WEEKLY OUTPUT – BRIAN WALKER

In this second part of the series covering the weekly output of humour comics artists as reflected in the various IPC comics cover-dated 30 March, 1974, let’s take a look at the pages by the excellent and inimitable Brian Walker. He drew a total of five pages – three can be found in Whoopee! (The Ghost Train) and two in Shiver and Shake (Scream Inn). 

Graham Allen is next in line!

Images are © Rebellion Publishing IP Ltd

Click on the POWER PACK banner in the right-hand column and get your copy of the POWER PACK OF KEN REID - the deluxe two-volume set of Ken’s strips in WHAM!, SMASH! and POW! comics of the ‘60s.

KEN REID’S CREEPY CREATIONS REPRINT COLLECTION – MORE EXTRAS

I am sure most of you already have your copies of Rebellion’s Creepy Creations reprint collection. I received mine a while ago and I think it is a nice package. It’s great that the collection includes not just the pages from Shiver and Shake weeklies, but also all of the other ‘Creations’ printed in the annuals,  pull-out booklets and even those that Ken Reid drew for a competition in Buster a couple of years down the line. 

I really look forward to Vol 1 of the World-Wide Weirdies because in my opinion Creepy Creations was Ken’s warm-up exercise before really going to town with his next series in Whoopee! 

If you read my intro to the book, you may recall I mentioned Ken’s attempts to get a similar series published in the US. Ken drew quite a few detailed samples for the publisher. It would have been great if some of those could have been included in the book. Check out a couple of the drawings below, in colour. The image of the Monster of Molasses was supplied to me by Julius Howe who owns the original. 

If you think these are scary, wait till you see my next post in a few days’ time… 

Click on the POWER PACK banner in the right-hand column and get your copy of the POWER PACK OF KEN REID - the deluxe two-volume set of Ken’s strips in WHAM!, SMASH! and POW! comics of the ‘60s.

TWO VERSIONS OF A FRANKIE STEIN STORY

Leafing through my SHIVER AND SHAKE comics the other day, I found an episode of Frankie Stein by Robert Nixon, re-drawn from the original episode by Ken Reid in WHAM! No. 145 and based on Walter Thorburn’s original script. 

It is interesting to note how toned-down the new version is in comparison with the manic and violent original – both in terms of script and artwork. Excellent as Robert Nixon was, his take is hardly on par with Ken’s in my view. Ken surely was one of a kind!

Here’s the original page from WHAM! No. 145 (25th March, 1967), followed by both pages from Shiver and Shake No. 5 (April 7th, 1973). Which one do you prefer? :)

Robert Nixon also re-drew another Frankie Stein episode by Ken Reid/Walter Thorburn in SHIVER AND SHAKE issue No. 6. Check out my earlier post HERE (scroll down to the bottom of the article).

Click on the POWER PACK banner in the right-hand column and get your copy of the POWER PACK OF KEN REID - the deluxe two-volume set of Ken’s strips in WHAM!, SMASH! and POW! comics of the ‘60s.

Characters are © Rebellion Publishing Ltd

WHO DREW THESE?

This time I would like to ask for some assistance of those of my readers who have a sharp eye for recognising artists’ styles. Any suggestions as to who may have drawn the 6 pages shown below? Thanks!

THE CHRISTMASES OF SWEENY TODDLER – PART ONE

Sweeny Toddler the infamous demonic baby first appeared in the first issue of SHIVER AND SHAKE in March 1973. The paper lasted for less than two years, so there was only enough time for one X-mas episode of Sweeny Toddler. Script and artwork by Leo Baxendale:

SHIVER AND SHAKE was merged into WHOOPEE! in October 1974. It sounds quite surprising, but Sweeny didn’t make a straightforward leap to the new combined comic. It had to prove its strength by participating in a poll: WHOOPEE! editor selected 8 strips and invited readers to vote in a Pick-A-Strip competition that ran in the Autumn of 1974. Sweeny was declared victor in WHOOPEE! AND SHIVER & SHAKE cover-dated 22nd March, 1975, and his regular appearances recommenced a week later. This means that Sweeny Toddler would have missed the X-mas of 1974 even if WHOOPEE! hadn’t been affected by industrial action in the end of that year and the X-mas issue of the paper  had been published (WHOOPEE! missed the last week of 1974 and the first two weeks of 1975).

Leo Baxendale stopped drawing Sweeny Toddler in June 1975, and was succeeded by the excellent Tom Paterson who imitated Mr. Baxendale’s style very well indeed. Here are the next three festive episodes from the 1975, 1976 and 1977 X-mas issues of WHOOPEE! :

Come back soon for more X-mas stories featuring the little pest!