Tom & Jerry Annual 1979

This annual includes some later artwork and the drawings arn't quite as good as before. The stories are up to spec though and include a memorable one where Tom becomes an ice skating waiter at a mountain top cafe in Switzerland.

In nearly all of the stories Tom is no longer chasing the mice but instead being menaced by ghosts or trying to become a TV advert star but then again that is probably because the "Tom chasing Jerry" meme works for a cartoon but gets old fast in a comic strip. The great thing about these comics is how they expanded the Tom & Jerry universe.

The best story however is a little more traditional (and has the classic era artwork natch). In one of my favourite Tom & Jerry stories Tom bores of chasing the mice takes up knitting, confused by this change of behaviour Jerry and Tuffy begin a scientific study of the cat...

Tom & Jerry Annual 1973

We approach the mid-70s and the Tom & Jerry cartoon has all gone a bit... hippie and peace and love.

Tom is no longer trying to catch the mice but instead is drinking tea with them and generally chilling out with them. That soon changes however but even then when he is catching them its because of some ulterior motive (i.e. money) than anything else.

Tom also tries his hand at a bit of sculpture and building a pirate ship. He does such a good job of the latter you wonder if his talents are being a bit wasted.

The stories in this annual are a lovely variety indeed including a Mouse Musketeers story supposedly set in pre-revolution France where Tom becomes a "pooseycat"!