Comics UK

If this hasn't already been done, here's an idea for a thread, or perhaps a section on the website when it's back to full strength.

The Beano Annual used to have something special in the middle 16 pages (page 65-80). E.G. in the 1968 book the Bash Street Kids edited an issue of the Beano and get it all wrong, in 1975 was the big Beano pet show.

So, when did this tradition begin, and can we compile a complete list of all such "middle sixteens", listing featured characters, and artists.

I repeat: that's if it isn't already on the web somewhere.

I can get my annuals down from their shelf to get the ball rolling if you like.

I wouldn't know when this tradition began. However, I think it was last used in the 2002 Beano Book (coincidentally, the last Beano Book - it officially became the Beano Annual the following year). In the centre of the book, sixteen pages were devoted to an 'alternative' version of the Beano, after the comic's minor characters complained to the editor about hardly ever getting mentioned in the weekly comic. This special Beano proclaims itself as the UK's sweetest smelling comic and is priced at two pretty pansies.

The strips inside are takes on the main Beano strips of the time. The stories included in the 16-pages (not including the introduction) are:

. Walter the Softy and Foo Foo (Dennis the Menace and Gnasher)
. Chester the Cat (Minnie the Minx)
. Les's Dad the Old Pretender (Les Pretend)
. Alfie Whizz (Billy Whizz)
. The Headmaster and Olive School Cook (The Bash Street Kids)
. Alexander Lemming (Calamity James)
. Titch (Ball Boy)
. Chip the Robot dog (Ivy the Terrible - not an obvious one)
. The 1 and only Hank (The 3 Bears)
. Gnasher's Fleas (Gnasher and Gnipper)
. Dodge Cat (Roger the Dodger)

The stories were all drawn by the main strip's regular artists at that time, except Walter and Foo Foo which was drawn by David Sutherland. The last page of this section effectively acts as a back cover, where the regular characters promise they'll be the Beano's top stars every week.

The prominence of the main characters in the strips varied - for example, Ball Boy plays a major part in the Titch strip, Minnie speaks but is not seen in Chester's story, Billy Whizz makes a non-speaking cameo in Alfie's strip, and Ivy doesn't appear or even get mentioned in Chip the Robot dog.

I've always really liked this take on the comic as I think it was a very funny idea to give the minor characters their own stories. My personal favourites are Les's Dad the Old Pretender, The Headmaster and Olive School Cook, Alexander Lemming and the 1 and Only Hank!

Excellent example, Johnny! I have that annual and I'd forgotten all about it. Got it down this morning and it's a vintage middle-sixteen for sure.
There's lots of pretty sophisticated gags in there for a kids' comic. Apart from the brillaint title "The Old Pretender", elsewhere in the annual Queen Victoria is watching the Victorian version of "The Good Old Days" which is- what else?- a medieval minstrel.

Shame they stopped the middle-sixteen tradition. Maybe it was just too hard to come up with a good idea for it every year.

I'll be back soon with a list of all the middle-sixteens in the annuals I've got.

Jonny Whizz wrote:However, I think it was last used in the 2002 Beano Book (coincidentally, the last Beano Book - it officially became the Beano Annual the following year).

Agreed that the 2002 middle 16 was a classic, but why do you say it ended that year? Granted, the 2003 middle strip numbers only seven pages, but it's still indubitably something 'special' - in this case, Bob Nixon showing the readers how to draw Ivy (still one of the best of the Beano's many 'How to Draw' guides). And there's a proper 16 page story later on, all about a pantomime.

It's very much business as usual in 2004, with sixteen pages of one of Mike Pearse's brilliant Bash Street strips, entitled "Teacher's Pest", occupying page 65 onwards. The same happened in 2005 ("Bonkers for Conkers"). In 2006, the story ("A Load of Junk") was only 13 pages, with the remaining three being a complete Robbie Rebel story - still 16 in total. Kev F took over in 2007, with 16 pages ("Parents Evening") in the middle of that annual. In 2008, although there was still a 16 page Kev F story ("Pluggy Love"), for some reason it was put on page 49 instead, with nothing in particular straddling page 72.

However, in 2009, the page count dropped to 128, from 144, which seems to have permanently put paid to the middle section. Long stories have appeared, but they're always chopped up into instalments instead of running as one.

