Raffles, the Gentleman Thug is a comic strip featured in the British publication Viz, the central character of which is a 19th-century nobleman given to 'immense erudition and wanton violence'. Raffles inhabits the formal world of the Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 gentleman, but behaves as a 21st-century hooligan, though he always maintains his elegant style. The comic strip parodies British yob culture, placing Raffles in anachronistic modern situations which he usually employs extreme violence to resolve.

Raffles is always accompanied by his loyal friend Bunny and has other acquaintances such as 'Dave

Dave Courtney

Dave Courtney is a self-proclaimed British former gangster who has become both an author and celebrity-gangster figure...

, 6th Earl of Bermondsey

Bermondsey

Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...

' (a notorious section of South East London) and Clarence, 3rd Earl of Burberry (a reference to Burberry

Burberry

Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...

, stereotypically the fashion brand of choice for Britain's 'chav

Chav

A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...

s').

Raffles' character is inspired by E. W. Hornung's Raffles the Thief

A. J. Raffles

Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, a brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, a deliberate inversion of Holmes — he is a "gentleman thief," living in the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing...

.

Language

The Raffles strip is noted for its substitution of formal language in common slang

Slang

Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...

 phrases. For example:

• 'Kick the little bastard' becomes 'Lapidate the little illegitimate'

• 'Tits oot for the lads' (tag line of Viz character Sid the Sexist
  Sid the Sexist
  Sid the Sexist is a character from the English comic book Viz. The strip was created and mostly drawn by Simon Donald until he left the magazine in 2003, when Paul Palmer took over as artist...
  
   ) becomes 'Remove your decollétage from its corsetry for the delectation of the gentlemen present'

• 'Fanny magnet' (when describing his new car) becomes 'Vaginal lodestone'

• 'You big girl's blouse' becomes 'You sizable ladies chemise'

Historical references

Raffles has found himself in many situations featuring famous characters and events from the 19th century and early 20th century:

• Playing cricket against the world famous W. G. Grace
  W. G. Grace
  William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
  
  , cheating him and then beating him up in the toilets

• Knocking out the Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick
  Joseph Merrick
  Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
  
   during a visit to a fairground freak show after accusing him of "looking at his bird"

• Fighting in World War I
  World War I
  World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
  
  , bullying war poet Rupert Brooke
  Rupert Brooke
  Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
  
   and acting like a football hooligan during the 1914 Christmas Truce
  Christmas truce
  Christmas truce was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas of 1914, during the First World War...
  
  

Quotes

• (To King Edward VII) 'Is sir perchance passing by the infirmary on his way home? If so perhaps he'd like to stitch this fucker.'

• 'Is sir addressing me or is he masticating on a house brick? Because either way sir loses his fucking teeth.'

• (While assaulting the ambassador to Moldavia) 'Have you had enough? Have you had enough you fucking Moldavian bastard, your Excellency.'

• (Raffles' chalked graffiti) 'All Bow Street Runners are illegitimate'