Shiner
    
                             
    Shiner was the leader of the Chip-Ites, arch rivals to the
    Whizz-Kids in the pages of Whizzer & Chips, and his
    was the lead strip in the Chips section.

    This lad was a real tike, always getting into trouble in spite
    of himself. And that trouble usually ended with him getting
    a black eye. Which meant he invariably had a raw steak
    on his face by the end of each strip. Hence the name.

    True, he often encouraged those knocks (he was an
    amateur boxer, for crying out loud!). But he never really
    set out to cause trouble...

          

    Whizzer & Chips launched in October 1969, but Chip-Ites
    will be shocked to hear that Shiner wasn't included in the
    original line-up of stars. Indeed, in that first issue it's
    his arch rivals Sid and Slippy who appear on the front of
    the Chips section!

    When it began, the strip could have retitled as "Shiner and
    His Mum" because Shiner's head-scarfed mother was a
    constant feature, forever nagging the lad and chastising
    him for his knockabout behaviour. Ma Bumpkin seemed
    to base her look upon her - which isn't surprising, since
    they shared the same artist!

    Gosh, that image of a black-eyed Shiner, sporting his
    wry grin (top), is quintessential Fleetway, isn't it?

    Over the years, Shiner's strip shifted between full-colour and
    a simpler three-colour format (blue or red) to distinguish the
    cover of the Chips section, inside Whizzer. His black eyes
    also became less frequent, as attitudes towards such
    loutish behaviour shifted. But he remained a star.
    
    Shiner made his first Annual cover appearance in 1972,
    when he took on his arch rivals Sid and Slippy in a game of
    cowboys and indians. And thus an annual rivalry was born.
    Between then and 1989 the trio sparred across 16 fab
    Whizzer & Chips Annual covers...