An Oddball View of Comic History

Comic publishers of the 1970s and 80s had a variety of mechanisms for publicising their titles. TV advertising was very expensive so was reserved for comic launches only. Having ensnared kids into regularly purchasing a comic, the publishers would include advertisements for other comics from their line in the hope of inculcating a weekly multi-comic habit. Cross-title promotions such as Mini-Comics or Star Guest were also employed.

However, there was another oft-used device whereby the comic strips themselves featured characters reading companion comics. It wasn't uncommon for a Buster character to be depicted enjoying a copy of Whoopee! or Whizzer and Chips and so forth.

This example is a little different. Rather than showing Odd-Ball and Nobby perusing copies of contemporary titles, Terry Bave chooses to show his protagonists delving into a pile of 'old comics'. The titles that our heroes select from among the yellowing piles of funny papers are Cor!! (which had ceased weekly publication in June 1974) and Krazy (the weekly expired in April 1978). Most readers of this 02 November 1985 issue of Whizzer and Chips wouldn't remember the weeklies, but some may have been aware of the titles from the annual versions which continued being published into the mid-1980s. Nice that Terry gave a nod to comics history, though.

Art: Terry Bave

Thanks for bearing with me as I went slightly off-topic. Will be firmly back on-topic with the next post.