Corporal Clott

YAHOO!---I've been scalped!

The above exclamation was a typical response from the ever-suffering Colonel Grumbly, at the usual recieving end of the latest of CORPORAL CLOTT'S half-baked schemes, in this case after the inept private has converted propellor blades into a ceiling fan.

This strip in the Dandy was the final creation from D.C. Thomson legend Davey Law, with his 'nervous-energy' inkings dominating the comic's colour centrespread for the majority of the Sixties, having debuted in issue 990 [12th November, 1960]. The tales revolved around CLOTT'S bungling exploits, which often brought the entire Army to it's knees: or at least, to the vast base that he resided in. His 'superior', the bulky, beefy Colonel Grumbly was an agressive, dominant authority figure who often bore the brunt of Clott's innocent-but-chaotic misdemeanours. Most of the action centred in the Army camp itself, and rarely ventured into the outside world. Fans of Davey Law's frantic artwork have often pointed out that his artwork had become more stark and less detailed or interesting by the time this strip arrived, but for those who grew up in the Swinging Sixties, memories of this strip can often bring up stirring recollections of Law's chaotic creation, with it's less than gentle mocking of authority and dismanteling of the order and discipline associated with Army life a welcome subject for comedy.

The final Law contribution arrived on July 25, 1970 [issue 1496] so there were almost a decade of undisciplined frolics from the original master. Later issues were solidly rendered by Jimmy Hughes, though Law's spirit was sorely missed by his many admirers. The strip was revived, much later, in 1987 with artwork by Steve Bright.