Jack Flash
Encyclopedia
Jack Flash was a character in the British comic The Beano
. The strip starred a flying boy from the planet Mercury
. The character sported four tiny wings on his ankles and this is thought to be the source of his flying ability. The strips first series began in 1949 in issue 355. This first series was originally drawn by Dudley Watkins but in issue 367 Fred Sturrock took over drawing the strip. This first series was set in the fictional Cornish
town of Colbay. This first series ended in 1949 in issue 388.
However this was not the end of the character as he reappeared for a second series in 1950 once again drawn by Fred Sturrock. This second series lasted for 20 issues (from issue 410 to issue 429) and involved Jack Flash babysitting
four children whilst there parents are away tending a sick relative.
The third series of Jack Flash began in 1951 in the issue after Dennis the Menace's
first appearance. This series was drawn by Paddy Brennan
, who drew a number of different adventure strips for The Beano, and for the first time featured Jack Flash's family. This third series was entitled Jack Flash and the Terrible Twins and not only featured Jack Flash's parents, Ma and Pa Flash, but the Terrible Twins, Jet and Jack, also. Some of these strips ended in a way made almost formulaic by later Beano comic strips that is corporal punishment with one strip ending with the Terrible Twins being given a mid air spanking.
After Jack Flash's third series the character disappeared from the comic for a number of years until resurfacing in 1955 with a fourth series. This fourth series involved pupils from the fictional Helmsford School being marooned in darkest Africa
after Jack Flash's spaceship crashes during a geography lesson. This fourth series lasted until 1956 and was once again drawn by Paddy Brennan.
After the end of Jack Flash's fourth series it wasn't long before a new Jack Flash series began, once again drawn by Paddy Brennan. Beginning in September 1956 this new series lasted only ten issues and was entitled The Happy-Go-Luckies and featured Jack helping the Luckie family move from Kent
to Africa
. The sixth series was the final series drawn by Paddy Brennan and was entitled Jack's the Boy. This series began in 1957 and lasted thirteen issues and featured Jack Flash helping pupils from the fictional Moorfield School win a football championship so they can win funds for their school.
Jack Flash's seventh and final series began and ended in 1958. This final series, drawn by Andy Hutton, saw Jack Flash helping capture an escaped circus lion. After the characters disappearance in 1958 the character rarely appeared however the character's legacy still remained as the strip was one of the longest running adventure strips in The Beano and in the DC Thomson archive was found a mock cover of a Jack Flash comic. Although the character has disappeared from the Beano he still occasionally appears for example on the back cover of the 2000 Beano Annual, in the Beano retirement home and most recently he had his own strip in the 2003 Beano Summer Special. A new version of Jack also appeared in BeanoMAX
issue 1 this time drawn by Tom Paterson
. In this strip the character was redesigned and the strip was more comedic in nature than the earlier adventure stories the character featured in. This strip also featured crossovers with two other Beano comic strips Billy Whizz
and Calamity James
.
The character was not just confined to the pages of the Beano with Jack Flash also having had a series in Nutty
and a female version of Jack Flash, named Jackie Flash, appeared in the DC Thomson comic Mandy.
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...
. The strip starred a flying boy from the planet Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
. The character sported four tiny wings on his ankles and this is thought to be the source of his flying ability. The strips first series began in 1949 in issue 355. This first series was originally drawn by Dudley Watkins but in issue 367 Fred Sturrock took over drawing the strip. This first series was set in the fictional Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
town of Colbay. This first series ended in 1949 in issue 388.
However this was not the end of the character as he reappeared for a second series in 1950 once again drawn by Fred Sturrock. This second series lasted for 20 issues (from issue 410 to issue 429) and involved Jack Flash babysitting
Babysitting
Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's parents. Babysitting is commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money.-General:...
four children whilst there parents are away tending a sick relative.
The third series of Jack Flash began in 1951 in the issue after Dennis the Menace's
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...
first appearance. This series was 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....
, who drew a number of different adventure strips for The Beano, and for the first time featured Jack Flash's family. This third series was entitled Jack Flash and the Terrible Twins and not only featured Jack Flash's parents, Ma and Pa Flash, but the Terrible Twins, Jet and Jack, also. Some of these strips ended in a way made almost formulaic by later Beano comic strips that is corporal punishment with one strip ending with the Terrible Twins being given a mid air spanking.
After Jack Flash's third series the character disappeared from the comic for a number of years until resurfacing in 1955 with a fourth series. This fourth series involved pupils from the fictional Helmsford School being marooned in darkest Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
after Jack Flash's spaceship crashes during a geography lesson. This fourth series lasted until 1956 and was once again drawn by Paddy Brennan.
After the end of Jack Flash's fourth series it wasn't long before a new Jack Flash series began, once again drawn by Paddy Brennan. Beginning in September 1956 this new series lasted only ten issues and was entitled The Happy-Go-Luckies and featured Jack helping the Luckie family move from Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The sixth series was the final series drawn by Paddy Brennan and was entitled Jack's the Boy. This series began in 1957 and lasted thirteen issues and featured Jack Flash helping pupils from the fictional Moorfield School win a football championship so they can win funds for their school.
Jack Flash's seventh and final series began and ended in 1958. This final series, drawn by Andy Hutton, saw Jack Flash helping capture an escaped circus lion. After the characters disappearance in 1958 the character rarely appeared however the character's legacy still remained as the strip was one of the longest running adventure strips in The Beano and in the DC Thomson archive was found a mock cover of a Jack Flash comic. Although the character has disappeared from the Beano he still occasionally appears for example on the back cover of the 2000 Beano Annual, in the Beano retirement home and most recently he had his own strip in the 2003 Beano Summer Special. A new version of Jack also appeared in BeanoMAX
BeanoMAX
The BeanoMAX is a monthly British comic published by D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd It is a spin-off of the UK comic, The Beano. Each issue has 44 pages and costs £3.50.The first issue was published on February 15, 2007 and was a Comic Relief special.- Strips :...
issue 1 this time drawn by Tom Paterson
Tom Paterson
Tom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986-onwards. He lives in Leith, with three kids, and is a Hearts supporter.He is famous for drawing comics such as:-Fleetway:...
. In this strip the character was redesigned and the strip was more comedic in nature than the earlier adventure stories the character featured in. This strip also featured crossovers with two other Beano comic strips Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His speed often causes chaos yet at the same time his ability...
and Calamity James
Calamity James
Calamity James is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. It is about a boy, named Calamity James, who has disastrous luck. He first appeared on November 1, 1986, in issue no. 2311. A copy of his first strip is viewable here. His strip replaced Biffo the Bear and Little Plum, which had both been...
.
The character was not just confined to the pages of the Beano with Jack Flash also having had a series 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 a female version of Jack Flash, named Jackie Flash, appeared in the DC Thomson comic Mandy.