Monster Hits (Top 10 Gags) was a regular reader participation feature in MONSTER FUN COMIC in which readers
were offered cash prizes for sending in their jokes. Every week contributors of
the gags ranked 10 to 2 in the “chuckle charts” received a pound each, while
the sender of that week’s chart-topper (printed at the bottom of the page) collected 2 quid. Production
process took approx. two months, so the names of the first participants
appeared in MFC No. 8. We may not know who
sat on the “panel of experts” that compiled the charts and ranked the jokes at
MFC offices but we know who the illustrators were – and this is what matters.
A
few of the weekly sets were by Artie Jackson who drew the jokes in MFC Nos. 1,
4 (together with Mike Lacey), 49, 50, 52, 61 and 70. Mike Lacey illustrated the
chart in MFC No. 2 and drew some of the jokes in No. 4 (others were by
Artie Jackson). Here is the page from MFC No. 4 with Artie Jackson’s and Mike
Lacey’s work side-by-side:
Leslie
Harding drew three sets in MFC issues 5, 6 and 7:
Starting
from MFC issue No. 8 the vast majority of the sets were by Tom Paterson whose
style was still shaping itself at the time. It looks like at that stage he was
studying and trying to imitate Graham Allen – his other strong influence besides Leo Baxendale. Here are two early examples from MFC No. 8 and 14:
Monster Hits
continued throughout the entire run of the comic, missing only one issue (No.
3). All were in b/w except in issues 11, 24 and 26 were they were printed in
full colour. This one is from No. 24:
All Images 2014 © Egmont UK
Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with
permission.
