Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His speed often causes chaos yet at the same time his ability can prove useful. He also has a younger brother called Alfie Whizz of similar appearance. Alfie is usually shown as a normal boy but occasionally he is shown to be just as fast as his brother.
In strips up until the 1980s, Billy lives in Whizztown rather than Beanotown like most of the other regular characters, however, this later changed and more recent strips place him in Beanotown.
Character history
Concept and creation
The strip was originated by Malcolm Judge, who had previously drawn Colonel Crackpot's Circus, and would go on to create several more popular strips, including Ball Boy, The Numskulls and The Badd Lads. Judge's style tended to be typified by a wide variety of styles in which Billy's speed was depicted, including trails of dust, motion blur, multiple copies of Billy in a panel, and more besides. Later artists tended to use a single, specific visual device to represent Billy's whizzing. Judge drew every single Billy Whizz strip until the mid-1980s, when other artists, including Barrie Appleby and Graeme Hill,
Changes in the 1990s
Upon Judge's death in 1989, Appleby acted as artist for a few weeks before Steve Horrocks took over as regular artist. Much like other Beano characters save for Dennis the Menace and The Bash Street Kids, he does not appear to have a set group of friends. His kind nature and good heart is occasionally taken advantage of by other Beano characters, especially that of Roger the Dodger and Dennis the Menace, an example being one strip in which he agrees to carry Roger's dodge books so he can slow down.
Timeline
16 May 1964 Billy Whizz debuts in the comic. Issue No. 1139
17 April 1976 Billy starts wearing trousers instead of shorts. This is explained in a story where Billy's dad tells him to buy some trousers, in the hope that they will slow him down, but Billy chooses some tracksuit bottoms which don't slow him down. Issue No. 1761
27 January 1989 The final appearance of Malcolm Judge's Billy in the comic. Barrie Appleby draws the strip for the next few weeks, before Steve Horrocks takes over.
1990 David Parkins takes over as the full-time artist.
1991 Trevor Metcalfe starts drawing Billy as understudy to Parkins.
1992 Vic Neill also starts drawing Billy.
9 May 1992 Billy Whizz wears his new thunderbolt tracksuit for the first time in a story where he runs so fast in his new tracksuit that he is mistaken for a lightning storm. Issue No. 2599
1993 David Parkins quits drawing Billy, and Vic Neill takes over permanently, although Trevor Metcalfe still contributes occasional strips for the next year.
1993 Trevor Metcalfe provides the Billy Whizz strip for the Beano Annual 1995, which proves to be the last time he draws Billy for over a decade.
9 July 1994 Billy's hairstyle changes, with no explanation in the comic. Issue No. 2712.
2000 Vic Neill dies, and is replaced by Graeme Hall.
5 April 2003 Wayne Thompson takes over as Billy's artist. Issue No. 3168
2005 Trevor Metcalfe again starts drawing Billy, this time as Thompson's understudy, before later becoming permanent artist.
16 June 2007 The final regular new strip in the Beano drawn by Metcalfe. From the following week's issue, Billy's strip became reprint. Issue No. 3385
2 August 2008 Barrie Appleby draws a new Billy Whizz strip in the 70th birthday edition of the Beano, the first new strip in the comic for over a year. Issue No. 3443
31 October 2009 Nick Brennan takes over as artist and new strips start being printed. Issue No. 3507
10 November 2012 Wilbur Dawbarn replaces Nick Brennan as artist, reverting the character to his original image. Issue No. 3660
8 April 2019 Billy briefly dies in a strip, caused by colliding with a wall after going too fast. This was revealed to be a dream at the end of the strip, from a coma Billy was induced into. Issue No. 4104
In other media
Video
- Billy appeared alongside other Beano stars in the 1994 straight-to-DVD movie, Beano Video. He was voiced by Gary Martin.
Theme parks
- Billy had his own ride at Chessington World of Adventures, a flying chair ride titled Billy's Whizzer, from the opening of Beanoland in 2000 until it was refurbished into Wild Asia in 2009.
Merchandise
- Robert Harrop designed a Billy Whizz figure featuring him inside a bumper car.
External links
- Billy Whizz official page at Beano.com
- Billy Whizz comic strip at chezcomics.com
- Mathematical analysis of Billy Whizz's alleged ability to stay dry in the rain by running very fast