Isle of Menace

Available from today, a special set of Christmas stamps for the Isle of Man featuring Dennis and Gnasher! Exclusively drawn by Nigel Parkinson.

Even if you don't live on the Isle of Man you can still order a set from here:
https://www.iompost.com/stamps-coins/collection/a-beano-christmas-on-the-isle-of-man/

Can Minnie the Manx be far behind? 

Here we go again!

The other day, as people were enjoying their Christmas holidays, the print and TV media stirred them into an uproar by announcing that the Beano's Dennis the Menace will no longer be called a Menace and that his supporting cast will include a girl in a wheelchair. 

Fact is, the "Menace" part of the title was dropped from the strip over a year ago! The "girl in a wheelchair", Rubi, has been in the Beano for a while now too. Also, the strip was simplified to Dennis and Gnasher for a while back in 2009, and the media stirred the pot back then too:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/another-political-correctness-gone-mad.html

So... either none of the reporters remembered that they'd covered the same story eight years ago or they simply needed something to fill their papers and distract people from shady politicians and corporate bankers. Either way, it worked, and their readers hammered their opinions into their keyboards. The opinions were pretty much the usual blathering about "political correctness" and "snowflakes" as you can see from these examples...

Although the news items had included reassurances from Beano's publisher Mike Stirling that Dennis "still dances to the beat of his own drum as a mischief-maker and is very much a leader amongst his pals" the public were having none of it...

Dennis and Gnasher writer Nigel Auchterlounie stepped in to explain things further...

Beano artist/writer Kev F. Sutherland went on Sky News to put the record straight too:
https://news.sky.com/video/comic-artist-its-surely-not-a-great-worry-that-dennis-changes-over-the-years-11186714

Writer Cavan Scott (whose work includes the Beano) also posted a very good piece on his blog about it:
http://cavanscott.com/2017/12/29/dont-panic-its-not-the-end-of-the-world-dennis-the-menace-is-still-the-worlds-wildest-boy/

Phil Boyce had a thing or two to say about the silliness of the reactions on his blog too:

http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/dropping-menace-kev-f-on-sky-news.html

A few things occurred to me about this whole hoo-ha:

1) A lot of people seemed upset that Dennis was no longer a bully. That says a lot about their personalities.

2) If you think a comics character in a wheelchair is a sign of modern "political correctness" perhaps you've forgotten Professor X from the X-Men and The Chief from Doom Patrol. Both of whom debuted back in the early 1960s. Also, if you have a downer on people who aren't able-bodied you're not very nice.

3) If you think Dennis shouldn't have a black friend you're a racist. 

4) People who got annoyed about it this week clearly haven't been reading the Beano for a long time or they'd have noticed the changes over a gradual period of years. So who cares what they think? The changes took place a while back and the actual readers accepted it and carried on enjoying the stories.

Here's the thing that most of these stories ignored or didn't bother researching: the main reason that the cartoon series is called Dennis and Gnasher and not Dennis the Menace is so that it can be sold internationally and not be confused with the American Dennis the Menace. By coincidence, both the British Dennis and the American one debuted in the same week in 1951. (Over here, the U.S. Dennis was sometimes called "The Pickle" so it's always caused problems.) I guess the practicalities of a business decision were too boring for the media so they chose to blow things out of proportion and pander to their readers by claiming it was all about "political correctness gone mad".

Thing is, once a rumour gets out, no matter how wrong it is, it's hard to counteract it. Thankfully, most of the people moaning about the "de-Menacing" don't buy the Beano anyway so their opinion is irrelevant. Trouble is, such nonsense could generate an unease about the comic, and could put some parents off buying it for their kids. On the other hand, it could also encourage more independently-minded parents to look out for it and see for themselves what the fuss is about. If they did, they'd find a comic that's still funny, still full of wild characters, and still enjoyed by children. In the end, the children it's aimed at are the only audience whose opinion matters. 

