Happy Birthday to the Beano - 82 years old today - does that make it the longest running comic book in the world? It must surely be the one with the most issues?
What's your favourite all-time character? My top three would be:
- General Jumbo
- Bash Street Kids
- Lord Snooty & his Chums
I'm certainly no expert on British comics, nor Superhero comics, but, it would seem to me that "Superman" starting its run in 1939, and still being printed to this day, and never having stopped (to my knowledge), falls short by one year. If Superman had started its own title in 1938, instead of starting in "Action Comics", it would have tied "Beano" for the lead, but Beano has certainly printed MANY more issues. Who'd have guessed that comic books would have lasted so long into the digital age?
There is something very attractive about print art on a page, that animation can never totally supersede. Also, the skill involved in telling a story using a combination of printed words and illustrations is something to be admired, even separated from the entertainment from the story, itself.
I'm not a big fan of "Beano", myself, probably because I don't generally gravitate towards heavily slapstick humour, and mostly because I didn't grow up in The UK.
My favourite 20 comics (book and/or strip) characters (after # 7 not in any particular order) are:
1) Uncle Scrooge McDuck (Carl Barks)
2) Donald Duck (Carl Barks)
3) Goofy (Dippy Dawg) (Floyd Gottfredson)
4) Gyro Gearloose (Carl Barks)
5) Albert Alligator (from "Animal Comics"/"Pogo")
6) Barney Bear (Carl Barks' version in MGM's "Our Gang")
7) Duke Fox (from Giggle Comics' "Duke and The Dope")
8] Pidgy Pigeon (from "Frisky Fables"/"Frisky Animals", with his magic paint)
9) Hector The Inspector (from EC Comics' "Animal Fables")
10) Elmo (early 1940s newspaper strip - reprited by St. John)
11) Tubby Tompkins (from "Little Lulu")
12) Peterkin Pottle (John Stanley Tubby clone)
13) Dinky Dinkerton (from "Top Comics")
14) Foxy Fagan (Joe Barbera/Harvey Eisenberg)
15) Super Duck (MLJ-Archie Series)
16) Spencer Spook (from "Giggle Comics")
17) Little Lulu (John Stanley version)
18) Sherlock the Monk (from "Fawcett's Funny Animals")
19) 00 Duck (Al Hubbard Disney secret agent)
20) Eega Beeva (Man from The Future from Gottfredson's "Mickey Mouse")
