Welcome to the Cheeky Weekly blog!


Welcome to the Cheeky Weekly blog!
Cheeky Weekly ™ REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED was a British children's comic with cover dates spanning 22 October 1977 to 02 February 1980.

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Basic Stats
Cheeky Weekly Index - Cheeky Annuals and Specials Index
Cheeky Weekly Artist Index
Features by Number of Appearances
Cheeky Weekly Timeline
Major Characters from the Cheeky pages
Features Ordered by Date of Commencement

*** ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Used with permission. ***
*** CHEEKY WEEKLY, KRAZY, WHOOPEE!, WHOOPEE, WOW!, WHIZZER AND CHIPS and BUSTER ARE ™ REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ***
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Sunday 26 February 2017

Cheeky Weekly cover date 20 October 1979

Art: Jimmy Hansen
Front page favourite Manhole Man, making his 25th cover appearance, joins Cheeky in kicking off this second birthday issue with a whirly-bird witticism, rendered by Jimmy Hansen. Sadly there's no mention of the second anniversary on the cover, nor anywhere inside (neither were there any celebrations of the 100thedition). This is the only time that Jimmy Hansen drew the main cover feature.
















Jimmy Hansen continues to draw Cheeky's Week as the action progresses to the Sunday page, wherein our toothy pal is depicted dispensing quips along with newspapers on his regular round. 

Art: Jimmy Hansen
 
Readers who have sent in Paddywack gags will be eagerly scanning this week's bumper 2-page feature to see if their joke is among the 6 that the editor has chosen to be illustrated by Jack Clayton. It's not the first time that there has been a double helping of Paddywack – the issues dated 17 and 24 February and 28 July 1979 all contained 2 pages of the braces-and-welly-sporting buffoon.

Art: Jack Clayton
 
 
This week we learn that Disaster Des is, somewhat improbably, a Boy Scout. Mike Lacey returns to drawing the strip after Jimmy Hansen deputised last week.

Art: Mike Lacey
 
The Man In The Plastic Mac finds himself as The Man In Nothing At All by the end of this week's Elephant On The Run.

Art: Robert Nixon

The Silly Snaps filler reaches the last of its murky, grey outings this issue. I suspect few readers will mourn its departure.



The Chit-Chat page contains a letter complaining of the recycling of Paddywack gags – fortunately the joke in question is not among those featured in this week's double helping.



Mike Lacey takes on the Cheeky's Week artwork duties as of Thursday, and on Friday, Lily Pop's response to Cheeky's gag about Paddywack comes perilously close to eliciting a further critical missive from the eagle-eyed Arron Payne.


Art: Mike Lacey

The IPC coffers must be brimming as, along with the Paddywack 2-pager, there's a double-page Joke-Box Jury, and printed contributions to both features win a cash prize. Cheeky's vigilant correspondent from Helston need not wring his hands as none of the Jury Jokes are soap-based.


Saturday sees Cheeky pay a visit to Jogging Jeremy's Keep Fit Class, although the only thing our grinning chum exercises is his right to tell groan-inducing gags to all his pals as they sweat and strain. Bump-Bump Bernie's attempt at a handstand not only results in an injury to his foot, but the consequent trauma seems to have brought on an attack of Cheeky Weekly Inconsistent Hair Colour Syndrome

Mike again
.
Barrie Appleby stands in for Frank McDiarmid for the second (and final) time on Snail of The Century, which brings this week's fun-fest to a slithering conclusion.

Sadly there's no Frank McDiarmid work in this issue, but the Cheeky's Week art duties are more than capably shared between Jimmy Hansen (this week's issue is the final time that Jimmy will draw Cheeky's Week, although he'll continue to provide the art on Speed Squad), Mike Lacey and Barrie Appleby (4, 4 and 1 elements respectively).



