Ginger
Drawn by
Dudley Watkins from 1956 until 1969. Ginger starred on the front cover for eight months in 1956 and returned to the cover in 1964. He was very similar to
'Oor Wullie' only taller and without the Scottish accent.
Ginger had no special powers and he wasn't particularly badly behaved but at least he wasn't an
anthropomorphic character like those that graced the covers of 'The Beano', 'The Dandy' and 'The Topper'.
Each of Watkins' Ginger strips started with Ginger getting out of bed, and ended with him getting back in it at the end of the day. This detail was dropped when McGrath took over, and while Jimmy Glen occasionally made use of this device, it tended to be more in relation to the storyline rather than a visual device.
Ginger actually grew older as the strip went on, though only until he became a teenager, which he remained as for the rest of the strip's life. In 1970 illustration of the strip was taken over Bob McGrath
The Badd Lads
Fingers, Knuck and Boss were inept crooks. Always getting caught, escaping jail and then finding themselves incarcerated again. Fingers was your quintessentual spiv with the pencil thin mousthache, Knuck was the thick set, soft goon and Boss was the short but smart brains of the outfit. 'The Badd Ladds' was illustrated by the superb
Mal Judge from January 19671 through to 1987. Later artists who worked on the strip were John Dallas, Mervyn Johnston and John Geering.
The Jellymen
The Jellymen were grey, five-legged humanoids who had suckers instead of hands. These suckers produced giant bubbles that could solidify and imprison humans. Science teacher “Potassium” Roberts knew of a chemical that would dissolve the incredibly strong “prisons” and with six of his students he set about releasing entrapped people and foiling the Jellymens' plans for world domination. The story was illustrated by
Ken Hunter and it was reprinted in 1970.
Smiffy
Scruffy urchin; the product of his own upbringing. His parents were every bit as scruffy as he was and did nothing to smarten him up or keep him away from junkyards and backstreets. Although he was always getting into scraps and scrapes he was well meaning and resourceful, always finding a way to make an extra bob or two.
The strip was illustrated by
Bill Ritchie and ran from 1968-1988.
Pop, Dick and Harry
Dick and Harry were always unkind to their fat but otherwise harmless oaf of a Dad. Twins, Dick and Harry, sported the most ridiculous hairstyles ever seen in a comic strip (not dissimilar to Mike Scores' of A Flock of Seagulls). They always made the most unreasonable demands on their poor father. Of course in every case he could never deliver and so the twins would always go ahead and do their own thing. For example, in one episode when they asked for a swimming pool and poor Pop explained that he couldn't afford one, they simply dug a crater in the garden and syphoned off the water supplies from all other houses in the neighbourhood. Invariably they would triumph though never deservedly so. The strip was drawn by Tom Bannister until 1981.
The Numskulls
Forget what you were taught in biology; according to the Beezer the human body is controlled by small people who live inside every one of us. The strip concentrated on beings who lived inside a man's head called the Numskulls. The man was never named, but the Numskulls referred to him as "our Man". There were six Numskulls, Brainy, who controlled the brain, Blinky guided the man with a steering wheel while looking through his huge eyes, luggy controlled the hearing and Alf and Fred worked in the mouth where they shovelled food down a hatch. Mal Judge drew the strip from March 1962 until September 1990.
Colonel Blink
Colonel Blink first appeared in November 1958. The strip was drawn by
Tom Bannister for the majority of its run, with a few later strips being drawn by
Bill Ritchie in the same style as Bannister.
He was disastrously short-sighted and yet incredibly stubborn, utterly convinced at all times that he was heading in the right direction. With the usual comic disregard for foolish internal consistencies, every other story involved his driving down the road in an old, clapped out banger. He lived with an ever-patient "Auntie," who acted as housekeeper, and who, despite her name looked considerably younger than the Colonel. He had a dog called "Rover" who needed to be even more patient as he's often mistaken for lions, bears, rugs or insurance salesmen. His next door neighbour was called Cartright who was often the innocent victim of some misunderstanding or other.
The Banana Bunch
Brainy, Dopey, Lanky, Thatch, Titch and Fatty, collectively known as the 'Banana Bunch', lived out every kid's dream. Although they wore their school uniforms, we never saw them go to school. Instead they ate, slept and hung out in their wooden hideout in the woods. They were constantly at war with Milligan's gang who lived in another hideout in the same woods but who were altogether a scruffier lot. Every meal the Banana Bunch ate was like a banquet and where they got their copious amounts of food from was never explained.
Leo Baxendale drew the strip from 1956-1964 and from 1964-1987 it was drawn by Bill Hill.
Baby Crockett
One of the longest running comic strips that ran from the Beezer 34 (September 1956) t0 Beezer 1809 (September 1990). Baby Crockett also appeared in young children's comic 'Bimbo' from 1961-1972 and its successor Little Star 1972-1976. In both cases the strip was drawn by
Bill Ritchie. Baby Crockett himself being a character derived from the earlier 'Wee Fella'; a strip drawn by
Davy Law for Thomson's magazine/newspaper, 'The Peoples Journal' from 20.04.1946 to 6.02.1954
The next image is from the first issue of 'Bunty' (1958). Bill Ritchie (who drew Baby Crockett) has drawn a strip wherein 'Toots' is reading her favorite comic which is, of course, 'The Beezer'
While we're on the subject of 'Bunty' I'd like to take this opportunity in drawing your attention to the 'Bring back Bunty' blog which is a call for a revival in British girl's comics.
Drawn by Dudley Watkins from 1956 until 1969. Ginger starred on the front cover for eight months in 1956 and returned to the cover in 1964. He was very similar to 'Oor Wullie' only taller and without the Scottish accent. Ginger had no special powers and he wasn't particularly badly behaved but at least he wasn't an anthropomorphic character like those that graced the covers of 'The Beano', 'The Dandy' and 'The Topper'.
Scruffy urchin; the product of his own upbringing. His parents were every bit as scruffy as he was and did nothing to smarten him up or keep him away from junkyards and backstreets. Although he was always getting into scraps and scrapes he was well meaning and resourceful, always finding a way to make an extra bob or two.
Dick and Harry were always unkind to their fat but otherwise harmless oaf of a Dad. Twins, Dick and Harry, sported the most ridiculous hairstyles ever seen in a comic strip (not dissimilar to Mike Scores' of A Flock of Seagulls). They always made the most unreasonable demands on their poor father. Of course in every case he could never deliver and so the twins would always go ahead and do their own thing. For example, in one episode when they asked for a swimming pool and poor Pop explained that he couldn't afford one, they simply dug a crater in the garden and syphoned off the water supplies from all other houses in the neighbourhood. Invariably they would triumph though never deservedly so. The strip was drawn by Tom Bannister until 1981.
Colonel Blink first appeared in November 1958. The strip was drawn by Tom Bannister for the majority of its run, with a few later strips being drawn by Bill Ritchie in the same style as Bannister.
