Zoom Back to the 1990s, with Zig and Zag’s Zogazine!

By Richard Sheaf, with additional material by John Freeman

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #1 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), October 1994 - With Gift
Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #1 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), October 1994 – with free “leaping bookmark” gift

As someone with an interest in comics produced by Fleetway, in all its incarnations, rather than DC Thomson titles, I thought I’d share some details of the six issue Zig and Zag’s Zogazine Fleetway Editions published in late 1994 / early 1995.

Created by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O’Hara and first appearing on RTÉ in September 1987 on Dempsey’s Den, puppet duo Zig and Zag (a pair of furry extraterrestrial twins from the planet Zog) should need no introduction to many downthetubes readers, many who will perhaps know them best for their antics on the Channel 4 breakfast show The Big Breakfast, debuting in 1992.

More recently of course the award-winning Zig and Zag have starred in an animated show jointly commissioned by RTÉ and the BBC, buoyed by the success on shows such as Big Brother’s Little Brother, interviewing past contestants, and fronting RTÉ shows such as Zig and Zag’s Superbloopers.

All this recent media success hasn’t, as yet, led to a new licensed comic, which is a bit of a shame as the short run 1990s title was actually quite fun, with a lot more comic strip in it than the feature-led polybagged magazines aimed at kids of today.

There’s even a one page Judge Dredd crossover in one issue, which is great fun!

With scripts from Pat Kelleher and Kev Sutherland, most strips were pencilled by Dave Windett and inked by John Moore, and most, if not all, lettered by Elitta Fell.

“I think my favourite was Robo Zig vs Judge Zag,” recalls Dave Windett.

David Hunt, better known perhaps as the editor of Battle, and Mike Butcher, also once editor of the Red Dwarf Smegazine, co-edited the title as freelance contributors.

“We were both big fans of Channel 4’s Big Breakfast,” David recalls, so it was a delight to get the Zogazine project which would hopefully kick-start our freelance venture together. We had remarkable creative help from Kev Sutherland, John Moore and others and I recall that every page had to be approved by the Irish lads themselves.

“It was great fun to do but, unfortunately, sales never reached their targets and the company ditched the project after just six issues. We also produced (I think) a very good Zig and Zag Annual that year as well.”

Here’s details of each issue, and some of their scurrilous content…

Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #1 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), October 1994

The first issue included a spoof guide to other comics, Zig and Zag standee gifts – and the alien duo met up with Judge Dredd!

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #1 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), October 1994
The free Zig and Zag "leaping bookmark" gift given away with Zig and Zag's Zogazine Issue #1
The free Zig and Zag “leaping bookmark” gift given away with Zig and Zag’s Zogazine Issue #1
Zig and Zag's Zogazine #1 - Comics Feature
Fleetway owned Judge Dredd back in 1994, so this Zig and Zag crossover was completely legit. Probably not 2000AD canon, though. With thanks to Michael Carroll
Fleetway owned Judge Dredd back in 1994, so this Zig and Zag crossover was completely legit. Probably not 2000AD canon, though. With thanks to Michael Carroll
Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #1 - Back Cover
By the end of the first issue, Zig and Zag are persuaded to return to create more comics by news of great sales and filthy lucre (well, something filthy, anyway, perhaps…)

Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #2 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), November 1994

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #1 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), October 1994
The Zig and Zag "Scratch and Sniff" card given away with Zig and Zog's Zogazine #2
The Zig and Zag “Scratch and Sniff” card given away with Zig and Zog’s Zogazine #2
Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #2 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), November 1994 - Ziggy 1
Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #2 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), November 1994 - Ziggy 2
Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #2 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), November 1994 - Ziggy 3
Zig and Zag doe Ziggy Stardust in Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #2, scripted by Kev Sutherland

Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #3 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), December 1994

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #3 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), December 1994

Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #4 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), January 1995

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #4 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), January 1995

Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #5 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), February 1995

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #5 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), February 1995

Zig and Zag’s Zogazine – Issue #6 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), March 1995

Zig and Zag's Zogazine - Issue #6 (Fleetway Editions Ltd), March 1995

Zig and Zag: The Killer Official Annual from Outer Space! (Grandreams, 1994)

Zig and Zag Annual 1994
Zig and Zag Annual 1994

There’s a copy of this currently on sale here on eBay

WEB LINKS

Follow Ciarán Morrison & Mick O’Hara, puppet wranglers, on Twitter @DoubleZCreative | Double Z Creative online at www.doublezcreative.com

My Boys Adventure Comics Guide to Zig and Zag’s Zogazine is here

• The Two-Headed Thingies Blog has ace features on the Zogazine Issue Three here | Issue 4 here 

Zig and Zag Official Facebook Page

Zig and Zag – Animated Series Episode Guide

Zig and Zag on Wikipedia

Zig and Zag Zogazine writer Kev Sutherland is online at kevfcomicart.blogspot.com

Zig and Zag artist Dave Windett is online at www.davewindett.com

Michael Carroll tweaks Zig and Zag’s encounter with Judge Dredd here on Rusty Staples

Thanks to Ciarán Morrison & Mick O’Hara for updates to this item!



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