Buzz (DC Thomson)
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| Buzz | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd |
| Publication date | 20 January 1973 to 4 January 1975 |
| No. of issues | 103 |
Buzz was an A3 (broadsheet) British comic book magazine that ran from 20 January 1973[1] to 4 January 1975, when it merged with The Topper.[2] Edited by Roy Patterson[1] Buzz ran for 103 Issues.
Other staff that worked on the comic included Euan Kerr [3], who went on to edit The Beano for 20 years, and Garry Fraser, future editor of Classics from the Comics and the Fun Size Dandy.[1] Notable artists included Ken H. Harrison [4] and Gordon Bell.[5][6]
History
[edit]First published in January 1973 Buzz was an A3 size comic similar in style to The Beezer and The Topper. At the time of its publication, the publisher DC Thomson, were publishing five other weekly humour comics[1] the aforementioned Beezer and Topper as well as The Beano and The Dandy. Buzz lasted roughly two years ending in January 1975[1] when it merged with the Topper. Six of Buzz's comic strips continued in The Topper: Fred the Flop, Big Fat Flo, Nobby, Jimmy Jinx and what he thinks, Sammy's Scribbles and Sleepy Ed. [2] Of these Fred the Flop and Jimmy Jinx were the longest running continuing in the Topper until 1986 and 1989 respectively. [2]
After the merger the Topper continued as Topper and Buzz from the 11th January 1975 until November of that year when Buzz was removed from the title.[2] As well as moving to the Topper one of Buzz's comic strips, Skookum Skool, moved to the new comic Cracker which started the same month that Buzz ended. [1] Cracker has been described "more or less the same content-wise" as Buzz although with a couple of differences. [1]
Comic strips from Buzz were reprinted in Classics from the Comics, which ran from 1996 to 2010, with the Buzz name appearing on the front cover for most issues.
List of Buzz comic strips
[edit]These are in alphabetical order and all numbers refer to issues of Buzz.
| Strip Title | Artist | First Appearance | Last Appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bad Moggy | Peter Moonie | 1 | 29 | Not in 17,18,19. From 20 onward strip title changed to Moggy.[7] |
| Big Fat Flo | Phil Millar | 1 | 103 | Not in 35 & 39.[8] Continued in The Topper after the merger. |
| Billy the Kidder | Jimmy Glen / | 1 | 19[9] | |
| The Buzzies and the Fuzzies | Gordon Bell | 5 | 103 | Two groups of feuding creatures resembling Weebles; one group very hairy like Captain Caveman, the others with short buzzcuts. Not in 34,38,75,83,86,88,89,90.[10] |
| Calamity Kate | George Martin | 1 | 103 [11] | A girl who inadvertently broke things |
| Cookie | Tom Lavery | 1 | 68 | Not in 3,18, nor 32 to 67. |
| Fred the Flop | Tom Lavery | 1 | 103 [12] | About an incompetent thief. Continued in The Topper after the merger. |
| Freeze | Terry Patrick | 66 | 90 | An adventure story [13] |
| Good Knight | Bill Ritchie | 17 | 102 | Not in 30, 31, 34, 36 to 38, 40 to 53, 68, 77, 81, nor 83 to 101.[14] |
| Gus the Galoot | J Edward Oliver | 1 | 16 [15] | |
| Harum Scareum | Gordon Bell | 1 | 56 | About a rabbit Harum and a farmer's dog Scarum in conflict over the farm's carrots. Not in 30. |
| Hop, Skip and Jock | Malcolm Judge | 1 | 103[16] | About three boys whose strip consisted of large 'action' panels containing with numerous gags. Was the comic's only cover strip. |
| Jimmy Jinx And What He Thinks | Ken Harrison | 1 | 103 | About a boy with the metaphorical 'good angel' on one side of his head and a 'bad angel' on the other. Not in 16.[17] Continued in The Topper after the merger. |
| Monty Moneybags | Jimmy Glen | 1 | 52 | Not in 24, 25, nor 42 to 49.[18] |
| Nero and Zero | Tom Bannister | 1 | 40[19] | About two incompetent Roman guards to Julius Caesar. |
| Nobby | Bob McGrath | 1 | 103[20] | About a generic resourceful/mischievous boy. Continued in The Topper after the merger. |
| Olly's Occy | Phil Milar | 1 | 29 | About a boy and his octopus called Occy. Not in 19,20,21,22,23,26,27.[21] |
| Postman Knox | Various Artists | 4 | 101 | Not in 5.[22] Feature where reader's sent in jokes. |
| The Rooky Racers | Alan Rogers | 62 | 103[23] | A strip with a similar premise to the cartoon Wacky Races. |
| Sammy's Scribbles | Gordon Bell | 18 | 103 | Continued in The Topper after the merger. |
| Skookum Skool | Ken Harrison | 1 | 103 | A similar strip to The Bash Street Kids. Continued in Cracker. |
| Sleepy Ed The nap-happy chappie | John Aldrich | 41 | 103 | Continued in The Topper after the merger. |
| Spookum Skool | Ken Harrison | 60 | 103 | A spinoff of Skookum Skool but with ghosts. Also continued in Cracker. |
| Tich and Snitch | David Gudgeon | 1 | 27 | Anthropomorphic antics of a female elephant (‘Snitch’) and a male mouse (‘Tich’). |
| Top Tec | George Martin | 57 | 103 | |
| The Twitz of the Ritz | Bill Ritchie | 1 | 61 | |
| Uncle Dan the medicine man | Bill Holroyd/Albert Holroyd | 91 | 103 | Reprints from The Beezer.[24] Another Adventure story. |
| The Whiteys and the Stripeys | Tom Lavery | 30 | 65 | Another 'feuding rivals' strip, this time with two marooned sets of pirates on adjacent islands |
| Wig and Wam | Arthur Martin | 1 | 59 | Two warring American Indians. Wam (the creepy older bad guy) and a young girl Wig. An unrelated strip of the same name (also about two American Indians) appeared in the first issue of The Dandy. |
| Willie the Wizard He's learning to spell | Ken Hunter | 1 | 17 [25] | A strip about a wizard in training. |
Reception
[edit]Buzz was described by comics historian Graham Kibble-White as unoriginal, pointing to similarities between it and other DC Thomson comics as well as Hanna-Barbera cartoons.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Debriefing a Cold War Spy, (or, an interview with DC Thomson editor Garry Fraser)". Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d Topper Tales. A & B Whitworth. 1991. pp. 172–176.
- ^ The Unofficial History of the Beano. Pen and Sword White owl. 2022. p. 98.
- ^ "Comic Creator Spotlight: Beano and Dandy artist Ken H. Harrison". Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Alan Clark, Dictionary of British Comic Artists, Writers and Editors, The British Library, 1998, pp. 14-15
- ^ Denis Gifford, Encyclopedia of Comic Characters, Longman, 1987, pp. 26, 38, 70, 77, 79, 97, 102, 172, 184, 188, 206
- ^ "Big Bad Moggy / Moggy". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Big Fat Flo". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Billy The Kidder". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "The Buzzies And The Fuzzies". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Calamity Kate". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Fred The Flop". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Freeze!". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Good Knight". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Gus The Galoot". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Hop, Skip And Jock". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Jimmy Jinx". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Monty Moneybags". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Nero And Zero". Home.btconnect.com. 1 November 1930. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "NOBBY". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Olly'S Occy". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Postman Knox". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Rooky Racers". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Uncle Dan". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Willie The Wizard". Home.btconnect.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Kibble-White, Graham (2005). Ultimate Book of British Comics.. Alison & Busby. p. 69. ISBN 0-74908-211-9.
See also
[edit]
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