Granny Cupp

The Amazing "Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer

Every now and then in a `fun` comic comes a concept so bizarre you wonder just what the writers were up to to dream up such incredible `mind-bending ` presentations to amazed young readership! One such, was "Granny Cupp and her "Flying Saucer" which graced SPARKY comic for two short seasons in the summers of 1966 and 1967!

'''Issue No 79, 23rd July 1966 saw the arrival of `Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer`. This was a two page `fun` strip and even in a surrealistic comic such as Sparky this was truly mind bending stuff. One day a flying saucer (from Mars) landed in Granny Cupps garden, it was having control trouble.'''

'''While the Martians carried out repairs, Granny served the creatures cups of tea with cake and biscuits. The craft was soon repaired and the friendly fellows left Granny a small saucer in gratitude. The saucer had many devices which helped Granny quite a bit, and got her into some scrapes too. The artwork was rather sparse and took some getting used to (artist unknown). Granny finished her ride in issue 85, 3rd September 1966, but she would return in summer 1967. Her ever-attendant pet cat, 'Snowball', added further endearment to this fine period piece.'''

Making a return flight in the summer of 1967, issue 132, 29th July (replacing the `Cave Kids`) was old `Granny Cupp and her Flying Saucer` with eight episodes, to issue 139, of utterly surrealistic flights of fancy. Quite the weirdest adventure came when Granny accidentally thwarted an attempted South American junta! I can’t give justice to it in words; it has to be seen to be believed. Other adventures featured rescuing a stranded US space mission and a trip to the Himalayas (To rescue a trapped mountaineer) where Granny encountered a very strange looking `Abominable Snowman`. The strip ended with Granny stuck fast in piping after causing utter havoc on a sea rescue mission! Sadly, she never returned for a `Third Trip, Man!"

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`Granny` also made the `Sparky` book 1970. The artist is unknown to me and wasn't perhaps the most detailed in his/her depictions, but the strip possessed a quaint charm which warmed me to it!

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