The Germs (comics) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Totally Gross Germs |
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| Comic strip character(s) from The Beano | |
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| Publication information | |
| Stars in | The Germs (comics) |
| Other names | The Germs The Germs: Totally Gross [title] (also featuring Ill Will) [title] (also starring Ill Will) [title] (with Ill Will) |
| Creator(s) | David Sutherland |
| Current/last artist | Vic Neill |
| First appearance | Issue 2374 (16 January 1988) |
| Last appearance | 2012 |
| Also appeared in | The Beano Annual |
| Current status | Discontinued |
| Main Character | |
| Name | Will |
| Alias(es) | Ill Will |
| Characters | |
| Regular characters | Ugly Jack Bacteria, Jeremy Germ, Iris the Virus, Aunty Biotic |
The Germs is a fun comic strip that appeared in the UK comic The Beano. It first showed up in issue 2374, which came out on January 16, 1988. This comic replaced another strip called "Rasher." The characters from "The Germs" had actually been introduced a week before their own strip started!
About The Germs Comic
This comic strip was all about a boy named Will. Inside him lived three tiny germs: Ugly Jack Bacteria, Jeremy Germ, and Iris the Virus. These germs were always busy making Will feel sick. This meant Will had to visit the doctor quite often! Later on, Iris the Virus got a new name: Violet Virus.
Sometimes, the germs' plans were stopped by a grown-up looking germ. This germ was called Auntie Biotic. Her name is a clever play on the word "antibiotic," which is medicine used to fight infections.
Who Created The Germs?
The comic strip was first drawn by an artist named David Sutherland. Later, another artist, Vic Neill, took over drawing the strip. Around this time, Will's name was added to the comic's title. The wording would change, sometimes saying things like (also featuring Ill Will), (also starring Ill Will), or (with Ill Will).
The Comic's Journey
Because Vic Neill was also busy drawing other popular strips like Billy Whizz and Tim Traveller, "The Germs" started appearing less often in the late 1990s. After Vic Neill passed away in 2000, the strip disappeared from The Beano for a while.
In 2004, "The Germs" briefly returned with a new artist, Nigel Parkinson. However, it only appeared three times that year and was then dropped again.
The comic made another comeback in October 2011. This time, The Beano reprinted the older strips drawn by David Sutherland. In April 2012, they started reprinting Vic Neill's strips too, along with another comic called Number 13. For this return, the strip was retitled Totally Gross Germs. The very next month, it changed its name again to "The Germs: Totally Gross."
Finally, in Issue 3618 of The Beano, the comic went back to its original title: "The Germs."
