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Aging Disgracefully – What's Behind 75 Years of Success For The Beano?

By Elizabeth Grey

It has now been three quarters of a century since the downright dastardly Dennis the Menace, accomplice Gnasher and the badly-behaved Bash Street kids first erupted onto British newsstands in 1938 via The Beano. In the 75 years that have since passed, the publication has had to evolve to suit an ever-changing audience, societal shifts and even fashion trends, if taking into consideration the amendment of Dennis' dad's haircut in August 2012.

The Beano stands on higher ground on the valley of British comics sadly dampened by a downpour of changing attitudes and technological advances. Fellow DC Thomson delegate The Dandy was printed for the last time in December 2012, switching to purely online publication due to dwindling print sales.

So what's the story behind the success of The Beano that is allowing it to continue to grow old disgracefully?

Beano comic - E Grey - Beano article - Photo by Charles Dyer [Courtesy of Charles Dyer]

Moving With the Times

If anything is to last a period of time, it needs to start with steady foundations and have the ability to adapt. The Beano have recognized this by phasing characters in and out as appropriate (such as Pansy Potter) and introducing popular cultural figures alongside reoccurring roles.

Stars such as David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson and Andy Murray have all graced the pages of the Beano to keep pace with the times and remain relevant for young readers.

Also gone are the disciplinarian days where teachers ruled with an iron fist against an unruly classroom – the connection between adults and children is now one of camaraderie rather than adversary to reflect relationships that children enjoy with their parents. Corporal punishment was also removed in the 1980's since although the slipper had been part Dennis' weekly routine since his birth, it no longer reflected a modern approach to parenting.

Becoming a Centenary Comic

As The Beano has stood the test of the time, do they have a plan to reach the 100 year mark? It could be argued that their biggest hurdle is yet to come, as children's reading habits make a huge change that may affect how the comic is consumed by future generations.

The BBC found that the 3 habits that increased in activity during 2012-2013 were playing on game apps, visiting YouTube and text messaging, whereas reading actually decreased by 8%. So how does The Beano plan to target the young ones disillusioned with reading thanks to distractions from technology? As we see print subscriptions dwindle we may see online subscriptions improve.

Editor in chief Mike Stirling told the Guardian that the key to the survival of The Beano is regeneration, much like television program Doctor Who in which characters are constantly evolving. Stirling also states that introducing children to the Beano is sometimes the main barrier between reaching new readers, as often school children haven't heard of the publication but are soon hooked once they've turned the first few pages.

The key to the survival of the Beano could be simply ensuring that the name isn't forgotten amidst the cacophony of television shows, games, apps and other media aimed at children.

Comics - E Grey - Beano Article - Photo by kickthebeat [Courtesy of Kick the Beat]

No Laughing Matter

Although the aim of the escapades within the pages of The Beano are to make readers giggle, the achievements of this British comic are not to be laughed at. As well as outliving other comics which have sadly bitten the dust, The Beano can now be considered a real contender in the collectable comic market.

In 2003 the first edition of The Beano sold for more than £12,000. Whilst this may seem like spare change compared to the $2 million price tag attached to the first edition of Action Comics, it is worth considering that The Beano is comparatively tiny against these mighty DC and Marvel giants.

Sadly early editions of The Beano were printed on cheap paper that degraded over time and weren't looked after particularly well. This does mean however that annuals and comics in mint condition can fetch a pretty penny by keen collectors. With an enthusiastic editor (Craig Graham) at the helm who has bright ideas to secure the future of the funny pages of the Beano, now might be the time to start investing in the comics before they celebrate a century of making children laugh.

Elizabeth Grey is a British-based writer who started buying comics with her pocket money and never stopped. She tweets @ej_grey.


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Hannah Means ShannonAbout Hannah Means Shannon

Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. Independent comics scholar and former English Professor. Writing books on magic in the works of Alan Moore and the early works of Neil Gaiman.
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