Classics from the Comics #16

Winker Watson’s latest prank has left every teacher and the Headmaster with black eyes, and Mr. Creep is certain Winker’s behind it—though he can’t prove it. To restore order, he brings in Slasher Scragg, a notorious local tough, to keep the third form in line.

In "Baby Crockett," a mischievous little one tries to hide a chocolate mishap by tossing the wrapper in the bin—only to find his face smeared and the water turned off. With a sticky mess and no running water, he sets off on a quick, determined quest to find another way to clean up.

In this lighthearted one-pager from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Grandpa’s simple trip for an ice cream cone turns into a series of misadventures—first dodging Dennis and Gnasher, then losing two more cones to unforeseen mishaps. Just when it seems all hope is gone, a surprise awaits back home.

In this delightfully mischievous one-pager from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Dennis the Menace faces off against art class with a twist: instead of a painting, he stages a live performance featuring his pet rat devouring cheese—much to the dismay of his teacher and the surprise of his classmates. With a little parental pressure and a whole lot of Dennis-style chaos, this short story captures the classic humor of the character, all typeset with crisp, playful lettering.

In "Peter Piper," young Peter takes it upon himself to deliver a letter to his Aunt Mabel in Yorkshire after missing the postman. He tries increasingly absurd methods—racing it down the street, sending it by kite, even trying to mail it via a passing dog—each one leaving the letter more crumpled and damaged. Just as his mum is about to scold him, the phone rings: it’s Aunt Mabel.

When Big-Head Branny grows frustrated that kids keep riding their bikes through his pristine playground, he takes matters into his own hands—literally. After sabotaging their bikes, he’s stunned when the kids rebuild them into a wild, multi-wheeled, multi-seater machine and come after him in full pursuit.

Beryl and her friend Cynthia are putting in serious effort with skipping ropes, sprinting, and even running in heavy football boots—only to keep colliding with Beryl’s dad, who finally shooes them out the door. It turns out their grueling workout had a very specific, very urgent purpose: they’re training to outrun the policeman who’s after them for playing football in the street.

In this delightfully absurd Western-frontier tale from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Jo and Danny challenge their uncle Dan to a jumping contest down the garden path—only for Dan to hesitate, fearing a leap might land him in the shop window across the street. When he later ventures out to collect his new boots, he finds the road flooded and makes a dramatic, cactus-fueled leap—only to crash into the very shop he’d feared. Back home, Dan’s confidence in Danny’s abilities leads to an oddly motivational (and prickly) pep talk with a piece of cactus.

When the Bash Street Kids’ toy boats are swamped by a speeding yacht, they’re stunned to see their teacher and headmaster at the helm. Determined to get revenge—and prove their nautical skills—they rally to build their own boat in time for the next day’s race.

In this playful two-page tale from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Jo’s determined attempt to outwit Puss by mastering Kung Foo backfires when every lesson arrives too late—because Puss, it turns out, is the very postman delivering them. The humor unfolds with a clever twist on who’s really in control, all in classic anthropomorphic style.

In this delightfully absurd 1997 tale from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Jo sneaks aboard an Arctic exploration ship hidden inside a salt herring barrel. When the engineer opens the refrigerator to check the motor, a frozen Jonah tumbles out—only to start chattering so loudly that the noise triggers a cascade of ice from the cliffs, sending the ship into the deep.

In a delightfully absurd twist of military duty, Corporal Clott is sent to the cookhouse during a downpour to make mashed potatoes for 300 men—only to take a dangerously efficient shortcut by running a tank over the spuds. The resulting explosion sends potatoes flying, knocking out Colonel Grumbly in a perfectly ridiculous chain of events. A classic bit of slapstick from the pages of *Classics from the Comics #16*, with crisp typeset letters adding to the humor.

In "Brassneck," Charley, tired of being chased by bullies every day, enlists the help of his friend Brassneck—whose only weapon is a Frank Bruno–style boxing headgear. When the pair confront the bullies, the headgear proves more style than substance, leaving Charley to face the same old trouble.

Freddy the Fearless Fly buzzes through a classroom, delighting in the chaos he causes as he disrupts a boy’s attempt to finish a painting. When the boy finally swats him into a pot of paint, Freddy emerges with a splash—and makes a daring crawl across the artwork itself. The teacher’s arrival brings a stern punishment, but the real surprise is just beginning.

In "The Banana Bunch," the laid-back crew spends a lazy day until Fatty’s hunger drives him to orchestrate a cacophonous performance with his bagpipes and a dustbin lid—just to get the others to feed him, all while pretending he can’t eat and play at the same time.

In this lighthearted slice of childhood chaos, Punch and Jimmy’s nightly snoring feud escalates from sleepy grumbles to full-blown arguments—until Mum tries to end the drama by sleeping in their room. But when morning comes, the boys aren’t fighting at all… because Mum’s own snoring kept them wide awake all night.

