FOOTBALL THEME IN BRITISH HUMOUR COMICS TO CELEBRATE EURO 2012 (DAY 10)

In the interview for the FANTASY EXPRESS fanzine Joe Colquhoun regretted that “…Football Family Robinson was rather cut off in my prime. Even though it was football, it was football with tongue in cheek, and a lot of rather ribald humour, and offered some good characterisation of the entire family. It appealed to me, the zaniness of it really, and it had a good author, Tom Tully”.

FOOTBALL THEME IN BRITISH HUMOUR COMICS TO CELEBRATE EURO 2012 (DAY 9)

Joe Colquhoun (whose Kid Chameleon tale I covered in a series of 4 posts in the COR!! section of this blog) also drew an excellent football comedy strip Football Family Robinson in the short-lived JAG comic from the late 60s. In his interview for the Fantasy Express fanzine Joe Colquhoun said it was one of his favourites that he would have liked to have done more of. The beautifully painted colour sets graced the spacious front and back pages of the tabloid-sized paper. Here are the first three instalments and three more will follow tomorrow. 

A LOOK AT COR!! STRIPS: CHALKY

Chalky was another long-running IPC strip that originated in COR!! It was about a little boy who drew things with his chalks. The concept was so simple that there is little to comment here. Simple or not, it must have been a big hit among readers: it ran in COR!! from 24th July, 1971 until 15th June, 1974 (issue Nos. 60 – 211) and then continued in Buster for more than two decades! 

The regular Chalky artist in COR!! was Arthur Martin but it is interesting to note that the first two sets were by different illustrators: the first one was by Terry Bave and the second – by Les Barton.

The first episode from COR!! dated 24th July, 1971 (No. 60), illustrated by Terry Bave

The second episode from COR!! dated 31st July, 1971 (No. 61), illustrated by Les Barton

From COR!! dated 14th August, 1971 (No. 63), an early episode by Arthur Martin

FOOTBALL THEME IN BRITISH HUMOUR COMICS TO CELEBRATE EURO 2012 (DAY 8)

Here are two takes on football in the Medieval times. The episode of Match of the Week by Mike Lacey is from Shiver and Shake with the cover date of 13th October 1973 (No. 32) and General Nitt and his Barmy Army by Leo Baxendale is from Wham! No. 63 (28th August, 1965).

FOOTBALL THEME IN BRITISH HUMOUR COMICS TO CELEBRATE EURO 2012 (DAY 7)

Sparky issue No. 16 had football theme on both covers to mark the 1965 FA Cup Final which took place on 1st May 1965 at Wembley and was contested between Liverpool and Leeds United. The back cover of that issue had a nice Moonsters episode by Bill Ritchie with lots of characters and action. But of course no one did those crowded sets better than Leo Baxendale. The Eagle Spy Doomsday School episode with Grimly Feendish is from WHAM! issue No. 37 (27th February, 1965). Isn’t it beautiful? 

A LOOK AT COR!! STRIPS: DANGER MOUSE

The next COR!! strip in the row is again in the reprint territory. Danger Mouse was a traditional cat and mouse slapstick action feature with a superhero/secret agent twist. It was reprinted from SMASH! (Odhams series) where it appeared under the same name. Sometimes a half-pager and sometimes a one-pager, it gives an impression of a space-filler and its semi-regular appearances make the impression even stronger: the first episode was in issue with the cover date of 8th May, 1971 (No. 49) and the last in the one dated 8th April, 1972 (No. 97) but the total number of episodes was only 23. Artist unknown.

From COR!! issue dated 29th January, 1972 (No. 87)

From COR!! issue dated 8th April, 1972 (No. 97)