The History of the Beano

by Iain McLaughlin

The Beano is Britain's longest-running and best-loved comic. Since 1938 it has brought thrills and laughter to generation after generation of children, seeing the young and young-at-heart through World War 2, the social changes of the 1950s and 60s and on into a new millennium. How has the comic evolved since its early days? How many of the classic characters and their stories do you remember? What are the important changes that have happened through the years, why have they happened and why has The Beano survived when all the other comics have folded? Every child in the UK since the 1950s has known Dennis the Menace, the Bash Street Kids, Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger, but how many know the writers and artists who created these iconic comic characters? How do they write the scripts week after week? Where did the inspiration come from? How did the artists come to work for this Great British institution? This is the story of the Beano Comic, told in the words of the people who made it, going back to the dark, harsh days of the 1930s and continuing through to the present day. A unique insight into the country’s most beloved comic.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2022

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a free copy in return for an open and honest review.

This a British comic which most children have grown up with affection since just before the war and in my life was a weekly staple of my reading when a child and the annual each year as a Christmas present as it is based in Dundee. Enjoyed this look at the history of the comic as part of the DC Thomson publishing empire in Dundee as the comic started just before the war and progressed with so many characters we love today Dennis the menace, Lord Snooty, roger the dodger and minnie the minx.

[CadmanReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and ‘Pen & Sword’ for providing me with an ebook for Review*
As a kid growing up in England, my early Christmas memories will always include the yearly annuals including Beano and Dandy. I was also a proud member of the Beano fan club. I never really thought about the creators of the comics and what it took to make them.
This book goes in deep to explain the full history of the series from its inception in 1938 to present-day 2021. The main focus of the book is the people, the writers and artists and what their daily lives were. My only gripe with the book is that it is ‘unofficial’, which means it lacks any of the artwork that the text refers to. This is a shame as it would have added so much to the experience.
A particular highlight was the timeline at the back. Now all I need to do is search my loft to find my annuals.
My review can be found on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2...

[Ztu · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for supplying a copy of this e-book in return for an honest review.*

As a child fan who has since turned into an adult subscriber of the Beano, I really enjoyed this! The book includes much interesting back information about a comic that should be more widely seen as a British/international treasure. The history is very sympathetically described by a one-time Beano editor. While some controversies are briefly discussed they are spun into the upwards trajectory of changing social norms. I especially loved the descriptions of the various comic strips and office life, which were very vividly described. This style brought the reader close to the key protagonists creating a very enjoyable reading experience. The one unfortunate thing is the lack of any included comics -- notable in the cover's design and "unofficial" tagline.

[CPE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iain McLaughlin’s Unofficial History of the Beano is 190+ page walkthrough of the Beano’s history, from DC Thomson’s desire for a rapid follow-up to the unexpected success of the Dandy’s launch in 1937 to tweaks made during the recent pandemic. McLaughlin shows how different the Dandy & Beano were to previous comics, e.g. by using speech bubbles inside the picture frames. The first editor, George Moonie, was in the job from the initial planning of the Beano in early 1938, when he was just 24, until 1983. Reading the book, one is impressed by how young the staff were when they started work for DC Thomson - R. D. Low, the Managing Editor of all of DC Thomson’s children’s publications was only 26 – and how long-serving many of them were.

McLaughlin tells us about the editors, cartoonists and writers who influenced the development of the comic; how the comic has changed; and the various characters that have appeared in the comic such as Lord Snooty, Desperate Dan and, of course, Denis the Menace. Dave Sutherland is still drawing the Bash Street Kids every week, more than sixty years since he drew his first page for the Beano.

If you have any interest in the Beano – and who didn’t read it during their childhood? – this is a book to enjoy. I like McLaughlin’s throwaway comments such as “Mysterious old hermits tend to appear quite regularly in old adventure stories but are rarely seen anywhere else, If you ever meet one, there is a good chance that you are in a comic strip.” My only criticism is that my copy was an early proof and there was one chapter that had a lot of repetition – I’d expect that to be edited out before publication.

#TheUnofficialHistoryoftheBeano #NetGalley

[A_Place_In The_Orchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lack of any Beano artwork is the biggest drawback to the book, but the writing isn't great either - very pedestrian. There's also a lot of repetition, and too much of the book is devoted either to reminding us once again what a hero/icon/towering presence such-and-such an artist was, or how influential a particular style proved. And not enough about what actually made/makes the Beano tick - the life and times of the characters themselves.

I'm glad I read it, if only because it made me haul out my own collection of back issues. But it could have been an infinitely better (and more exciting) book.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am 72 years old and I enjoyed reading the Beano when I was young though I have not been impressed when I have read more recent issues. This is a good read though I was not so interested in what happened in the last thirty years! It was good to know who actually drew the comics and finally be able to name the artists who impressed me all those years ago.

[Kid Ferrous · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beano has been a treasured stalwart of British culture for over 80 years, and Iain McLaughlin’s book is a splendid celebration of Britain’s longest-running comic. Furthermore, it is also relives the glory days of British comics with enthusiasm and depth.
The Beano’s importance as a morale-boosting publication despite paper shortages during the Second World War is analysed with the strips gloriously lampooning real-life figures such as Hitler and Mussolini and even the characters themselves doing their bit for Britain. The creation and development of all the major Beano characters such as Dennis the Menace, Roger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx and The Bash Street Kids is thoroughly examined. Thoroughly researched and full of interesting nuggets such as the fact that the first issue had ten pages devoted to text stories, and that the Bash Street Kids’ headmaster was modelled after the Beano’s editor. Biographies of the artists and writers who created the comic being these lesser-known figures to life, and the book includes quotes and anecdotes from them. Each decade of the Beano’s life is analysed right up to the present day where it continues to go thrive.
This is an unofficial history but the book is fully illustrated with photographs, and there is a full timeline and an index. This book is written with skill and knowledge, relating the whole Beano story from its birth right up to the present day. McLaughlin keeps the tone light throughout and writes with obvious affection for the comic, but this doesn’t detract from what is most definitely a work of scholarship. The book shows how the comic has survived the decades and adapted to the times while maintaining its core values of quality, fun stories and characters for everyone.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

NB: free ARC received for honest review

I read 'The Beano' as a kid, so I was definitely interested to learn more about the comic's past. This book - which while 'unofficial', clearly enjoyed a lot of cooperation from Beano staff past and present - does a good job of outlining the successes and trials of the now 80-year old periodical. I was disappointed that there were not any excerpts from actual issues - it would help to have examples of the art that was being discussed! - but that's a pretty minor complaint.

I was particularly interested by the section on the Beano during WW2, and the author's discussion of the efforts taken to reinvent and update material to allow for changing social mores such as the decline of corporal punishment for kids, and the growing diversity of British society.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Dundonians are proud of our comic roots, but sometimes not really fully aware of the visionary people that created our rich history. As someone from the city of the three J’s, I found The Unofficial History of the Beano fascinating. This stupendous book takes the reader through the corridors of DC Thomson twisted around the Beano’s production timeline. McLaughlin shines a light on the vivid & cheeky characters that existed off the page who brought our favourite heroes & villains to life and into our hearts. Dundee has given the world a variety of marvellous things and the Beano is one of our biggest gems that it is quite rightly celebrated in this book.

Buy your copy before Dennis the Menace hides them all!

I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Mrs Karen Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get book takes you on journey of beano and the history
,very well written and interesting worth buying