In "Curly's Commandos," the misfit crew takes on a wild river race called Shooting the Rapids, only to find their peaceful paddle interrupted by a gang of rival boys in striped jerseys. With no time to prepare and plenty of chaos ahead, the Commandos must navigate both the rapids and their unexpected rivals.

In "The Tricks of Screwy Driver," Jo pulls off a series of escalating pranks on the school staff, starting with tricking the class teacher into a hidden floor trap and soaking him with ink. When a soot bomb erupts in the Staff Room, the teachers rush in—only to find the teacher, freshly cleaned, standing innocent in the middle of the chaos.

Baby Crockett’s not thrilled when his mum puts him in a new jersey knitted by Gran—especially when he’d rather wear his old favorite. He searches high and low, finds his old one in a big white bag, and when he hears his mum approaching, he bolts out the door still wrapped inside. The bag makes him look like a ghost, and he’s soon startling everyone he meets.

In "The Twitz of the Ritz," the mischievous Twitz take their day off by tinkering with their model railway—only to accidentally cause trouble for Mr Grump, who demands they remove it. When the restaurant suddenly fills up and the staff are all off-duty, Mr Grump finds himself scrambling, and the Twitz’s train setup becomes the only thing keeping meals moving.

In "The Wild Rovers," a zoo-keeper is startled to hear sobbing from the laughing hyena’s cage—only to find his brother, Basil, overwhelmed by his failure to catch the dogs that’ve been raiding the zoo. Determined to help, Basil’s brother rallies a makeshift team from the animal residents, setting off on a mission that’s equal parts chaos and camaraderie.

Jo longs to skip school and go fishing, but when the teacher announces a handicraft challenge—where the most interesting model earns a day off—Roger’s mind spins with new possibilities. With a mischievous glint, he wonders if a clever craft might just be the perfect excuse to slip away.

In "Smiffy," the ever-optimistic title character is thrilled to be named goalie for his friends’ football game—after all, he won’t have to run around. But his relief quickly turns to dismay when he realizes the real job of a goalie is to chase down the ball every time it flies off the pitch.

Jo wins a coconut at the village fair, but can't crack it open—so he enlists Flo, whose foot proves far too big and powerful for the job.

In "Monty Moneybags," Jo finds the beach crowded and every deck chair rented—so he returns to the bank, hauls out a wheelbarrow full of cash, and builds himself a chair from the money. It’s a delightfully absurd little moment of whimsy, perfectly capturing the humor of excess and imagination.

In "The Badd Lads," a trio of mischievous crooks tour a castle with a warden, their eyes fixed on a gleaming silver goblet. After plotting a getaway via boat across the moat and through a hidden channel, they make their move—only to find the drawbridge closing just as they reach it.

In "L. Cars," a quiet gardener named Frederic finds unexpected attention when the Chief Constable praises his flower beds—much to the Inspector’s irritation. After a fruitless search for the elusive criminal Ronald Bloggs, the Inspector returns to find the police station transformed into a floral paradise, and his own garden overrun with weeds. When the grass is finally cut, the truth about Bloggs’s hiding place is revealed in a moment both absurd and perfectly in tune with the story’s dry wit.

In this delightfully silly one-pager from *Classics from the Comics #16*, the Three Bears face a tidy-up ultimatum from the rubbish dump inspector—unless they get a garbage grinder, their yard’s a mess. The machine works wonders, pulverizing cans into dust, but when Pa receives a delivery of cans and a surprise gift of stew from his cousin Cecil, chaos (and comedy) are just a switch away.

In this playful 1997 humor tale from *Classics from the Comics #16*, a rainy day turns into a slippery showdown when the Jocks are handed umbrellas by a well-meaning teacher—only to be ambushed by the Geordies, who use a hosepipe to drench them through a pavement grating. What starts as a simple prank spirals into a soaking showdown, leaving everyone soaked and on the brink of catching colds.

In this delightfully absurd one-pager from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Colonel Blink’s peaceful post-lunch nap takes a chaotic turn when he accidentally demolishes the wrong bed. Seeking a replacement, he impulsively purchases a bed of nails at a fairground, only to misidentify Tim’s air bed as his new mattress. The resulting mishap—complete with a punctured air bed and a flying Colonel—lands with perfectly timed slapstick flair, all delivered in crisp, typeset lettering.

In "Little 'Orror," a humor short from Classics from the Comics #16 (1997), the unflappable little terror visits a chamber of horrors, laughing through every gory display with zero fear. Even when he heads to a horror movie, his confidence holds—until a sudden, icy shock from a dropped ice cream sends him trembling, much to the confusion of onlookers who assume the film was the culprit.

In a hilariously chaotic match, Billy Whizz’s speed earns him a spot on the team—only to turn the game into a whirlwind of dust, broken equipment, and accidental own goals. When his relentless pace proves too much for the field, he’s shifted to right-back, but even there, his momentum proves unstoppable. With just minutes left and the score tied, a high kick sends him careening backward—just in time to knock the goalie over the goal line.

