The Beano makes history again!

I haven't had time to go into town to pick up the latest Beano yet but as Peter Gray revealed on his blog last Saturday, apparently it's a record breaker as the longest running weekly. It's also issue 3800, which is no mean feat either! 

Over on The Beano's Facebook page there are photos of long-time Bash Street Kids artist Dave Sutherland making a visit to The Beano office to unveil a plaque celebrating the significant record-breaking issue. Dave has been drawing The Bash Street Kids since 1962, which is surely a record-breaker in itself? (Longer than Percy Cocking's 43 year run on Weary Willie and Tired Tim for Chips.) 

The Beano has now been running since 1938 and long may it continue! 

Visit The Beano Facebook page to see the above photos enlarged:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanoComic

The Beano website:
https://www.beano.com/

Cover story

There's a discussion on Facebook at the moment about this annual cover so I thought I'd expand upon it here. This memorable cover to The Beano Book 1970 was painted by Dave Sutherland, who was the regular cover artist on the Beano annuals at that time (and for many years afterwards). He still draws The Bash Street Kids in The Beano every week of course, and this year will be his 53rd year on the strip!

The interesting thing about this annual cover is that the week the book was published, that week's Beano comic (No.1416, dated September 6th 1969) tied in with it, showing what happened next! A rare British comics crossover. Although the book cover was by Dave Sutherland, the strip on the weekly was by Biffo's regular artist Dudley Watkins. Sadly, by the time this saw print, Mr.Watkins had passed away suddenly the previous month. 

That same issue also carried an ad for the latest Dennis the Menace annual on the back page, with a vague link to that week's Dennis strip drawn by Davey Law. 

Coolest Comic Covers: The Beano Book 1967

The Beano Book / Annual has had many great covers over the decades but this remains a favourite of mine. I know some of you like it too so I thought I'd show it here today. The Beano Book 1967. An excellent illustration by David Sutherland of General Jumbo and all the Beano characters as his radio-controlled model army. 

If that wasn't fascinating enough for a 7 year old (as I was then), it also touches on the infinity effect by showing characters emerging from that very book, and that cover has a similar army emerging from a book... and presumably on into infinity. Quite a mind-blowing concept for a kid to take on board, and I was captivated by it back on Christmas Day 1966 when I had this book.

And I still think it's a great image to this day. Click on it to see it in more detail. 

Christmas Comics: The DANDY (1998)

Throughout its 75 year run The Dandy was a top class comic, and the Christmas issue of 1998 was no exception. A fantastic front cover by Keith Robson served as a perfect taster for an excellent edition. 

There was so much good material in this issue that it wasn't easy narrowing it down to a few to show here but here we go, starting with an Owen Goal page by Nigel Parkinson and a really nicely designed festive logo...

On page 10, Beryl the Peril by Robert Nixon, who excelled at Christmas scenes. Just look at that final panel, crammed with festive iconography...

Next, The Smasher drawn by Brian Walker. Just about as Christmas as it gets. Excellent stuff.

This issue had a number of special one-off strips, such as The Night Before Christmas by Ken Harrison...

There were three pages of jokes in this issue under the title Tis the Season to be Jolly, all by different illustrators. This one was by veteran artist Ken Hunter...

Finally, a text story, Bedtime Tales by Bradley Bedsock. Actually it was illustrated by Dave Sutherland...

Another Christmas treat soon. Which year will the Blimey-Timey Machine choose next? 

Jonah, - Plug's Uncle!

I'll keep it brief as I should be at the drawing board but I thought some of you would be interested in hearing that the seafaring calamity known as Jonah has a guest-starring role in this week's Bash Street Kids story in The Beano... as Plug's uncle! 

There's certainly a bit of a family resemblance with the teeth, but is this the first time it's been mentioned? Curiously, the old Beano character Jinx was said to be Jonah's sister, so I guess that makes her Plug's aunt! 

The Bash Street Kids is written by Stu Munro and drawn by Dave Sutherland (who has now been drawing the strip for 52 years!).

For the few of you unfamiliar with Jonah, it was one of The Beano's greatest strips of the 1950s, illustrated by the brilliant Ken Reid. Here's a couple of classic examples of some of the best British comics work to have seen print.

From The Beano No.852, dated november 15th 1958...

From The Beano No.928, dated April 20th 1960...

General Jumbo saved my life! (Perhaps.)

When I was growing up we lived in an area where there was a bridge at the end of the street leading to the nearby fields. There was a railway line below, often used by freight trains and passenger trains. I used to play in those fields a lot, as did other kids. Some of the kids used to play down the embankment and trespass on the track. I never did. My parents had warned me not to of course, but it was something else which was the main deterrent. The Beano Summer Special 1964.

That first Beano Summer Special contained a two page General Jumbo story drawn by Dave Sutherland in which a boy had his foot trapped between the rails as the points changed. It stuck with me forever. 

Back then, when I was only 5 years old, I hadn't developed the habit of saving comics so I threw out the special after I'd read it. However, this image was so powerful that it was committed to memory...

...and I also remembered there was an oncoming train in the story...

I found that panel with the trapped foot such a powerful image that even to this day, 50 years later, it comes to mind sometimes if I'm near a railway track. Heck, it even springs to mind every time I walk over the tramlines at Blackpool! Even though there were no points on the stretch of track at the bottom of my street, the message that trespassing on the lines was dangerous still hit home.

Back then, after throwing out the comic, the details of the story were mainly forgotten. (For years I'd misremembered it as Jumbo himself getting his foot trapped.) The only panels that were burned into my mind were the one with the foot trapped and the onrushing train. I knew that in reality there would be no toy soldiers to save the day, so the message was clear: keep off the track!  Subsequently I never played on, or crossed, the track as a kid. (Or as an adult, in case you were wondering.)

As far as I know, no one was ever killed or injured on the railway line near my old house, and perhaps I'd have been safe too, but thanks to that General Jumbo story I didn't chance it. 

As I said, that Beano Summer Special is long gone but a few years ago comics historian Ray Moore kindly sent me a photocopy of that story which I'm showing here. So thanks to Ray, thanks to artist Dave Sutherland for drawing such an influential image, thanks to whoever wrote it, and thanks to General Jumbo for (perhaps) saving my life.

Images Copyright © DC Thomson & Co. Ltd. Click on the strip to see it at a readable size.