Story file: The Skid Kids
The Skid Kids ran in Buster from March 1966 to September 1971, written by prolific sports and adventure-scribe Fred Baker and drawn first by David Sque, then by the turn of the decade, by Colin Page. The stories followed the fairly simple premise of a couple of young men – freelance racing driver Simon Starr and his inventor pal ‘Brainbox’ Cox – travelled the world in search of races in which to compete, Starr as driver and Cox as designer and creator of the vehicle.
Despite their itinerant lifestyle, and the fact that despite a high rate of success, their rewards for winning races rarely seemed to be more than a handful of cash and another trophy for their non-existent cabinet, Starr and Cox eschewed the bohemian traveller look. Rather, they made for a rather square couple, Starr favouring the well-fed estate agent look and Cox the Eleventh Doctor cosplayer. Together, they entered four or five different competitions each year, and the tales were concerned not only with the races but with their search for suitable accommodation and the various adventures and high jinks that befall them at every new destination.
The Skid Kids’ friendship prevailed throughout, and we can only speculate at the depth and commitment of their special bond. I wonder if they are still together today.
