assistant to help him out at times.

My inclination now is that the art assistant suggestion is the most likely answer, so I'm going to record the artist for these pages, and similar-looking pages in later issues, as 'Frank McDiarmid pencils', unless anyone knows otherwise. My analysis of all the Cheeky's Week artwork shows that the combined Frank McDiarmid and Frank McDiarmid pencils artwork amounts to two thirds of the total, which is what Frank estimated his contribution to be when he was interviewed for Crikey!

I'm not suggesting that all the artwork in my FMP category is inked by the same artist.  What the artwork has in common (in my opinion) is a similarity to the style we know to be pure Frank (pages he signed are the obvious template), yet the art also has an element of un-Frank-ness about it, particularly in the lettering of the various gags written around the panels which are clearly not Frank's writing.


FMP art first appeared in Cheeky Weekly issue 4, dated 12 November 1977.  FMP were responsible for 11 of that issue's Cheeky's Week elements, with Frank providing the post-Creepy Sleepy Tale Wednesday strip on his own.  The two-panel conclusion to Saturday, reminding readers to call the Fun Phone, consisted of a previously-published Frank McD panel originating from the back page of the first issue, and another panel which looks as though it's the result of a cut-and paste job.

The following week, FMP were responsible for 5 pages, and in the next issue they delivered a whole Cheeky's Week.

This brings us to the 03 December 1977 issue, in which FMP artwork appeared on 11 elements.  In the 10 December issue the FMP count was down to 5 elements, one of which was the What A Cheek cover feature.

In the comic dated 17 December, there were 8 FMP elements, and the 24 December, issue had Friday as the only FMP art.

I'm pleased to say that the Christmas issue dated 31 December 1977 featured an all-Frank Cheeky's Week.  No doubt the assistance given to Frank by his inker(s) and Dick Millington in the issues running up to this one was intended to allow him time to generate a whole week of Cheeky festive fun on his own, for which we must all give thanks.

The first comic of 1978, dated 07 January, featured FMP across the whole of Cheeky's Week, but FMP then skipped a week and returned with 3 pages on 21 January.

28 January saw 4 pages of FMP art, and there was then a break until 11 February's 4 FMP pages plus Wednesday conclusion, followed by the 18 February comic which featured FMP art on What A Cheek and the final two panels of the Saturday conclusion on page 30.

FMP were responsible for 9 elements the following week, 25 February, but didn't return until 11 March, when they delivered the Wednesday conclusion only. The 18 March issue featured provided 7 FMP elements.  2 pages by FMP appeared in the issue cover dated 25 March, and a total of 5 elements appeared in the 01 April 1978 issue.

The Wednesday conclusion was the only FMP art in the 08 April issue, but FMP returned with 4 pages in the 15 April issue, followed by a single FMP page on 22 April.  4 pages of FMP appeared in the 29 April comic, and a further week was skipped before FMP contributed 7 elements to the 13 May issue.

After a gap of 2 weeks, FMP were back with 8 elements in the 03 June issue.  After another 2 week break, FMP furnished us with 5 elements in the 24 June 1978 comic.

The following week saw a single FMP-produced element (What A Cheek again), but the 08 July issue contained 10 FMP elements.  15 July 1978 had only the Wednesday conclusion by FMP, and after skipping a week FMP were back to provide only the Wednesday conclusion again in the 29 July issue.

The element count was back in double figures as FMP generated 10 elements in the 12 August 1978 comic, but dropped to 8 on 02 September before increase to 10 elements again in the 23 September issue.

There then followed one FMP issue a month, as the 21 October issue featured 10 FMP elements, while 18 November saw another 10 FMP elements.

However, just as this pattern seemed to become established we encounter a month's gap, due in part to the non-publication of the comic for 3 weeks in December 1978 because of industrial action, with FMP not returning until the 06 January 1979 issue with a 9 FMP-element comic.

An even longer break then followed, with no more FMP art until the issue dated 14 April 1979, which featured 8 elements by FMP.

We then entered another period of 'one-a-month' FMP issues, with 4 elements in the 26 May comic, 8 in the issue dated 09 June, 4 on 21 July and 5 in the issue cover dated 18 August.

The pattern was broken when 3 FMP elements appeared in the 25 August comic. FMP supplied 2 pages in the 02 September 1978 issue, and the cover of the issue dated 15 September 1979.  The final comic to feature FMP art was issue number 98 dated 22 September 1979 which contained 3 FMP elements.

