WHOOPEE! SHIVER AND SHAKE WITH DELIGHT - IT'S ROBERT NIXON'S FRANKIE STEIN...

Mention the name FRANKIE STEIN to people of a certain

age and images of KEN REID's maniacal, mental and marvellous

comic strip character from WHAM! comic in the 1960s spring to

mind.  My main memories of Frankie are from this period, but it's

strange to realize that PROFESSOR CUBE's creepy creation

enjoyed far more fame on his second stab at the big time in

the 1970s than he experienced on his first outing.

Frankie appeared in Wham! around 142 times between

'64 & '67, and six times in the '66-'71 Annuals, but his '70s ap-

pearances in IPC comics SHIVER & SHAKE and WHOOPEE!

(not including MONSTER FUN, where he was honorary editor)

far outnumber his earlier ODHAMS PRESS strips.  What's more,

Ken Reid only illustrated 121 of Frankie's 142 Wham! outings,

and only two of the six Annual stories, although, as far as the

'60s are concerned, he's still the artist mainly associate with

the strip in most readers' minds.

Although I bought Shiver & Shake and Whoopee! when

they first came out,  I didn't stay with them (apart from the

odd issue) throughout their run.  Casting my mind back, I recall

being pleased to see Frankie again, but I was a little disappointed

that Ken hadn't resumed illustrating the cartoon antics of his comic

creation.  (Excellent 'though his successor ROBERT NIXON un-

doubtedly was.)  I also wondered where Prof. Cube's 'real' son

MICKY had disappeared to, as - apart from Reid reprints -

he was absent from the '70s incarnation of the strip.

This led to a potentially perplexing situations on occasion,

as in a reprinted Reid story where Prof. Cube goes on holiday

and Micky is sat next to him on the 'plane - with no mention as to

who he actually is.  Older, more street-smart readers could per-

haps be forgiven for wondering why Cube had apparently taken to

hanging around with a young boy - and was taking him on holiday.

Yes, you're right - that's probably just a cynical, world-weary

adult view of things - not something that would've crossed

the minds of more innocent readers back then.

It's also interesting to note that Micky appeared in only

one of the last 16 Wham! strips, so it seems that he was being

phased out anyway, and was perhaps regarded as being surplus

to requirements.  If so, then the '70s strips basically just picked

up where the earlier ones left off, and his absence was less

of a puzzle than readers (at the time) may've imagined.

So for fans like me, it's Ken Reid's version of the character

that remains the definitive one, but the fact is - we're probably

in the minority.  To readers of the '70s, Frankie was an even big-

ger comic star for a longer period, and Robert Nixon is the artist

with whom Frankie is mainly associated.  Every '60s Frankie

strip would fit into one relatively thin volume, whereas his

'70s pages would fill two or three thicker ones, at least.

Having featured Ken's version of Frankie several times

in the past on this blog, it's now time to acknowledge Robert

Nixon's even more popular incarnation of the comical creature.

I've been reading through these '70s strips over the last few weeks

and Nixon's version of Frankie, 'though just as gormless as Reid's,

is more lovable - and probably more innocent.  They're an enjoy-

able read indeed, and make me wonder if the strip might've had

a longer run the first time around if Nixon's simpler style had

       been adopted from the start.  Who knows?      

Posted in: Cartoons