Cheeky Weekly Cover Date: 20-Oct-1979, Issue 102 of 117
PageDetails
1Cover Feature 'Manhole Man' 5 of 7 - Art Jimmy Hansen (single art on feature)
2Sunday - Art Jimmy Hansen (final art on feature)
3Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave
46 Million Dollar Gran - Art Nigel Edwards
56 Million Dollar Gran - Art Nigel Edwards
66 Million Dollar Gran - Art Nigel Edwards
7Monday - Art Jimmy Hansen (final art on feature)
8Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton
9Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton
10Tuesday - Art Jimmy Hansen (final art on feature)
11Disaster Des - Art Mike Lacey
12The Gang reprint from Whizzer and Chips - Art Robert MacGillivray
13The Gang reprint from Whizzer and Chips - Art Robert MacGillivray
14Elephant On The Run - Art Robert Nixon
15Ad: IPC 'Krazy Annual' 3 of 4 Ad: 'Whoopee' 7 of 9
16Mustapha Million - Art Joe McCaffrey
17Mustapha Million - Art Joe McCaffrey
18Wednesday - Art Jimmy Hansen (final art on feature)
19Silly Snaps (final appearance)
20Chit-Chat
21Chit-Chat\Tub - Art Nigel Edwards
22Thursday - Art Mike Lacey
23Speed Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen
24Ad: Mr Bellamy's
25What's New, Kids
26Friday - Art Mike Lacey
27Why, Dad, Why? - Art John K. Geering
28Joke-Box Jury
29Joke-Box Jury
30Saturday - Art Mike Lacey
31Saturday - Art Mike Lacey
32Snail of the Century - Art Barrie Appleby (final art on feature)

Thursday 16 February 2017

Whizzer and Chips - The Cheeky Raids part 22

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. However, the Krazy Gang's Whizzer and Chips run ended in the issue dated 08 February 1986.


A week after Mustapha Million was the subject of the unwelcome attentions of the Bumpkin Billionaires, the other Cheeky Weekly survivor of the time was unwitting host to an impudent invader of Whizz-kid origin.

Can you identify the intruder upon Charlie Counter and his silicon-chipped sidekick? Scroll down, where enlightenment will be forthcoming…

Whizzer and Chips 12 April 1986
Art: Terry Bave
Lovely expressions of horror/revulsion!












Yes, it's the rather dull Animalad strolling nonchalantly into the boys' lavs, carrying out his third raid on an ex-Cheeky Weekly character. He has previously intruded upon Cheeky (as a member of The Krazy Gang), and gatecrashed Mustapha Million. However the Whizz-kid shape-shifter was himself the victim of a retaliatory incursion by Mustapha.

This Calculator Kid strip had first appeared in Cheeky Weekly dated 03 February 1979 (the 'big' issue). The superimposition of Animalad wasn't the only change to the page on its Whizzer and Chips outing – the trajectory of an unidentifiable object ricocheting off a kid's head in the first panel on row 2 was obliterated, Cheeky's graffito under the handbasin (row 3 panel 2) was removed while in the same panel Charlie's closing word was excised, and a change was made to Charlie's dialogue in the final panel. This last change was probably made because the original didn't make sense, since during the story Charlie didn't actually 'interfere with [Calc's] plans'.


This was the seventh raid carried out on Calculator Kid up to this point, making Charlie the most-raided ex-Cheeky Weekly character. The dwindling survivors of the toothy funster's title had by this time suffered 18 raids and perpetrated 9.

More raiding fun soon!

Whizzer and Chips Cover Date Raider Raided
06 April 1985Mustapha MillionSuper Steve
04 May 1985Bloggs (Store Wars)Mustapha Million
11 May 1985JokerThe Krazy Gang (Cheeky)
18 May 1985Calculator Kid & CalcOdd-Ball
01 June 1985
Animalad
Mustapha Million
The Krazy Gang (Cheeky)
Boy Boss
08 June 1985Odd-BallCalculator Kid
06 July 1985Toy BoyCalculator Kid
13 July 1985Pa BumpkinThe Krazy Gang (Cheeky)
27 July 1985JokerMustapha Million
24 August 1985CheekySid's Snake
14 September 1985
Odd-Ball
Calculator Kid
Calculator Kid
Store Wars
05 October 1985Mustapha MillionAnimalad
19 October 1985Odd-BallMustapha Million
23 November 1985
Sweeny Toddler
Sweeny Toddler
Sweeny Toddler
Calculator Kid
The Krazy Gang (Cheeky)
Mustapha Million
18 January 1986Mustapha MillionSuper Steve
25 January 1986
Odd-Ball
Cheeky
Mustapha Million
Odd-Ball
08 February 1986
The Krazy Gang ends this issue
AnimaladMustapha Million
15 February 1986Lazy BonesCalculator Kid
15 March 1986Odd-BallCalculator Kid
29 March 1986Calculator KidMaster P Brain
05 April 1986Bumpkin BillionairesMustapha Million
12 April 1986AnimaladCalculator Kid

