Classic Gums: The Monster Fun Years
Writer: Roy Davis
Artists: Robert Nixon, Alf Saporito, Les Barton, Terry Bave, John Geering, Tom Williams & Ian Knox
Publication Date: November 2023
Rating: 
This week I will look at “Classic Gums: The Monster Fun Years”, a collection of comic strips that ran from 1976 all the way through 1984. Clearly inspired by “Jaws” and hoping to ride the eave the success from that movie, it stars Gums, a white shark from the coast of Australia who finds himself constantly matching wits with a young surfer named Bluey who keeps stealing Gums’ dentures.
The strip sticks to the premise of Gums’ dentures getting taken or misplaced while getting them back week after week feels one dimensional and gets tiresome after the first few years, writer Roy Davis and the artists that he had the pleasure of working with manage to keep the light-hearted humor intact after so many years to where it has that cross between “Peanuts” and “Tom & Jerry” that makes Gums stand out amongst the other comic strips that came out during that period. I also enjoy seeing Gums’ personality shine with every strip as the overconfident elements about him gave the readers a chance to either root for him or be against him which really helped in making him a hit with his fans.
Anyone who loves comic strips with a passion will need to add this compilation to their collection, only because of how Gums can take the ever-popular premise of “Jaws” and turn it upside down to deliver something fun and engaging that will keep the hilarity coming non-stop.
Well, that’s it for me this week, Thanks for stopping by and I will be back next time.
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