{"id":22805,"date":"2020-10-01T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T08:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=22805"},"modified":"2020-09-30T19:22:11","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T19:22:11","slug":"ken-reid-world-wide-weirdies-volume-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2020\/10\/01\/ken-reid-world-wide-weirdies-volume-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Ken Reid – World Wide Weirdies volume 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Ken Reid<\/strong> (Rebellion)
\nISBN: 978-1-78108-692-6 (HB)<\/p>\n

Win’s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Hopelessly Hilarious Horrendousness\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 10\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you know British Comics, you’ll know Ken Reid.<\/p>\n

He was one of a select and singular pantheon of rebellious, youthful artistic prodigies who – largely unsung – went about transforming British Comics, entertaining millions and inspiring hundreds of those readers to become cartoonists too.<\/p>\n

Reid was born in Manchester in 1919 and apparently drew from the moment he could hold an implement. Aged nine, he was confined to bed for six months with a tubercular hip, and occupied himself by constantly scribbling and sketching. He left school before his fourteenth birthday and won a scholarship to Salford Art School, but never graduated.<\/p>\n

He was, by all accounts, expelled for cutting classes and hanging about in cafes. Undaunted, he set up as a commercial artist, but floundered until his dad began acting as his agent.<\/p>\n

Ken’s big break was a blagger’s triumph. Accompanied by his unbelievably supportive and astute father, Ken talked his way into an interview with the Art Editor of the Manchester Evening News and came away with a commission for a strip for its new Children’s Section.<\/p>\n

The Adventures of Fudge the Elf<\/strong> debuted in 1938 and ran until 1963, with only a single, albeit lengthy, hiatus from 1941 to 1946 when Reid served in the armed forces.<\/p>\n

From the late 1940s onwards, Reid dallied with comics periodicals: with work (Super Sam<\/em>, Billy Boffin<\/em>, Foxy<\/em>) published in Comic Cuts<\/strong> and submissions to The Eagle<\/strong>, before a fortuitous family connection – Dandy<\/strong> illustrator Bill Holroyd was Reid’s brother-in-law – brought DC Thomson managing editor R.D. Low to his door with a cast-iron offer of work.<\/p>\n

On April 18th<\/sup> 1953 Roger the Dodger<\/em> debuted in The Beano<\/strong>. Reid drew the feature until 1959 and created numerous others, including the fabulously mordant doomed mariner Jonah<\/em>, Ali Ha-Ha and the 40 Thieves<\/em>, Grandpa<\/em> and Jinx<\/em>amongst many more.<\/p>\n

In 1964, Reid and fellow under-appreciated superstar Leo Baxendale jumped ship to work for DCT’s arch rival Odhams Press. This gave Ken greater license to explore his ghoulish side: concentrating on comic horror yarns and grotesque situations in strips like Frankie Stein<\/em>, and The Nervs<\/em> in Wham!<\/strong> and Smash!<\/strong> as well as more visually wholesome but still strikingly surreal fare as Queen of the Seas<\/em> and Dare-a-Day Davy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In 1971 Reid devised Faceache<\/strong> – arguably his career masterpiece – for new title Jet<\/strong>. The hilariously horrific strip was popular enough to survive the comic’s demise – after a paltry 22 weeks – and was carried over in a merger with stalwart periodical Buster<\/strong> where it thrived until 1987. Ken Reid died that year from the complications of a stroke he’d suffered on February 2nd<\/sup> at his drawing board, putting the finishing touches to a Faceache strip. On his passing, the strip was taken over by Frank Diarmid who it until cancelation in October 1988.<\/p>\n

All his working life, Reid innovated; devising a horde of new strips such as Harry Hammertoe the Soccer Spook<\/em>, Wanted Posters<\/em>, Martha’s Monster Makeup<\/em>, Tom’s Horror World<\/em>, Creepy Creations<\/strong> and a dozen others. One of those – and the worthy subject of this splendid luxury hardback (and eBook) – is World-Wide Weirdies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A full colour back page every week found Ken crafting a batty and bizarre image – usually suggested by a lucky reader – depicting a pun-ishingly strained groaner gag elevated to a manic masterpiece. Most were locations but just plain crazy stuff like ‘the Aussie Doomerang’<\/em>, ‘The Gruesome Gondola’<\/em> and the staggering visual ‘Jumbo Jet’<\/em> also got in. Where<\/em> was first in Whooppee<\/strong>! and then Shiver and Shake<\/strong> with this first titanic hardback tome – also available digitalis-ly (see what I did there?) – covering 12th<\/sup> October 1974 to 6th<\/sup> November 1976, but you don’t care about that, what you want is ‘orrible, pictures right?<\/p>\n

Preceding 108 of them is text feature ‘The Weirdies Years of Ken Reid – 1974-1978’<\/em> by his son Antony J. Reid which precedes a unique map indicating where in the weird wide world the 108 ghastly holiday destinations from hell are located\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The atlas of the unknowable then commences with ‘The Petrifying Pyramid’<\/em> with subsequent shocking submissions such as the ‘Trifle Tower’<\/em>, ‘Vampire State Building’<\/em>, ‘Bone Henge’<\/em>, ‘Mucky-Hand Palace’<\/em> and the still horrifically relevant ‘Houses of Horrorment’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

We aren’t just restricted to UK unpleasantries such as ‘The Fright Cliffs of Dover’<\/em> or ‘The Cheddar Gorger’ <\/em>but also an assemblage of international oddities such as ‘The Sahara Dessert’<\/em>, ‘Shock Rock of Gibraltar’<\/em>, ‘Gruesome Grand Canyon’<\/em>, ‘The Not So N-Iceberg’<\/em>, ‘The Coloscream’<\/em> and – so pertinent today, apparently – ‘The Statue of Stupidity’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

This astoundingly absorbing comedy classic is another perfect example of resolutely British humorous sensibilities – absurdist, anarchic and gleefully grotesque – and these cartoon capers are amongst the most memorable and re-readable exploits in all of British comics history: painfully funny, beautifully rendered and ridiculously unforgettable. This a treasure-trove of laughs to span generations which demands to be in every family bookcase. Part of Rebellion’s ever-expanding Treasury of British Comics<\/strong>, this is a superb tribute to the man and a brilliant reminder of what it means to be brutish\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6
\n\u00c2\u00a9 1974, 1975, 1976, & 2019 Rebellion Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ken Reid (Rebellion) ISBN: 978-1-78108-692-6 (HB) Win’s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Hopelessly Hilarious Horrendousness\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 10\/10 If you know British Comics, you’ll know Ken Reid. He was one of a select and singular pantheon of rebellious, youthful artistic prodigies who – largely unsung – went about transforming British Comics, entertaining millions and inspiring hundreds of those … <\/p>\n

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