The Topper Beezer Top 100

Formerly known as Classics from the Comics, this forum covers all of DCT's retired titles, like Beezer, Topper, Victor, Nutty and Sparky!

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suebutcher
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by suebutcher »

Way back when, someone wanted to see an example of Michael Barratt's
"Toad In The Hole". So did I, and now I've got one, here it is, from Topper No. 637, 27 March 1965.
TITH.jpg

Kashgar
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by Kashgar »

Wow! This thread is a blast from the past. It's also, perhaps, the most mis-named thread ever to appear on comicsuk. Given that I never actually got around to listing any of the Topper Beezer Top 100. Is there still any interest in this countdown? If there is I'll try to hunt it out.

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Peter Gray
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by Peter Gray »

I'm interested...

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

This week I looked through some very early BEEZERS of the late 50s, and although only 12 pages per issue, the material is top-notch.


For example, every Baxendale BANANA BUNCH page is a work of experimentation, with very different styles attempted: great to see this adversity to routine and formulae approach.

These were also the first very early Bill Ritchie strips I seen yet, and his style is noticably more detailed at this point: if I can manage decent scans [ it's not easy with these] I will try and add them on here.

KINGS of CASTAWAY ISLAND is another beaut, I assume this same artwork was re-run in 1968-69? [there seems to be two seperate versions of this: the two-pager version [the best one I reckon] and another more cramped, single-page job. It all looks like the work of the same artist, however......

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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by Kashgar »

Hi Rab. Artist on Kings of Castaway Island was James 'Peem' Walker

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

thanks, kash---I have heard the name somewhere---its a great strip.

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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by Kashgar »

'The Kings of Castaway Island' first appeared in Beezer No14(21/4/56) replacing 'The Banana Bunch' on the rear cover. This came about because on the eve of publication of the first issue, there being a three month turnaround between creation and publication of issues, R D Low the Managing Editor of the juvenile titles at Thomsons ordered Beezer editor Ian Chisholm to remove the Banana Bunch from its place on the back page as he deemed it unsuitable as a cover strip. As a result the 'Banana Bunch' stayed on the rear cover for the first three months of the Beezer's life, as these issues had already been created and where awaiting publication, but then moved inside the comic.
The first series of 'The Kings of Castaway Island' ran until No120(3/5/58) to be followed by series two in issue Nos268(4/3/61) - 283(17/6/61) and series three in Nos330(12/5/62) - 416(4/1/64). A compilation reprint series followed in Nos606(26/8/67) - 725(6/12/69). It also featured in the Beezer Books for 1958,1959,1961,1962 and 1965.
All artwork was provided by Peem Walker.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

wow I can't fault your impeccable attention to detail regarding History of the Beezer, kash: yours is encyclopeadic indeed compared to mines, I am more of a casual browser---I genuinely love this stuff tjough.


Early-period BEEZER and TOPPER are high-quality items that are well worth examining for the comics scholar of vintage comic-works.


Here's some of that BAXENDALE experimentation I mentioned later [from 1957]:


very GILES-like it is, too:


Image

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

This week, I discovered , for the first time [for me, at any rate] very early BILL RITCHIE comics material, which is noticably more detailed than his later more streamlined approach to drawing: I don't think even CLASSICS FROM THE COMICS showed such early material as this:


[1957, again]


Image

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Peter Gray
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by Peter Gray »

SPEECHLESS..that Banana Bunch page is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks Spy..

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

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Peter Gray
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by Peter Gray »

will share the page link here and that brilliant Banana Bunch gem...

has said many many many many many times there should be a Banana Bunch poster book large size..or made into jigsaws...posters..etc..

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

you are as welcome as ever, Peter---

I am sure I have other similar BUNCH pages for you you may not have seen as yet.

SPY

DavidKW
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by DavidKW »

Nice ones I Spy!

Love the amnazing attention to detail - esp in Baby Craockett as I remember reading the later less detailed ones in the 70s. What's great is how little dialogue is used and the pictures used to do the talking.

In some Beezer annuals there would be a great Banana Bunch text story with illustrations I think were Baxendale's too - along with a couple of one page illustrations elsewhere.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

Thanks David and Peter---I intend adding more of these gems over the next couple of days-----I love 'em!

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: The Topper Beezer Top 100

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

As promised, Gentlemen and Laddies,

---here are further early BEEZER gems, the Baxendale material is really meticulous, it must have taken him ages---one Editor told me he only managed about 3 and a half pages a week at times and I can understand why.


Image

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