I’ll do some bragging today because recently I
received a joblot of Sparky
comics from 1966 and filled all of my gaps for the year. This means that my
mission of collecting a full set of this interesting and scarce title is nearly
complete. I am now only one number (No. 620 with the cover date of 4th December,
1976) away from being able to call myself a proud owner of one of the very few
full sets that exist out there. I also need a complete copy of issue No. 110 (25th
February, 1967) because mine has its centre pages missing. Do let me know if you have spare copies of
Nos. 620 and 110 to sell or swap!
The picture below shows the 4 boxes which hold my Sparky collection. All comics are
bagged and boarded, two magazines per bag, one on each side of the board.
To celebrate the achievement, here’s a gallery of some
landmark Sparky covers for you to
enjoy:
First issue:
First cover with Sparky the character:
First Moonsters cover; they also changed
the colour pattern of the logo starting from this issue; Moonsters covers are my favourite ones:
First issue with a new logo; Sparky the character returns
to the front cover, ousting Moonsters to the back page:
New logo; first Barney Bulldog cover:
First issue with another new logo:
…and then another new logo:
…and finally the premiere of the last logo (a remarkably uninspired cover design, don't you think?..):
First Mummies
cover:
Final issue:
Sparky seemed like a comic institution that had been around forever when I was a kid, yet it came out the same week as TV21. Strangely, Sparky passed away without me being aware of it at the time - I didn't realize it had expired 'til many years later. Sadly missed. Congratulations on nearly reaching your goal - won't be long now.
ReplyDeleteI started collecting Sparky when I was already a couple of years into the hobby; I was lucky to pick up one or two long runs very cheaply as part of large joblots of different titles offered on eBay, so my SPARKY collection started more by accident that by design. Filling in those last two gaps may take a while though – it took me several years to get hold of the last issue of Whoopee that I needed for my set!
DeleteIrmantas, did you win the bundle which included No. 77. If you did, and have a duplicate, could you let me know, and I'll buy it from you.
ReplyDeleteI just remembered, that was the one issue both you and I needed. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I'll get that issue.
ReplyDeleteYes, Bruce, I did win that bundle, and issue 77 was one of those that I needed, sorry :)
DeleteWow - you have an amazing collection! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe last logo was an undoubted improvement on the jet black version; far more jolly than its also unnerving predecessor. And yes, they could've ushered it in with more appealing imagery other than huge letters and the Super Tooter picture. Still, we'd three more years of fun thereafter.
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDelete