The world's first "Comic"?

[stevezodiac]

Bringing a pile of vintage magazines and comics over from my Mum's yesterday I came across this which I suspect may be the first publication to have the word "Comic" in its title. One of many Punch imitations which were published at the time and, like Punch, is a mixture of cartoons and humorous prose.



Other Punch imitators including an Irish one:

[DaveWhit.]

Stevezodiac, in a way you might be right about Comic News, although it wasn't perhaps the first to have the word 'Comic' in its title.

I have a copy of Comic Companion for 1857, which looks like a cheap and poorly printed rip-off of Punch - complete with an image of Punch on the cover (see attached).
There were other earlier titles such as The Comick Magazine (1796) ...different spelling though, and also The Comic Magazine (1832). There may well be others for all I know.

However, according to Denis Gifford, in the introduction to his Christmas Comic Posters book, he announced that Comic News was the first British comic. Prior to this, he (and others) had always declared that Funny Folks was the first British comic, something he mentioned in the Funny Folks entry in this book - 'Funny Folks, until recently thought to be the first British comic'.

I never found out why Comic News was now recognised as the first British comic. Perhaps some issues contained a primitive comic strip. Anyone know more about this?

[stevezodiac]

I bought a few copies of the Gifford Christmas covers book so that I could take the covers out of one copy and frame them on my bedroom wall (They were perforated so Denis obviously anticipated that people would do this). I don't remember that reference to Comic news so I'll dig it out and read it. Also very pleased and relieved that someone has finally responded to this post. I try to make interesting posts but it is disappointing when nobody responds. sniff, sniff. parp!