British funnies - Beano, Dandy, Topper, Beezer, Jackpot, Oink!, etc.

[The Sand Master]

I adored reading the British 'funnies' comics in my younger days.
Were you (or are you) a reader of any of the famous titles that used to adorn our newsagent's shelves in the latter half of the 20th century? There would be at least a dozen titles of comical anthology comics each week to choose from and each would contain around a dozen different character comic strips within. Most of them were published either by D.C. Thomson Ltd., IPC/Fleetway, Polystyle, Odhams and other smaller press publishers.

I've compiled a list of the funnies

The Beano (1938 -current)
The Dandy (1938-2012)
BeanoMAX (2007–2013)
The Beezer (1956–1993)
Buster (1960–2000)
Cheeky Weekly (1977–1980)
Classics from the Comics (1996–2010)
Cor!! (1970–1974)
The Dandy (1937–2012)
Film Fun (1920–1962)
Jackpot (1979–1982)
Krazy (1976–1978)
Monster Fun (1975–1976)
Nutty (1980–1985)
Oink! (1986–1988)
Plug (1977–1979)
Poot! (1985–current)
School Fun (1983–1984)
Shiver and Shake (1973–1974)
Smut (1989–current)
Sonic the Comic (1993–2002)
The Topper (1953–1993)
Toxic (2002-current)
TV Comic (1951–1984)
Viz (1979–current)
Wham! (1964–1968)
Whizzer and Chips (1969–1990)
Whoopee! (1974–1985)
Wow! (1982–1983)
Zit (1991–2002)

The Beano had characters which became British institutions such as Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx, The Bash Street Kids, The Numskulls, Roger the Dodger, Billy Whizz, Lord Snooty, Little Plum, etc.
The Dandy had Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, Pocket Grandpa, Corporal Clott, Bully Beef and Chips, The Jocks and the Geordies, etc.

Were you a reader of any of them as a kid, have any collections been passed down to you from a relation or were they something you discovered yourself in the 20th century and now become a fan of collecting back issues, tracking them down in second-hand bookshops, charity shops, car boot sales, jumble sales, eBay, or whatever?

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

The Beano was my favourite as a kid. I also loved Whizzer and Chips ("Two comics for the price of one!"). My favourite character in The Beano was Billy the Cat. Do you remember him? He was a schoolboy costumed crimefighter. After a while he was joined by his cousin, Katie. Their stories were adventure rather than comedy. I've hoped for years that a collection of Billy the Cat strips would be published, but nothing yet sadly

 

[The Sand Master]

Yes I do remember Billy the Cat and just like The Leopard of Lime Street, it was nice to have an adventure serial in amongst the funny strips.
And it would seem that he was quite influential as Viz parodied him as Barry the Cat https://twitter.com/vizcomic/status/922149548407099397

Television's The League of Gentlemen were also influenced by the crime-fighter as they came up with the character of Neds and his KITT car 'Maxie Power'
https://twitter.com/vizcomic/status/922149548407099397

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Never knew about Barry the Cat

 

[The Sand Master]

The McManus Art Gallery and Museum in Dundee is undergoing a menacing transformation as part of the Beano’s 80th anniversary celebrations.
The free exhibition opens at The McManus on June 2 and runs until October 21.

The gallery will be rebranded as the McMenace this summer in a nod to beloved classic character Dennis, thanks to some creative work by comic stalwarts the Bash Street Kids.

A special commission by Beano artist Nigel Parkinson shows the redesign taking place — with the kids and Teacher entangled in the “Waldella, Dundee” artwork, one of the gallery’s most popular exhibits.

DC Thomson’s home at Meadowside is visible in the background — labelled in the illustration as the “Fun Factory”.

Mike Stirling, head of Beano Studios Scotland, said: “Dundee is the hometown of The Dandy and Beano, and so for us there is no better partner than The McManus to celebrate our 80th milestone with.

“The exhibit will offer fans a glimpse into the history of the comics and showcase the rebellious and fun characters of the comics throughout the ages, and display how they still connect with children today.”

https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/collections/comics/

Opening in June, the new bespoke exhibition will chart the Beano’s birth and growth over the last eight decades, from the 2p comic launched in July 1938 to the magazine that continues to exist today.

The exhibition will also look at the introduction of some of the funniest and most loved characters over the years, including Dennis and Gnasher, Rodger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx and of course The Bash Street Kids, with their characteristic slapstick humour.

In particular, the collection will focus on the mischievous youngsters, whose conception was inspired by pupils at Dundee High School and their playground, a stone’s throw from the McManus itself.

And outside of the Beano, the exhibition will also host examples from the golden age of comics including editions of The Dandy and The Hotspur, which entertained the nation’s children on a weekly basis for decades.

Sinclair Aitken, chairman of Leisure and Culture Dundee, said: “We think that the Beano’s 80th is an outstanding achievement, its influence shows the test of time as it is still so incredibly popular with children today. We can’t wait to celebrate the birthday of this comic in its hometown.

“They have created so many iconic characters through the years from Dennis and Gnasher, Minnie the Minx to the fantastic Bash Street Kids.

“This exhibition is a very special collaboration between ourselves and Beano Studios and we look forward to welcoming visitors of all generations from near and far, when the exhibit opens in early June.”

The free exhibition opens at The McManus on June 2 and runs until October 21.

 

[The Sand Master]

The cover to Ken Reid's Creepy Creations has just been released from Rebellion as part of their Treasury collections.

I absolutely adored Ken Reid's World-Wide-Weirdies that used to adorn the back covers to Shiver & Shake and then later on in Whoopee! back in the late 1970s.

You can a big selection of his World-Wide-Weirdies here over at the Monster Brains website. *These are a must-see*
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/ken-reid-more-world-wide-weirdies.html

 

[Iceman]

I collected these as a kid! Mainly The Dandy and Beano, but later The Topper and Beezer too.

 

[The Sand Master]

More exciting news for fans of Ken Reid!

THE OFFICIAL COLLECTION OF KEN REID’S COMPLETE ODHAMS WORK!

The books will be available both individually and as a set.
Provisionally £25 for one book, and £60 for the set in a slipcase, plus postage.
They will be at least 200 pages each, with quite a bit of text, and will come with some free prints of Ken's original artwork.

More information from the publisher here -
http://kazoop.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/some-very-exciting-news-for-fans-of-ken.html?m=1#comment-form

 

[The Sand Master]

The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum is celebrating the 80th birthday of Beano this summer. A special collaboration with DC Thomson’s Beano Studios in an awesome exhibition ‘Bash Street’s Back at The McMenace’ coming to Dundee, the world’s capital of comics.
https://www.mcmanus.co.uk/exhibitions/bash-streets-back

Exhibition Dates:
Saturday 2 June to Sunday 21 October 2018
Venue:
The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum
Admission:
FREE
Exhibition Contact:
01382 307200

 

[The Sand Master]

Who will be cast Minnie the Minx? That's the question many Beano fans are asking, some wondering if this week's 80th anniversary celebrations will be accompanied by more news about the announced live-action TV show from Lime Pictures, in partnership with Beano Studios.

https://downthetubes.net/?p=99249

 

[The Sand Master]

British Comic Sales Figures, Winners and Losers (January – June 2018): Beano on the rise, Peppa Pig continues to party to high sales.

The latest sales figures for some comics and children’s magazines available on the UK news stand for the first half of 2018 have been published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). There are winners and losers as ever, as consumer magazines in general continue to battle for readers, and it should be noted that there has been a marked drop off in comic-related titles actually registered for ABC reporting: https://downthetubes.net/?p=99859. MY thanks to Jeremy Briggs for additional analysis of the figures.