Sunday 5 February 2017

Cheeky Weekly: Year 2 in Review

Those of you who follow my issue summaries series of posts will be aware that the most recent entry looked at the final issue of Cheeky Weekly's second year, so now is an appropriate time to examine the changes that occurred in the comic between its first anniversary issue and the end of year 2, and compare them with the changes documented in my Cheeky Weekly: Year 1 in Review post.

Cheeky Weekly's second year was of course marred by the December 1978 printer's strike that affected a number of IPC's titles and resulted in two issues of the toothy funster's comic having a reduced page count, plus the loss of 3 issues including what would have been the Christmas edition (although most if not all of the festive funnies intended for that issue did eventually appear in one form or another).

Cheeky Weekly was unique among British comics in being built around a single character whose strip was interspersed throughout each issue. But in addition to enjoying the toothy funster's gag-cracking progress through a whole week, readers experienced another unique aspect of the comic as all the non-Cheeky strips were framed by those Cheeky's Week pages. Thus the adventure strips were introduced as books Cheeky read or films he watched at the cinema, and the humour strips were presented as programmes he watched on TV or home movies made by his pals, among other conceits.

Aside from the loss of individual strips and the introduction of replacements, which is of course commonplace in comics as editors strive to hone the contents in pursuit of maximum circulation, the major change to occur in Cheeky Weekly's second year was the final elimination of the framing devices, a process that had begun in year 1, as documented here.

The comic also underwent a third revamp during year 2, with the Mystery Comic section ceasing to appear in the centre pages as of the 07 July 1979 'New Look' issue. All the strips that had previously been contained within the Mystery Comic section continued to appear, but were distributed throughout the comic rather than huddling at the mid-point of each issue.

Comparison of features: Issues 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979

 Survivors 

Category Detail Start End
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Mustapha Million22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)6 Million Dollar Gran22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)What's New, Kids22-Oct-197717-Nov-1979
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Cover Feature22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Friday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Monday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Saturday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Sunday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Thursday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Tuesday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Wednesday22-Oct-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Joke-Box Jury10-Dec-197702-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Calculator Kid01-Jul-197802-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Paddywack08-Jul-197826-Jan-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Silly Snaps02-Sep-197820-Oct-1979
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Why, Dad, Why?30-Sep-197802-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Elephant On The Run30-Sep-197802-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Tub30-Sep-197802-Feb-1980
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Mystery Boy30-Sep-197813-Oct-1979
Survivor (started before 21-Oct-1978 and still running as of 13-Oct-1979)Disaster Des30-Sep-197802-Feb-1980


Calculator Kid and Paddywack join the Survivors this year, having been categorised as Newcomers in the Year 1 review. Also joining the survivors are the 5 strips that were introduced when the Mystery Comic took up occupancy in the center of the comic as of the 30 September 1978 issue (again these were classified as Newcomers at the end of year 1). However, one of those 5, Mystery Boy, only just scrapes in as a year 2 survivor, since its final episode appeared in the 13 October 1979 comic. Since Mystery Boy was not replaced by another story in the adventure vein, it seems that during year 2 a decision was taken to transform Cheeky Weekly into a funnies-only comic.


Survivors - Conclusion

There were in total 19 strips running as of the end of year 1 which survived to reach the end of year 2. This compares to 12 survivors at the end of year 1. This more stable line-up may suggest that at the end of year 2, the Cheeky Weekly Editor was happier with the comic's contents than he had been just 12 months into the title's run.