The Beano returns to the shelves after its Christmas break on Wednesday 3rd January. Check it out and have a laugh.

Fake news!

According to today's Metro, I designed Dennis the Menace's iconic red and black jumper. That's quite an accomplishment I should be proud of... considering it happened in 1951, eight years before I was born!
http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/17/freddie-fox-is-the-new-voice-behind-dennis-the-menace-this-is-going-to-be-blam-6515147/

The article even quotes me on stuff. I've never even spoken to the Metro but my quotes are from a BBC item from a while back. However, Metro didn't do their research properly, and somehow confused me with David Law. Heck, they even reckon that Dennis "made his debut" on the back of a cigarette packet, intimating it was published like that.

The facts: when The Beano were creating Dennis the Menace in 1951, editor Ian Chisholm did a rough sketch of the character on the back of a fag packet to show artist David Law what he wanted. As we know, David Law did a fantastic job on the character, later adding the distinctive striped jumper.

While the Metro mistake amused me, there's also a serious edge to it because it denies David Law his credit, and there's a possibility the error will be copied by other sources in the future. Ironically, the Metro's tagline is "News... but not as you know it".

Unless, of course, I'm a time-traveller and the story is true. With the crackpot way the 21st Century has gone so far anything is possible. 

First look at DENNIS AND GNASHER UNLEASHED!

Beano Studios have just revealed this first glimpse of Dennis and Gnasher Unleashed, - a new CGI animated TV series coming to CBBC in 2017! For more info, keep watching Beano.com!
https://www.beano.com/

65 Years of Menacing!

This coming week is the 65th anniversary since Dennis the Menace was unleashed upon the world. He first appeared in The Beano dated 17th March 1951. As comics were dated to the weekend ahead back then, and The Beano was published on Wednesdays, that would mean kids would have been buying that issue on Wednesday 14th March 1951. 

Dennis' first artist was of course Davey Law, whose funny, contemporary style heralded great changes for comics in the 1950s. Seeing Dennis the Menace in his younger brother's copy of The Beano inspired Leo Baxendale to contribute to the comic, so without the Menace we might not have had Leo's creations The Bash Street Kids, Little Plum, The Three Bears, or Minnie the Minx. I think it's fair to say that Law's Dennis the Menace was a gamechanger and possibly the most influential character in the history of British humour comics. 

Here's a few examples of Dennis from over the years. This is the very first strip from 1951...

Next, one from later that year (Beano No.483, Oct 20th, 1951) with Dennis having evolved into his more traditional look...

At the top of this post is the cover to the third Dennis the Menace annual, published in 1959 for 1960. It reprinted numerous Dennis strips from the 1950s. Here's a selection...

When I first discovered the strip in the 1960s it had proved popular enough to be on the back page in full colour. This one from 1965, again by Davey Law...

Sadly, Davey Law passed away in 1971. His creation continued under the hand of David Sutherland doing a fine imitation of Law's style. Dennis' popularity continued and in 1974 he replaced Biffo the Bear as the cover star of The Beano. Here's an example of Sutherland's version from 1975. As you can see, by now Dennis had been joined by his dog, Gnasher, who first appeared in the strip in 1968...

In 1998, a new addition to Dennis' family, - a little sister! (Soon to be named Bea.) Art by David Parkin...

The current Dennis the Menace artist is Nigel Parkinson, doing a great job every week with a version that combines the best elements of the traditional Dennis but is still his own...

Although Dennis has now become a valuable merchandise brand for D.C. Thomson at the heart of it is still the weekly strip, amusing children of all ages, just as it always has. Happy Birthday Dennis! Long may you reign as the World's Wildest Boy! 

All Beano artwork in this article © D.C. Thomson and Co. Ltd.

Dennis Don't Go!

Art by Nigel Parkinson.

