The 12½p Buytonic Boy

The 12½p Buytonic Boy was a British comic strip, created by Robert Nixon, although Brian Walker frequently deputised when Bob was on leave. It debuted in the first issue of the magazine Krazy, dated 16 October 1976.

The strip was about a boy called Steve Ford, who, after buying a special tonic from Professor Nutz for 12½ pence, gained special powers. He would later be hired by the Everso Secret Service, using his powers to interfere with the plans of the villainous spies from rival organisation, the "NME". This being the period of the Cold War, the names of the agents of the NME included Boris and Ivan and they would occasionally dress as Russians.

The name and strip itself was a pun on The Six Million Dollar Man television series, whose main character was called Steve Austin, the "bionic man". Ford and Austin are both popular car manufacturers. Prior to getting his powers, Steve Ford crashes his karty, much like Steve Austin crashes an aircraft.

After Krazy finished in 1978, he became a Whizzer and Chips Whizz-Kid, and stayed in that comic until early 1986. Around the time the half penny ceased being legal tender, the strip was retitled The Buytonic Boy, variously attributing to BB: Buytonic Boy and The Buytonic Boy starring Steve Ford. It would later be retitled, more permanently, to Super Steve, and, after that, Super Steve vs NME Nasties, in which readers would write to the NME and suggest ways of defeating Steve (which always failed).

He was also known for three weeks in 1984 as W4 during a short-lived spell when Whizzer and Chips code-number titled its characters in an attempt to attract a teenage audience.

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