Are you ready for Christmas?
Spring is in the air and the first batch of children's annuals cover dated 2018 are ready for pre-order on Amazon. These days, annuals are mainly for the very young end of the market, with recognisable titles from film and tv. Alas, the days of adventure annuals for the 7 to 13 age group faded away decades ago so those of us of a certain age were fortunate to experience our Lion and Smash! annuals. Still, at least there'll be Rebellion's line of graphic novel reprints to cater for a similar market soon (and for nostalgists of course).
Most of these annuals will be published around August, traditionally intended for Christmas presents (or perhaps for birthdays in the latter half of the year). The Dandy and Beano Annuals are ready for pre-order too, although no cover images have been released yet. Here's a selection of covers that have been revealed. Are you feeling festive yet? :)
Hotspur, Hornet, Champion, Eagle, Victor, Valiant, Lion,Hurricane, Tiger, Jag and a few more no doubt. The list of these adventure annuals was endless in the 1960s. Christmas presents will fior ever be for us of a certain age all about what annuals Santa and then your parents put under the tree.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise Fred Bassett was still going (I have very fond memories of the cartoon).
ReplyDeleteI miss those days, of the 70s and early 80s, when the annuals of our favourite comics appeared. I still buy them occasionally for my son (who's 11) but then, he doesn't have weekly comics like I used to, more's the pity.
Yes, Fred Bassett is one of the few (or even only) UK newspaper strip books still going. Even then, it's not every bookshop that stocks it.
ReplyDeleteThere was never a Hornet Annual, Ken, or one for Champion's 1960s series, but I know what you mean.
That Rupert Bear annual seems amazingly quaint in this day and age (I assume that's the 2018 cover ?). Is Rupert set permanently in the 1920's ? I mainly remember him from the TV series in the '70s.
ReplyDeleteSorry Lew, you're wrong. There were two Champion annuals dated 1967 and 1968.
ReplyDeletehttp://comicsuk.co.uk/annuals.php?ComicTitleID=40
My mistake. Thanks, James. I've never seen those annuals but now you've shown me the covers I do remember seeing black and white ads for them in Valiant or somewhere.
ReplyDeleteColin, yes, that's the Rupert 2018 annual cover, which was the point of using it really. I'm not sure when it's set as I've never read a Rupert book. I know it has a following, and it's nicely illustrated, but it didn't appeal to me as a kid.
Re still going - I think I got a "annual" album of "Giles" cartoons for Christmas last year; Carl Giles died in 1995. As for Fred Bassett, that can't be the original dog...
ReplyDeleteYes, the Giles reprint books are still going. I didn't add that to the list as it's not a strip, but I guess it's more valid for inclusion than a Bing Annual.
ReplyDelete