The Best of The Rest

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Launched: 3rd May 1986

Ended: 22nd October 1988

Merged into: Buster

Annuals Released: 1988 & 1989

My resources: The Oink Preview Comic from April 1986

The characters that made it to Buster: Tom Thug, Pete's Pimple and Weedy Willy all made the jump from Fleetway's controversial Oink!

The Best of the Rest:

Oink!'s star, from the preview issue anyway, seems to be Uncle Pigg, the editor of the comic. Outspoken critic Mary Whitehouse was parodied as Mary Lighthouse, who was very much against the comic.....she obviously didn't win! Other stars from Oink! include:

Snatcher Sam - a photo funnies strip with Sam nicking a bad of choc drops
Pete's Pup - No ordinary dog, this was a bit of a monster
Kev - Looking remarkably like Young Arfur, it's a short newspaper like strip in the preview issue - but quite funny!
Maggie Pie - Billed as The Hoarder of Weird Things, in issue one she's collecting false teeth
Terry Wogham - A pig interviewing some very strange characters
Harry The Head - He is just a head....nothing more, nothing less
Rubbishman - The newest super hero who changes in a bin and stinks!
Billy's Brain - Sent from Uncle Vincent, a mad scientist to prevent some nasty men getting their hands on his ideas, Billy has to look after this brain.

The Award for Most Promising Strip:

Tom Thug obviously the best thing to come out of Oink in terms of longevity, but there were some other good strips in the comic. Billy's Brain was good, and I imagine it worked well during Oink's run, but my favourite strip from this preview issue was Naughty Nick and Rude Ron. Possibly the rudest double act ever in kids comics, it was all cleverly concealed by stickers and poster marking up rude words and naughty pictures...Mary Lighthouse got to that strip, but with a little imagination you can make up your own punchline...

Ron - "Now I'll pour this bucket of "bad words" down the "naughty word"
Nick - "Hoi! Watch out for my "rude word"
Classic!

The Award for the Most Disappointing Strip:

Billy Bang. Yet another character who kicks up a fuss when he doesn't get his own way, this one explodes instead of cries.....New ideas please!

Incidentally, as a footnote to this strip, I believe the Warner Bros. has a successful character of their own who exploded when she got angry.....sadly I can't remember her name.

Have Your Say

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

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