Grimly Feendish (alias The Rottenest Crook in the World) is a British comic book character created by

Leo Baxendale Joseph Leo Baxendale (27 October 1930 – 23 April 2017) was an English cartoonist and publisher. Baxendale wrote and drew several titles. Among his best-known creations are the '' Beano'' strips ''Little Plum'', ''Minnie the Minx'', ''The Bash ...

in 1964, who originated in Baxendale's comic strip ''Eagle-Eye, Junior Spy'', published in the magazine ''

Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling mor ...

''. He is Eagle-Eye's nemesis and functions as a creepy but amusing comic book villain. The character became so popular that between 1966 and 1969 he had his own spin-off strip, ''Grimley Feendish'' in '' Smash!''

Publication history

Grimly's first appearance was in ''Wham!'' #4 (11 July 1964,

Odhams Press Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and the ...

). His goal is world domination, which he attempts to achieve using various monsters and outrageous

plot devices A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelie ...

such as exploding

treacle Treacle () is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar.Oxford Dictionary The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and a darker variety known as black treacle, similar to molasses. Black treacle has ...

. After appearing in ''Smash!'' from 1966 to 1969, he reappeared in 1973 in ''

Shiver and Shake ''Shiver and Shake'' was a British comic magazine published every Monday by IPC Magazines Ltd. It ran from (issue dates) 10 March 1973 to 5 October 1974, when it merged with '' Whoopee!'' As often happens with British comics, many names of stri ...

'', as a member of the so-called Shiver Givers. The first eleven issues of ''Shiver and Shake'' reprinted stories from ''Smash!'' but then new adventures began, lasting until issue #77 (21 September 1974). The character was revived in 2005 for

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

's six-issue limited series, '' Albion'', where his full name was revealed to be "Grymleigh Gartside Fiendstien."

Rebellion revival

In 2021, Rebellion Publishing announced that they would be reviving ''

Monster Fun ''Monster Fun'' was originally a weekly British comic strip magazine for children aged seven to twelve. Published by IPC Media, it ran for 73 issues in 1975–1976, when it merged with '' Buster''.

'', and that Grimly Feendish would be included in the new issues. A ''Monster Fun'' Halloween Special issue ("Halloween Spooktacular") was published in October 2021, and a new Grimly Feendish story ("Funstation", with script by Ned Hartley and art by

Tom Paterson Tom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986 to 2012. As of 2013, he currently draws strips for Viz. He lives in Leith, with three children, and is a Hearts supporter. Ta ...

) was included.

Cultural references

He was the inspiration for the song " Grimly Fiendish," by punk band The Damned.

References

British comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1964 Comic strip villains Comics spin-offs Grimly Feendish Grimly Feendish Grimly Feendish Male characters in comics {{UK-comics-stub