Editing The Beano (section)

==History==
===Creation (1920s–1939)===
Throughout the 1920s, [[DC Thomson]] dominated the British comics industry. Dubbed "[[British boys' magazines#The Big Five (Tuppenny Bloods)|the big five]]", the publisher's most successful comics were ''Adventure'' (1921),<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Lively, Healthy and Up-to-date|date=1921-09-17|magazine=Adventure|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1}}</ref> ''[[The Rover (story paper)|The Rover]]'' and ''[[The Wizard (DC Thomson)|The Wizard]]'' (1922),<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Great New Paper: The Rover|date=1922-03-04|magazine=[[The Rover (story paper)|The Rover]]|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Something absolutely new hand-coloured real photos for FREE|date=1922-09-23|magazine=[[The Wizard (DC Thomson)|The Wizard]]|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1}}</ref> ''The Skipper'' (1930)<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=No. 1 of the great new story paper for BOYS|date=1930-09-06|magazine=The Skipper|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1}}</ref> and ''[[The Hotspur]]'' (1933).<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Hotspur|date=1933-09-02|magazine=[[The Hotspur]]|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1|publication-date=1933-09-01}}</ref>{{refn|group=Note|Original contender was 1924's ''The Vanguard'', which discontinued two years later.}} These were weekly issued [[British boys' magazines|boys' magazines]] for preteen males, containing anthologies by DC Thomson's creator staff designed in various formats and genres. They became popular throughout the United Kingdom, notably in English industrial cities,<ref>{{harvp|McAleer|1992|pp=168–9}}: "According to [George Moonie]: 'We really had to gear [to] the English market because that's where the readership lay. If you look at the middle belt of England, the industrial belt—[[Birmingham]], [[Wolverhampton]], [[Manchester]], [[Nottingham]], [[Northampton]]—these places, very heavily populated, [were] your first target.{{'"}}</ref> helped through the company's ability to view sales and promotions in the areas much more easily than the rival publishers in London.<ref>{{harvp|McAleer|1992|p=170}}</ref> Although many were about "super men" the young readers could idolise,<ref>{{cite web |last1=McNab |first1=Tom |title=Boys' comics of the 1940s – The Wonderful World of William Wilson – Saga |url=https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/entertainment/nostalgia/boys-comics-of-the-1940s |website=www.saga.co.uk |date=2014-09-23 |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718145129/https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/entertainment/nostalgia/boys-comics-of-the-1940s |url-status=live }}</ref> the rest of the stories would be comic strips inspired by the [[gag-a-day]] strips in American newspapers full of stylised characters, slapstick and puns.

Overseeing the magazines was the Managing Editor of Children's Publications, [[R. D. Low]], who first joined the company in 1913.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=14}} Almost a decade into the big five's success, the stories shifted to comedic and included more comic strips,{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=12}} which gave Low an idea of creating a new "big five" which focused on the funnies more than drama. The suggestion was approved; editors Bill Blain and (sub-editor) Albert Barnes of ''The Wizard'' and ''The Hotspur'', respectively, joined Low's project.<ref name="BD fan club, p. 4">{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Ray |title=JUST THE TICKET OR A SLAP-UP FEED! THE STORY OF HOW THE DANDY AND BEANO GOT THEIR NAMES |url=http://www.phil-comics.com/Newsletter%20Issue%201.pdf |website=Phil Comics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807053413/http://www.phil-comics.com/Newsletter%20Issue%201.pdf |archive-date=2010-08-07 |date=October 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> The new team placed a newspaper advertisement into ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''{{refn|group=Note|''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' had a reputation of being the best news source to find the artist jobs in the world.}} asking for artists and/or comic ideas.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=7}} With the help of the advertisement responses and employed artists at DC Thomson, ''[[The Dandy]]'' was published in 1937,<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Dandy|date=1937-12-04|magazine=The Dandy Comic|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1|editor-last=Barnes|editor-first=Albert}}</ref> the New Big Five's first member.<ref name="BD fan club, p. 4"/> For ''The Beano'' (initially called "The Beano Comic" until issue 412),{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=315}} Low received comic strip suggestions by [[Reg Carter]], an English illustrator in [[Sussex]] who had created funnies for several British comics and designed humorous postcards.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=7}} After an in-person interview, Low and Carter planned the front cover for ''The Beano''{{'s}} first issue, eventually creating the character [[Big Eggo]] (originally named Oswald the Ostrich).{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|pp=8–9}} It would be in colour whilst the inside of the magazine would be black and white,{{refn|group=Note|[[Wee Peem]] also had slight red colouring.}} a tactic used for ''The Dandy''{{'s}} first issue (black and white stories inside, colourful [[Korky the Cat]] strip on the front).{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=10}} Joining the ''Big Eggo'' strip would be many funnies, such as Hugh McNeill's ''[[Ping the Elastic Man]]'', James Jewell's ''[[Wee Peem]]'', [[Allan Morley]]'s ''Big Fat Joe'', Eric Roberts' ''Rip Van Wink'', [[Dudley D. Watkins]]' ''[[Lord Snooty]] and His Pals'', and [[Roland Davies (comics)|Roland Davies]]' ''Contrary Mary''.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|pp=304–305}} Despite the aim to make a new comic series full of American-inspired comic strips, ''The Beano'' also contained short stories, [[Serial (literature)|serial fiction]] and adventure stories similar to the Big Five's magazines; ''[[Morgyn the Mighty]]'' was previously in ''The Rover''.<ref name=Morgyn>{{Cite magazine|title=Morgyn the Mighty|date=1928-02-11|magazine=The Rover|last=Watkins|first=Dudley D.|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co.|issue=304}}</ref> ''[[Tin-Can Tommy]]'' and ''Brave Captain Kipper'' were reprints, co-produced by the Italian art agency Torelli Bros.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|pp=304–305}}

Worth 2[[Shilling (British coin)|d]] with a free prize of a "whoopee mask", issue 1 of ''The Beano'' was released on 26 July 1938 for the 30th,<ref name="issue1">{{Cite magazine|title=The Beano|date=1938-07-30|magazine=The Beano Comic|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George|publication-date=1938-07-26}}</ref> selling roughly 443,000 copies.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=12}} Like ''The Dandy'', its name is from a Low-led DC Thomson office party called The DB Club (The [[wikt:dandy|Dandy]] [[bean-feast|Beano]] Club).<ref name="BD fan club, p. 4"/> DC Thomson had several office party clubs that hosted different types of staff gatherings to choose from (e.g. The Prancers would hike hills), but Low's DB Club preferred playing golf and dining throughout Dundee. The two magazines also followed the one-word titles of other comics by rival companies, such as [[Amalgamated Press]]' ''Crackers'',<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=[Crackers]|date=1929-01-22|magazine=Crackers|publisher=Amalgamated Press|issue=1}}</ref> ''Sparkler'',<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Buster, Linda and Pip in Riverside Fun!|date=1937-07-03|magazine=Sparkler|publisher=Amalgamated Press|issue=142}}</ref> ''Puck''<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Don and Doris Have Another School Holiday/Tiny Timothy, the Smallest Boy in the World|date=1937-06-26|magazine=Puck|publisher=Amalgamated Press|issue=1717|publication-date=1937-06-22}}</ref> and some books from its ''[[Union Jack (magazine)|Union Jack]]'' series (''[[Halfpenny Marvel|The Marvel]]'', ''[[The Magnet]]'' and ''[[The Gem]]'');<ref>{{harvp|McAleer|1992|p=171}}</ref> and Target Publications' ''Chuckler'', ''Rattler'' and ''Dazzler''.<ref name="BD fan club, p. 4"/> ''Beano'' editor-in-chief was George Moonie, former sub-editor of ''The Wizard'', who would be editor until the summer of 1959.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=24}} He later explained DC Thomson was a competitive company that wanted to make the best children's literature in the United Kingdom, but there was also competition within itself as ''Beano'' offices was determined to beat ''The Dandy''{{'s}} popularity.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=24}}

===World War Two, reaching million sales (1939–1945)===
Drastic changes occurred behind the scenes of ''The Beano'' during the [[Second World War]]: George Moonie and editing partner Ron Fraser left to join the [[Royal Marines]] and [[Royal Air Force|Air Force]] respectively, both not returning until c. 1946.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=306}} Stuart Gilchrist became sole editor-in-chief after Moonie's other sub-editor Freddie Simpson became ill and resigned. Contact was also lost with Torelli Bros. so in-house creations of ''Tin-Can Tommy'' began from issue 69 by Sam Fair.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=305}} Paper [[rationing]] caused the rest of Low's New Big Five to be cancelled{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=14}} (it stopped at three published, the third member being ''[[The Magic Comic]]'' (1939), which ended with 80 issues in 1941),{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=44}} and ''The Beano'' to fluctuate its page count instead of its usual 28.{{refn|group="Note"|28 pages stopped at issue 62 in October 1939, which was 24 pages long.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=306}} Then page count dropped to 22 in issue 98, 20 at issue 101, and 18 in issue 120.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=307}} The lowest page count was issue 326's 10.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Beano|date=1948-01-10|magazine=The Beano Comic|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=326|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref>{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=312}}}} Eventually, ''The Beano'' became a [[fortnight]]ly magazine (alternating with [[The Dandy]] comic) until 23 July 1949.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=313}}

Comic strips would encourage readers to help their parents and other adults with the war effort, and to be optimistic about the war's outcome. New comic strips mocked [[Mussolini]]<ref name=Mussolini>{{Cite magazine|editor-first=Stuart|editor-last=Gilchrist|title=Musso the Wop|date=1940-12-28|magazine=The Beano Comic|last=Fair|first=Sam|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=127}}</ref> and propagandist [[William Joyce]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Down With Lord Haw-Haw|date=1940-06-29|magazine=The Beano Comic|editor-first=Stuart|editor-last=Gilchrist|first=Jack|last=Glass|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=101}}</ref> ''Lord Snooty and His Pals'' stories would be about the protagonists outsmarting the [[Axis powers|Axis]] leaders,{{refn|group=Note|Moonie, who returned from the war a [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] once in charge of an assault craft at [[D-Day]], would tell David Puttman he believed Lord Snooty did more for the war than him.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=24}}}} and other stories would be about characters [[recycling]] paper.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|pp=22–23}} ''Big Eggo'' front covers were often about Eggo pranking [[servicemen]] during [[the Blitz]],{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|pp=72–73}} and [[Pansy Potter]] received a medal for single-handedly capturing a Nazi [[U-boat]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=[[Pansy Potter]]|date=18 November 1939|magazine=The Beano Comic|last=McNeill|first=Hugh|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref>{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=75}} Issue 192 would debut a 16-part prose story about a boy and his mother being [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] to the United States and becoming the enemy of a [[Chicago]] gangster's widow.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Jimmy's Mother Wouldn't Run Away|date=1942-11-07|magazine=The Beano Comic|last=Gordon|first=Jack|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=192|editor-last=Gilchrist|editor-first=Stuart}}</ref>

Issues published weekly every Tuesday in 1938,{{refn|group=Note|The date of the Saturday of that week is written on the front.<ref name="issue1"/>}}{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=304}} and when the magazine changed distribution to every two weeks, the day remained unchanged.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|pp=304–312}} From issue 366, the day changed to Friday until issue 375 which began the Thursday publication day schedule.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=313}}

===Post-war changes (1945–1988)===
December 1945 marked a milestone: issue 272 became the first ''Beano'' issue to sell over a million copies.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=19}} The end of the war also ushered in a new era for the comic, debuting [[superhero]] [[Jack Flash]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|title=[[Jack Flash]] the Flying Boy|date=1949-02-19|magazine=The Beano Comic|last=Watkins|first=Dudley D.|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=355|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref> the debut of [[Biffo the Bear]] as new cover star and a new generation of trouble-making kids: [[Dennis the Menace (Beano Character)|Dennis the Menace]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Dennis the Menace|date=1951-03-17|magazine=The Beano|last=Law|first=Davey|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=452|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref> [[Minnie the Minx]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Minnie the Minx|date=1953-12-19|magazine=The Beano|last=Baxendale|first=Leo|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=596|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref> [[The Bash Street Kids]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=When the Bell Rings|date=1954-02-13|magazine=The Beano|last=Baxendale|first=Leo|issue=604|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref> and [[Roger the Dodger]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Roger the Dodger|date=1953-04-18|magazine=The Beano|last=Reid|first=Ken|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=561|editor-last=Moonie|editor-first=George}}</ref> DC Thomson also introduced new comic magazines like ''[[The Beezer]]''<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Beezer|date=1956-01-21|magazine=The Beezer|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1}}</ref> and ''[[The Topper (comics)|The Topper]]''<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Topper|date=1953-02-06|magazine=The Topper|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1|publication-date=1953-02-07}}</ref> that a few ''Beano'' artists also created characters and stories for.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=115}}

After the war saw a drift away from text stories and adventure comics, with the last text story published in 1955; adventure comics lasted longer with 1975 being the last year to feature them as ''[[General Jumbo]]''{{'s}} eighth series drew to a close in issue 1734.<ref>{{Cite magazine|issue=1734|title=[[General Jumbo]]|date=1975-10-11|magazine=The Beano|last=|first=|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|editor-last=Cramond|editor-first=Harold}}</ref>

George Moonie resigned as editor-in-chief in 1959 to develop comics for girls.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=24}} Sub-editor of ''The Beezer'' Harry Cramond succeeded Moonie until retiring in 1984, described as the most influential editor in ''The Beano''{{'s}} history.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=36}} He oversaw new merchandising, high sales,{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=231}}{{refn|group="Note"|''The Beano'' eventually passed ''The Dandy''{{'s}} sales by 100,000 copies.{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=160}} but both magazines sometimes sold up to four million issues per week.<ref>{{cite news |title=Beano and Dandy trading website |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-sussex-19071071 |work=BBC News |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=12 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712055250/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-sussex-19071071 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} and the thousandth<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Beano|date=1961-09-10|magazine=The Beano|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=1000|editor-last=Cramond|editor-first=Harold}}</ref> and two thousandth issues.<ref name=issue2000>{{Cite magazine|title=The Beano|date=1980-11-15|magazine=The Beano|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=2000|editor-last=Cramond|editor-first=Harold}}</ref> DC Thomson's ''Beano'' offices featured on documentary television and Cramond's successor Euan Kerr guest-starred on television for the magazine's 50th anniversary.{{sfnp|''80 Years''|2018|p=46}}

===Move to full colour (1988–present)===
{{more information|#Merchandise}}
''The Beano'' began to advertise outside of DC Thomson's products in 1988 in order to keep both it and ''The Dandy'' "[[Allowance (money)#Children|pocket money]]" cheap,{{sfnp|''History of The Beano''|2008|p=249}} beginning with issue 2407.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Beano|date=1988-09-03|magazine=The Beano|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=2407|editor-last=Kerr|editor-first=Euan}}</ref> Issue 2674 in 1993 was the first issue to feature every page in colour.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=[The Beano]|date=1993-10-16|magazine=The Beano|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=2674|editor-last=Kerr|editor-first=Euan}}</ref>

A notable revamp was the 50th birthday issue, which had an abnormally larger page count with more coloured sections and printed on wider sheets. A decade later, issues gained eight extra pages with computer-based art. In the 21st century, there were seven changes within a five-year span: logo updates, fonts assigned for certain design roles,{{refn|group="Note"|New headline fonts were introduced (CCZoinks), circa 2007; the balloon font was also changed to Cloudsplitter by [[Blambot]].}} and the magazine started using glossy paper.

From issue 3442 in 2008 (and as of 2020), the day the comic was released was changed to Wednesday.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Roger the Dodger in... Dodge SOLO! A Beanotown story|date=2018-05-26|magazine=Beano|publisher=D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.|issue=3936|editor-last=Anderson|editor-first=John|publication-date=2018-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Fame at Last!|date=2019-08-03|magazine=Beano|publisher=DC Thomson|issue=3996|publication-date=31 July 2019|editor-last=Anderson|editor-first=John}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Banana Banned!|date=2018-06-23|magazine=Beano|publisher=DC Thomson|publication-date=2018-06-20|issue=3940}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Stringer |first1=Lew |title=Lew Stringer Comics: Rasher Returns |url=http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/2014/01/rasher-returns.html |work=Lew Stringer Comics |date=29 January 2014 |quote=The Beano is published every Wednesday, priced £2 for 36 full colour pages. |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711234254/http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/2014/01/rasher-returns.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Stringer |first1=Lew |title=Lew Stringer Comics: BIG EGGO returns to the BEANO! |url=http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/2018/03/big-eggo-returns-to-beano.html |work=Lew Stringer Comics |date=3 March 2018 |quote=See the first new Big Eggo strip in Beano No.3925, on Wednesday 7th March 2018. |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=14 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714104618/http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/2018/03/big-eggo-returns-to-beano.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Parkinson |first1=Nigel |title=D C Thomson day again |url=https://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspot.com/2011/09/d-c-thomson-day-again.html |work=Nigel Parkinson CARTOONS |date=28 September 2011 |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711203328/http://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspot.com/2011/09/d-c-thomson-day-again.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Outside of the magazine, ''Beano''{{'}}s brand expanded into a multimedia franchise. Theme park tie-ins, a website, spin-off magazines, and animated television programmes starring the popular comic characters (several for Dennis the Menace) became common, keeping ''The Beano'' in popular culture. The turn of the millennium began a sales decline and led to friendly rival ''The Dandy'' being discontinued in 2012. Eventually, ''The Beano'' recovered after the creation of its magazine subscription service, which also shipped internationally.