#14apr

"Why don't you become a clippy?" Clippy was a slang term for a bus conductor and came from the ticket clipping machine they carried.

On The Buses was a London Weekend Television sitcom, created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, that aired from 28 February 1969 to 20 May 1973 in the UK. Pictured are:

Reg Varney (1916-2008) as Stan Butler. Reg had also starred in The Rag Trade, broadcast 1961-1963, which had also been created by Chesney and Wolfe.

Stephen Lewis (1926-2015) as Inspector Cyril Blake or "Blakey". He came up with the show's catchphrase "I 'ate you Butler" himself and, when touring as an actor, was known to visit local bus depots in character as Blakey and shout at staff.

Bob Grant (14 April 1932 - 8 November 2003) as Jack Harper.

Anna Karen (1936-2022) as Olive Rudge (Stan's sister).

The other main cast were Michael Robbins as Arthur Rudge and Cicely Courtneidge and Doris Hare who both played Stan's mum, Mabel.

Three movies were made - On The Buses, Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses.

Champ No. 8, dated 14 April 1984. Pendragon cover by Mike Dorey.

Warlord No. 499, dated 14 April 1984. North West Frontier cover.

The Crunch No. 13, dated 14 April 1979. The Mindstealers cover, artist unknown.

Inside there was news of a strip starting in the next issue. The ad featured next week's cover art by Mike Dorey although he didn't draw the interior strip itself. Like the Judge Dredd 'The Cursed Earth' strip Plague 2000 had a similar premise to the Roger Zelazny novel Damnation Alley.

An ad for Battle Picture Weekly Summer Special 1976

An ad for Battle Picture Weekly Summer Special 1977.

An ad for Battle Picture Weekly Summer Special 1978 from 24 June of that year.

Character sketches for King Cobra. Art by Ron Smith. King Cobra made his debut in The Hotspur and Hornet No. 852, cover dated 14 February 1976. This page is dated 14 April but the year is obscured. It looks like 1972 but I would have thought that would have been too early for this character. The Hotspur logo shown on the page was used on the comic from the late 60's until mid-1971 roughly.