Norbert Colon
Encyclopedia
Norbert Colon is an occasional character in the British
comic, Viz.
Norbert Colon debuted in 1985, an early creation of Simon Thorp, who would later become part of the Viz editorial team. He is a wretched and ugly looking old man who, being an extreme miser
, goes to ludicrous extremes to save money.
He is described as being "as tight as a gnat's chuff"; but in his own words, "I'm careful, that's all".
For example, in one strip, Norbert Colon sees a pair of shoes in a charity shop
for 2-pence. He promptly goes home, saws off his legs and sells his limbs to a meat factory for use in pies. Norbert gets paid 2-pence for his dismembered legs, and - rolling himself around on a makeshift skateboard - he goes back to the charity shop and buys the boots. Apparently, Norbert's annual budget is only 10 pence.
His first two appearances were both full length layouts. His first strip set the tone, with Colon beating up a charity collector and watching his teabag collapse after 127 uses. The second was a spoof of A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
, with Colon as Ebenezer Scrooge
. (The story ends with Colon cooking Tiny Tim and serving him to the Cratchits
in place of a Christmas
Turkey
.)
A 2007 strip found Norbert passing a butcher's shop window and admiring the cow's tongue for sale, but unwilling to pay the (perfectly reasonable) price for it. To be able to eat tongue without paying for it, he went home and cut off his own tongue, then ate it ... and discovered he was unable to taste it.
A similarly themed story, but more childlike, called Jasper The Grasper appeared in Cor!!
in the 1970s.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic, Viz.
Norbert Colon debuted in 1985, an early creation of Simon Thorp, who would later become part of the Viz editorial team. He is a wretched and ugly looking old man who, being an extreme miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
, goes to ludicrous extremes to save money.
He is described as being "as tight as a gnat's chuff"; but in his own words, "I'm careful, that's all".
For example, in one strip, Norbert Colon sees a pair of shoes in a charity shop
Charity shop
A charity shop, thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop , resale shop or op shop is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money.Charity shops are a type of social enterprise...
for 2-pence. He promptly goes home, saws off his legs and sells his limbs to a meat factory for use in pies. Norbert gets paid 2-pence for his dismembered legs, and - rolling himself around on a makeshift skateboard - he goes back to the charity shop and buys the boots. Apparently, Norbert's annual budget is only 10 pence.
His first two appearances were both full length layouts. His first strip set the tone, with Colon beating up a charity collector and watching his teabag collapse after 127 uses. The second was a spoof of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, with Colon as Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness...
. (The story ends with Colon cooking Tiny Tim and serving him to the Cratchits
Bob Cratchit
Robert "Bob" Cratchit is a fictional character who is the abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol...
in place of a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.)
A 2007 strip found Norbert passing a butcher's shop window and admiring the cow's tongue for sale, but unwilling to pay the (perfectly reasonable) price for it. To be able to eat tongue without paying for it, he went home and cut off his own tongue, then ate it ... and discovered he was unable to taste it.
A similarly themed story, but more childlike, called Jasper The Grasper appeared in Cor!!
Cor!!
Cor!!, a British comic book Was launched in June 1970 by IPC , their sixth new comic in just over a year. Cor!! was edited by Bob Paynter....
in the 1970s.