The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

As part of our ongoing celebration of British Comics Month today we turn our attention to a publisher who prints not one but the two oldest continuing comics in these islands and two of the most popular; they are, of course, the Beano and the Dandy. Forget the great publishing houses of London, Paris and New York for a moment; in the Scottish city of Dundee is found the home of D.C. Thomson, publisher of comics, journals, newspapers and more. From Dundee a river of incredibly popular and long-lived comics characters have poured across the decades, from Minnie the Minx to Korky the Kat, Desperate Dan to Dennis the Menace, the immortal school pupils The Bash Street Kids and of special note for the publisher’s legions of Scottish readers, Oor Wullie and the Broons, who still appear every week in the Sunday Post and sell so many copies of their annuals each Christmas they go into the bestsellers charts north of the border. More than a few famous comics names learned their craft while at D.C. Thomson’s printing presses, not least the great John Wagner.

Imagine yourself back to the winter of 1937; as Chamberlain and the appeasers try to quieten the growing demands of Adolf Hitler, Britain settles into her customary long, dark winter. But on December the 4^th, 1937 four-colour images would appear to brighten both the winter and gathering war-fearing gloom for British kids: the Dandy had arrived, sporting a mix of prose tales, jokes and cartoon stories in a fresh tabloid-style format instead of the more common, black and white broadsheet. Kids loved it right away. Six months later it would be joined by the Beano, launched on July the 30^th, 1938. The comics strip humour was perhaps a little simpler than modern readers expect, but in the wringing of humour from the ridiculous situations these odd characters got themselves into it is possible to see the writers being partly influenced by the silent film comedies many of them would have grown up with and it would have been a style familiar to the eager new readers.

During the grim war years shortages meant the Beano and Dandy could only appear on alternate weeks, but they still not only kept a smile on British kids enduring evacuation, rationing and bombings but even launched themselves into ‘doing their bit’ by happily lampooning the Nazi leadership, a move which brought smiles to many faces in a dark time (as dear old Spike Milligan put it in one of his war memoirs, the British humour was one of the keys to victory). Considering the consequences for the publishers had the Nazis successfully invaded it was also quite a brave move, but perhaps one in keeping with the style of many of the text stories then common in the comics, where the good guys would always win in the end and the bad would always get their comeuppance.

Over the years writers and artists have created some incredibly popular characters – then editor Albert Barnes came up with Korky the Kat (illustrated by Charlie Grigg) and Desperate Dan among others for instance. Some would run for years, rising and falling in popularity (Korky eventually was usurped by Desperate Dan in 1984 when the cow-pie scoffing cowboy claimed the front page strip – not bad for a character who started as a small, half-page strip). Famously the noted comics artist Dudley Dexter Watkins who drew Dan modelled his huge chin (which puts even Judge Dredd’s to shame) on Albert himself. Dudley D as he was known would also draw Lord Snooty and Biffo the Bear until he passed away in the late 60s, along with a slew of adventure yarns (which no longer feature in the comics). Allan Morley’s Keyhole Kate and Hungry Horace had their time and then slipped away into comic book nostalgia, but such is the lasting power of comics read by generations of young Britons their names are still used in our common parlance to this day, years after their last appearance (doesn’t it just make you want to see some classic archival material reprinted?).

Early Beano character Big Eggo (illustrated by Erg Carter) was the first Beano cover strip (famously tussling with Hitler during the war, decades before Johnny Alpha would travel through time for Adolf) but again has largely slipped from public consciousness. A character I remember warmly from my own childhood, Biffo the Bear, took over the coveted front page in 1947 for some three decades until the seemingly unstoppable Dennis the Menace (not related to Hank Ketcham’s similarly-named American strip) took the front page, drawn by David Law (who would draw Dennis and also Beryl the Peril in the Beezer until his death in 1971).

From the comics to TV, merchandise and games Dennis and his trusty hound Gnasher (who joined him in the late 60s) have become probably one of the most instantly recognisable comics icons in British Comicdom (hard to think of one without the other). If Judge Dredd sits atop the more adult end of the comics hierarchy in the UK then Dennis and Gnasher certainly command the more youthful end, a position they seem unlikely to lose; no matter the changing tastes of each generation of kids, they still love them. Like Dredd he was not an instant success – first appearing in 1951 he began without his famous hooped jersey in a third-of-a-page strip. By 1954 he had graduated to four-colour glory on the back page.

