A strip from The Hornet

See The Hornet

issues 475 - 494.

594 - 605 RP of issues?

641 - 648 RP of issues?.

Hotspur annual 1986.

Writer:- The Hornet editorial team. Artist:- Sutherland; Hotspur annual artist not known.

Main cast:- Joe and his grandfather Ernie Dodds.

Time period:- 1960's.

Another sporting series drawn by Sutherland. (How did he find the time to draw this strip, when he was also the artist for Tough of the Track, The Big Palooka and numerous other strips? But I'm glad he did).

This series follows young Joe Dodds and his grandfather, Ernie on their journeys carrying various loads around the United Kingdom in their battered old truck. At every available opportunity, Joe sets out for a spot of fishing. Much to his grandfather's digust, who regards fishing as a waste of time and money. He would rather Joe earned money, as they are always short of a pound or two. Needless to say, it is through entering fishing competitions that Joe earns money.

The series in some ways is similar to the Alf Tupper series. Joe and Ernie are working class (and proud of it), with little money and always down on their luck. Joe (and Ernie occasionally even utters the immortal words, 'blooming ada'). But whereas Alf wins the majority of his races and runs at national level in the World Athletic Championships and the Olympics, Joe only enters local fishing competitions and hardly ever wins the top prize.

Unfortunately, many of the Hornet issues that the series was published in aren't in my collection. But I do have a copy of the Red Dagger issue 28 which collected some of the stories. So the following episodes below are mainly from Red Dagger issue 28, with one from the Hornet issue 492. The title of the series therefore only appears on the first page and has been removed from subsequent stories.

***Please note that I am using a standard thumbnail image for all the full size pictures on this page. This is purely being done to save myself sometime.***

Please read the stories below left to right, row by row.***

Don't know your Bream from your Barbel? Then check out Joe Dodd's handy guide below with tips on how to catch them. From Red Dagger issue 28.