''Puss 'n' Boots'' was a British comic strip which ran in the UK comic magazine '' Sparky'' from 1969 to 1977 and later appeared in '' Topper'' and ''

The Dandy ''The Dandy'' was a Scottish children's comic magazine published by the Dundee based publisher DC Thomson. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after '' Il Giornalino'' (cover dated 1 Oc ...

''. Most of the strips were drawn by

John Geering John Keith Geering (9 March 1941 – 13 August 1999) was a British cartoonist with a distinctive, occasionally flamboyant style, most famous for his work for DC Thomson comics including '' Sparky'', '' The Topper'', '' Cracker'', '' Plug'', ''Nu ...

. Some scripts were written by Morris Heggie, later to become editor of the Dandy.

Concept

The strip's protagonists are Puss, a black anthropomorphic

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

and Boots, a similarly humanoid brown

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

. In the stories they are in a continuous state of conflict, as indicated by the strap-line "They Fight Like Cat and Dog". Most stories revolved around one of them playing a trick on the other, the recipient getting revenge and both fighting. The strip name is a pun on the pantomime ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

''. It was one of a few DC Thomson cartoons where dialogue was as important as the artwork, with Puss and Boots insulting each other elaborately. Regular characters included Puss' baby nephew, Titch, whose speech largely consisted of the word 'Baggle', and from time to time the Scottish uncles, Uncle Hamish McToorie and Uncle Duncan McTavish.

Later history

As its sales faltered ''Sparky'' was merged with ''Topper'' which also failed. From 1993 ''Puss 'n' Boots'' appeared infrequently in the Dandy before a long hiatus. The artist John Geering died in 1999. The strip ran in ''The Dandy'' for two spells in the early 2000s, drawn by Barrie Appleby, who also drew

Cuddles and Dimples ''Cuddles and Dimples'' is a British comic strip published in the comic book magazine ''The Dandy''. It was first published in 1986. The stories' protagonists are two toddler brothers who like to cause double the trouble wherever they go. The ...

, before being dropped when the comic was revamped in October 2004. From 2008 new strips appeared in ''The Dandy'' and older strips were reprinted in

Classics from the Comics ''Classics from the Comics'' was a British comics magazine, published from March 1996 until October 2010. Published monthly, it was D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd's third all-reprint comic. It replaced '' The Best of Topper'' and '' The Best of Beezer ...

. ''Puss 'n' Boots'' appear in the Dandy Annual 2009, drawn by

Nigel Parkinson Nigel Parkinson (born February 7, 1952) is a British cartoonist who works for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and mainly draws for ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''. Biography Parkinson is the official artist for Dennis the Menace (UK), Dennis the Menac ...

. They also feature in the 2012 annual drawn by Nigel Auchterlounie. Similarly themed strips appeared in

in the 1980s, called Mutt and Moggy which was also drawn by John Geering, and in

The Beano ''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it published its 4000th issue in August 2019. Popular and ...

in the 2010s under the name Meebo and Zuky.

References

British comics 1969 comics debuts British comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1969 Fiction about rivalry Comic strip duos Comics about anthropomorphic dogs Comics about anthropomorphic cats Comics about talking animals Dandy strips Gag-a-day comics Fictional tricksters Anthropomorphic cats Anthropomorphic dogs DC Thomson Comics strips {{UK-comics-stub