On this day, 4 April 1981: Jackpot
Cover artwork: Robert Nixon
On this day, 4 April 1981 … Jackpot produced some lovely front covers, each week showcasing one if its characters, and this time round it’s the turn of miniature monarch Kid King. I’m not sure what he was king of – presumably Britain, but I don’t know if that was ever made clear – but Kid was a cheery lad who knocked around with a gang of ordinary pals (with decent, tax-paying parents) while exploiting his royal privilege to the max. Royalty was generally pretty highly regarded at IPC Towers, as we would see a few months on from now when the comics fell over themselves to produce the most fawning Royal Wedding cover. Kid King appears to be very much of his day, preceded in the history of benevolent rich kids by nobility (The Beano’s Lord Snooty) and followed by the nouveau rich (Cheeky’s Mustapha Million, which began before Kid King but significantly outlasted it, and Wow!’s Boy Boss). I’m not up to speed with what’s happening in the likes of The Beano or The Phoenix but it’s hard to imagine Kid King working today – perhaps there’s a billionaire reality TV or footballing wonderkid equivalent.
Oh, Brother!: Dick Millington (artist)
Good News Bad News: Nigel Edwards (artist)
Top of the Class: Vic Neill (artist)
Full O’Beans: Tom Paterson (artist)
Richie Wraggs: Mike Lacey (artist)
Milly O’Naire and Penny Less: Sid Burgon (artist)
Kid King: Robert Nixon (artist)
Sporty: John Geering (artist)
Angel’s ‘Proper’ Charlies: Trevor Metcalfe (artist)
Laser Eraser: Robert Nixon (artist)
The Winners: Jimmy Hansen (artist)
Gremlins: Steve Bell (artist)
Jake’s Seven: Tom Paterson (artist)
Jack Pott: Jim Crocker (artist)
