British Comic Stamps: The Topper

Here's the fourth of our ten posts to mark the release of the Royal Mail's Comic Collection, celebrating 75 years of British comics. The Royal Mail have kindly sent us large versions of each stamp, so we thought we'd show them off in all their glory, in the order of first comic publication.

The Topper was published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and ran from 1953 to 1990, when it merged with The Beezer. (Two comics were merged into The Topper during its run: Buzz in 1975 and Sparky in 1977).


Mickey the Monkey was the original cover star. Beryl the Peril , who features on the stamp, was created by David Law as a female Dennis the Menace (also created by Law). The strip ran from the first issue, taking over the cover in 1986.

• Stamps and stamp products are available at all Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/personal/comic-stamps-and-collectibles, the Royal Mail eBay shop: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Royal-Mail-Stamp-Collections and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

Post Office celebrates British Comics

Britain's Post Office is celebrating what it's defined as "75 Years of British Comics" with a special issue of stamps featuring the covers of various much-loved comics, including 2000AD and The Beano.

Set to be released on 20th March 2012, the offer also includes two First Fay Covers featuring Boys Own and Girls Own - with a special 'Eagle' postmark.

The stamps comprise The Dandy (featuring Desperate Dan), The Beano (Dennis the Menace), Eagle (Dan Dare), Topper (Beryl the Peril), Tiger (Roy of the Rovers), Bunty (The Four Marys), Buster (Buster), Valiant (The Steel Claw), Twinkle (Twinkle), and 2000AD (Judge Dredd).

The stanps serve to indicate not just comics still going strong but just how many are no longer around, but it's great to see the Post Office promoting our industry in this way, even if British comics have been published for much longer than 75 years.

This release follows on the heels of  commeorative issues such as one celebrating the work of author Roald Dahl on 10th January and Classic Locomotives on 8th February.

• There's more details about the release on the British First Day Covers web site here: www.bfdc.co.uk/2012/comics

• The full Special Stamp Programme for 2012 is as follows:

5t January - Olympic and Paralympic Definitives
10th January - Roald Dahl

2nd February - House of Windsor
6th February - Diamond Jubilee Definitives
23rd February - Britons of Distinction

8th March - Classic Locomotives of Scotland
20th March - Comics

10th April - A-Z of Britain Part 2

15th May - Great British Fashion
31st May - Diamond Jubilee

19th June - Charles Dickens

27th July - Welcome to the London 2012 Olympic Games

29th August - Welcome to the London 2012 Paralympic Games

27th September - Memories of the London 2012

16th October - Dinosaurs
30th October - Space Science

6th November - Christmas

• For more on British Stamps visit the British Postal Museum and Archive

Art © Royal Mail

In Review: Classics from the Comics Issue 173

The latest issue of DC Thomson's 'Retro' title, Classics from the Comics is on sale now in all good newsagents, offering another fine medley of humour and adventure strips from a variety of the publishers' current and past titles, including The Beano, The Dandy, Topper and Sparky.

There's a fun Biffo the Bear strip on the cover (which ace comics historian and cartoonist Lew Stringer tells us is by Dudley Watkins from an early 1960's Beano), but that's just one of many cracking strips, which include a fine Desperate Dan tale from 1965 on the inside cover; an ace episode of Ken Reid's Jonah, the hapless sailor; a 1963 episode of Foxy from Topper, a not-very-bright predator who must surely have been inspired by Warner Bros. Sylvester the Cat; and a spotlight section on the Beano's ever-hungry Three Bears, with reprints of some of their earliest appearances, including their first, drawn by Leo Baxendale, published back in June 1959.

Considering the longevity of The Three Bears, it was a surprise to learn that the strip originally ran for just four weeks, and was eventually brought back after positive reader feedback, but not until October 1960. The examples selected, which include strips by Bob McGrath and Bob Dewar, are well chosen and show how the simplest of concepts can have enduring appeal.

With a selection of adventure strips (the last episode of a General Jumbo story from Buddy, Space Kids from Beezer, drawn by Ron Smith), a 1953 text story (Nutty the Coal Imp from the Beano), another 'My Home Town' spotlight (Newport) and episodes of Bananaman, Colonel Blink, Superwitch, Corporal Clott and Dennis the Menace (to name but a few), this issue of Classics is another fine collection of archive material.

Of course, the greedy among us still want more: Sparky's I-Spy, for a start, and some more adventure material. But with so much material to choose from, it's great to see such a well put together 'retro' title on the news stands - and I'm amazed Egmont isn't doing something similar, beyond the limited WH Smith-only specials it put out last year.

