History ComicStrip / ThePerishers

'''The Perishers''' was a long-running British newspaper comic strip, appearing in the ''Daily Mirror'' from about 1959 until its final cancellation in 2006. The strip was mostly written by Maurice Dodd, who also worked as an advertising copywriter. In actual fact, Dodd was neither the strip's creator, nor its original writer -- the strip was jointly created by its original artist Dennis Collins, and the ''Daily Mirror's'' entertainments editor, while its first writer, Ben Witham got fired within weeks after the first few strips were regarded as dismally unfunny -- but his name has always been the one most closely associated with the strip. Until 1983 it was drawn by Dennis Collins, in a highly detailed style which subsequent artists could never quite match. As of 2010 the ''Mirror'' is reprinting 1960s strips with Collins art and new colouring, somewhat squashed to fit a modern comic page and containing some updates to topical material - e.g., Maisie's references to "That nice [[HaroldWilson Mr. Wilson]]" are now directed to "That nice [[UsefulNotes/DavidCameron Mr. Cameron]]".

* RunningGag: The strips penned by Ben Witham generally had Boot making some remark about "these perishing kids," usually in the last panel. This was quickly dropped by Maurice Dodd when he took over the writing duties.

* TheVoice: In the 1990s, Dirty [=McSquirty's=] Cousin Worsoff (the proverbial "person who's worse off than you"); never seen because he lives in the sewers and only communicates with his cousin via street drains.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: While Maurice Dodd didn't create the strip (as mentioned above), meaning that his family had no power to prevent the ''Daily Mirror'' from appointing a new writer, the newspaper discontinued the strip immediately upon his death, because everyone involved agreed that no-one else could possibly write the strip as well as Dodd had done, and that attempting to do so would only have insulted his memory.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: or in this case, the paperback anthologies, published from the 60s to the early 90s, that were the strip's only ever print collections.

* TheUnseen: In the 1960s, Bully Bloggs, Wellington's arch-nemesis.
** Dirty [=McSquirty's=] Cousin Worsoff (see below) started out as this. (Assuming he even existed, and wasn't an obvious contrivance by [=McSquirty=].).

** Dirty McSquirty's Cousin Worsoff (see below) started out as this. (Assuming he even existed, and wasn't an obvious contrivance by McSquirty.).

** Also Dirty [=McSquirty's=] alleged Cousin Worsoff [[note]]as in, the one who's always "worse off" than you [[/note]], who apparently lives in the drains, and may or may not actually exist.

'''The Perishers''' was a long-running British newspaper comic strip, appearing in the ''Daily Mirror'' from about 1959 until its final cancellation in 2006. The strip was mostly written by Maurice Dodd, who also worked as an advertising copywriter. In actual fact, Dodd was neither the strip's creator, nor its original writer -- the strip was jointly created by its original artist Dennis Collins, and the ''Daily Mirror's'' entertainments editor, while its first writer, Ben Witham got fired within weeks after the first few strips were regarded as dismally unfunny -- but his name has always been the one most closely associated with the strip. Until 1983 it was drawn by Dennis Collins, in a highly detailed style which subsequent artists could never quite match. As of 2010 the ''Mirror'' is reprinting 1960s strips with Collins art and new colouring, somewhat squashed to fit a modern comic page and containing some updates to topical material - e.g., Maisie's references to "That nice [[HaroldWilson Mr. Wilson]]" are now directed to "That nice [[DavidCameron Mr. Cameron]]".

* SocialServicesDoesNotExist: Wellington lives alone in a squat with his dog, even managing to go to school with the other kids... and yet no-one notices this fact and acts on it.
** Before moving into the squat, he and Boot lived in a section of ''concrete sewer pipe'' that had been left lying around in a closed builder's yard.

** Also Dirty McSquirty's alleged Cousin Worsoff [[note]]as in, the one who's always "worse off" than you [[/note]], who apparently lives in the drains, and may or may not actually exist.

* RulesOfOrphanEconomics: Mixture of Type 1 and Type 3 in Wellington's case. It's never quite explained how Wellington and Boot survive, but quite obvious they're poor and there isn't much food (except when Boot nicks the odd string of sausages) and that Wellington's friends give him handouts. That's not to mention when Wellington tries to make money by trying to fob Marlon off with yet another go-kart (much to Maisie's dismay) or trying to remind the other kids it's his birthday (and presents should be given, only to be requisitioned by "Poor Girl" [[note]]the one with the poor butler, maid, chauffeur etc.[[/note]]).

* RulesOfOrphanEconomics

* SocialServicesDoesNotExist

The strip features a group of urban schoolchildren and a dog. As such it is sometimes described as a British equivalent of ''{{Peanuts}}'', although it has a very different art style and relies on quirkily British humour in the tradition of music hall and SpikeMilligan.

* RalphWiggum: [[OlderThanTheyThink Years before]] the TropeNamer was created, we had... Marlon.

* PersonalRaincloud: Wellington. He sometimes exploits it by standing inhis rhubarb patch when it's about to rain on him.

* PersonalRaincloud

* ComicBookTime

* [=~It's Been Done~=]

* PrintLongRunners

'''The Perishers''' was a long-running British newspaper comic strip, appearing in the ''Daily Mirror'' from about 1959 until its final cancellation in 2006. The strip was mostly written by Maurice Dodd, who also worked as an advertising copywriter. In actual fact, Dodd was neither the strip's creator, nor its original writer -- the strip was jointly created by its original artist Dennis Collins, and the ''Daily Mirror's'' entertainments editor, while its first writer, Ben Witham got fired within weeks after the first few strips were regarded as dismally unfunny -- but his name has always been the one most closely associated with the strip. Until 1983 it was drawn by Dennis Collins, in a highly detailed style which subsequent artists could never quite match. As of 2010 the ''Mirror'' is reprinting 1960s strips with Collins art and new colouring, somewhat squashed to fit a modern comic page.

Further details and tropes requested. In the meantime, see [[http://www.theauthenticperishers.co.uk/ this website]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perishers The Other Wiki's Article]].

* ParentalAbandonment / ThereAreNoAdults - it is never made clear which.

* ThePigPen

* ThoseTwoGuys - Fred the beetle and [[NoNameGiven The Caterpillar.]]
* ThoughtBubbleSpeech - used by the dogs, but not by the crabs or insects.

* TheUnseen - In the 1960s, Bully Bloggs, Wellington's arch-nemesis.
* TheVoice - In the 1990s, Dirty [=McSquirty's=] Cousin Worsoff (the proverbial "person who's worse off than you"); never seen because he lives in the sewers and only communicates with his cousin via street drains.

* TheVoice - In the 1990s, Dirty [=McSquirty's=] Cousin Worsoff (the proverbial "person who's worse off than you"; never seen because he lives in the sewers and only communicates with his cousin via street drains.