The Pages - Page 27

Wile E Coyote was the occupant of page 27 in Cheeky Weekly's first issue. Although his usual prey, the fleet-footed fowl Road Runner, did appear in the strip, the conniving canine was the focus of this story and thus got the billing. The following issue saw former Buster stars Bam Splat and Blooie and Cocky Doodle sharing reprinted adventures on the subject page.

I don't know who did the artwork

All three aforementioned strips were used to represent the animated cartoon elements of Cheeky's Saturday visits to the cinema, and the picture show Interval took up residence in the subject location a week later, beginning an 8-week run. Cocking of doodles was then in evidence as the poultry protagonist shared page 27 with an ad for IPC's iconic soccer paper Roy of The Rovers, but in Cheeky Weekly dated 07 January 1978 Interval began a 4-week residency which came to an end when further fowl deeds were perpetrated, this time by Henery Hawk, who was the subject of the 04 February 1978 cartoon film.

A far better-known Warner Brothers feathered property, the lisping waterfowl Daffy Duck, occupied page 27 a week later. Interval then returned for one week, following which a run of Warner Brothers bird-centric strips commenced...

Date	Details
25-Feb-78	Road Runner 2/2 'A Bird in Hand'
04-Mar-78	Tweety and Sylvester 2/2 'Too Many Grannies'
11-Mar-78	Daffy Duck (final appearance) 2/2 'Snack Time'
18-Mar-78	Road Runner 2/2 'The Lucky Charms'
25-Mar-78	Tweety and Sylvester 2/2 'Showdown at Granny's'
01-Apr-78	Road Runner 2/2 'The Plant Plot'
08-Apr-78	Tweety and Sylvester 2/2 'A Gift For Granny'
15-Apr-78	Road Runner 2/2 'The Cool Caper'
22-Apr-78	Tweety and Sylvester 2/2 'A Bird Can Fly But Can A Fly Bird'
29-Apr-78	Road Runner 2/2 'Coyote Catcher'
06-May-78	Tweety and Sylvester 2/2 'Pet Getter'
13-May-78	Road Runner 2/2 'Flypaper Caper'
20-May-78	Tweety and Sylvester 2/2 'All Duded Up'
27-May-78	Road Runner 2/2 'Thunder Blunder'
03-Jun-78	Road Runner (final appearance) 2/2 'Trombone Boo Boo'
10-Jun-78	Tweety and Sylvester

IPC then resorted to their own archives to fill the cartoon slot in the following two issues - more Bamming, Splatting and Blooieng sourced from Buster was in evidence on page 27 in Cheeky Weekly dated 17 June 1978, while Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? (breaking the run of avian influence), retrieved from the musty vaults of Cor!!, appeared a week later.

Tweety and Sylvester then began a 6-week residency, interrupted by Interval in the 12 August 1978 edition. This was the final visit by Interval to the location under review, bringing the total times it appeared there to 14 and making it the third most regular occupant. The feeble fur vs feather feuding of Tweety and his feline nemesis resumed for four editions, and 7 days later Hickory Dickory Doc, another reprint sourced from Cor!!, occupied page 27 to represent that week's cartoon show.

In Cheeky Weekly dated 23 September 1978, the location under review hosted a half-page conclusion to Tweety and Sylvester, together with an ad informing readers that the whole of the Mystery Comic would be included in the following edition. In that subsequent issue page 27 hosted an ad inviting readers to join the Superkids Club, Superkids apparently being a line of children's boots and shoes.

The seemingly interminable ructions between Tweety and Sylvester then resumed their tedious course for a week, being supplanted in the following edition by a page advertising IPC's Soccer Monthly and the worthy Look and Learn (all British kids lived in fear of their parents replacing their weekly comic with Look and Learn).

The second page of a special one-off strip celebrating Cheeky Weekly's first birthday occupied the site under review in the comic dated 21 October 1978, but the irritating bird-and-cat shenanigans of Tweety and blah continued a week later.

The following issue saw Cheeky's Saturday occupy page 27 but, you guessed it, the unbearably dull duo, T and S (I can't even bring myself to type their names any more) resumed for 3 weeks which, mercifully, brought their page 27 appearances to welcome (by me, anyway) conclusion (although Cheeky Weekly readers would have to suffer one more appearance by thing and wotsit, in the issue dated 02 December 1978, but that was on pages 23 and 24 so finally we can bid them good riddance in this post nyhaahh! haaa haaa! haaahaaa! ahem). Grudgingly, I have to report that the pair foisted their yawnsome travails onto page 27 a total of 23 times, making them the most regular occupants.

