Strange Hill

Last updated

Strange Hill, alternatively known as Strange Hill School or Strange Hill School for Ghouls in The Dandy , [1] is the title of two British comic strips, one of which ran in Whizzer and Chips , the other in The Dandy. The title is a reference to the long running BBC TV show Grange Hill about a school of that name. Both strips were set in horrifying schools.

Contents

"Strange Hill" in "The Dandy"

The Dandy version was a very "safe" version of Hammer Horror clichés, similar to Number 13 in The Beano or the US TV series The Munsters . Drawn by David Mostyn. The focus was on the school's only normal pupil, who was remarkably unfazed that his schoolmates included a vampire, a mummy, etc. The full title was Eddie Potter at Strange Hill School. (This is not a parody of Harry Potter, who did not exist yet.) It appeared in Dandy, from 1986 to circa 2004. He reappeared for a few issues in 2008, as reprints. He also appeared in the 2012 annual.

"Strange Hill" in "Whizzer and Chips"

By contrast, the Whizzer and Chips version featured a normal teacher, at a similar, but much more grotesque school. Unlike the lead character in the DC Thomson strip, "Teach" found his sanity rapidly decaying as he faced his horrific pupils.

It could be argued that the difference between these strips highlights the differences between the relatively safe, conservative humour of DC Thomson and the more edgy, bizarre Fleetway style.

Related Research Articles

The Beano is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it published its 4000th issue in August 2019. Popular and well-known comic strips and characters include Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx, The Bash Street Kids, Roger the Dodger, Billy Whizz, Lord Snooty and His Pals, Ivy the Terrible, General Jumbo, Jonah, and Biffo the Bear.

<i>Nutty</i>

Nutty was a British comic magazine that ran for 292 issues from 16 February 1980 to 14 September 1985, when it merged with The Dandy. Published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, Nutty was an attempt to create a more lively and chaotic comic compared to many on sale at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bananaman</span> British comic book character

Bananaman is a fictional character appearing in British comic books. Bananaman is a parody of traditional superheroes, being portrayed as a schoolboy who is transformed into a muscled, caped adult man when he eats a banana. The character originally appeared in Nutty as the back page strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.

<i>The Dandy</i> Scottish childrens comic

The Dandy was a Scottish children's comic magazine published by the Dundee based publisher DC Thomson. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after Il Giornalino and Detective Comics. From August 2007 until October 2010, it was rebranded as Dandy Xtreme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British comics</span> Comics originating in the United Kingdom

A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper. As of 2014, the three longest-running comics of all time were all British.

Robert Nixon was an artist who worked on several British comics.

<i>Buster</i> (comics) British comic book

Buster was a British comic which began publication in 1960, originally published by IPC Magazines Ltd under the company's comics division Fleetway, then by Egmont UK Ltd under the same imprint until its closure in 2000. Despite missing issues due to industrial action during its run, the comic published 1,902 issues in total. The comic carried a mixture of humour and adventure strips, featuring the title character Buster and a host of other characters.

<i>Whizzer and Chips</i>

Whizzer and Chips was a British comics magazine that ran from 18 October 1969 to 27 October 1990, when it merged with the comic Buster. As with most comics of the time, Whizzer and Chips was dated one week ahead of the day it actually appeared on newsstands in Great Britain. It had no relation to the earlier British comic Illustrated Chips.

<i>Knockout</i> (1971 comic)

Knockout was a weekly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications from 12 June 1971 to 23 June 1973. A humour comic, the title ran until 1973 before being merged with another Fleetway title, Whizzer and Chips.

Sweeny Toddler was a British comic strip by Leo Baxendale, which originally appeared in the British magazines Shiver and Shake, Whoopee!, Whizzer and Chips and finally Buster between 1973 and 2000. It was a gag-a-day about a little mischievous toddler. The name is a play on Sweeney Todd.

Thomas Watson Williams, was an English cartoonist.

Owen Goal was a British comic strip published in the comics magazine The Dandy. It centers around a schoolboy who plays for a school football team. The comic strip is one page long and features Owen's interaction with his overweight, lazy and incompetent coach. The strip is very similar to DC Thomson stablemate The Beano's Ball Boy strip.

Tom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986 to 2012. As of 2013, he currently draws strips for Viz.

<i>Wham!</i> (comics) Former British comics magazine

Wham! was a weekly British comics magazine published by Odhams Press. It ran for 187 issues from 20 June 1964 to 13 January 1968, when it merged into its sister title Pow!

<i>The Magic Comic</i> British comic book

The Magic Comic was a British comics magazine. It was the ill-fated third comics magazine from DC Thomson. It was aimed at a younger audience, with more emphasis on picture stories. The first issue was published on 22 July 1939. The comic ran for only 80 issues until 25 January 1941. Paper rationing resulting from the outbreak of the Second World War caused its demise. Its Editor Bill Powrie promised that 'the Magic' would return; however, he was killed in action in 1942.

The Fun Size Beano and Fun Size Dandy were small-format, full-colour children's comics, originally published four times monthly by DC Thomson and Co. Ltd between 1997 and 2010. They replaced the Beano and Dandy Comic Libraries, originally printed in red, white and black and published from 1982 to 1997. The Beano Comic Libraries lasted for 368 issues and their Dandy counterparts lasted for 344 issues. There were also comic library specials, The Beano Comic Library Specials being puzzle books and lasting for 87 issues (1988–1994) and the Dandy Comic Library Specials being cartoon books, featuring a number of single page comic strips and these lasted for 88 issues (1987–1994).

David Mostyn is a British cartoonist and commercial illustrator who drew for D.C. Thomson from the early 1980s until the 2010s.

Nigel Parkinson is a British cartoonist who works for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and mainly draws for The Beano and The Dandy.

Trevor Metcalfe is a British illustrator and comic book artist known for his comic strips in IPC Magazines comics such as Sweet Tooth and Junior Rotter in Whizzer and Chips.

Sidney William Burgon, better known as Sid Burgon, is a British comics artist. After working as a mechanic and drawing as a hobby he was encouraged by coworkers into furthering his artistic interests. He gave up his job in 1963 and became a freelance cartoonist with some of his early work being published The Weekly News under the pseudonym Swab. In 1970 Burgon began working for Fleetway drawing a number of strips including Bookworm for Whoopee!, Joker for Knockout and Ivor Lott and Tony Broke for Buster (comics). Burgon began to draw for DC Thomson in 1989 drawing a revival of Biffo the Bear in The Beano and Adrian the Barbarian for The Beezer. Burgon stopped drawing for DC Thomson in the late 1990s/early 2000s and is currently retired.

References

  1. "Dandy Comic Library #114 - Strangehill School for Ghouls (Issue)".