Just Jake

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Just Jake was a daily British comic strip in The Daily Mirror for 14 years. It ran from 4 June 1938 and ended in early 1952 after creator Bernard Graddon died. The strip satirized dramatic films and other comics and was set in the village of Much Cackling in the county of Gertshire. The main character was Captain A.R.P. Reilly-Ffoull, the squire of Arntwee Hall, a parody of early movie villains, who was helped by his servant Eric and the local serf Titus Tallow. Jake, the original hero, appeared mainly in the first year. Other characters included Missy, a schoolgirl; Maida Grannit, an old crone; and Cactus, a black man. The speech balloons were full of colorful phrases like "Holy Polecats!", "Well, knock me down!", and the catchphrase "Stap Me!" The line "Stap Me!" later became the nickname of Squadron Leader Basil Gerald "Stapme" Stapleton, a Battle of Britain fighter pilot, because it was his favorite comic strip.