The History

X-Ray Specs began in Monster Fun issue one, dated 14th June 1975. The story featured a young lad named Ray, who was given an amazing pair of X-Ray specs by the local optician - I. Squint. The original and main artist for X-Ray Specs was Mike Lacey, but very rarely other artists would take over if Mike was ill etc. The first take over was Terry Bave who took over for two weeks in Monster Fun #11 and #12 (listed in our archive as 'Episode 11' and 'Episode 12'). The next takeover was by Alf Saporito, who illustrated several episodes in Monster Fun numbers 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 (listed in the archive under the same number as the issue they appeared in).

Mike Lacey's Ray

Terry Bave's Ray

Alf Saporito's Ray

Ray's very first adventure was just a single page, but as of issue two onwards he kept swapping between two pages or just one and a half, depending on wether the extra half page was needed for advertising space.

Ray made his very first front cover appearence on Monster Fun issue #3, advertising the free gift that came witht the comic, a 'Super Shaking Skeleton'.

That wasn't Ray's only cover appearence on Monster Fun, he made several more, with another on issue 6, the third on issue 15 (where he had a front and back cover comic strip!), the fourth, another front page comic strip on issue 20 and ten issues later he appeared amongst other characters in the Monster Fun building on issue 30!

Ray's first cover appearence

After 73 issues Monster Fun folded and merged into Buster. Along with the name and a few other characters was Ray, who would go on to be one of Buster's mosst popular and longest running characters. The first issue of Buster and Monster Fun was dated 6th November 1976.

The first combined Buster and Monster Fun.