On this day, 18 October 1986: Oink!!
Cover artwork: Ben Turner
On this day, 18 October 1986 … With less than two weeks until Halloween, which, combined with Guy Fawkes’ Night, traditionally has been one of IPC comics’ most seasons, expect some gruesome artwork in the coming days. Oink! is first in, thanks to its fortnightly publishing schedule, with a tremendous painted cover by Ben Turner. Oink! appears to have been a welcome breath of stale air, shaking up the comics scene in 1986 with its full-on, foulsome, gross-out Viz for kids content. In putting together issue number 13, their horror/Halloween special, the the creators appear to have had as much fun as their audience would have had reading it. Lovely stuff! And what a stellar list of creators they were, including (alongside editors Mark Rodgers, Patrick Gallagher and Tony Husband), a number of today’s most recognisable newspaper cartoonists (Husband himself, David Haldane and Banx), the prolific and multi-talented Lew Stringer (Beano, The Dandy, Doctor Who Magazine and the wonderful Blimey! Blog), and Marc Riley – otherwise known as Lard of the former Radio 1 breakfast show hosts, Mark and Lard.
Thank you to Phil Boyce and his outstanding Oink! blog which chronicles the comic in great and loving detail, and from where I found the creators' names for this issue. Well worth a read: http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/13-lucky-for-some.html
Mary Lighthouse: Ian Jackson (artist)
Tom Thug: Lew Stringer (artist)
The Invasion of the Rock Men: artist unknown
The Invasion of the Rock Men: artist unknown
Rubbish Man: David Haldane (artist)
Snatcher Sam meets Young Frankenstein
Burp: Jeremy Banx (artist)
Cowpat County: Mark Rodgers (writer), Davy Francis (artist)
The Sekret Diary ov Hadrian Vile: Mark Rodgers (writer), Ian Jackson (artist)
Harry the Head: Marc Riley (artist)
Dennis Nifford’s History of Horror: Steve Gibson (artist)
The Vault of Horace poster: Tony Husband (artist)
Billy’s Brain: David Haldane (artist)
Henry the Wonder Dog: Dave Jones (artist)
Doctor Jekyll’s Experiment: Lew Stringer (writer and artist)
The Golden Trough Awards: Tony Husband (artist)
Young Egor: Ian Hope (artist)
The Sad Princess and the Foolish Prince: creators unknown
Clash of the Titans: Graham Exton, Mike Green, Mark Rodgers, Lew Stringer and Pigg (creators)
Nasty Laffs and Specs: Tony Husband (artist)
Monster Mash!: Mark Rodgers (writer), Lew Stringer (artist)
Monster Mash!: Mark Rodgers (writer), Lew Stringer (artist)
The Curse of the Mummy: Jeremy Banx (artist)
Next issue advertisement: Tony Husband (artist)
