Whizzer and Chips Merges Into Buster

It's time to look at the saddest part of Whizzer and Chips' history - the merger into Buster. Whizzer and Chips had changed a lot in its final months, it had gone full-colour and had merged into itself - there was no longer a Chips section in the middle. None of the changes saved it though, and after 21 years and 9 days the final issue of Whizzer and Chips was released on 20th October 1990, dated for the 27th. 

The last issue, cover by Jimmy Hansen.

Unlike mergers of the past this one was fairly unadvertised in both Whizzer and Chips and Buster. In the last issue of Whizzer and Chips there was no centre spread announcement, no front cover strapline and no reminders to 'Buy Buster Next Week' throughout the comic. Instead, all that was seen was an advertisement taking up the inside back cover, which really isn't very clear as to what was happening.

It was even worse in Buster, the one-page advert there is very lazily done and doesn't look very nice at all.

The first 'Buster with Whizzer and Chips' was dated 3rd November 1990, and came with some free Fiendish Feet stickers.

The Whizz-kids and Chip-ites (if there were any, for as I have mentioned Whizzer was now one comic instead of two) were welcomed by just a small notice on the 'Dear Buster' page.

Not a lot of characters moved into Buster from Whizzer and Chips. The ones that did were Joker, The Bumpkin Billionaires, Odd Ball, Sid's Snake, Fuss Pot, and Sweeny Toddler. Of those six only two originated in Whizzer and Chips - Sid's Snake and Odd Ball. Sadly Shiner, king of the Chip-ites, failed to survive the merger.

'Whizzer and Chips' would appear underneath Buster's name for almost a year, with the last combined issue dated 7th September 1991. Some of the characters would survive until the end of course, in 2000.

The last 'Buster with Whizzer and Chips'.

Here is the full contents from the last issue of Whizzer and Chips.

Pg 1 - Front cover image, Jimmy Hansen
Pg 2 - Joker, Sid Burgon
Pg 3 - Sweeny Toddler, Graham Exton
Pg 4 - Phil Fitt, Mike Lacey
Pg 5 - Memory Banks, Mark Bennington
Pg 6 - Advertisement for St. Ivel Fiendish Feet
Pg 7 - Odd Ball, Terry Bave
Pg 8 - Creepy Car, Reg Parlett †
Pg 9 - Tarman of the Jungle, Terry Bave
Pg 10 - Junior Rotter, Trevor Metcalfe
Pg 11 - Neighbours, Anthony Hutchings
Pg 12 - Sid's Snake, Mike Lacey
Pg 13 - Fuss Pot, Trevor Metcalfe
Pg 14 - Mustapha Million, Frank McDiarmid
Pg 15 - Mustapha Million cont., Frank McDiarmid
Pg 16 - Puss and Pooch, Anthony Hutchings
Pg 17 - Tummy Bugs Hobby*, Nigel Edwards
Pg 18 - Billy Bunter, Reg Parlett †
Pg 19 - Billy Bunter cont., Reg Parlett †
Pg 20 - Shiner, Mike Lacey (top half) †, Advert for Panini stickers in Roy of the Rovers (bottom half)
Pg 21 - The Bumpkin Billionaires, Jimmy Hansen
Pg 22 - The Ossies, Trevor Metcalfe
Pg 23 - Advert for merger into Buster, Jimmy Hansen
Pg 24 - Advert for Lego Technic

Notes:

† - Reprint from either Whizzer and Chips or another comic.

* - this was part of a weekly series which focused on hobbies of different people and creatures.

• Creepy Car is a reprint from Shiver and Shake

• Billy Bunter is a reprint from Valiant.