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| Art: Mike Lacey |
Cheeky made his debut in the first edition of
Krazy dated 16 October 1976, and just
a few weeks later the Christmas issue of that title saw our toothy pal
participate in festive fun for the first time. I've always assumed that Cheeky was supposed to be about 9 or 10 years
old (and like most comic characters he remained the same age for the
entirety of his
nine and a half year comic career), so it wasn't strictly speaking our grinning pal's first Christmas, rather the first
time that readers were able to observe his seasonal escapades.
Cheeky appeared on the cover of Krazy's Christmas '76 edition, in his role as a member of the Krazy Gang, all of whom were depicted cowering behind the snow-bedecked comic title and narrowly avoiding being hit by a ginormous snowball. Cover artist Mike Lacey
would later draw the toothy funster in Cheeky Weekly. On page 2 the Gang were involved in a story featuring their niffy nemesis Pongo Snodgrass (who I suspect launched the icy projectile at them on the front cover), drawn by Ian Knox who would go on to depict the adventures of Cheeky Weekly's second-longest surviving character,
6 Million Dollar Gran, who, in her post-Cheeky Weekly career, evolved into
$6,000,000 Gran then later
Robot Granny and finally
Gran (leader of Gran's Gang). As of Krazy's Christmas 1976 issue, Cheeky's jumper still showed his Gang (and therefore comic) affiliation - his more familar 'C'-bearing top would appear in August of the following year in preparation for the October launch of his own title.
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Krazy 25 December 1976
Art: Ian Knox |
Join me again in a few days for the
second part of this examination of Cheeky's 1976 Christmas capers.
