David Bowie kicking back while having a laugh at UK comic Viz.
For nearly 40 years British comic Viz—sometimes referred to as Britain’s “funniest” magazine—has been putting out pages full of satire poking fun at various UK institutions and celebrities by a cast of offensive fictional characters. Illustrated ingrates such as Buster Gonad, Sid the Sexist, Terry Fuckwitt, Sweary Mary and the Rude Kid would all make regular appearances in the comic along with ridiculous profanity-laced dialog mixed with the region’s colorful slang. A few of the comic’s vulgar characters, like Sid the Sexist, The Fat Slags and Roger Mellie also made their way to television in the UK as adult-oriented cartoons.
One of Viz’s calling cards was their craftsmanship of fake ads. Fictional (sadly) products for chastity pants for altar boys, and its companion product, “Father Begone,” a priest-repellant spray, delighted its readers. Viz was very much inspired by MAD Magazine and the images of legendary MAD illustrator and contributor, Sergio Aragonés. What made Viz stand apart from MAD was the belief you could never go low enough for a laugh. In fact, one could say Viz lowered the bar for low-brow humor lower than anyone else in the adult comic game. If you are fond of the word fuck and appreciate the art of toilet humor, then Viz is for you. If you still have any doubts regarding Viz’s wide appeal, David Bowie was apparently a big fan of the comic magazine.
If you’re already a fan of Viz, or a new one after reading this post, there are a few books which may interest you, such as Viz: Sid the Sexist—The Joy of Sexism, and one based on Viz’s Big Fat Slags. As I mentioned at the top of this post, the magazine is still publishing issues today, and back issues can also be obtained over at their official site, as well as other merchandise. I’ve posted images from Viz’s comics below—some are slightly NSFW.
A funny fake ad from UK magazine, Viz comics.
Viz’s Rude Boy. A few more follow.
An ad featuring more of Viz’s fake “priest control” products.
In the 80s and 90s, video game company Virgin Games, distributors of Sega, created a series of adult advertisements exclusively for Viz, such as the one above. A few more follow. See them all here.
A documentary on Viz including commentary from Monty Python’s Michael Palin.
45 minutes of footage from the ‘Sid the Sexist’ cartoon.
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Hello, Good Evening and Bollocks: Peter Cook as Roger Mellie - the Man on the Telly
The little-known MAD magazine TV special, 1974
‘What, me worry?’ MAD magazine sent the best rejection letters ever
Nasty notes and other ‘Hate Mail’ by Mr Bingo