Ivor Lott and Tony Broke was a British
strip
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
which originally appeared in the comic book ''
Cor!!
''Cor!!'', a British comic book, was launched in June 1970 by IPC (International Publishing Corporation), their sixth new comic in just over a year. ''Cor!!'' was edited by Bob Paynter.
The comic had 32 pages and included a full colour center ...
'' on 6 June 1970,
before moving to ''
Buster'' when the two comics merged in June 1974. The comic strip lasted until the final issue of ''Buster'' on 3 January 2000.
The comic was originally drawn by
Reg Parlett
Reginald Edward Parlett (2 August 1904 – 18 November 1991) was an artist from England who had a career of drawing for comic books that lasted for 66 years.
Born in London, his father Harry Parlett (1881–1971) was also a prolific artist whos ...
and later continued by artists such as
Jim Crocker and
Sid Burgon.
Concept
The strips revolved around two boys who lived close to each other. Tony Broke (a pun on the English
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
term "stony broke," meaning to have no money at all) was the penniless hero of the stories, living in Broke Cottage; while Ivor Lott (which sounds like "I've a lot") — a spoiled, rich
snob
''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who believes there is a correlation between social status (including physical appearance) and human worth.De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton ''Snob'' also refers to a per ...
— was the villain, living in Lott Hall. The format of the strips was usually the same; Tony would be enjoying himself with some simple, cheap toy or activity, and Ivor would show off with an incredibly expensive version of the toy, bullying his neighbour in the process. On other occasions Tony went up against Ivor's constant cheating at sports and games. In each strip, Tony would ultimately win out, by getting Ivor into trouble or by tricking him to break his own toy, for example. Or Ivor's over-extravagance in proving his superiority over Tony simply backfired, and Ivor was often punished by his father for this. A typical
storyline had Tony playing with
paper plane
A paper plane (also known as a paper airplane in American English or paper aeroplane in British English) is a toy aircraft, usually a glider made out of single folded sheet of paper or paperboard. A simple nose-heavy paper plane, thrown like ...
s by himself, before Ivor appears with an expensive
remote control
In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as ...
model aircraft
A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models.
Aircraft manufactur ...
, shooting down Tony's planes. Tony would then paint a wall to
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...
it, making Ivor break his plane by flying it into the wall. On rare occasions Tony would be foiled by something beyond his power, such as having to cancel a
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
game on account of rain. Ivor then claims that is not an issue as he presents an expensive inflatable stadium. While it may have been useful for Tony and Ivor to continue playing, Ivor's lousy cricket skills cause the ball to fly through the roof, popping the stadium and resulting in him being chased by angry spectators. On a few, very rare, occasions, the strip would end with Tony being astonished at how much money Ivor was prepared to throw around: once, after spending vast amounts on a haircut, Ivor ended up literally having a single haircut.
The final issue of ''Buster'' included a page showing the ultimate fates of many of the comic's characters. In the case of Ivor and Tony, their roles were switched: Tony became rich thanks to his parents winning the
National Lottery, while Ivor ended up broke after his father lost all his money investing in the ''Buster'' comic.
Similarity with ''Milly O' Naire and Penny Less''
A similar strip appeared in the comic
Jackpot
Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to:
* A prize, such as a progressive jackpot
* Gardena jackpots, a poker variant
* Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border
Comics
* Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters
* ''Jack ...
, but this time it features a pair of girls called
Milly O' Naire and Penny Less
Milly O'Naire and Penny Less was a British comic strip created by Sid Burgon for the first issue of Jackpot on 5 May 1979.
The comic strip centred on a snobby rich girl, Milly O'Naire, and a poor girl, Penny Less. It has often been compared to ' ...
(a play on the words '
millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...
' and 'penniless'). When Jackpot and Buster merged in 1982, the two strips merged as well: Milly became Ivor's girlfriend, while Tony preferred the more down-to-earth Penny. The girls would often behave the same way as their male counterparts; Milly attended an exquisite
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
; then she is in shock to see Penny also attending, only her diligent study has awarded her a scholarship to the same
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
.
Parody
In the 1990s, the adult comic ''
Viz'' ran a strip lampooning ''Ivor Lott and Tony Broke'', which contained slightly more mature themes. For example, in one strip, the Ivor character boasts about the
breast implant
A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congenital ...
surgery that he has paid for his girlfriend to get.
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivor Lott And Tony Broke
British comic strips
1970 comics debuts
2000 comics endings
Comics characters introduced in 1970
Child characters in comics
Comic strip duos
British humour comics
British comics characters
Fleetway and IPC Comics