Viz Magazine – February 2005 – Issue 172 Biffa Bacon & Sid the Sexist

Original British Viz comic magazine, Issue 172, February 2005, featuring The Fat Slags, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Biffa Bacon, Sid the Sexist, Roger's Profanisaurus and other classic Viz humour.

An original early-2000s edition of the popular British adult humour and satirical comic magazine, featuring the distinctive irreverent cartoons, exaggerated characters, comic strips and outrageous comedy for which Viz became famous.

This issue has a particularly colourful cartoon front cover featuring one of Viz's recognisable comedy characters in the foreground, with The Fat Slags and other cartoon characters appearing in the background.

An appealing collectible for enthusiasts of British comic magazines, adult humour, alternative comedy, cartoon artwork and vintage Viz publications.

Magazine Details

• Publication: Viz Magazine

• Issue Number: 172

• Cover Date: February 2005

• Publisher: Viz

• Country: United Kingdom

• Language: English

• Format: Printed adult humour and satirical comic magazine

• Original UK Cover Price: £2.80

• Condition: Pre-owned – visible signs of previous handling and storage

• SKU: 1574

Front Cover – Classic Viz Cartoon Artwork

The front cover features a bright, busy and deliberately exaggerated cartoon illustration typical of Viz's distinctive comic style.

The design combines a large white VIZ masthead, a blue background, colourful cartoon characters, oversized yellow lettering and several humorous promotional headlines.

The overall appearance is unmistakably associated with British alternative humour magazines of the early 2000s.

Main Foreground Character

The largest illustration occupies most of the left-hand side of the cover.

The cartoon character is drawn with:

• Thick, curly black hair.

• Enormous yellow eyes with small green pupils.

• Heavy black eyebrows.

• An exaggerated open mouth.

• A large pink and white bubblegum bubble.

• A cigarette protruding from the mouth.

• A red striped shirt.

The character's exaggerated facial expression and oversized features create a deliberately absurd comic appearance.

A speech bubble near the bottom contains the expression "GUMPH!"

The artwork uses bold black outlines, exaggerated proportions and bright colours to produce a distinctive visual style.

The Fat Slags

The right-hand side of the cover prominently advertises The Fat Slags, one of Viz's best-known recurring comic features.

The headline appears in enormous yellow lettering against a grey background.

The accompanying promotional line reads:

"GO ON THE GAME"

The cartoon scene above the headline features several flamboyantly dressed characters standing on a pavement.

The characters have exaggerated hairstyles, colourful clothing, high heels and comically expressive faces.

One character wears a bright red curly hairstyle and a patterned yellow outfit.

Another wears a yellow hat and red clothing.

Additional characters appear further along the pavement, including a figure wearing a purple outfit and large platform shoes.

The scene features speech bubbles and Viz's characteristic exaggerated social satire.

The Fat Slags became one of the magazine's most recognisable comic creations, making this issue appealing to collectors of classic Viz characters.

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

The upper-right section of the cover advertises The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.

This underground comic creation is associated with cartoonist Gilbert Shelton and became particularly well known for its countercultural humour.

The headline appears in large yellow and white lettering.

Two exaggerated cartoon faces appear beside the promotional text.

The characters have prominent noses, unusual hairstyles, wide eyes and exaggerated facial expressions.

The inclusion of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers adds another point of interest for collectors of underground comics and alternative cartoon publications.

Other Featured Viz Characters and Content

The bottom of the cover contains a strip of names promoting additional features.

Sid the Sexist

One of Viz's longstanding comic characters, known for exaggerated boasting, awkward social encounters and satirical humour.

The cover specifically advertises Sid the Sexist as part of this issue.

Biffa Bacon

Another recognisable Viz comic character associated with exaggerated working-class comedy and confrontational situations.

The cover lists Biffa Bacon among the featured contents.

Raffles

The cover advertises Raffles, another recurring Viz feature.

Black Bag

Black Bag is also listed among the magazine's advertised comic features.

Big Vern

A classic Viz character associated with exaggerated gangster and crime-film parody.

The cover advertises Big Vern as part of the issue.

Rat Boy

Another recurring character listed on the front cover.

Profanisaurus

The cover advertises Viz's Profanisaurus feature, known for its humorous dictionary-style entries and invented slang.

