Cliff Hanger (comic strip) facts for kids

Cliff Hanger is the name of two different comic strips that came out in 1983. One was published in the United Kingdom and the other in the United States. Both strips featured characters who often found themselves in tricky situations!

The British Cliff Hanger Comic

The British Cliff Hanger comic was created by Jack Edward Oliver. He wrote and drew the strip himself. It first appeared in a British comics magazine called Buster on June 25, 1983.

The story begins with Cliff watching a TV show. He proudly says he thinks he can escape from anything. The Evil Spies from M.E.S.S. (the Mysterious Evil Spies Society) overhear him. They decide to use Cliff as a guinea pig for their traps. If Cliff can't escape, they'll know their traps are good enough for real secret agents.

How the Comic Worked

Every week, the spies would suddenly transport Cliff into a dangerous situation. They used a special machine called the Atomic Matter Transmitter. Readers would then get three choices for how Cliff could escape. You would pick one by ticking a box. Then, you'd turn to another page to see if your choice was correct.

For example, in the very first comic, Cliff was stuck on a moving island in the desert. The island was about to hit the shore. But then, the current changed! Cliff was pulled back into the shark-filled sea.

The choices were:

• Take off his shoe and use it to paddle the island to shore.
• Pull out the tree and use it as a raft.
• Climb the tree.

Choices A and B were wrong. Using the shoe just made Cliff go in circles. Pulling out the tree made the island sink because the tree was plugging a hole! The correct answer was C. When Cliff climbed the tree, his weight made the tree bend over to the shore. This lifted Cliff safely onto land.

Fun Details and Running Gags

The comic strip had several small, fun details that appeared in every issue. These included a box with a handle, a plaster, and the word 'Acme'. You might also spot an arrow with another arrow inside it, a warthog, and the initials 'JEO'. There was also a worm and a sign that said "Abolish Tuesdays."

One funny running gag involved one of the Evil Spies. He often wondered why his partner kept calling him "Ray." But "Ray" wasn't his name! His partner was actually talking about a gadget, like saying "Fire the Transporter Ray!"

Another cool detail was Cliff's jumper (sweater). It often had the comic strip number on it. It started with "1" in the first comic. By the end, it was in the hundreds! Over the years, the comic also made fun of popular movies and TV shows. These included James Bond, the Star Wars Trilogy, Back to the Future, and Transformers. The strip finished in 1987. It was then replaced by a comic called Vid Kid.

Cliff Hanger Returns!

As the Buster comic moved into the 1990s, it started reprinting old strips more often. Cliff Hanger was one of these. Jack Edward Oliver was still working for Buster. So, he was able to color the old black and white pages. Most readers didn't know these were reprints. This made the comics seem brand new.

In February 1998, the strips started being reprinted for a third time. Instead of pretending they were new, the "Cliff Hanger Classic" section began. These comics had a special note at the bottom. Jack wrote these notes. They included facts like the original issue dates. He also explained background details. Sometimes, he even mentioned the most popular TV shows or the top 5 songs from the UK Singles Chart that week.

The Final Adventure

By 1999, almost the entire Buster comic was made of reprints. Because of this, J. Edward Oliver decided to draw one final Cliff Hanger strip. It appeared in issue 118/99, dated July 7–21, 1999. By then, Buster was published every two weeks.

In this final story, the Evil Spies were in danger. All three choices for Cliff led to the same result: the Evil Spies would never trap Cliff again! For example, if Cliff called the police, the spies would be arrested. If Cliff helped them, they would stop trapping him as a thank you.

This issue also featured the last "b-mail," which was the name for the Letters Page. Jack also wrote this section. Cliff made one last appearance in a small cameo. This was on the very last page of Buster's final issue. This happened six months later. Jack Edward Oliver drew this final page too. It explained what happened to all the characters. Cliff was seen looking sad about Bernie Banks. Bernie was the main character in another Buster comic called Memory Banks. Bernie had supposedly forgotten how to breathe. To show it was truly the end, Cliff's jumper had the word 'END' on it.

The American Cliff Hanger Comic

The American Cliff Hanger comic was written by Bruce Jones. The artwork was done by Al Williamson. The main character was a brave adventurer. He crash-landed in a jungle in the late 1930s. There, he found himself caught in a mysterious plot involving a secret research facility.

This comic strip first appeared as an extra story. It was in the four issues of Somerset Holmes. This was a thriller comic book from 1983, also by Jones and Williamson. The American Cliff Hanger has also been printed again in collections of Williamson's artwork.