General Jumbo
Encyclopedia
General Jumbo was a fictional character
in a comic strip
in the UK
comic
The Beano
, originally drawn by Paddy Brennan
.
Alfie "Jumbo" Johnson was a 12 year old boy who served as "general" to a remote control model army
, navy
and air force
created by scientist
Professor Carter. He also appeared in Nutty
and Buddy in the early 1980s, drawn by Sandy Calder. The Buddy version called him Jimmy instead of Alfie.
until 1979, and then every year from 1990-2008 (except 2007), and made a one-off appearance in the 60th birthday issue (2924, dated 1 August 1998).
story "The General". However, in part 2 it is revealed that he was under mind-control. His controller was Private Pike, one of Jumbo's soldiers who has turned against Jumbo and built an electronic mind-control device into his controller unit. Billy used the device against Pike who was seemingly killed when the device fed back on him. Jumbo made him safe by stamping on him, after which Billy suggested they could have just taken his batteries out. Pike survived however as his eyes are seen glowing red once more in the last panel.
In the 2009 Annual Private Pike returned in a General Jumbo story that was not a crossover. He was now housed in the body of a teddy bear
and leading a revolution of broken and discarded toys, also equipped with copies of Pike's "learning chip". Jumbo was better prepared this time and successfully disabled his captors before they could carry out their plot to discredit him in the eyes of the public at a fete. He unmasked Pike by alertly spotting that every other toy in the creche was being played with, and put paid to the nuisance for what should prove to be the last time.
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 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...
, originally drawn by Paddy Brennan
Paddy Brennan
Paddy Brennan is an Irish comics artist who worked mainly in the UK, drawing adventure strips for D. C. Thomson & Co. titles. He was a freelancer, working six months of the year in Dublin and six months in London....
.
Alfie "Jumbo" Johnson was a 12 year old boy who served as "general" to a remote control model army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
and air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
created by scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
Professor Carter. He also appeared in Nutty
Nutty
Nutty was a British comic that ran for 292 issues from 16 February 1980 to 14 September 1985, when it merged with The Dandy. Published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, Nutty was an attempt to create a more lively and chaotic comic compared to many on sale at the time. Its strips included:* Bananaman as...
and Buddy in the early 1980s, drawn by Sandy Calder. The Buddy version called him Jimmy instead of Alfie.
Publication history
Storylines involved crime-fighting and/or rescue missions. Jumbo made his first appearance in issue 583, dated 19 September 1953, and the strip continued intermittently until issue 1734, dated 11 October 1975, at which point it was the last adventure story in The Beano. However, he continued to appear in The Beano BookThe Beano Annual
The Beano Annual is the current name of the book that has been published every year since 1939, to tie in with the children's comic The Beano. there have been 73 editions They are traditionally published in August, in time for Christmas, and since 1965 they have had the date of the following year...
until 1979, and then every year from 1990-2008 (except 2007), and made a one-off appearance in the 60th birthday issue (2924, dated 1 August 1998).
- Official Beano website: http://www.beano.com/retro-beano/general-jumbo
Betrayal
He briefly turned evil during The Beano Annual 2008 in the 3-part Billy the CatBilly the Cat and Katie
Billy the Cat was a comic strip in The Beano. The strip featured William Grange, later joined by his cousin Kathleen, alias Billy the Cat and Katie...
story "The General". However, in part 2 it is revealed that he was under mind-control. His controller was Private Pike, one of Jumbo's soldiers who has turned against Jumbo and built an electronic mind-control device into his controller unit. Billy used the device against Pike who was seemingly killed when the device fed back on him. Jumbo made him safe by stamping on him, after which Billy suggested they could have just taken his batteries out. Pike survived however as his eyes are seen glowing red once more in the last panel.
In the 2009 Annual Private Pike returned in a General Jumbo story that was not a crossover. He was now housed in the body of a teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
and leading a revolution of broken and discarded toys, also equipped with copies of Pike's "learning chip". Jumbo was better prepared this time and successfully disabled his captors before they could carry out their plot to discredit him in the eyes of the public at a fete. He unmasked Pike by alertly spotting that every other toy in the creche was being played with, and put paid to the nuisance for what should prove to be the last time.
Inspiration
General Jumbo was the inspiration of several other characters in British comics, including:- Colonel Tusker, killed by the FuryFury (Marvel Comics)The Fury is a fictional character created by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Alan Davis as an antagonist for the Marvel Comics hero Captain Britain...
in Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's Captain BritainCaptain BritainCaptain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
series during the Jaspers Warp storyline.
- An unnamed character killed by the Lloigor in ZenithZenith (comics)Zenith is a British superhero, who appeared in the science fiction comic 2000 AD. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Steve Yeowell, with original character designs by Brendan McCarthy, he first appeared in 2000 AD #536 .Shallow and sarcastic, Zenith was a distinctly Generation X superhero...
.
- General Tubbs in Jack StaffJack StaffJack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines....
.
- Colonel Liliput in Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's Top 10 series.