By the mid-50s Dennis was joined by other characters, now Beano stalwarts – his tomboyish alter-ego Minnie the Minx (in a similar jumper to Dennis’), Rodger the Dodger (drawn by Ken Reid, who among many others would also do the luckless Jonah) and a small strip called When the Bell Rings, which would become the Bash Street Kids, beloved by decades of kids ever since and occupying the centre two pages. The great Leo Baxendale was the man drawing the Bash Street Kids and his mis-matched misfit pupils and eccentric teacher were a riot – certainly one of my favourite Beano strips as a young boy (the lovely Harrop figurines of them brought such a wave of nostalgic longing).

Leo was also behind the aforementioned Minnie the Minx who brought girl terror greater than any Saint Trinian’s pupil and long, long before Tank Girl would strut her funky stuff, and also brought us the gentler humour of American Indian Little Plum. Space simply doesn’t permit us to list all of the amazing artists in detail, like Jim Petrie (who notched up an amazing 2,000 episodes of Minnie the Minx) or David Sutherland who would take over the Bash Street Kids, Dennis the Menace and Biffo the Bear.

But warm though the glow of nostalgia is for many of us (and how many British comics fans began their lifelong love of the medium through the Beano, Dandy or other D.C. Thomson titles like Topper or Beezer? I certainly did) and despite the fact that both comics have earned their place in comics history and British affections, I don’t want to give the impression that’s all there is to it. Far from it – the Beano and the Dandy still sell in massive amounts to this day. New generations of children read it and love it and are followed by ever more – their roots may stretch back to pre-war Britain but the Beano and Dandy remained vibrant to this day, as immortal as many of their characters even as a seventieth anniversary beckons, still full of great comic art and, crucially, still funny.

Today we’re utterly delighted to be talking to Euan Kerr, the man who had his hand on the tiller of the Beano for over two decades and who has now moved upwards in the ranks of D.C. Thomson to become Deputy Manager of Children’s Publishing. There can’t be many people who know more about the Beano and Dandy and it was a pleasure to talk to Euan about these beloved institutions of British Comicdom, from their past to their possible futures:

FPI: Hi, Euan and thanks for taking some time to talk to us. Being one of the hands on the tiller of comics which have become British institutions to generations of readers must be a fair old mix of excitement and tension – do you realise that the man with Dennis the Menace’s address in his organiser is probably seen by thousands of kids (and adults!) as having the best job in town?

Euan: After 28 years in Beano World, I’ve very recently handed over the ‘best job in town’ to Alan Digby, who was Chief Sub Editor when I claimed the Editor’s chair back in 1984. It’s been a real wrench to move on and a bit like leaving home. Fortunately my new job as Deputy Manager of Children’s Publishing allows me to look at all areas and opportunities for The Beano.

FPI: With such a long history and beloved characters do you and your team sometimes feel the eyes of past editors and cartoonists watching you? How difficult is it to strike a balance between innovating as all comics have to and still sticking to the style that readers expect?

Euan: I was left a wonderful legacy of great comic characters by my two predecessors in the Beano hot seat, George Moonie and Harry Cramond. Over the years I tried to introduce new characters to topple Dennis the Menace from the top of the readers’ popularity polls. I’d have to admit that I didn’t even come close to achieving that aim. I’d put this down to Dennis’s striking design and simple philosophy on life to pack in as much fun as he possibly can during waking hours. This allows the writers to unleash him into contemporary situations. I’ve often been quoted as saying that Dennis was the original Punk.

Though there have been a few successes amongst the new characters (Calamity James and Ivy the Terrible for example), the gang of rebels introduced in the early 1950s (Dennis, Bash Street Kids, Roger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx) still form the core of the comic. Basically, the naughtier and wilder a character is, the more the readers like them. They also have the benefit of parent and grandparent recognition.

FPI: Are there guidelines to set boundaries for what characters can and can’t do?

Euan: No written guidelines. The rules are constantly changing. In the Beanos of the 50s, 60s and 70s, slipperings and canings were rife. Quite rightly this became socially unacceptable. Similarly, characters from the past would happily jump into strangers’ cars to show them round town. For obvious reasons we wouldn’t show that now. Desperate Dan from The Dandy used to smoke shiploads of tobacco by puffing on the funnel – another no-no these days. However, we know that youngsters love naughty, rude humour and we have relaxed our views on that sort of thing, though we still try to retain a reasonable(ish) level of good taste.

FPI: Although Dennis and others routinely behave dreadfully, they usually end up being caught out at the end and punished. Do you feel it is important that a younger reader’s comic not only entertains but tries to give children a moral dimension, showing that there are consequences for bad behaviour? Presumably when your core audience is children your creative team have to carefully consider what example a character’s antics could give?

Euan: It’s a perfect world in the comics – being high-spirited and a bit mischievous is all right, but bullies, show-offs and jobsworths have absolutely no chance of coming out on top. We know it’s not how the real world works, but it’s comforting to think that this is how life could be. The moral dimension isn’t something we particularly strive for – it’s just the way things happen in comics.

