UKC

Alan James discusses the inspiration for a cartoon that proved to be a catalyst for many things and became part of 1990s climbing satire, with some fresh drawings on the current scene thrown in too.

Love the size of Rob’s head, and how Niff looks like Blofeld.

Thanks, interesting history and the cartoons are still amusing over 20 years later!

How were the female climbers, other than Fliss Butler, Lucy Creamer and Airlie Anderson?

In the John Dunne cartoon, were the two blokes Gresham and Emmett or just random?

Oh and the little guy in the quizz?

Ruth Jenkins, Naomi Guy (who had just come back from Aus) and Gill Kent at the end.

Just random although missed a trick there.

Trivial Pursuits Quiz? That is Johnny Dawes. He was in most of the cartoons but I think he had odd hair at that time I did that one.

Alan

Brilliant. Cheered my day. Thanks

Serious blast from the past. Brilliant. 

Great little précis, and nice new cartoons too - something positive out of the mess!

Chris 

That was fun. I remember the cartoons but I never made the connection before.

Thanks. The odd hair confused me!

Wonderful ! Pokketz - Got me wondering where the extra k’s and z instead of s trend at the time came from. I must have been in this house too long....

I shall be chuckling over 'Adam Ondra fries an egg' for the rest f the day!

Haha!

I do enjoy the cartoons in the older Climber magazines (I think it was Climber anyways). Shame there isn't an online archive or blog for them somewhere.

Really enjoyed that. Part of the fun was working out who was who. There are some very good American cartoonists out there too. Thanks for posting.

I still use that gag about the sit start.
Bunch of idiots we are, ferreting around in the dirt gazing up at the finishing hold you can reach from standing

I was (and still am) a fan of Tami Knight's "Climbing Tales of Terror". My daughters love her work too - Avalanche Poodles are as much a part of our family banter as the Knights who go Nee!

Steve

Loved those too. Great drawing, excellent text and very unique and characterful.

Alan

I seem to recall a great one about Zippy bolting his way to the kitchen. Still make me chuckle after all this time.

They are all here - https://www.rockfax.com/general/pokketz/

"Hardest Boiled Egg in the World"

 The quote I remember is "With this range of Ben Moon bolt on holds I shall oerperch this wall" (or something very similar. Can't remember the context! It would be great if all the cartoons could be compiled somewhere.

That was one of a series of adverts run by Bendcrete. I have lost the originals of those unfortunately but I do still have them in another format. I might add them to the page linked above with the OTE cartoons.

Alan

There's a fair few availiable here.

https://www.rockfax.com/general/pokketz/.

I remember those well and was always impressed by the Jerry Moffat likeness, although I didn’t realise they were yours Alan.

Who drew Marvin Bore again? They really gave me the creeps.

I had a few odd ones printed in On the Edge, although my “Ron Fawcett; Cock Athlete” never made it into print....

Can somebody explain the Adam Ondra one please?

He broke the yolk = disaster.

Does he swear a lot? Sorry if I'm slow on the uptake!

He screams and shouts when at maximum effort, hence why his 9c was called 'Silence' as he had no words at the end but he's generally pretty noisy when climbing.

Watch the film:

youtube.com/watch?v=ZRTNHDd0gL8&

Thanks!

If I remember correctly, it was Paul Evans. Yes, they were pretty dark.

Paul was also editor of The Thing. He stated his editorial position as something like 'not being responsible for anything'. Anarchy! I loved it.

Also loved Pokketz cartoons, along with the work of the late Sheridan Anderson and Tami Knight < sigh >  Never realised until now that Gerald Scarfe was the inspiration for the style. Alan certainly put that inspiration to good effect. Fliss Butler sinning just once with the chip while the rest of us hurled chips, cake and beer down our necks, wondering why we couldn't climb half as well as her.

Mick

We giggled once when Fliss described the conditions at The Snore as smeggy. It seemed so incongruous, we felt certain that she didn't know the origin of the term. I've always wandered. 

I think the artwork was Simon Norris and Paul and Jon (Barton) did the script. Certainly it was Simon who did the artwork in November.

Alan

We can but wonder!

Mick

Ah, didn't realise that. Thanks. Assumed Paul had done it 'cos he was an artist (and yes, one should never assume!)

Kudos to Simon Norris for the artwork in November. That really was something else.

Mick

Some new Pokketz! Awesome... I come back to those old comics every couple of years and they always crease me... so many characters in those days, plenty of ammunition and all deserving of a good natured ribbing. The ones of Ken Wilson always destroy me... absolutely FURIOUS. Brilliant.