• Classics from the Comics, published by DC Thomson, is on sale now in all good UK newsagents, price £2 Click here for subscription information

Cover image © 2010 DC Thomson, published with full permission

In Review: Classics from the Comics 172

There's the usual great mix of strips from a variety of DC Thomson humour comics in the latest issue of Classics from the Comics, on sale in all good newsagents now.

Favourites this time around have to be a 1977 episode of Spoofer McGraw, a teller of tall tales who regularly befuddled his duffel-coated mate in Sparky, sometimes, I recall in response to readers letters. Sparky was always one of my favourite DCT titles (although I was never very keen on Puss and Boots, who also feature this issue) and as Spoofer comes up with an absurd explanation for the arrival of a large cement mixer on his street, it's hard not to see why.

Humour is always in the eye of the beholder but there's plenty of fun to be had this issue, with two simple but effective 'sight gag' strips starring Mickey the Monkey from Topper; Little Plum taking up weightlifting, only to discover it's not all it's cracked up to be; a brilliant 21-frame Desperate Dan page by Dudley D. Watkins (21 frames! How often do you get that on one page today?) from 1956; a really bizarre Pansy Potter as she takes on, and betters, a weird-looking spiv character selling springs (springs? why?!); and a great Figaro! strip from 1962, from Topper, that pretty much rounds the whole jam-packed issue off.

There are also a couple of adventure strips - Space Kids by Ron Smith from Beezer, General Jumbo from Buddy, and older material too, from Adventure and the origial Wizard (although I'm not so sure these text stories are as good as the selected comic strips. They sit a bit uneasily with the rest of the comic, I think).

Once again, it's a fine mix and there's plenty for fans of The Beano and sadly now long-gone DCT comics to enjoy. I do hope though, that we'll see a return of creator credits, which was beginning to creep into the title but seems to have been dropped this time around. Other than that, £2 well spent, in my view!

• Classics from the Comics, published by DC Thomson, is on sale now in all good UK newsagents, price £2 Click here for subscription information

Cover image © 2010 DC Thomson, published with full permission

General Jumbo in latest Classics from the Comics

The latest issue of DC Thomson's Classics from the Comics went on sale a few days back, but we're still playing holiday catch up so this is the first opportunity we've had to give it a plug. The 68-page retro monthly comes crammed with comic classics from days gone by, including a special feature on 1957.

Featured this issue are plenty of humour strips from The Beano, Beezer, Topper and Dandy such as Dennis the Menace and, as usual, an adventure strip - this time, it's an example of General Jumbo, a character that used robot toys to fight bad guys.

Other strips in the issue include Bully Beef and Chips, Pup Parade, The Numskulls, Baby-face Finlayson, Bananaman, The Banana Bunch, The Three Bears, Hungry Horace, The Bash Street Kids, Biffo the Bear, The Truth About Wilson (another adventure strip), Greedy Pigg, Little Plum and the original Brassneck.

The issue also includes a competition to win classic audio books. If you want a trip down memory lane, get this month’s Classics.

• Click the images above to view sample strips from the issue, courtesy of DC Thomson.


• Click here for subscription information

Every Wednesday (Or Thursday If You Are British)

Much has been made by British reviewers of DC's new tabloid size Wednesday Comics. This is a modern take on the American style of comic based pullouts from the Sunday newspapers which ran multiple stories in colour in the same publication and were therefore very different from the small single story monthly titles that dominate the US comic market.

British readers (of a certain age) don't see it for the American newspaper comics sections that it emulates, instead they look at it and with a shout of "Topper!" or "Beezer!" begin to wax nostalgically about lying on the floor reading these large format British anthology comics in their youth. Whilst readers didn't really need to lie on the floor to read a small digest such as Commando, the size of the big British humour comics virtually demanded it.

Of course some British newspapers had similar concepts. The Sunday Times had the separate Funday Times section throughout the Nineties while the Sunday Post still retains The Broons and Oor Wullie strips in a similar way although the comics section of that paper is no longer the separate pull out that it once was.

As with the large format British titles, Wednesday Comics is an anthology and it is good to see that the American obsession with superheroes doesn't extend to every single page. Indeed Britain's own Dave Gibbons is flying the Union flag in some small way in it by writing the story of Jack Kirby's post-apocalyptic character Komandi.

Tim Quinn on Tour

Comics writer Tim Quinn is back on the cartoon workshop and lecture circuit, appearing at The Brindley in Runcorn tonight and elsewhere in the UK (see current dates below).

Tim, whose credits include The Beano, Doctor Who Magazine and The Guardian and was editor of Marvel UK's Spider-Man and X-Men titles, offers would-be creators the chance to learn about comics creation in the workshop and become part of this unique method of visual storytelling.

