Korky the Cat
Encyclopedia
Korky the Cat is a fictional character
in a comic strip
in the UK
comic
The Dandy
. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 (June 9, 1945) when Keyhole Kate
was on the cover and he was relegated to the inside. In 1984, after 47 virtually continuous years, Korky was replaced on the front cover by Desperate Dan
.
called Korky, a cat who behaves like a human and is accepted in a world of humans as only a comic character can be. Originally a mute character, he started speaking in No. 149, October 5, 1940 (see image for his first words as he tries to help some hungry dogs). The 1950s saw the introduction of his 'Kits', Nip, Lip, and Rip.
Artists were:
After 1984, Korky still continued inside the comic, however, and a picture of him remained next to the Dandy logo until 1998. When Robert Nixon
took over drawing in the Dandy issue dated November 1, 1986, some changes were made. Korky, whose look had remained virtually the same since the 1940s, now looked noticeably different, particularly in the case of his eyes (though the picture of him next to the Dandy logo was never changed). The focus of the strip also switched more to the Kits, who had been promoted from their originally minor role. So much so, that at one point the strip had been renamed Korky the Cat and the Kits.
When Nixon went into semi retirement at the beginning of 1999 (relinquishing Beryl the Peril
at the same time) several different artists took up the pen, including David Sutherland (who also draws The Bash Street Kids
from The Beano
, and used to draw Dennis the Menace
) at first, Steve Bright,, Lesley Reavey, Dave Windett later on (who introduced a mouse called Squeak and his friends to the cast), and, by 2003, Henry Davies, who was creating hybrid strips from Charles Grigg's classic Korky strips and new elements drawn by Davies.
By 2004, though, the popularity of Korky with readers had significantly dropped. In that year's readers poll, Korky had failed to receive a single vote, either as a favourite character, or a least favourite. With this in mind, it was decided to retire the character after almost 70 years. His apparent last appearance was in issue 3294, dated 8 January 2005, in which, possibly hinting at his unpopularity, he turned up at a school reunion and found that no one knew who he was.
However, on 21 September 2005, it was announced on the Dandy website that Korky was to return in December with a new artist and in new adventures. Quite why the Dandy staff decided to over-rule the decision to retire him is unclear, but most likely apathy from fans brought about this change. Korky returned from issue 3338, dated 19 November 2005, this time being drawn by Andrew Painter on computer. The strip was again dropped when the Dandy was re-branded into the magazine-themed "Dandy Xtreme".
Korky returned again in the Dandy Xtreme Holiday Special, drawn by new Bananaman
artist C. McGhie. As of July 2010, reprints of Korky strips by Nixon are appearing in the Dandy Xtreme.
The Dandy was relaunched on October 27, 2010 with Phil Corbett taking over as the Korky artist. Corbett's Korky is squatter than previous incarnations of the cat with dark blue fur rather than black. The trademark red nose, green eyes and fluffy white belly remain the same.
parodied "Korky the Cat" in a strip entitled "Korky the Twat" as part of an on-going feud with Dandy
publishers D.C. Thomson. Viz also parodied other popular D.C. Thomson strips, such as "Desperately Unfunny Dan", "Arsehole Kate", "Roger the Lodger" and "The McBrowntrouts".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in a comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 (June 9, 1945) when Keyhole Kate
Keyhole Kate
Keyhole Kate was a comic strip in The Dandy. The strip featured a nosy young girl who looked looking through people's keyholes. She first appeared in The Dandy's first issue drawn by Allan Morley back in 1937. She continued in The Dandy until 1955 and even appeared as the cover strip of issue 294...
was on the cover and he was relegated to the inside. In 1984, after 47 virtually continuous years, Korky was replaced on the front cover by Desperate Dan
Desperate Dan
Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
.
History
As the name implied, the strip's simple premise follows the adventures of a black male catCat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
called Korky, a cat who behaves like a human and is accepted in a world of humans as only a comic character can be. Originally a mute character, he started speaking in No. 149, October 5, 1940 (see image for his first words as he tries to help some hungry dogs). The 1950s saw the introduction of his 'Kits', Nip, Lip, and Rip.
Artists were:
- John Crichton from issues 1 to 1051 (December 4, 1937 to January 13, 1962.
