While this site is called "World Comics Review", you might notice somewhat of a bias towards British comics in these reposted entries. That's because most of the reposts are drawn from a blog called British Comics Miscellany. I did do a few occasional "peeps at foreign comics" (the name of that article series inspired by a series of articles called Peeps Into Busy Places, which ran in Chatterbox in 1908) through that blog's existence, though. This is not a peep at a foreign comic, but it is a look at a comic from “overseas”, all the same!
They’re trying to say “left”
When I got this, my brother's eco-friendly sense of humour (100% recycled) was on a phase of high-pitchedly going "Yee-e-esss" before switching to a 'serious' voice and asking what the point of things was. I still remember him going "and the point of everybody saying 'port' is...?"
More Wight Smiles is a collection of cartoons by Rupert Besley, which originally appeared in the local papers on the Isle of Wight. As the name implies, this is the second collection. I didn’t buy the first collection when I was there because it was rarer, thicker, more expensive and the satire in it was “ancient”, being 4-5 years old. Except now the satire in this one is 12-14 years old, so yeah.
People who were around in the 90's may recognise Rupert Besley's style as one that was on various birthday cards and postcards at the time. He did a lot of cards, and even some whole books, of cartoons taking the mick out of Scotland. Reasoning that the Isle of Wight is the best place from which to make fun of Scots!
All predictions that proved eerily accurate
Being from 1998 – 2000 there’s plenty of references to the issues of the day, especially the Millennium, the Dome, Metric Martyrs and, of course, those phones!
This book is what might be called “medium press”, you aren’t likely to find it on sale outside the Isle of Wight, but it could be found being sold in normal shops there (well, the gift shops at tourist attractions anyway). Despite being apparently aimed at tourists, it is a compilation of cartoons from the local paper, so there’s plenty of "Oilawoi" (you pick up the lingo)-centric gags.
There’s also several gags related to TV12, apparently an attempt at creating a TV station for the island, which had terrible reception problems – despite being aimed at the residents of an island only 23 miles wide.
Still, as it’s a seperate book, showcasing the artist’s skills, there’s several additional cartoons. Both in the same style as the newspaper ones, or larger, free form pictures.
Obviously!
Of course, coming from the local paper, there’s also plenty of references to local news stories that even the people who lived through them can’t remember today. Several have short, explanatory text – though annoyingly this just makes you wish you could have read the original articles!
Another one has “bowls hooligans”, invading the pitch and drinking tea without raising their pinkies.
I wish my local area had compiled cartoon books like this, but my local paper doesn’t actually have any cartoons! Well there is “Funny Business” on the money page, but that’s not funny, and so generic that it’s probably produced in a factory somewhere and sold all over the country. This book was an inspiration to me when I first got it, because I was creating my ultra left-wing, satirical webcomic Felney at the time. Later unsucessfully revived as another webcomic with an “actual"“plot”.
Hmm, maybe I ought to revive it again, and try and sell it to the local paper!