Joe Jitsu

Joe Jitsu was the name of two fictional characters.

The Beano

One Joe Jitsu was the title character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, and was voted into the comic by Beano readers in early 2004, along with Colin the Vet. Joe narrowly defeated Colin, but both became regulars in the comic, as Joe's victory was by just 1%.

The strip, drawn by Wayne Thompson, who was also the artist for The Beano's Billy Whizz and Jak in The Dandy, was about a boy who had a black belt in Karate. Some early strips also featured a man by the name of Johnny Woo, whose plans to get Joe into his dojo were never successful. Joe Jitsu also has a sister, called Jude. It may be seen as a successor to the earlier karate-themed strip, Karate Sid.

In 2006, Joe's strip made a reappearance in The Beano. However, this was only a short run as the strips were stockpiled, and after Alan Digby became Beano editor his strip quietly disappeared. Joe Jitsu also appeared in the long story Custard's Last Stand, which was reprinted in the Bash Street Kids annual 2010, as well as a one-panel cameo in Pluggy Love in the 2008 Beano annual.

Dick Tracy

Joe Jitsu was also the name of one of Dick Tracy's crimefighters. He became popular in the 1961 syndicated animated cartoon series of the popular comic strip, but has since been criticised as a Stereotype. His method of subduing criminals was to grab them by the wrist, exclaim either "So solly!" or "Excuse, prease!" and judo-flip them down on the ground violently.

Both Joe Jitsu and Go Go Gomez have been edited out of some reruns of the Dick Tracy cartoon series.