Oink! (comics)

Oink!
Publication information
Publisher	Fleetway
Schedule	Fortnightly (May 1986–December 1987) Weekly (January–May 1988) Monthly (June–November 1988)
Format	Comics anthology
Genre	Humour, children's
Publication date	3 May 1986–22 October 1988
No. of issues	68

Oink! was a British comic book magazine for children which was published from 3 May 1986 to 22 October 1988. It set out to be deliberately anarchic, reminiscent of Viz but for children. The creators also cited Mad magazine as a major influence.

Part of its difference in the marketplace was that it attracted writers and cartoonists from a wide range of previous disciplines. It was devised, launched and edited by Patrick Gallagher, Private Eye regular contributor Tony Husband and Mark Rodgers, although within the fiction of the comic it was "edited" by a character called Uncle Pigg (similar to 2000 AD's Tharg the Mighty). The comic also followed 2000 AD's lead in crediting its contributors for their work, still a rarity in British comics at that time. Featured artists and writers included Husband's Private Eye colleague David Haldane, ex-The Fall member and future BBC Radio 1 radio host Marc "Lard" Riley, Malcolm Douglas, Brickman creator Lew Stringer, future Beano writer/artist Kev F Sutherland, future Marvel artist, writer and editor and SpongeBob SquarePants Magazine editor David Leach, future Financial Times cartoonist Jeremy Banks, and satirical media commentator-to-be Charlie Brooker. Viz founders Davy Thorp and Chris Donald also contributed some one-off strips, as did The Beano's Tom Paterson and John Geering. Illustrator Steve McGarry was an occasional contributor, including creating front covers for two issues.^[1][2]

Oink! proved somewhat controversial, with various conservative groups and a chain of newsagents branding it offensive and unsuitable for children. A notably controversial item was the story "Janice and John and the Parachute Jump", a parody of the Janet and John readers which appeared in issue 7, which prompted an official complaint to the Press Council. The Council ruled in Oink's favour (and the strip was subsequently reprinted in the comic alongside an editorial about the affair) but the negative publicity resulted in some newsagents, including WHSmith, placing it on the top shelves away from other comics, thus damaging its sales potential to its young target audience. An item on how the poll tax meant people owning parrots had to pay tax unless they were members of the Conservative Party was read out in the House of Commons.^[3]

Originally a fortnightly publication, it became weekly and finally monthly and was finally wound up in November 1988 after 68 issues, though both a summer and winter special were published in 1989, and a final summer special (consisting almost entirely of reprinted material) in 1990. Three Oink! strips transferred to Buster: "Weedy Willy", "Pete and his Pimple" and "Tom Thug", the latter appearing through to the comic's last issue in 1999.

The comic's editors Patrick Gallagher, Tony Husband and Mark Rodgers, would go on to create the CITV programme Round the Bend for ITV Yorkshire and Hat Trick Productions. Hat Trick co-founders Jimmy Mulville and Rory McGrath would be credited as script editors on series one, alongside Geoffrey Perkins.^[4]

In 1987 Oink! was made into a computer game of the same name.^[5]

Mark Rodgers' archives relating to Oink! are held by Archive Services, University of Dundee.^[6]