Celebrating "42,0000 Years of Comic Books" in the evening , Tim Quinn takes you on a highly nostalgic trip down memory lane and takes you behind-the-scenes from his days working for The Beano, Sparky, Bunty, Playhour, Jack & Jill, Buster, The Topper, the Daily Mirror's Jane and Garth, and America's finest, Marvel Comics, to running his own comic book company.

• Tim Quinn - Cartoon Workshop takes place tonight on Tuesday 9 June at 3.30pm - 5pm in the Education Room, The Brindley. Places £5 to book

• The Mighty Quinn presents ARGH! The Ups and Downs of Life as a Comic Book Creator, Tuesday 9 June at 7.00pm in the Studio. Tickets £8, £6 concessions

• Web Link: www2.halton.gov.uk/thebrindley/content/whatson/607947/

Future Dates:
If you are travelling, please check with the venue prior to the concert in case of changes. Check Tim's site (www.mightyquinnmanagement.com/Tim%20cartoon/tim.htm) frequently as new dates are being added all the time.

Friday 12th June 2009
The New Cut Arts Centre, The Cut, New Cut, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8BY Tel: 0845 673 2123
Web: www.newcut.org

Saturday 13th June 2009
Morning Workshop, 10.00am New Cut Arts Centre. The Cut, New Cut, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8BY

Sunday 14th June 2009
Cartoon Workshops (2.00pm and 4.00pm) The Chelsea Arts Festival, London - venue details TBC Tel: 0845 890 2435 Ticket Price: TBC.
Web: www.chelseafestival.org

Friday 19th June 2009
Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (4.30pm) and Evening Lecture (8.00pm) Ludlow Assembly Rooms, 1 Mill Street, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1AZ Tel: 01584 878 141. Tickets: Workshop, £3.50 Show £10/9 concessions
Web: www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk

Saturday 27th June 2009
Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (2.00pm) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Hull Literature Festival, Artlink Gallery, 87 Princes Ave, Hull HU5 3QP Tel: 01482 22 66 55. Ticket Price: Workshop £5, Show £5
Web: www.humbermouth.org.uk

Saturday 4th July 2009
The July Project: Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (12 noon) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Square Chapel Centre for the Arts 10 Square Road, Halifax,Yorkshire HX1 1QG
Tel: 01422 349 422 Ticket Price: TBC
Web: www.squarechapel.co.uk

Saturday 11 July 2009
Tamworth Assembly Rooms, Corporation Street, Tamworth, Staffs B79 7RD Tel: 01827 709618
Web: www.whatsontamworth.co.uk

Saturday 23rd July 2009
Evening Lecture 7.30pm Tavistock Wharf Theatre, Canal Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8AT Tel: 01822 611 166
Web: www.tavistockwharf.com

Friday 21st August 2009
Cartoon Workshops (10.30am and 1.30pm) and Afternoon Lecture (4.00pm) Seven Stories, The Centre for Children's Books, 30 Lime Street, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 2PQ Tel: 0845 271 0777 ext 715 Ticket Price: Workshop, £2, Lecture £3. Plus Admission Fee: £ 5.50 Adults/£4.50 Concessions
Web: www.sevenstories.org.uk

Saturday 19 September 2009
Morning Cartoon Workshops (11.00am - 1.00pm) and Afternoon Lecture (3.00pm) Crawley Library, Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, West Sussex RH10 6HG Tel: 01293 651 751. Ticket Price: £3.00
Web: www.westsussex.gov.uk/libraries

Tuesday 6 October 2009
Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (2.00pm) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Arlington Arts Centre, Mary Hare, Snelsmore Common, Newbury, Berks RG14 3BQ Tel: 01635 244231. Ticket Price: Workshop, TBC, Lecture £6.50 (£5 as part of lecture series package)
Web: www.arlingtonarts.co.uk

Thursday 15 October 2009
Evening Lecture 7.30pm Derby Assembly Rooms, Darwin Suite, Market Place, Derby DE1 3AH
Tel: 01332 255800. Ticket Price: £9.00 adults/ £6.00 for under 16s
Web: http://www.derbylive.co.uk

Saturday 12 December 2009
Morning Cartoon Workshops (10.00am) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Limelight Theatre, Queens Park Arts Centre, Queens Park, Aylesbury, Bucks HP21 7RT Tel: 01296 431 272. Ticket Price: 8 adults / 6 concessions / 4 children (under 14). Show + children's workshop ticket offer: 6 (children)
Web: www.qpc.org

(Thanks to Chris Williams for finding this info)