Shiver and Shake, cover date 17 November 1973
‘2 Comics in 1 … Double the Fun!’ was quite the grift in the 1970s. The value wasn’t much greater than a single-title comic, but it created an extra little bit of interest and Whizzer and Chips, Score n’ Roar, Shiver and Shake all tried it on. Here’s a Mike Lacey cover for S&S dated 17 November 1973.
Frankie Stein, drawn by Robert Nixon, is always worth a re-read. Superb artwork, and I think it’s the unapologetically darkness of this idea of Frankie’s ‘dad’ – Professor Cube – trying to murder him every week, that makes the slapstick action so funny.
This issue featured a cross-over between the two Brian Walker strips. Merlin’s apprentices Brimstone and Treacle of Wizards Anonymous (from the pages of Shake) paid a visit to the legendary Scream Inn (of Shiver).
Other regulars in Shiver and Shake at this time included The Hand (drawn by Reg Parlett), The Desert Fox (Terry Bave; national stereotyping warning), Horrornation Street (Tom Williams), and – of course – Leo Baxendale’s demonic baby Sweeny Toddler.
Ken Reid’s Creepy Creations usually occupied the back page, and what a treat they were. I expect the colours were much more striking when this comic hit the newsagents (51 years ago!) but The Gruesome Grannie of Grantham is still a sight to behold.