Newcomers
 
Category Detail Start End
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979Chit-Chat09-Dec-197802-Feb-1980
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979Tease Break17-Feb-197903-Nov-1979
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979Speed Squad26-May-197902-Feb-1980
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979Stage School07-Jul-197902-Feb-1980
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979The Gang07-Jul-197902-Feb-1980
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979Snail of the Century14-Jul-197902-Feb-1980
Newcomer after 21-Oct-1978, still running as of 13-Oct-1979Ringer Dinger06-Oct-197902-Feb-1980

Cheeky Weekly was surprisingly late in adding a readers' letters page to its line-up - Chit-Chat didn't commence until issue number 60. It subsequently became a permanent fixture. Snail of the Century was the last original feature to join the roster of Cheeky Weekly chucklemakers, all the subsequent strip debuts within Cheeky Weekly were reprints. Speed Squad were of course Skateboard Squad in all but name and vehicular specificity. Stage School was an engaging, fun feature that not only continued into year 3 but was among the strips that transferred to Whoopee! when the toothy funster's title came a cropper. The Gang was a poor choice of reprint that didn't do Cheeky Weekly any favours. Ringer Dinger was a reprint functioning as an intermittent filler.

Newcomers - Conclusion

12 Newcomers (i.e. strips that began after the first issue) were listed at the end of year 1, compared to the 7 above for year 2 (but since there were more survivors in year 2, it's to be expected that there would be a commensurate dip in newcomers).

Gone but not Forgotten

Category Detail Start End
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Skateboard Squad22-Oct-197712-May-1979
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Pin-up pal22-Oct-197731-Mar-1979
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Interval22-Oct-197702-Dec-1978
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Tweety and Sylvester21-Jan-197802-Dec-1978
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Easter Monday01-Apr-197821-Apr-1979
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Smurfs competition09-Sep-197809-Dec-1978
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Cheeky's Week30-Sep-197830-Jun-1979
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Cheeky's Pal Puzzle30-Sep-197802-Dec-1978
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Mystery Boy30-Sep-197813-Oct-1979
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979The Terrible Trail to Taggart's Treasure07-Oct-197802-Dec-1978
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Laugh and Learn07-Oct-197809-Dec-1978
Started on or before 21-Oct-1978 but departed on or before 13-Oct-1979Hey Presto! Magic Show21-Oct-197821-Oct-1978

Cheeky's Pal Puzzle (my own title for a feature that was not given a name in the comic) was as the name implies a feature of the brain-teaser variety but, rather than being a generic filler as such items often were, it was given a Cheeky Weekly twist in that it was incorporated into the Saturday strip. Cheeky's Week in the table above refers to to cover strip of that name rather than the concept of Cheeky's 7 days of jolly japes. Hey Presto! Magic Show was a one-off special strip to celebrate the comic's first birthday. The short-lived Laugh and Learn's interesting collaboration between Barrie Appleby and Brian Walker was possibly a little too educational for readers' tastes. Skateboard Squad of course arose, phoenix-like, from the ashes of their former plastic-wheeled conveyances to become Speed Squad. The Terrible Trail to Taggart's Treasure was a reprinted tale of piratical pursuit. Mystery Boy appears in this category as his final episode appeared in the 13 October 1979 issue.
Gone but not Forgotten - Conclusion

13 features were dropped during year 1, but we again see a more stable comic reflected in year 2's tally of just 7 ejectees (one of which was a one-off special never intended, as far as we know, to be a series).


