The Unofficial History of the Beano

The Unofficial History of the Beano written by Iain McLaughlin and published by White Owl Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 200

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.

I was really looking forward to reviewing this book as I was a big Beano fan as a kid popping down to the shops with my pocket money for a copy of the Beano and some sweets on a Saturday. My favourites were Billy Whizz, Ball Boy, Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids It was nice to hear about all the goings-on in the background, hearing about the ideas and plans that revolved around various characters and what created the inspiration. Hearing about how the cartoons and scripts were written and how some of the cartoons have been drawn for many years by the same artists. It was a really good behind the scenes look at the Beano. All we could do with now is a book about my other favourite cartoon as a kid, Oor Wullie. I would happily recommend this book as it takes you back in time to being a big kid, my only small complaint was not being able to see any of the comic strips or characters.