You don't need to wait to celebrate though, because D.C. Thomson have just published a handsome limited box set full of Beano goodies that is available now from selected shops or directly from the publisher. Beano: 80 Years of Fun, The Box Set includes the 100 page bookazine I reviewed last month (which is available in shops on its own for £6.99) packaged with a whole lot more for £25.
Within the slipcased box you'll find reprints of eight significant issues of The Beano. Naturally, there's the first issue, and we also have...
No.272 (1945): The first Beano to sell over a million copies.
No.452 (1951): The first to feature Dennis the Menace.
No.954 (1960): One of the first 'new look' issues to modernise it for the Sixties.
No.1768 (1976): The first to announce the Dennis the Menace Fan Club.
No.2280 (1986): One of the 'Gnasher is missing' issues that had nationwide publicity.
No.3052 (2001): The issue with Jim Petrie's final Minnie the Minx artwork.
No.3800 (2015): Record breaking issue number.
The reproduction of the comics is wonderful. The ones that were originally on newsprint have been reprinted on a nice matt paper with a 'yellowed' effect to look as authentic as possible. Printing is sharp and clear. The more recent ones are reprinted on a quality glossy stock.
They're excellent facsimiles, although it should be noted that the racial stereotype character of 'Peanut' has been removed from the mastheads of Beano Nos.1 and 272. There have also been four pages removed from Beano No.1, one of which also featured Peanut. Should this have been done? I think so. We live in troubled times with the rise of far right groups, and anything to help minorities feel less demeaned has to be a good thing. Such minor edits won't lessen a reader's enjoyment of the comics themselves.
The selected comics are a great showcase of the high standard of creative talent that The Beano has always employed. My favourite issue from this set is the one from 1960 which includes pages by Leo Baxendale and, on the back page, Ken Reid's Jonah. You'll find other creative giants in these comics too, including Dudley Watkins, Robert Nixon, David Sutherland, Nigel Parkinson, and many more who have made The Beano the long-lasting comic it is.
Along with the 8 comics the box also contains perfect reproductions of a classic Gnasher Snapper free gift, and a replica Dennis the Menace Fan Club pack complete with badges. There are also four postcards using artwork from memorable Beano Book covers, and a huge A1 sized poster featuring every Beano character from the past 80 years! I don't know who drew the poster, but he/she has done a spectacular job. I was very pleased to see the characters from Super School included (a strip I drew for the Beano several years ago).
As I already reviewed the 100 page bookazine the other week (see here) I won't go into too much detail again, except to say it gives background information on each of the reprinted comics, so is an essential asset to the box set.
This truly is a superb collection and well worth the money. Collectors who have long been wishing for such comic facsimiles should be very pleased, and younger readers will enjoy the experience of seeing ephemera from the past. Check out your local WH Smith or bookshops to see if they have a copy in stock, or order one directly from D.C. Thomson at this link:
https://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/limited-edition-80-years-of-fun-beano-box-set
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