Arrived and departed 


Category Detail Start End
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Hey Presto! Magic Show21-Oct-197821-Oct-1978
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Winners of Skateboard and Tennis competitions28-Oct-197828-Oct-1978
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Who's your Super-Star18-Nov-197818-Nov-1978
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Feature Omitted02-Dec-197802-Dec-1978
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Big Four Saint Competition02-Dec-197802-Dec-1978
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979The Burpo Special09-Dec-197830-Jun-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Eagle Eye06-Jan-197924-Feb-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Chutes Away competition winners06-Jan-197906-Jan-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Snap Game13-Jan-197903-Feb-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Goonburger Maze20-Jan-197920-Jan-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Spaghetti Junction maze27-Jan-197927-Jan-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Your chance to vote27-Jan-197917-Feb-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Train Track Maze03-Feb-197903-Feb-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Menace of the Alpha Man03-Mar-197930-Jun-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Ash Wednesday03-Mar-197903-Mar-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Shrove Tuesday03-Mar-197903-Mar-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Disaster Des spot the difference17-Mar-197917-Mar-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Saint competition results24-Mar-197924-Mar-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Smurfs competition results24-Mar-197924-Mar-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Star Guest31-Mar-197928-Jul-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Cheeky's Jersey Pattern31-Mar-197931-Mar-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Top Ten Poster07-Apr-197928-Apr-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Top Ten Poster instructions07-Apr-197928-Apr-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Easter Saturday14-Apr-197914-Apr-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Good Friday14-Apr-197914-Apr-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Poster instructions21-Apr-197908-Sep-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Cheeky Spotter Book of Town and Around19-May-197909-Jun-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Cheeky Hustle16-Jun-197916-Jun-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Who Is The Alpha Man16-Jun-197916-Jun-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979My favourite Cheeky pals04-Aug-197904-Aug-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Alpha Man competition results18-Aug-197918-Aug-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979Giant Cheeky Poster18-Aug-197908-Sep-1979
Started and Finished Between 21-Oct-1978 and 13-Oct-1979James Bond competition08-Sep-197908-Sep-1979

The above is a bit of a rag-bag category which mops up everything that started and finished within year 2,  including cut-out features, competitions and fillers of various descriptions. However, focusing on 'proper' features reveals that Eagle Eye, Menace of the Alpha Man and The Burpo Special all started and ended within year 2. Of those four, The Burpo Special was the only original material, and it's hard to see why such a memorable feature was dropped. The strip's premise of focusing on a different member of the massive Cheeky supporting cast each week would seem to give it almost unlimited potential. A grievous loss to the comic, considering it was sacrificed, as of the aforementioned 'New Look' issue, in favour of dreary reprint The Gang.

Special mention must go to Star Guest, a promotional campaign that ran across IPC's humour line in spring/summer 1979.



Reprints by Month 21-OCT-78 to 13-OCT-79

 

Month Total Features Reprint Features % Reprints Reprint Sources
OCT-19784848Jag 1, Shiver and Shake 4, Whizzer and Chips 4
NOV-19789688Shiver and Shake 4, Whizzer and Chips 4
DEC-19784736Shiver and Shake 1, Whizzer and Chips 2
JAN-197910288Shiver and Shake 4, Whizzer and Chips 4
FEB-197910388Shiver and Shake 4, Whizzer and Chips 4
MAR-1979120108Shiver and Shake 5, Whizzer and Chips 5
APR-19799489Shiver and Shake 4, Whizzer and Chips 4
MAY-19798989Shiver and Shake 4, Whizzer and Chips 4
JUN-1979113109Shiver and Shake 5, Whizzer and Chips 5
JUL-19799389Whizzer and Chips 8
AUG-19799489Whizzer and Chips 8
SEP-1979113109Whizzer and Chips 10
OCT-197948510Whizzer and Chips 7


Year 2 saw a steady increase in the use of reprint material from 8 to 10 per cent (barring December 1978 which was no doubt skewed by the truncated/lost issues).

Year 2 - Conclusion

By the end of its second year Cheeky Weekly had suffered a significant loss. The elimination of all the framing devices had shorn the title of one of its unique properties and consequently, as of July 1979's New Look issue, the comic felt a little less special. The cull of framing devices had of course resulted in the concept of the Mystery Comic being dropped (although all the strips from that section continued), but the comic-within-a-comic idea was not a new one, nor would this be the final example of such a construct - indeed the Cheeky Weekly survivors who escaped the wreck of the toothy funster's title would find themselves ensconced in a Cheeky comic within Whoopee! However Cheeky Weekly, on the point of embarking on its third year, retained one aspect that differentiated it from competitor titles on the newsagents' counters - the depiction of Cheeky's progress through a week of gags. Those Cheeky pages were still packed with energy and Frank McDiarmid's work continued to delight. In addition to the toothy funster's week-long joke marathons, the roster of non-Cheeky fun strips running at this time was, with the odd exception, a pretty strong one.  To what extent the year 2 changes were made in preparation for the comic's eventual termination is open to speculation.

Diminished, yes, but not mortally so, Cheeky Weekly marched on into year 3.