Beau Peep Notice Board

When was that written Tarqs? Good drawings, cute little capped worm but the language seems 1940s?

It's a good question, Diane (and apologies for the delay in trying to answer it). This page was drawn at some point in the mid 80s. I wasn't around much in the 40s. BUT, the scripts were sent to me in the form of photo-copies of an earlier published comic strip about a worm which I had to simply redraw in my own style and put a cap on my worm. The speech bubbles were then added by the publishers directly onto my artwork once it arrived down in London by pigeon post. I never actually read the stories when they were in print, unless they were stories I'd written (to check if they'd changed my words), so they may well have just used the same speech that was used in the original strip that was sent to me... which may or may not have been published in the 40s.

I should add that this was the only time I ever worked like this, and it was relatively 'easy money' while it lasted. Normally, the scripts were either written by professional scriptwriters or I did them myself. I have never really enjoyed writing, but affords me the advantage of never being asked to draw things I hate drawing, or that just aren't funny (and substitute quantity for quality). Of course, it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway - those are problems I never encountered when I had the all too rare pleasure of working with Roger.

That's how we all speak over here...

'Buster' was the comic, as well as the name of the son who fronted the whole thing.

But he didn't only have a son, he had a WORM (also in Buster comic), drawn by some geezer I've never heard of before...

Yes, he was created for a children's comic. I seem to recall that Reg Smythe wasn't happy about it. The "son" was never mentioned in the newspaper strip.

I wondered if perhaps he was illegitimate and never spoken of due to the shame.

I only found out yesterday that Andy Capp has a son. He kept that quiet.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Capp