- Charles GriggCharles GriggCharles Grigg is a former comic artist for DC Thomson. He was the artist of The Dandy cover strip Korky The Cat. He also did Desperate Dan after the original artist, Dudley Watkins, died. In The Topper comic he drew Splodge! and Willy Nilly....
from issues 1052 to 2116 (January 20, 1962 to June 12, 1982.
- David Gudgeon from issue 2117 (June 19, 1982 to 1986).
- Robert NixonRobert NixonRobert Fletcher Nixon is a retired politician in the province of Ontario, Canada. The son of former Premier of Ontario Harry Nixon, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a 1962 by-election following his father's death...
from 1986 to 1999
- Phil Corbett from 2010
After 1984, Korky still continued inside the comic, however, and a picture of him remained next to the Dandy logo until 1998. When Robert Nixon
Robert Nixon (artist)
Robert Nixon was an artist who worked on several British comics.Bob was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire on July 7, 1939. He was the fifth of six children born to Arthur Nixon and Phylis Thompson. Robert's mother Phylis worked as a housewife while his father worked locally...
took over drawing in the Dandy issue dated November 1, 1986, some changes were made. Korky, whose look had remained virtually the same since the 1940s, now looked noticeably different, particularly in the case of his eyes (though the picture of him next to the Dandy logo was never changed). The focus of the strip also switched more to the Kits, who had been promoted from their originally minor role. So much so, that at one point the strip had been renamed Korky the Cat and the Kits.
When Nixon went into semi retirement at the beginning of 1999 (relinquishing Beryl the Peril
Beryl the Peril
Beryl the Peril is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for Issue 1 of The Topper comic published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black and red apparel, and devilishly tormented her parents and other members of her community...
at the same time) several different artists took up the pen, including David Sutherland (who also draws The Bash Street Kids
The Bash Street Kids
The Bash Street Kids is an ongoing comic strip featuring in the British comic The Beano. The strip was created by Leo Baxendale under the title When the Bell Rings, and first appeared in The Beano in issue 604, dated 13 February 1954. It became The Bash Street Kids in 1956 and since then, it has...
from The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, and used to draw Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (UK)
Dennis the Menace, later called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher and now Dennis and Gnasher, is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic The Beano, published by D. C...
) at first, Steve Bright,, Lesley Reavey, Dave Windett later on (who introduced a mouse called Squeak and his friends to the cast), and, by 2003, Henry Davies, who was creating hybrid strips from Charles Grigg's classic Korky strips and new elements drawn by Davies.
By 2004, though, the popularity of Korky with readers had significantly dropped. In that year's readers poll, Korky had failed to receive a single vote, either as a favourite character, or a least favourite. With this in mind, it was decided to retire the character after almost 70 years. His apparent last appearance was in issue 3294, dated 8 January 2005, in which, possibly hinting at his unpopularity, he turned up at a school reunion and found that no one knew who he was.
However, on 21 September 2005, it was announced on the Dandy website that Korky was to return in December with a new artist and in new adventures. Quite why the Dandy staff decided to over-rule the decision to retire him is unclear, but most likely apathy from fans brought about this change. Korky returned from issue 3338, dated 19 November 2005, this time being drawn by Andrew Painter on computer. The strip was again dropped when the Dandy was re-branded into the magazine-themed "Dandy Xtreme".
Korky returned again in the Dandy Xtreme Holiday Special, drawn by new Bananaman
Bananaman
Bananaman is a British comic book fictional character. He originally appeared in Nutty as the backpage strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.-Original strip:...
artist C. McGhie. As of July 2010, reprints of Korky strips by Nixon are appearing in the Dandy Xtreme.
The Dandy was relaunched on October 27, 2010 with Phil Corbett taking over as the Korky artist. Corbett's Korky is squatter than previous incarnations of the cat with dark blue fur rather than black. The trademark red nose, green eyes and fluffy white belly remain the same.
Miscellaneous
Adult comic VizViz (comic)
Viz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent storylines...
parodied "Korky the Cat" in a strip entitled "Korky the Twat" as part of an on-going feud with Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
publishers D.C. Thomson. Viz also parodied other popular D.C. Thomson strips, such as "Desperately Unfunny Dan", "Arsehole Kate", "Roger the Lodger" and "The McBrowntrouts".
External links
- http://www.davewindett.com Dave Windett's website, includes some Korky artwork
- http://www.philcorbett.com Phil Corbett's illustration website