In this week's Beano, Dennis the Menace's dad gets a job in another town, meaning the family have to move to Nuttytown! Will Dennis be leaving The Beano? What's Nuttytown like these days, considering the comic it was named after ended decades ago? What's going on? Mystery upon mystery! Laughs upon laughs! This month Dennis the Menace has been in the comic for 65 years. Follow what happens next with the beginning of this new Dennis story in The Beano, out today! 

Cover by Nigel Parkinson.

Also in this issue, all the regular stars of course such as Minnie the Minx and Billy Whizz, plus the return of Rasher in a new series by me. Don't miss it! 

Rasher by Lew Stringer.

The Christmas BEANO (1967)

Published on the same day as the Christmas issue of The Topper I showed here the other day this festive 1967 edition of The Beano was packed with seasonal stories. The cover by Dudley Watkins is superbly designed, incorporating a 'Merry Christmas' message in the centre of the page whilst still being part of the strip.

Inside, Billy the Cat showed off his all-white 'snow-cat suit' for the first time. Usually of course Billy was dressed all in black. Art by Dave Sutherland.

Here's Little Plum! Art by Ron Spencer.

The Beano featured two adventure strips every week at this time, with the other being The Q-Bikes. Art by Andy Hutton.

On the back page, Dennis the Menace in his regular slot. Art by Davy Law.   

New Dennis the Menace book

Diversity is the key in the British comics industry today. Solely relying on the old 'business model' (hate that term) of traditional comics in newsagents isn't enough. Using the characters in other formats is a good way to reach more readers, whether it be graphic novels, digital comics, or whatever. 

Case in point, the new Dennis the Menace and Gnasher book The Golden Catapult by Cavan Scott and Nigel Parkinson. On his blog, Cavan says "The Golden Catapult is a bit different. It’s part novel, part comic, part puzzle, and stars loads of Beanotown favourites including Dennis, Minnie the Minx, Roger the Dodger, Calamity James and the Bash Street Kids".

The book is to be published by Puffin on 1st October and they describe it as:
"STONKING STORY! COOL COMICS! AWESOME ACTIVITIES!

When Dennis, Gnasher and the rest of the infamous Menace Squad find out about a rare and legendary artifact, they set off on an amazing adventure to track it down. Only the most menacey Menace will get to it first!

Read the story and complete the puzzles to find out who will reach . . . THE GOLDEN CATAPULT!"

For more info keep an eye on the blogs of writer Cavan Scott and artist Nigel Parkinson. 

Menacing revelation

Here's a story ripped from today's headlines; the current Dennis the Menace is the son of the 1980s version! It's been mooted in the comic before but this week's Beano makes it official with a story by Nigel Auchterlounie, drawn by Nigel Parkinson. 

Older readers who say "It's not the Dennis the Menace I grew up with" didn't know how right they were! I'm sure they'll be dancing in the streets tonight now their comment has been justified. Although they'd be best to hold fire on their usual follow up "He's not even allowed to use a catapult these days" considering the cover of this week's Beano....

For the full background story see the Wired website here:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-05/01/dennis-the-menace-father-the-beano

Cover story

There's a discussion on Facebook at the moment about this annual cover so I thought I'd expand upon it here. This memorable cover to The Beano Book 1970 was painted by Dave Sutherland, who was the regular cover artist on the Beano annuals at that time (and for many years afterwards). He still draws The Bash Street Kids in The Beano every week of course, and this year will be his 53rd year on the strip!

The interesting thing about this annual cover is that the week the book was published, that week's Beano comic (No.1416, dated September 6th 1969) tied in with it, showing what happened next! A rare British comics crossover. Although the book cover was by Dave Sutherland, the strip on the weekly was by Biffo's regular artist Dudley Watkins. Sadly, by the time this saw print, Mr.Watkins had passed away suddenly the previous month. 

That same issue also carried an ad for the latest Dennis the Menace annual on the back page, with a vague link to that week's Dennis strip drawn by Davey Law.