Grimly Feendish
Grimly Feendish (alias The Rottenest Crook in the World) is a British comic book character created by Leo Baxendale in 1964, who originated in Baxendale's comic strip Eagle-Eye, Junior Spy, published in the magazine Wham!.[1] He is Eagle-Eye's nemesis and functions as a creepy but amusing comic book villain. The character became so popular that between 1966 and 1969[1] he had his own spin-off strip, Grimley Feendish in Smash!
| Grimly Feendish | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Leo Baxendale |
| Current status/schedule | Canceled |
| Launch date | 11 July 1964 |
| End date | 21 September 1974 |
| Publisher(s) | Odhams Press IPC Magazines DC Comics |
| Genre(s) | Humour |
| Preceded by | Eagle-Eye, Junior Spy |
Publication history
Grimly's first appearance was in Wham! #4 (11 July 1964, Odhams Press). His goal is world domination, which he attempts to achieve using various monsters and outrageous plot devices such as exploding treacle.
After appearing in Smash! from 1966 to 1969, he reappeared in 1973 in Shiver and Shake, as a member of the so-called Shiver Givers.[1] The first eleven issues of Shiver and Shake reprinted stories from Smash! but then new adventures began, lasting until issue #77 (21 September 1974).[1]
The character was revived in 2005 for Alan Moore's six-issue limited series, Albion,[1] where his full name was revealed to be "Grymleigh Gartside Fiendstien."[2]
Cultural references
He was the inspiration for the song "Grimly Fiendish," by punk band The Damned.[1]
Grimly Feendish resembles Charles Addams' Uncle Fester character, and also appears to be a parody of Lex Luthor.[3]
The character of Gru in the movie Despicable Me is similar to old Grimly in both looks and pose,[3] with both tending to wear black with a scarf wrapped around their necks, and both have comical little monstrous minions (with Feendish referring to his as "Squelchies").
References
- "Grimly Feendish". www.internationalhero.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- Albion #1 (WildStorm, Aug. 2005).
- Newman, Kim. Despicable Me Review, Empire (1 October 2010).