21 February 1970: Whizzer and Chips
The Lunar Launcher and Splashdown Capsule was an exciting free gift from Whizzer and Chips this week 53 years ago. Artist Mike Lacey plugged it on the front cover with an illustration and as the subject of Sid’s Snake.
February 1970 was a good month for the earliest Whizz-kids and Chip-ites, as the following week would see another free gift: instant anonymity!
This week was something of a showpiece issue. As well as the Lunar Launcher, three new strips appeared: Super Dad (not sure of the artist - Mike Brown?), and two from Terry Bave: The Scareys of St Mary’s and Jimmy Jeckle and Master Hide.
Terry Bave was a prolific contributor to Whizzer and Chips in the early days. He had seven strips in October 1969’s launch issue, and six or seven in this one too, among them Me and My Shadow, reader submission page Scribbler, Puddin’ Tops and Ginger’s Tum.
Terry collaborated with his wife Shiela on the creation of their stories. In his memoir ‘Cartoons and Comic Strips’ he describes the invitation from W&C editor Bob Paynter to submit ideas for the new comic, and some of the reader research they conducted.