Letterbocks

The magazine's well-known humorous letters feature is advertised on the cover.

Top Tips

A regular Viz feature presenting deliberately absurd, impractical and humorous advice.

Terry Fu

The cover also advertises Terry Fu.

These advertised features demonstrate the magazine's wide variety of satirical cartoons, recurring characters, comic writing and alternative humour.

Please note that the above features are identified from the front-cover advertising. Interior contents pages have not been supplied for verification.

Front Cover Competition – Win £1 Billion in Cheese

One of the most distinctive features of this issue is the large promotional banner running across the very top of the cover.

The headline reads:

"WIN A £BILLION IN CHEESE"

The banner uses a red background with large white and yellow lettering.

A smaller reference directs readers to page 8.

This deliberately ridiculous competition headline is a typical example of Viz's parody of magazine competitions and exaggerated promotional advertising.

The banner also adds to the distinctive visual appeal of this particular issue.

Any competition mentioned in this original magazine is historical and should not be considered active or redeemable.

Original Cover Design and Collectability

This February 2005 edition features several elements associated with classic Viz magazine design.

The oversized white masthead dominates the upper section.

The blue background provides a strong contrast with the colourful cartoon artwork.

The right-hand side features large promotional headlines for The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and The Fat Slags.

The bottom edge contains a densely packed selection of additional comic-strip names.

The cover also features:

• Original Viz website branding.

• The February issue identification.

• Issue number 172.

• Original cover price.

• Printed barcode.

• The original adult readership warning.

The combination of recognisable cartoon characters, exaggerated humour and colourful artwork makes the magazine an interesting example of early-2000s British comic publishing.

It may appeal particularly to collectors of Viz, British satirical magazines, underground comics and classic adult humour publications.

Condition Report – Please Read Carefully

Condition: Pre-owned – generally presentable, with visible signs of age, previous handling and storage.

This is an original printed magazine and should not be considered new or mint.

The following observations are based on the supplied front-cover photograph.

Front Cover

The original illustrated front cover remains present, with its main artwork and headlines clearly visible.

The colours remain relatively strong, particularly the blue background, white masthead, red promotional banner and yellow Fat Slags lettering.

Visible signs of wear include:

• Rubbing and scuffing along the left-hand spine area.

• Noticeable wear along the lower-left cover edge.

• Small creases and bending around the upper-left corner.

• Slight irregularity and curling along the upper edge.

• A crease and bent area around the upper-right corner, affecting the yellow competition banner.

• Light surface marks and handling wear.

• Minor edge and corner wear.

• Slight unevenness to the cover from previous handling and storage.

The lower-left section shows some noticeable wear where the cover meets the spine.

The cover remains visually attractive despite these imperfections.

Spine and Binding

The visible spine area shows signs of previous handling.

There is some rubbing, light creasing and wear along the left-hand edge.

The photograph does not allow the complete binding to be assessed.

Interior Pages

Only the front cover has been photographed.

The condition of the interior pages, including any internal marks, folds, tears, writing or missing pages, cannot be confirmed from the supplied image.

The magazine's complete page count has not been independently verified.

Back Cover

The back cover is not shown in the supplied photograph, so its condition cannot be assessed.

Overall Condition

A visually presentable original copy of Viz Magazine, February 2005, Issue 172, with noticeable but typical signs of previous handling.

The colourful front-cover artwork remains clearly visible and retains its distinctive comic appearance.

The most apparent imperfections are rubbing and wear along the spine, minor corner creasing and a bent upper-right corner.

Please examine the supplied photograph carefully, as it forms an important part of the condition description.

Important – Original Extras Not Included

THIS LISTING IS FOR THE ORIGINAL PRINTED MAGAZINE ONLY.

Any original free gifts, promotional items, supplements, loose inserts, vouchers or other additional items that may originally have accompanied the magazine are no longer included.

No additional items are supplied unless specifically shown and described.

Packaging and Postage

UK Orders

The magazine will be carefully packaged and dispatched in a protective hardback envelope to help reduce the risk of bending or damage during transit.

International Orders

International orders will be packaged in a sturdy cardboard mailing-size box for additional protection during shipping.

The photograph shows the actual magazine being offered for sale.

Please review the photographs and condition description carefully before purchasing.

SKU: 1574