Good point - I hadn't really considered any of those. It's Panto Time in 2003, Mike's strips in the 2004-2006 annuals and Kev's in the 2007 and 2008 ones should all count (though the 2008 one was not a middle sixteen as much), as they're all long stories. I personally wouldn't count the How to draw Ivy strip in the 2003 annual as a middle sixteen, as it is too short on its own, but including Mike's 13-page 2006 story seems acceptable.

As for long stories after the 2008 annual being separated rather than continuous, I wonder whether Kev F's Reservoir Dodge story was meant to have been a middle sixteen, but was split after the page count was reduced.

Another middle sixteen was Roger the Dodger's story in the 1993 annual, which took up sixteen pages with fourteen page dedicated to the story and another two pages devoted to dodging limericks. I think Ivy the Terrible 'On Safari' story was the middle sixteen in the following year's book. Both include some superb artwork by the great Bob Nixon. I haven't got the 1995-2001 books, so I'm not sure about those.

Jonny Whizz wrote:As for long stories after the 2008 annual being separated rather than continuous, I wonder whether Kev F's Reservoir Dodge story was meant to have been a middle sixteen, but was split after the page count was reduced.

Doubt it - it's seventeen pages, not sixteen.

OK, I've got the annuals down, and it turns out that this tradition is far more exciting in my head that in reality most years (in my collection anyway). As will be seen, usually it was just a spotlighted character, one of the big four.

1968
The Bash Street Kids edit the Beano. Main story drawn by Gordon Bell, with:
"Biffo the Menace" drawn by Dudley Watkins
"Punch and Rosie" drawn by Dave Jenner
"Roger the Minx" - Robert Nixon
"The Bash Street Bears"- Bob McGrath
"Minnie Whizz" -James Petrie
"The 3 Plums"- Ron Spencer
"Lord Dennis"- David Law

1973- Dennis the Menace and Gnasher detective story mostly drawn by David Sutherland

1974-Roger the Dodger mostly drawn by Robert Nixon

1975- "Pets at the Palladium" starring Pup Parage, Gnasher, Angus the Bunkerton Stag, and Winston the janitor's cat
drawn by Gordon Bell, David Sutherland and Jimmy Glen

1980- Dennis the Menace and Gnasher- David Sutherland

1982- Minnie the Minx -James Petrie

1983- The Bash Street Kids- David Sutherland

1985- Minnie the Minx -James Petrie

1987- The Bash Street Kids- David Sutherland

1988- Roger the Dodger- Robert Nixon

1989- Girls! Girls! Girls!- Minnie the Minx, Toots and Ivy the Terrible - Steve Bright

1990- Animal Antics: The Three Bears with Pup Parade, Winston, Gnasher and Gnipper, Rasher, Foo Foo, Alexander Lemming, Treaclefoot, Sabre and Tiddles from no. 13 and Joe the Crow
- Steve Bright

1999- Dennis the Menace and Gnasher: Safari, So Good- David Sutherland

The few more recent ones I have already been mentioned by Johnny and Swirlythingy.

The 1968 Bash Street Kids edited version of the Beano sounds great! Any chance of some scans?

Going slightly off-topic, if such a badly edited version of the Beano were ever to be done again, I'd suggest the following two characters could be included:

Calamity Whizz - a boy who runs really fast and has loads of accidents.
Lord Snooty the Terrible - The original Earl of Bunkerton's rubbish great grandson.

There is an example at Lews blog..
http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2007/12 ... stmas.html

Lord Dennis can be seen in Dennis the Menace: 50 Years of Mischief.

I can't remember if these were the middle-sixteen, but the 1997 and 1998 annuals have long stories by David Parkins featuring all the characters (Sort of the precursor to what would later appear in many issues of the Beano in the late 90's/early 2000's, but by David instead of Mike). the 1997 annual features the Beano stars going to a different planet inhabited by alien versions of the characters (It also features the giant gnasher spaceship used on the 2003 annual cover) and the 1998 annual features a strip where It's really cold and snowy in Beanotown despite it Being june, which is the work of the Weather man (Not the one from Bananaman).

Here's Lord Dennis from that 32nd Julember issue.



did you enjoy that? If so you were at odds with the rest of the country:

Not the first time I've seen that 'map of Britain with regional variations on the same theme' motif, but I'm not at all sure where the other time was. I have a vague feeling it was something to do with Bea...

As far as I know, Bash St Kids also appeared in the 1969 annual while Dennis was also in 1981,84 and 86.

Dont forget The Beanostars in australia in the 2000 Book or the Panto in 1996.