The final episode of reprinted piratical adventure tale The Terrible Trail to Taggart's Treasure came to rest on page 27 in the comic dated 02 December 1978, and a week later Saturday once again occupied the subject location. Cheeky Weekly was then absent from newsagents for 3 weeks due to industrial inaction at the printers, but more thrills, and not inconsiderable spills, were to be found on page 27 when publication resumed with an issue cover dated 06 January 1979, and for the ensuing 7 editions, as young sleuth Eagle Eye, another exhumation from the IPC tombs, brought his observational skills to bear on a number of nefarious schemes.

Further recycled wrongdoing, this time perpetrated by the Alpha Man whose criminal plans were originally related in the pages of Shiver and Shake, played out on page 27 for the next 18 weeks, making the titular antihero the second most regular visitor page to 27.

Mustapha Million then paid his single visit to the subject location, following which Tub also made his one-time appearance there, sharing the page with an ad encouraging readers to place a regular order for their weekly dose of Cheeky chuckles.

Why, Dad, Why? then made its first page 27 appearance, and remained there for a further week before being deposed by What's New, Kids. In the 11 August 1979 comic, the site under review was host to a full page ad announcing that the first instalment of a four-part colour poster of the toothy funster, together with the results of the Alpha Man competition, would feature in the following issue.

In that ensuing edition, Why, Dad, Why? resumed its page 27 run, amounting this time to 3 weeks, after which Paddywack found himself sharing the same location with an ad for the 1980 Cor!! annual. Friday then fetched up on page 27, before a 3-week run of ads for IPC product including, as Christmas 1979 loomed, more promotion of that season's annuals, began...

Date	Details
29-Sep-79	Ad: IPC 'Whoopee Guy Fawkes mask' 2 of 3 Ad: 'Puzzle Time' 6 of 6
06-Oct-79	Ad: IPC 'Buster Book' 1 of 2 Ad: 'Top Soccer' 3 of 3
13-Oct-79	Ad: IPC 'Monster Fun Annual'Ad: 'Buster Book' 2 of 2

7 days later Why, Dad, Why? made its final foray onto page 27, and for the 2 subsequent issues advertorial feature What's New, Kids focused on a number of toys and books that their respective manufacturers no doubt hoped would find their way into Christmas stockings across the nation.

More ads, most of which were promoting IPC publications, followed...

Date	Details
10-Nov-79	Ad: IPC 'Jackpot' 6 of 7 Ad: 'Cheeky Weekly: Knock-Knock Jokes Booklet next week'
17-Nov-79	Ad: IPC 'Cheeky Annual' 5 of 6 \Ad: Pop-A-Points
24-Nov-79	Ad: IPC 'Krazy Annual' 4 of 4 \Ad: Palitoy 'Star Wars Collection' 3 of 3
01-Dec-79	Ad: Palitoy (final appearance)
08-Dec-79	Ad: IPC 'Cor Annual' 5 of 5 Ad: 'Look and Learn' 16 of 16
15-Dec-79	Ad: IPC 'Whoopee' 9 of 9 Ad: 'Junior Jet Club Competition next week'
22-Dec-79	Ad: IPC 'Cheeky Weekly: Christmas Issue next week'Ad: 'Cheeky Annual' 6 of 6

In the Christmas 1979 issue of Cheeky Weekly, Disaster Des made a one-off visit to page 27, and then the ads resumed...

Date	Details
05-Jan-80	Ad: IPC 'Mickey Mouse' 14 of 18 Ad: 'Penny' 2 of 3
12-Jan-80	Ad: IPC 'Mickey Mouse' 15 of 18 Ad: 'Shoot' 10 of 13

Joke-Box Jury then moved in for 2 weeks, and in the final edition of Cheeky Weekly page 27 hosted two ads, one for Tiger, and the other for Shoot. In those days these titles were seen as being aimed at young males and it's a little surprising that, since the toothy funster's non-gender-specific comic had come to an end and erstwhile readers would be considering their options for future comic consumption, one of the ads wasn't devoted to a title from IPC's range of 'girl's' comics. Maybe the publisher's market research indicated that the number of female Cheeky Weekly readers was insufficient to make it worthwhile.