In "Samuel Creeps," Jo and her friend are on a mission to meet the legendary The Lone Flower Arranger after hearing the news on TV—only to be ambushed by a gang of tough classmates. Just as things look grim, the mysterious figure arrives, but his real target isn’t their rescue… it’s a few wayward blooms.

In "Punch and Jimmy," two mischievous neighbors, Punch and Jimmy, stir up a ruckus that wakes up their frazzled neighbor Mrs. Bloggs—only to be scolded by their mum, who decides a trip to the countryside is the only cure. Sent to opposite hills to shout to their heart's content, the boys unleash their energy in a hilariously loud, two-hour standoff, leaving them hoarse and ready to come home.

In "Baby Crockett," a tiny, determined child tries to reach a chocolate dispenser just out of reach, prompting a surprising chain of events when he lifts a manhole cover to investigate. Curious onlookers join him, digging through layers of coal in a surprisingly earnest quest for sweet reward.

In this playful one-pager from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Lord Snooty and his pals are thoroughly impressed by Scrapper’s seemingly impressive strength—until a small child quietly reveals the truth behind the farm gate. The humor unfolds with gentle wit, showcasing how appearances can be deceiving, all in a simple, perfectly paced moment.

In "The Smasher," a simple handoff of a ball sets off a chain of mistaken accusations when Smasher is wrongly blamed for breaking a window. As he tries to clear his name, the ball passes through several hands—each mishap leading to another furious homeowner—until the real culprit, cousin Pete, is finally caught in the crossfire.

In "Dennis on a Dolphin," a mischievous Dennis escapes his classroom after his comic is seized, ditching school for a splashy adventure at Marineland. There, he dives into the dolphin pool, stirring up chaos with a school of trained performers—until his dad gets called in to clean up the mess.

In "Baron von Reichs-Pudding," the perpetually outmaneuvered aviator finds a new way to turn the tide—literally—by designing a plane with engines and machine guns at both front and back. With a clever twist of the controls, he hopes to outflank enemies by flying backward, but a simple mix-up in the levers leads to a rather… explosive rearrangement of his aircraft.

In "Scrapper," Jo’s new rank as Corporal doesn’t last long when a rogue tire—slung on a rope—accidentally stamps sergeant’s stripes onto his friends’ jerseys. Suddenly, the joke’s on him as his crew, now wearing the stripes, take charge. The story’s a lighthearted twist on military rank, with the humor grounded in the absurdity of a single tire flipping the hierarchy.

In this lighthearted one-pager from *Classics from the Comics #16*, young Sid finds himself tangled in a canine mix-up when a stray dog named Scruffy strolls into his life just as his dad’s new tracker dog, Duke, arrives. With a football, a fence, and a pet shop full of snacks, chaos unfolds when Sid’s dad mistakes Scruffy for Duke—and the real Duke’s antics only add to the fun. Letters by typeset keep the tone crisp as the whole crew, dogs included, ends up tied together at the bus stop, with a surprise reveal that’ll have you grinning.

In "Desperate Dawg," a hungry dog with a wallet full of regrets tries to earn enough for a meal in a frontier town where even the dishes seem to judge him. When a restaurant owner offers a job washing up—his least favorite chore—he’s forced to choose between pride and hunger, leading to a series of clumsy attempts to make ends meet. The story’s humor lies in the quiet desperation of a dog who just wants to eat, not in a grand showdown, but in the small, sticky moments between hope and loss.

In "Mitey Joe," young Jo wobbles down a hill on his new roller skates, barely keeping his balance as a well-meaning friend sends him careening into a series of chaotic mishaps—nearly taking out a policeman, dodging a fishmonger’s tray, and finally spinning around to collide with the same fishmonger from the opposite direction. The humor unfolds with perfectly timed slapstick energy, all rendered in crisp, expressive lines.

In this lighthearted slice of school life from *Classics from the Comics #16*, Jo and the Bash Street Kids face off against their own clumsiness when the headmaster bets his feathery hat that they’ll never master the training mast. With the entire school watching and a challenge on the line, the kids’ chaotic scramble to climb the mast leads to an unexpected turn of events. The story’s humor shines in its simple, perfectly paced antics, all rendered in crisp, typeset letters.

In "Ivy the Terrible," Jo sets up a mock camping trip in a department store tent, proudly displaying her gear for a night of comfort and fun. But when the tent flap suddenly parts and a shop assistant reaches in, Ivy’s adventure takes a surprising turn—she’s not outside at all, but deep in the middle of a retail display.

Roger the Dodger sends Barney to the corner shop for the evening paper, but Barney gets sidetracked by the display of vegetables and flowers outside—only to start munching on them. When Roger finally collects the paper, he’s handed a surprisingly large bill for the snacks Barney couldn’t resist.