'widescreen' comics: original-format BEEZER and TOPPER

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

This thread is devoted to 'screening' examples of the early format BEEZER and TOPPER: that is, in the pre-1981 days, when these comics were a large-scale concern, and it felt like opening up a newspaper when you came accross these publications.


Although some of this material is reprinted in CLASSICS from the COMICS, I feel that a lot of the scope of the original article is lost: for a long time, these comics ran to 16 pages: half of which were in full-colour. The remaining pages had a red/pink inking-colour scheme, and even these had a great charm lacking in the scaled-down wholly b/w examples more commonly seen today by comics buffs and fans in CLASSICS.


Hopefully this willl be another long-running thread, and I aim to feature weekly additions on this subject.


BEEZER and TOPPER employed many skilled and quirky artists, and I reckon one of their finest was KEN HUNTER, who sadly departed this mortal coil fairly recently.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I have a fair amount of 1960s examples now, of varying quality condition-wise. This next example is taken from 1968 TOPPER:

BACK from ZERO! by Ken Hunter.

Incredible stuff, highly visual, with the sort of epic spectacle largely unseen today in contemporary cramped-format UK comics.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

The above example came from a joblot of 1968 TOPPERS I got for 75p a throw------'reading copies', really, but certainly enough to give a flavour of the artwork and scripting. This tale is fantastic [I have most of the run on this story, I aim to collect the lot]-----though sadly the final episode is drawn by a competent ghost-artist.

Ken Hunter also contributed 2 pages to BEEZER in this period-----possibly 'MR FLIPPY', which will be shown in a later post. 'SIR LAUGHALOT', also by Ken, graces the same issues of TOPPER, but I have a feeling these may be reprints.....however, 4 pages per week of this astonishing artwork is quite a feat, alongside the regular BEEZER/TOPPER annuals work.


A lot more additions to come, showcasing 'funny' as well as more dramatic stuff like the above........happily, most scans will be from better-quality sources than the above.

[Peter Gray]

I wonder how the monster is foiled by a cigarette lighter?

I love the large colour format its very exciting visually and dramatic..
surely a Best of Beezer/Topper annual will come out one day..large book size..

[philcom55]

Oddly enough that strip was a specially redrawn version of a story that originally appeared in 1960/1 with art by Ron Smith. It's astonishing that DC Thomson went to such lengths to avoid too much work appearing in a particular artist's style while Fleetway/IPC were already cutting corners with as many reprints as possible!

- Phil Rushton

[Peter Gray]

http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogs ... -1961.html
Heres Ron smiths version..

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Thanks for alerting me to the early 60s version of 'BACK from ZERO' by Ron Smith, guys...it looks brilliant! Ron Smith and Ken Hunter produced such epic material for TOPPER and BEEZER in the 60s.....I aim to show a fair amount of this stuff over the coming weeks.

I am trying to get early 60s TOPPERS/BEEZERS as well, but they are always so in demand....they are on my hit-list, however.

[philcom55]

To answer Gerald's comment on Peter's blog, 'Back to Zero' was actually a sequel to the 1957 serial 'In the Kingdom of Zero' which was reprinted in 1967. In this case Ken Hunter was the original artist.

- Phil Rushton

[Muffy]

When I first started reading 'Mighty' TV comic they were also in this newspaper format (with all the TV favourites). It was like having a 'dad' style proper newspaper as a child. Though not ideal for the tube in London as an adult.

[philcom55]

I'd forgotten about Mighty TV Comic. As far as I can remember, the only other British titles to attain similar proportions were Buster, Buzz, Jag and (biggest of all) The Big One.

On a related matter, can anyone think which was the first comic to create a 'widescreen' effect by stretching panels right across a double-page spread instead of dividing it into two separate halves?

- Phil Rushton

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I've heard of the BIG ONE, Phil: but it was before my time. Beezer and Topper were A3-sized when published: so there were comics out even larger than this? And how many pages were in it?

[steelclaw]

Don't know how many pages it had but it was as big as a bed sheet.

[DaveWhit.]

The Big One was indeed true to its name. According to my measurements it is just over 21 and a half by 15 inches. It had 12 pages, which featured reprinted comic strips from Knockout and elsewhere.
Later in the run there was at least one strip that (I think) was new to the comic - A fat boy going by the name Big One.

[DaveWhit.]

Following on from my last comment -

Have just remembered another comic that was even larger than the Big One, although I'm not sure it can accurately be described as a comic.
In the seventies Simavai Publishing produced a children's newspaper called SUPER SUNDAY. It comprised 8 pages, which were mainly colour/b&w news articles and photos. In addition, there were three full page comic strips - all (I think) Turkish in origin. The strips were 'Kebir- the Princess & the diamond', 'Omily & Opylus' and 'Ringo - Chato's War'

I only bought the first issue (dated 15 Sept 74), but Denis Gifford's Catalogue states it ran for 27 issues. It measured a whopping 57.5cm by 42.5cm. Could this is the largest post-war British comic produced?

[Lew Stringer]

Following on from my last comment -

Have just remembered another comic that was even larger than the Big One, although I'm not sure it can accurately be described as a comic.
In the seventies Simavai Publishing produced a children's newspaper called SUPER SUNDAY. It comprised 8 pages, which were mainly colour/b&w news articles and photos. In addition, there were three full page comic strips - all (I think) Turkish in origin. The strips were 'Kebir- the Princess & the diamond', 'Omily & Opylus' and 'Ringo - Chato's War'

I only bought the first issue (dated 15 Sept 74), but Denis Gifford's Catalogue states it ran for 27 issues. It measured a whopping 57.5cm by 42.5cm. Could this is the largest post-war British comic produced?

I'd completely forgotten about that one Dave! I think I had the first one or two issues then got fed up with it. Strangely, I didn't keep my copies for some reason. I must have really disliked it.