Strange Hill

Strange Hill is the title of two British comic strips, one of which ran in "Whizzer and Chips", the other in "The Dandy". The title is a reference to the long running BBC tv show Grange Hill about a school of that name. Both strips were set in horrifying schools.

The "Dandy" version was a very "safe" version of Hammer Horror clichés, similar to Number 13 in "The Beano" or the US TV series "The Munsters". The focus was on the school's only normal pupil, who was remarkedly unfazed that his schoolmates included a vampire, a mummy etc. It's full name is "Eddie Potter at Strange Hill School". This is not a parody of Harry Potter, who didn't exist yet.

By contrast, the "Whizzer and Chips" version featured a normal teacher, at a similar, but much more grotesque school. Unlike the lead character in the DC Thomson strip, "Teach" found his sanity rapidly decaying as he faced his horrific pupils.

It could be argued that the difference between these strips highlight the differences between the relatively safe, conservative humour of DC Thomson and the more edgy, bizarre Fleetway style.

External links

* [http://www.toonhound.com/strangehill.htm Toonhound article on the Fleetway version]