FMP's Cheeky's Week pages in Cheeky Weekly

Cover Date	Page	Element
12-Nov-1977	1	What a Cheek
12-Nov-1977	2	Sunday
12-Nov-1977	4	Sunday evening
12-Nov-1977	8	Monday
12-Nov-1977	12	Tuesday
12-Nov-1977	14	Tuesday
12-Nov-1977	15	Wednesday
12-Nov-1977	18	Thursday
12-Nov-1977	20	Friday
12-Nov-1977	25	Saturday
12-Nov-1977	27	Interval
19-Nov-1977	4	Sunday evening
19-Nov-1977	19	Thursday
19-Nov-1977	21	Friday
19-Nov-1977	24	Saturday
19-Nov-1977	27	Interval
26-Nov-1977	1	What a Cheek
26-Nov-1977	2	Sunday
26-Nov-1977	4	Sunday evening
26-Nov-1977	7	Monday
26-Nov-1977	12	Tuesday
26-Nov-1977	15	Wednesday
26-Nov-1977	17	Wednesday
26-Nov-1977	19	Thursday
26-Nov-1977	21	Friday
26-Nov-1977	24	Saturday
26-Nov-1977	27	Interval
26-Nov-1977	30	Saturday
03-Dec-1977	4	Sunday evening
03-Dec-1977	7	Monday
03-Dec-1977	11	Tuesday
03-Dec-1977	13	Tuesday
03-Dec-1977	15	Wednesday
03-Dec-1977	17	Wednesday
03-Dec-1977	19	Thursday
03-Dec-1977	21	Friday
03-Dec-1977	24	Saturday
03-Dec-1977	27	Interval
03-Dec-1977	30	Saturday
10-Dec-1977	1	What a Cheek
10-Dec-1977	2	Sunday
10-Dec-1977	19	Thursday
10-Dec-1977	24	Saturday
10-Dec-1977	27	Interval
17-Dec-1977	1	What a Cheek
17-Dec-1977	2	Sunday
17-Dec-1977	4	Sunday evening
17-Dec-1977	7	Monday
17-Dec-1977	12	Tuesday
17-Dec-1977	14	Tuesday
17-Dec-1977	15	Wednesday
17-Dec-1977	17	Wednesday
24-Dec-1977	21	Friday
07-Jan-1978	2	New Year's Eve
07-Jan-1978	3	Sunday
07-Jan-1978	5	Sunday evening
07-Jan-1978	9	Monday
07-Jan-1978	12	Suddenly
07-Jan-1978	13	Tuesday
07-Jan-1978	15	Wednesday
07-Jan-1978	17	Wednesday
07-Jan-1978	19	Thursday
07-Jan-1978	21	Friday
07-Jan-1978	24	Saturday
07-Jan-1978	27	Interval
21-Jan-1978	19	Thursday
21-Jan-1978	21	Friday
21-Jan-1978	27	Interval
28-Jan-1978	2	Sunday
28-Jan-1978	4	Sunday evening
28-Jan-1978	7	Monday
28-Jan-1978	12	Tuesday
11-Feb-1978	2	Sunday
11-Feb-1978	4	Sunday evening
11-Feb-1978	8	Monday
11-Feb-1978	11	Suddenly
11-Feb-1978	17	Wednesday
18-Feb-1978	1	What a Cheek
18-Feb-1978	30	Saturday
25-Feb-1978	1	What a Cheek
25-Feb-1978	2	Sunday
25-Feb-1978	4	Sunday evening
25-Feb-1978	8	Monday
25-Feb-1978	11	Suddenly
25-Feb-1978	12	Tuesday
25-Feb-1978	15	Wednesday
25-Feb-1978	19	Thursday
25-Feb-1978	25	Saturday
11-Mar-1978	17	Wednesday
18-Mar-1978	15	Wednesday
18-Mar-1978	17	Wednesday
18-Mar-1978	19	Thursday
18-Mar-1978	21	Friday
18-Mar-1978	25	Saturday
18-Mar-1978	28	Interval
18-Mar-1978	31	Saturday
25-Mar-1978	1	What a Cheek
25-Mar-1978	28	Interval
01-Apr-1978	15	Wednesday
01-Apr-1978	19	Thursday
01-Apr-1978	21	Friday
01-Apr-1978	24	Saturday - April Fool's Day
01-Apr-1978	25	Saturday - April Fool's Day
08-Apr-1978	17	Wednesday
15-Apr-1978	19	Thursday
15-Apr-1978	21	Friday
15-Apr-1978	25	Saturday
15-Apr-1978	28	Interval
22-Apr-1978	1	What a Cheek
29-Apr-1978	2	Sunday
29-Apr-1978	4	Sunday evening
29-Apr-1978	12	Suddenly
29-Apr-1978	15	Wednesday
13-May-1978	15	Wednesday
13-May-1978	17	Wednesday
13-May-1978	19	Thursday
13-May-1978	21	Friday
