GRIMLY FEENDISH BY ANDY B

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Hi again Woodsy,

I think a while ago you mentioned Grimly Feendish in your role as a monster-enthusiast. I wondered if he might be an appropriate figure to include on the blog? 

Grimly Feendish was drawn by the very talented Leo Baxendale, creator of the Bash Street Kids and other Beano characters. Grimly first appeared in "Wham!" where he was the adversary of tiny "Eagle Eye master spy".

The strip was definitely the best thing in the comic, most of which was drawn by Baxendale. It had bright colours and various tenacled monsters. I recall Wham! was taken by the more sophisitcated kids in my school -I wasn't one, and had to borrow copies! The bright ink colouring and absurd stories seem very much a product of the 1960s.

In his autobiography, "A Very Funny Business", Leo Baxendale says Grimly started out based on Alec Guinness in the film "The Ladykillers", and as Baxendale says, he also looked a bit like Uncle Fester from The Addams Family cartoons. 

Grimly went on to star in his own strip after "EagleEye", but I don't think it ever had the inspiration or impact of the frst Eagle Eye strips. 

I enclose a couple of pages including Grimly's goody-goody son Fred.

All the best,

Andy B