BIFFO, KID & ROGER (OR RODGER) - AND TWO HALVES TOGETHER AGAIN...

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

I have a relative, a cousin (at least that's how we referred to him),

somewhere over in South Africa who I don't think I've seen since 1972.

Apart from once, perhaps, but, if so, it's so long ago, I'm not sure whether

I'm half-remembering or completely imagining it.  ROGER (or

maybe Rodger) is his name, and he and his wife MARY sent a Christmas

card every year for decades, although I'm unsure whether there's been

one in the last couple of Christmases.  I'm therefore unsure if he's
still alive or not, as he was a good few years older than me.

Because we were both good at art, on the few occasions he

visited my family (before emigrating), we'd do a drawing together -

his part on one half of the paper, mine on the other.  Then we'd separate

it into two halves, and he'd keep the half I drew in his wallet, and I'd keep

the half he drew - somewhere safe meant to be, but I somehow managed

to lose it by the time of his next visit.  This happened twice, I believe, and

then, on September 17th 1972, we did our third attempt, half of which

you can see at the foot of this post.  What surprises me now, seeing

the date, is that I'd lived in this house for only three months, the
previous doodles having been done in my former abode.

The drawing we did was of a large panel on the front cover of

The BEANO #1492, from February 20th 1971.  (And a big thanks

to IRMANTAS from KAZOOP!! blog for identifying the issue for me,

'cos I'd long forgotten.)  I was surprised to learn this, because I'd never

have thought I still had a Beano bought over a year before, but I guess

I must've kept some comics for longer than I remember.  He signed

his half  PICASSO and I signed my half REMBRANDT, and

that may well have been the last time I ever saw him.

Except, niggling away at the back of my memory, is a feeling

that he may have visited one more time.  I seem to remember that

either I couldn't find his half of the drawing on that occasion (if it actu-

ally happened) or, for once, he didn't have my half with him, so we never

got to put the two halves together again, as was meant to be our custom.

Perhaps I'm confusing an earlier occasion with a different drawing, but -

ah, if I could only penetrate this fog which clouds my brain.  I have a

feeling it's probably as I think I remember, because I seem to recall

a sense of triumph when, weeks or months later, I actually dis-

covered where I'd stashed his half of our masterpiece.

Which brings us to the present:  I was cleaning an old photo

frame recently, and took the photo out to clean the glass properly.

Tucked in the back was Roger's (or Rodger's) half of the drawing.  This

made me want to see the other half, so I asked good ol' Irmy, who dug

through his back issues and found the comic whose cover panel had been

copied back in '72.  I was surprised to see what would've been my half,

because I'd always imagined (not having seen the part I'd drawn since

first producing it - except for maybe once, remember) that my sub-

ject would've been BIFFO's pal BUSTER (not the IPC one),

and not a PLUG ventriloquist's dummy.

Anyway, I managed to track the issue down on eBay (which

I've just bought - the comic, not eBay) and while I'm waiting for it to

arrive, here's the front and back covers to help you celebrate my joyous

(soon-to-be) reunion with a comic from my youth, which, to be honest, if

it hadn't been for Roger's (or Rodger's) drawing, I'd probably never have

remembered in a month of Sundays.  Now all I have to do is find out if

Roger (or Rodger) is still alive, and see if my part of the drawing is still

tucked away in his wallet.  If not, I can at least now re-create it and

send him a copy.  Just in case he's the sentimental type.

Posted in: Cartoons