13-May-1978	24	Saturday
13-May-1978	28	Interval
13-May-1978	31	Saturday
03-Jun-1978	1	What a Cheek
03-Jun-1978	2	Sunday
03-Jun-1978	4	Sunday evening
03-Jun-1978	9	Monday
03-Jun-1978	12	Suddenly
03-Jun-1978	13	Tuesday
03-Jun-1978	15	Wednesday
03-Jun-1978	19	Thursday
24-Jun-1978	19	Thursday
24-Jun-1978	21	Friday
24-Jun-1978	26	Saturday
24-Jun-1978	28	Interval
24-Jun-1978	31	Saturday
01-Jul-1978	1	What a Cheek
08-Jul-1978	2	Sunday
08-Jul-1978	4	Sunday evening
08-Jul-1978	7	Monday
08-Jul-1978	13	Tuesday
08-Jul-1978	16	Wednesday
08-Jul-1978	20	Thursday
08-Jul-1978	23	Friday
08-Jul-1978	26	Saturday
08-Jul-1978	29	Interval
08-Jul-1978	32	Saturday
15-Jul-1978	19	Wednesday
29-Jul-1978	17	Wednesday
12-Aug-1978	2	Sunday
12-Aug-1978	4	Sunday evening
12-Aug-1978	8	Monday
12-Aug-1978	10	Tuesday
12-Aug-1978	12	Wednesday
12-Aug-1978	15	Thursday
12-Aug-1978	19	Friday
12-Aug-1978	23	Saturday
12-Aug-1978	27	Interval
12-Aug-1978	31	Saturday
02-Sep-1978	2	Sunday
02-Sep-1978	4	Sunday evening
02-Sep-1978	9	Monday
02-Sep-1978	10	Tuesday
02-Sep-1978	15	Wednesday
02-Sep-1978	19	Thursday
02-Sep-1978	23	Friday
02-Sep-1978	25	Saturday
02-Sep-1978	28	Interval
02-Sep-1978	31	Saturday
23-Sep-1978	2	Sunday
23-Sep-1978	4	Sunday evening
23-Sep-1978	8	Monday
23-Sep-1978	12	Tuesday
23-Sep-1978	16	Wednesday
23-Sep-1978	19	Thursday
23-Sep-1978	23	Friday
23-Sep-1978	25	Saturday
23-Sep-1978	28	Interval
23-Sep-1978	31	Saturday
21-Oct-1978	1	Cheeky's Week
21-Oct-1978	2	Sunday
21-Oct-1978	6	Monday
21-Oct-1978	9	Tuesday
21-Oct-1978	12	Wednesday
21-Oct-1978	21	Thursday
21-Oct-1978	23	Friday
21-Oct-1978	26	Saturday
21-Oct-1978	29	Interval
21-Oct-1978	32	Saturday
18-Nov-1978	1	Cheeky's Week
18-Nov-1978	2	Sunday
18-Nov-1978	7	Monday
18-Nov-1978	9	Tuesday
18-Nov-1978	12	Wednesday
18-Nov-1978	21	Thursday
18-Nov-1978	23	Friday
18-Nov-1978	26	Saturday
18-Nov-1978	29	Interval
18-Nov-1978	32	Saturday
06-Jan-1979	1	Cheeky's Week
06-Jan-1979	2	Sunday
06-Jan-1979	6	Monday
06-Jan-1979	9	Tuesday
06-Jan-1979	12	Wednesday
06-Jan-1979	21	Thursday
06-Jan-1979	25	Friday
06-Jan-1979	30	Saturday
06-Jan-1979	31	Saturday
14-Apr-1979	2	Sunday
14-Apr-1979	6	Monday
14-Apr-1979	8	Tuesday
14-Apr-1979	10	Wednesday
14-Apr-1979	23	Thursday
14-Apr-1979	25	Good Friday
14-Apr-1979	30	Easter Saturday
14-Apr-1979	31	Easter Saturday
26-May-1979	23	Thursday
26-May-1979	25	Friday
26-May-1979	30	Saturday
26-May-1979	31	Saturday
09-Jun-1979	2	Sunday
09-Jun-1979	6	Monday
09-Jun-1979	9	Tuesday
09-Jun-1979	12	Wednesday
09-Jun-1979	23	Thursday
09-Jun-1979	25	Friday
09-Jun-1979	30	Saturday
09-Jun-1979	31	Saturday
21-Jul-1979	22	Thursday
21-Jul-1979	26	Friday
21-Jul-1979	30	Saturday
21-Jul-1979	31	Saturday
18-Aug-1979	18	Wednesday
18-Aug-1979	22	Thursday
18-Aug-1979	26	Friday
18-Aug-1979	30	Saturday
18-Aug-1979	31	Saturday
25-Aug-1979	2	Sunday
25-Aug-1979	7	Monday
25-Aug-1979	12	Tuesday
15-Sep-1979	1	Old Croc's Race
22-Sep-1979	2	Sunday
22-Sep-1979	7	Monday
22-Sep-1979	11	Tuesday

