*Humour Comics: ‘A new comic for boys and girls’, averred this 1965 launch from DC Thomson, though it ought really to have said ‘for white boys and girls’, as the peculiar racist caricature of the titular character would surely offend and deter any readers who were not of the Caucasian persuasion. Nevertheless, the title did have a great deal to offer readers who, it seemed, were slightly younger than the Dandy and Beano set, with an almost fairy-tale character to some of the series like ‘Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora’, while others – ‘Freddy the Fearless Fly’, ‘Keyhole Kate et al – were new versions of old Beano stalwarts with the serial numbers filed off. Nevertheless, Sparky had a very respectable run, racking up more than 650 weekly issues until 1977, and this is where it all got started! This copy has a significant corner, approximately 2″ by 3″, off the back cover, which, although it has become separated, is still enclosed with the comic Please see attached picture to assess the extent of the flaw. In every other respect, it’s a very presentable GD copy of a well-remembered and long-running title’s debut, which we have priced at £35.