FPI: Obviously both the Beano and Dandy retain huge followings among readers, but with the constant increase in multi-channel TV, computer games and music targeted at youth audiences how do you keep the comics sharp for 21^st century readers?

Euan: This is really our greatest challenge. Our target is to keep the comic strong by developing into other areas of the media. Things like the Beanoland area at Chessington World of Adventures, The Dennis the Menace TV series, a PC computer game, etc. have taken us some way down that road. We are constantly exploring new areas of the market and we would also love to gain more international appeal.

FPI: The Beano and Dandy have been unusual in comics terms in that they have tended not to list the names of the artists, while most other comics not only mention them but often use those names for promotional purposes. Is that something that is likely to change, especially when using famous artists like, say Hunt Emerson? Or is it more a case that the characters are what’s most important and naming artists might distract from that?

Euan: You’ve got it in one – we have always regarded the characters as the most important aspect. Our target age of 6-11 year olds are much more interested in the stories than the artists and writers. It’s a different market than 2000 AD, for example. In saying that, we have allowed artists to sign their work for many years now.

FPI: We’ve seen Beano and Dandy sites on the main D.C. Thomson homepage – are we likely to see more use of online media such as blogging or webcomics or any other new media?

Euan: Yes. I feel that there is much more willingness from the company to embrace new media these days. There are lots of opportunities we should be keen to grasp.

FPI: The incredibly long history of the Dandy and Beano means that there is a huge amount of classic material and generations of readers who have now grown up would welcome a chance to read them. Given how popular the Broons and Oor Wullie classic collections have been is there any chance fans will see archive collections of Beano and Dandy material? Could we see Bash Street Kids – the Leo Baxendale Years volume tapping into the adult market as well as the younger reader’s?

Euan: Morris Heggie, the previous Dandy Editor, has been appointed to look at ways of making the most of our archive material. It’s an area many of us are extremely keen to develop. There’s huge potential in this area. As well as that, it would be a great way to preserve our comic heritage.

FPI: The artwork from the Beano and Dandy is among some of the most famous in UK comics and cartoons history – what are the chances of someday seeing an art book collection celebrating some of this fine work?

Euan: There’s nothing specific to tell you at this point, but there’s a strong will for such collections to happen.

FPI: We were all excited at FPI when we took on the lovely range of Beano and Dandy figures from Robert Harrop’s statue range. With so many of us having grown up on these comics there was a big demand for quality collectables and this has really filled a need. Can we expect to see any other merchandise to excite collectors in the future?

Euan: I’d agree that the Robert Harrop figurines capture the spirit of the characters superbly. A few of our staff have Harrop collections which are increasing in value all the time.

There are fine art prints of some of our classic characters produced by John Patrick Reynolds. If we think the proposals are viable and of a high standard, we grant licenses. If our design department come up with a good idea, we look for suitable partners.

FPI: This is probably an unfair question, but do you have any special favourites among the characters?

Euan: You tend to have the most affection for characters you helped create. Baby-face Finlayson and Calamity James fall into that category. I’d have to say that Gary Northfield’s Derek the Sheep is a big favourite of mine. For some peculiar reason (maybe an acne fetish!), Spotty from the Bash Street Kids has always been a favourite.

FPI: With the Beano and Dandy not far off their seventieth anniversaries can I ask if there are plans for some big celebrations?

Euan: This Blog may self-destruct if I tell you this, but Morris Heggie may well be working on separate books to celebrate both comics’ anniversaries. The first of these would appear on the bookshelves next year.

FPI: Euan, thanks very much for talking to us and let’s look forward to another seventy years of Britain’s favourite comics.

And that’s not all, comics fans – as part of the Dundee Summer Festival this weekend is Beano Weekend! The outline is below and you can click on the festival’s site for further information:

Saturday 15^th and Sunday 16^th July – The Beano Weekend

Scotland’s first art exhibition to celebrate Dennis the Menace and other DC Thomson characters. The show will demonstrate the changing face of Beano favourite Dennis through the ages, in a series of screenprints by artist John Patrick Reynolds. The first Dennis the Menace story was printed in 1951, and for a few weeks he wore a collar and tie. More than a half-century later, the character has gone through devilish and little tough guy phases, and now – miraculously – seems to have become a little younger. Other characters in the exhibition will include Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, the Bash Street Kids and Desperate Dan. Throughout the weekend there will also be the chance to buy DC Thomson character memorabilia and merchandise and meet the Beano Editor and artists and some of the characters.

Venue: Apex City Quay Hotel Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Contact: Tel: 01382 202404