"The Grandfather"

   
Issue#66: "The Grandfather"

Ten years ago, Barnaby and Loaker meet their grandfather for the first time...

Notes and References:

Barnaby and Loaker's Grandparents have been mentioned in issue#43: "Gremlins In The Moonlight" and issue#2: "Are You There God? It's Barnaby and Loaker" but this is the first time one of them has "appeared" in the weekly strips. The senior Mr.Banks has since passed away but he was a major influence to Barnaby and Loaker and even taught them about constellations and the night sky.

This is the first flashback issue in the series as it is set ten years before the comic started when Barnaby and Loaker's grandad was still alive.

The only other sort of flashback was in issue#64: "Crisis On Mixed Up Earths" which showed a time before the town of Moloch Falls existed.

Mr.Banks mentions to his father that the twins are adopted in this issue. This is the first time that their adoption has actively been mentioned by other characters.

In this issue, Baby Barnaby gives his brother Loaker his teddy which bears a striking resemblance to Feigenbaum. Whether this doll influenced Feigenbaum's appearance or if this is just a weird coincidence is unknown. Originally the teddy was going to be a traditional brown bear but it was changed in favour of showing a stronger connection between the gremlins and Feigenbaum.

Loaker chews and destroys the teddy causing Barnaby to cry. This destructive behaviour would continue on later in life as seen in issue#9: "Loaker, Interrupted" when Loaker destroys Barnaby's Rooster Thompson action figure.