THE BEANO ANNUAL 2018
A Christmas Present for 2017, from my daughter was The Beano Annual 2018, a childhood favourite of mine. This being my first revisit to the comic since the days when It would bring light relief in my undergraduate/postgraduate days of studying English, Theology and Psychology.
It was fascinating to see how the publication has survived. First published in the UK in1938 by DC Thomson & Co, it has been a stalwart of fun for readers of all ages, as the annual's back cover states with over two billion copies sold. Its survival as printed copy in the digital age is quite remarkable, given that its stablemate, The Dandy, is now an online publication only.
The survival formula has seen more focus on the more marketable characters within the covers. Deniis The Mennis dominates along with his dog Gnasher, while Dennis's Dad has been given a younger make-over to look more like his son. Minnie The Minx, Rodger The Dodger, Billy Whizz and The Bash Street Kids freely interlink into each other's stories.
The variety days of Biffo The Bear, Lord Snooty, The 3 Bears, and Little Plum have been tapered down. General Jumbo though does get a reference. What The Beano has managed to do is merge its more popular characters into a modern setting without losing any of the comic's character. No small achievement and one which this particular reader celebrates.
Alan Ewing January 2018
