The Best of The Rest

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Launched: 5th May 1979

Ended: 30th January 1982

Merged into: Buster

Annuals Released: 1980 - 1986

My resources: Annuals 1980, 81, 82, 84 & 85.

The characters that made it to Buster: The Winners, It's a Nice Life, The Park, Sporty, Mike's Bike, Top Of The Class, Laser Eraser Kid King and Jack Pott. Milly O'Naire and Penny Less also made the move, but they joined Ivor Lott and Tony Broke as opposed to getting their own strip.

The Best of the Rest:

The star of Jackpot was Jack Pott, but he made it into Buster and this is the Best of those that never made it. Aside from Jack, one of the best strips in the comic has to be Angel's Proper Charlies. She uses those boys, doesn't she? A great strip in which 3 Charlie's are falling over themselves to help Angel and they will do anything from laying down in a dirty puddle to doing her hair. Other big Jackpot names include:

Jake's Seven - Jake and his friends have been transported to 3000AD where they are continually persued by Narky the education officier who wants to get them into school
Full of Beans - Popeye without the Spinach
Cry Baby - Her tears have flooded many a building
Scooper - His son always gets the better story, but it's great for a laugh
Richie Wraggs - Dick Whittington but without becoming London mayor (actually the Cat gets the better lines)
Riddle Me Ray - Well planned storylines that get your brain working
Gremlins - well they speak for themselves really!

The Award for Most Promising Strip:

Quite a few to choose from. The Jackpot Annuals are actually my favourite. Top of the Class was great, bar that small spell when it was called Class Wars - that didn't work as well. Jake's Seven had potential, it's a shame Buster didn't pick up that one. And of course Charlie's Proper Angels, so wrong in how she uses them, but oh-so funny.

But my favourite Jackpot strip has to be Hee Gee and his Nag. Picture the scene, two horses married to each other. The wife constantly nagging. Hee Gee does well to put up with this, but always manages to shut her up! The strip guarentees to make me laugh and so deserved to be acknowledge by Buster over other strips like Sporty or Laser Eraser.

The Award for the Most Disappointing Strip:

Sadly, there were a couple to mention for Jackpot. Firstly, Little Adam and Eva. It's supposed to be similar to Adam and Eve with Sepry the Snake and the apples. It wasn't an enjoyable strip, and I quite looked forward to turning the page to get to something else.

Secondly The Sulk. Now don't get me wrong, the stories are actually good. But did the people behind this not read Cry Baby? A boy and a girl doing the same thing in the same book. It's a tad repetitive, mainly because they tend to get their own way!

Have Your Say

Were you a Jackpot reader? If so, tell us what you thought about the comic. E-mail Jackpot@bustercomic.co.uk with your views. We'll print the best comments here!

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