Artist Joe McCaffrey first contributed a Mustapha Million episode in Cheeky Weekly's 13th issue, dated 14 January 1978, deputising for Reg Parlett who at the time was the regular illustrator for our middle eastern mate. There then followed a period during which either Reg or Joe would provide the Mustapha visuals from week to week, until Joe took over as Cheeky Weekly's full-time (with the exception of 2 issues) Mustapha artist as from the 24 February 1979 edition. When Mustapha was ported over into Whoopee! following Cheeky Weekly's cancellation, Joe continued as the regular artist. Aside from 8 'ghosted' episodes (one by Mike Lacey and the remainder from Bob Hill), Joe illustrated all of Mustapha's weekly Whoopee adventures from the inaugural 'merge' issue of Whoopee! and Cheeky, dated 09 February 1980, until the edition of Whoopee and Wow! cover-dated 31 March 1984. Subsequently, and until Whoopee itself was cancelled, all the episodes of Mustapha Million published were reprints.
My previous post detailed the Mustapha Million reprints which appeared in Whizzer and Chips as from the first combined issue of Whizzer and Chips now including Whoopee, dated 06 April 1985. Following a 41-week run of recycled strips, a new series of Mustapha's adventures commenced in Whizzer and Chips dated 18 January 1986, as trailed in Whizzer and Chips dated 04 January 1986. By January 1986 the editor still had plenty of previously published but not re-used Mustapha episodes that had originated in Cheeky Weekly, Whoopee! or Whoopee! and Cheeky, and complied with IPC's seeming requirement that recycled material must be not less than 5 years old, so the reason for initiating a new series at this point is unclear. It would seem that it wasn't felt that a new artist was required to revivify the character, as Joe McCaffrey, who had illustrated 31 of the 41 reprints used since the April 1985 merge, was brought back to resume artwork duties as of the 18 January 1986 reboot.
Thus Joe found himself drawing Mustapha again after a break of almost 2 years. What had he been doing in the interim? The sadly departed Toonhound website hosted an interview with Joe (fortunately archived and still available at the time of writing via the Wayback Machine), in which he misremembers slightly the dates of his Mustapha work but reveals he eventually moved from drawing comics into animation.
The first episode of Mustapha's revival was spread over one and a half pages, and there was no reference in the comic as to it being the inauguration of new stories. In the first panel of the first of the new run, Mustapha meets his long-time pal Jimmy, and the tale unfolds very much in the Mustapha mould to which readers had become accustomed. Our generous Arab pal, in seeking to help soccer-mad Jimmy and aspiring guitarist Freddie, uses his wealth to secure the services of footballer Ryan Dobson and pop star Simon Le Bonk (cf. mid-80s celebrities Bryan Robson and Simon Le Bon), causing consternation to fans of the two superstars. Needless to say, at the conclusion of the story, everyone is happy again, including Messrs Dobson and Le Bonk, Mustapha having negotiated a return to their former employers (though possibly on terms not matching those they enjoyed previously, the two errant celebrities now being viewed by those paying them as not entirely loyal).
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| Whizzer and Chips 18 January 1986 Art: Joe McCaffrey |
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| Bleep Art: Jim Barker |
However 7 days later, below a caption reading 'Sorry, pals, it has not been possible to publish the planned 2-page Mustapha Million story this week!', readers were presented with another reprint. It would seem that there wasn't room for a 2-page Mustapha episode in that issue due to the presence on page 14 of a full-page competition in which the prize was a warming bowl of Ready Brek, served in any Embassy Hotel (in Great Britain) of the lucky winner's choice ('mum and dad' would also be invited). Free first class travel to the selected venue was courtesy of British Rail, and in addition £250 spending money was provided (most of which was presumably required to secure an overnight stay in the chosen hotel, and tickets home).
The new Mustapha series resumed a week later, with a story in which a youngster tells Mustapha that he has lost his 'kuzonkle'. A concerned Mustapha assumes the lad has lost a pet of some kind and scours the globe in search of this missing mystery creature (it might have been easier if Master Million had asked the bereft youth what a kuzonkle actually is), but returns home empty-handed, only to be told by the scallywag that his tale of supposed loss was actually a prank. Our hero evidently suspected this to be the case, as he has instructed his scientists to construct a radio-controlled kuzonkle robot. The final panel shows the striped-jerseyed prankster fleeing from the grotesque mechanical construct.
In the following issue, Mustapha and pals are playing detectives when a real villain steals our generous pal's pocket money, which is of such magnitude that our juvenile hero needs a wheelbarrow to transport it. Mustapha employs his detective skills and soon tracks down the culprit who is struggling under the weight of the large sacks of moolah (having for some reason chosen not to steal Mustapha's wheeled method of cash conveyance), thereby leaving an easily-followed trail of deep footprints, and the thief is apprehended by the police.
Our affluent Arab chum's adventure in Whizzer and Chips dated 15 February 1986 concerns Mustapha's pal Terry's unsuccessful attempt to build and fly a model 'plane. Once again keen to help out a friend, Mustapha visits an aircraft manufacturer in search of advice but, invited by the boss to take a brochure, unwittingly steals top secret plans for the latest jet fighter. Terry bases his next model on those classified documents, and the model is seen in flight by the aircraft factory boss who, suspecting the plans have been taken by a spy, follows the prototype and witnesses it crash as it attempts to land. The boss, recognising the 'culprit' as Mustapha, is grateful to our benevolent buddy and Terry for highlighting shortcomings in the 'plane's design, and appoints our wealthy hero and his friends honorary test pilots in order that they can evaluate remote control models of the next iteration of the fighter for any further flaws.
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| Mustapha's bodyguards are still in evidence in this new series, although in this episode no longer wielding scimitars |
Joe McCaffrey's final original Mustapha work appeared in the abovementioned Whizzer and Chips edition dated 15 February 1986, meaning that he contributed just 4 episodes of the new run. As mentioned above, the first of this quartet of episodes spanned one and a half pages, whereas the other 3 provided by Joe in his brief contribution amounted to 2 full pages each.
| Title | Date | Feature | Artist | Elements | Element Config | Source If Reprint | Source Date | Source Feature | Source Elements | Source Config |
| Whizzer and Chips | 18-Jan-1986 | Mustapha Million | Joe McCaffrey | 2 | F,P | |||||
| Whizzer and Chips | 25-Jan-1986 | Mustapha Million | Joe McCaffrey | 1 | F | Whoopee! | 28-Jul-1979 | Star Guest Mustapha Million | 1 | F |
| Whizzer and Chips | 01-Feb-1986 | Mustapha Million | Joe McCaffrey | 2 | F,F | |||||
| Whizzer and Chips | 08-Feb-1986 | Mustapha Million | Joe McCaffrey | 2 | F,F | |||||
| Whizzer and Chips | 15-Feb-1986 | Mustapha Million | Joe McCaffrey | 2 | F,F |
Mustapha was involved in 3 'raids' during the 5 week period covered above; in the 18 January issue (in which Mustapha's new series commenced) our affluent chum crossed into Whizzer to inflict himself on Super Steve. A week later rubbery rascal Odd-Ball bounced into Mustapha's reprinted episode, and in the issue dated 08 February 1986 the shape-shifting Animalad infiltrated Mustapha's adventure.
Our prosperous pal's new series continued despite Joe's departure as artist. Join me again when I'll be examining the next phase of the Mustapha Million story.
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