Cheeky Weekly cover date 04 August 1979

Art: Frank McDiarmid

I've commented several times in the past when 6 Million Dollar Gran has been described as bionic within the pages of our favourite comic despite it being clearly established in the first issue that she's a robot. Well, it's happened again, this time in the banner atop the cover of this edition. Now, maybe I'm mellowing as the years advance, but in this instance I can understand that the editor is hoping to exploit the fan-base of The Six Million Dollar Man, bionic hero of the TV programme which Gran spoofs. The small-screen adventures of astronaut Steve Austin, titular technologically-enhanced star of the show, came to an end in the US as of March 1978 (I've been unable to source the UK broadcast dates but I would imagine 6MDM came to an end at roughly the same time in this country). Ed is no doubt hoping that any Austin fans who are undergoing withdrawal symptoms due to the absence of their slo-mo hero (video recorders being at the time as rare as sports trophies in Jogging Jeremy's display cabinet) will snap up the toothy funster's comic to sate their lust for anything vaguely bionic.

Also on the cover, some bright spark has come up with a CHEEKY acronym. The Yeah! on the end is a bit desperate, so I award 6 out of 10 for effort. The cover pic shows Cheeky and Mechanic sharing a (slightly uncomfortable from a 21^st century perspective) jalopy joke and we're off on another week of Corny Hilarity, Excellent Entertainment and Kids' Yocks. Yocks - you know, laughs. Alright - 7 out of 10?

There are some words that are only ever encountered in comics. Spifflication is one (I prefer the double-f spelling), and Boilk (a sound uttered by comic characters in digestive distress) is another. On page 2, the latter emerges from Cheeky's alimentary canal as he contemplates Auntie Daisy's latest culinary concoction. In addition to the gags with Cheeky's pals, there is, as always, fun to be had with the names of the newspapers our toothy pal delivers on his round – Sunday Souffle (Daisy), Sunday Sawdust (Mr Chips), Sunday Shy Boy (Hid Kid) and Sunday Snooty (Posh Claude). Sunday Sob is of course the name on Cheeky's newspaper-stuffed shoulder bag.

Art: Frank McDiarmid

Stage School teacher has the customary difficulties while trying to educate his showbiz-obsessed pupils. The young impressionist gives his Oliver Hardy, fez-wearing comic Tommy Cooper, TV boffin Dr Magnus Pyke gesticulating frantically and trilby-topped sports presenter Eddie Waring. Teacher's intention of visiting violence upon his young charges (an Ofsted inquiry would result if he tried that behaviour today) is mercifully foiled by the kids' various talents, which ultimately see the egregious educator dispatched into the ether. No doubt he'll rematerialise in time to inflict further torment next week.

Art: Robert Nixon

Sharing page 12 with ads for Adams Freshen-Up chewing gum (whose publicity department seem to be going for a Smash martians vibe), Star Wars action figures and stamp-mongers DJ Hanson Ltd, is a coupon on which readers are asked to rank their top 5 and least favourite members of the Cheeky's Week supporting cast as well as a similar selection of their 'fun stories'. By specifying that the vote is restricted to strips of the fun variety, are IPC effectively saying 'we know most of you don't like the adventure story (Mystery Boy), but it's a reprint so it's cheap and anyway to create some new material to wrap it up quickly would cost us money and we can't drop it in mid-story so you're stuck with it until it reaches the conclusion'? And was there an additional reason? Read on below the page which follows...

Unlike some other titles, Cheeky Weekly didn't regularly canvass readers on the relative popularity of its contents, so this rare appearance of a voting coupon makes me wonder whether IPC management, possibly having decided by this point that the toothy funster's comic would come to an end within 6 months, intended to use the responses to determine which of Cheeky's pals and strips would continue to feature after the impending merge into Whoopee. This would explain why the vote was restricted to funnies - the Mystery Boy reprints concluded in Cheeky Weekly dated 13 October 1979, about 4 months before the comic ceased publication. No new adventure story replaced it, and Whoopee had no adventure content as of the merge. 

Charlie and Calc are on the beach and in colour for crustacean capers...

Art: Terry Bave

Erk (panel 8). That's another comics-only word.

Having mentioned Cheeky Weekly's World War 2 amnesiac earlier, this episode sees things looking hairy as he and his canine companion unexpectedly find themselves in occupied France.

Art: John Richardson

The funnies conclude with Cheeky and pals embarking on a cross-country run, during which our toothy chum employs some devious strategies in order to secure first place. 

Art: Frank again

I like the way Walter's running so fast in pursuit of a P that he's almost off the page.
 
Snail of the Century has been dislodged from its usual back page location (and bumped from the comic) by an ad.

Frank McDiarmid draws all 8 Cheeky's Week elements in this issue (2 pages of Saturday). It's the first all-Frank Cheeky's Week for a month, and it's a corker. Pity we missed out on Snail of the Century.

Cheeky Weekly	Cover Date: 04-Aug-1979, Issue 91 of 117
Page	Details
1	Cover Feature 'Mechanic' - 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	Joke-Box Jury
7	Monday - Art Frank McDiarmid
8	The Gang reprint from Whizzer and Chips - Art Robert MacGillivray
9	The Gang reprint from Whizzer and Chips - Art Robert MacGillivray
10	Stage School - Art Robert Nixon
11	Stage School - Art Robert Nixon
12	My favourite Cheeky pals (character/feature popularity poll) (single appearance)
13	Tuesday - Art Frank McDiarmid
14	Elephant On The Run - Art Robert Nixon
15	Ad: Palitoy 'Pippa' 4 of 4
16	Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave
17	Why, Dad, Why? - Art John K. Geering
18	Wednesday - Art Frank McDiarmid
19	Mystery Boy reprint from Whizzer and Chips - Art John Richardson
20	Mustapha Million - Art Joe McCaffrey
21	Mustapha Million - Art Joe McCaffrey
22	Thursday - Art Frank McDiarmid
23	Speed Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen
24	Chit-Chat
25	Chit-Chat\Tub - Art Nigel Edwards
26	Friday - Art Frank McDiarmid
27	What's New, Kids
28	Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton
29	Ad: WH Smith
30	Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid
31	Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid
32	Ad: The Great Rail Club (single appearance)