15 February 1975: Buster and Cor!!
A colourful Buster and Cor!! cover was in the shops this time 48 years ago, featuring Buster’s Diary (drawn by Reg Parlett) and Fiends and Neighbours (Graham Allen).
Fiends and Neighbours – a sort of Addams Family meets Love They Neighbour – had joined Buster from Cor!! comic when the two merged in the autumn of 1974. In this week’s story, young Bella turns neighbour Mrs Jones into a frog!
Snooper was a lad with an insatiable curiosity that bordered on voyeurism – a very funny character, yet rather uncomfortable as an idea. The artist looks like Leo Baxendale, although it could be his son Martin. Buster ran a competition this week to try and spot Snooper ‘snooping’ on other strips (or ‘fun-sets’) in the comic.
I had to give it a go. I found eight instances of Snooper poking his nosey beak into other characters’ business (Probably missed some!):
Buster’s Diary (Parlett)
Fiends and Neighbours (Allen)
Tomboy (Mike Atwell)
Ivor Lott and Tony Broke (Jim Crocker)
Football Madd (possibly Graham Allen)
Chalky (Arthur Martin)
Nellyphant (Leo Baxendale)
Val’s Vanishing Cream (Mike Lacey)