Cheeky Weekly cover date 24 Dec 1977

The inspiration for this week's cover

Jogging Jeremy is the featured character on this week's cover, in a depiction which is based on a panel from the first issue of Cheeky Weekly. Snail is back after being absent from the front page last week. A Dick Millington Cheeky's Week completes the cover fun.

On page 3 Skateboard Squad foil a bank robbery and are promised a big reward, with which they plan to buy each other Christmas presents. A caption at the end of their story tells us we can see what they buy in next week's comic.

Gran is also in seasonal mood, and embarks on a Christmas shopping spree. In trying to help people she causes damage that has to be paid for out of her Christmas money but, in a storyline that seems remarkably familiar, she foils a robbery and is given a reward.

On Tuesday, Cheeky has a classic encounter with Walter Wurx, just before getting another mystifying call from the Telephone Pole Man.

There's further festive fun with Mustapha Million, but mercifully no robberies are either perpetrated or foiled in the course of the story.

Bubblegum Boy has now perfected the art of speaking with a mouth full of gum, and makes a comment on Friday, although why he doesn't shout for help remains a mystery.

Cover star Jogging Jeremy makes a brief appearance on Saturday, before falling through the slats of a drain.

On page 30, Cheeky invites us to spend Christmas with him and his pals (who are depicted in a selection of cut and pasted images) in next week's Christmas issue.

Rounding off this week's comic is the final part of the cut-out 1978 diary.

The majority of the Cheeky's Week artwork this week is handled by Dick Millington (9 full pages plus What A Cheek and the Wednesday conclusion). There's a single page of Frank McDiarmid pencils (Friday), and a single-panel conclusion to Saturday that is cobbled together from two previously published panels by Frank, from the 29 October 1977 and 03 December 1977 issues.

Let's hope that all this deputising and recycling has given Frank time to work on the Christmas issue.

There are 2 character debuts in Krazy Town this week. On Sunday, Baker's Boy chips in a joke while Cheeky is having a gag with mechanic, making this one of the rare occasions where the Baker's Boy doesn't lose a cake to our hero. Posh Claude's mum makes her first appearance on Wednesday, although her voice has previously been heard in the 26 November 1977 issue.

Daffy Duck makes his feature debut this week. I don't care much for these Warner Brothers filler strips.

Cheeky Weekly	Cover Date: 24-Dec-1977, Issue 10 of 117
Page	Details
1	Cover Feature 'Jogging Jeremy' - Art Frank McDiarmid pencils\What a Cheek - Art Dick Millington (single art on feature)
2	Sunday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
3	Skateboard Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen
4	Sunday evening - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
5	James Bold 'Fangs of Fear' 10 of 11 - Art Lopez
6	James Bold 'Fangs of Fear' 10 of 11 - Art Lopez
7	Monday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
8	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
9	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
10	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
11	What's New, Kids
12	Tuesday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
13	Old Comic reprint from Tip Top 'Our Jean' reprint from Tip Top 'Artie'
14	Tuesday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)\Doug's Doodle - Art Terry Bave (final art on feature)
15	Wednesday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
16	Creepy Sleepy Tale - Art Keith Reynolds
17	Creepy Sleepy Tale - Art Keith Reynolds\Wednesday (conclusion) - Art Dick Millington (single art on feature)
18	Joke-Box Jury
19	Thursday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
20	Home Movie 'Top Hat and Tails' - Art Jack Clayton
21	Friday - Art Frank McDiarmid pencils
22	Mustapha Million - Art Reg Parlett
23	Mustapha Million - Art Reg Parlett
24	Saturday - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
25	Daffy Duck (first appearance) 'Daffy's Diner'
26	Daffy Duck (first appearance) 'Daffy's Diner'
27	Interval - Art Dick Millington (first art on feature)
28	Space Family Robinson 'Black Menace' - Art John Richardson
29	Space Family Robinson 'Black Menace' - Art John Richardson
30	Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid\Ad: IPC 'Cheeky Weekly: Next week, you're all invited to spend Christmas with me and my pals'
31	Diary (final appearance) - Art Jim Petrie (final art on feature)
32	Diary (final appearance) - Art Jim Petrie (final art on feature)