ABSTRACT
Oink! was published from 3 May 1986 to 22 October 1988. It was reminiscent of the comic Viz but less ‘adult’ and for anyone ‘from eight to eighty,’ as its publicity claimed. It was devised and edited by Tony Husband, Patrick Gallagher and Mark Rodgers. Although essentially aimed at children the comic attempted to be comparatively sophisticated and anarchic, mixing parody with more obvious slapstick humour. Some of its most surreal stories were provided by regular contributor and Manchester music legend Frank Sidebottom. However it was some of the satirical stories that caused the comic problems, particularly those featuring Mary Lighthouse, a parody of ‘clean-up’ campaigner Mary Whitehouse. Whilst many of the comic’s younger readers would have been unaware of exactly who the character was parodying, Whitehouse herself and her followers (The Festival of Light and the National Viewers and Listeners Association) were well aware and started following the comic. One of these followers complained to The Press Council about the story ‘Janice and John and the Parachute Jump,’ a parody of the Janet and John readers—where a bored housewife tampers with her husband’s parachute—as being an attack on ‘family values.’ The Council ruled in Oink!’s favour, but the negative publicity resulted in some newsagents placing it on the top shelves away from other comics, thus damaging its sales potential to its young target audience. Although the story is not particularly violent (the husband survives) it is dark, and it raises questions about what people believe is appropriate for younger readers. This analysis draws on the work of Martin Barker, in Action: The Story of a Violent Comic and the discussion of comic reader’s engagement in Comics: Ideology Power and the Critics, to examine reactions to Oink! and consider its ultimate demise.
