Look-in, cover date 29 August 1981

Here’s Kim Wilde, Look-in out a dirty old window (full credit/blame to Fats Harvis on Facebook’s Look-in Magazine Appreciation Group for that one).

Art by John Geary.

Geary was one of a select number of portrait specialists who occasionally stood in for lead artist Arnaldo Putzu on Look-in covers in the 70s and early 80s. Doctor Who fans may recognise his style from the covers of several Target novelisations.

Look-in was a television comic – the ‘Junior TV Times’; artists with an ability to capture accurate likenesses of stars of the small screen were well-suited. Putzu was the iconic cover guy, but the comic contained many strip adaptations and called on a strong roster of artists.

Arthur Ranson, soon to take over from Putzu as the main cover artist, has a couple of strips in this issue, including a dramatic episode of the Elvis: The Story graphic biography. He also provided some striking colour artwork for Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

John M. Burns was another prolific Look-in artist. This week he was on duties for Worzel Gummidge, and the ITV mini-series Smuggler.

Bill Titcombe drew Rock on Tommy with Cannon and Ball, while the comic’s second colour strip was CHiPs drawn by Jim Baikie.

It wasn’t all comic strips in Look-in. There’s a big splash on Kim Wilde in the centre pages, with an interview and colour poster. There’s also a Sports Spotlight feature on QPR’s new artificial turf, and a comparatively dull-looking article on the history of summer fairs.

One of the things I find most interesting about Look-in is the abridged regional TV listings. It seems odd now that your choice of watching CHiPs, The Incredible Hulk or Return of the Saint at Saturday teatime depended on what part of the country you lived in.