1950
The Eagle launches featuring the futuristic Dan Dare – Pilot of the Future on the front page. His first story-line sees him traveling to Venus where he encounters the Treens led by the malevolent Mekon. Other early Eagle stories include PC49, Harris Tweed and Riders of the Range.
Canine hero, Black Bob becomes the first Dandy character to star in his own annual. Seven more Black Bob books appear before 1965.
School Friend begins. Stories include The Silent Three At St Kit’s. It is reportedly the biggest selling girls’ comic ever, at one point selling one million copies a week.
1951
Dennis the Menace makes his debut in The Beano. Biffo the Bear remains on the front page.
Girl, a sister comic to The Eagle is launched. Early stories include Kitty Hawke and Her All-Girl Air Crew, Lettice Leefe: The Greenest Girl In School and nautical adventure, Captain Starling.
Dan Dare embarks on The Red Moon Mystery.
1952
Dan Dare is Marooned on Mercury. Luck of the Legion also debuts in the comic this year.
Adventure comic, Lion, a potential rival to The Eagle is launched. Memorable characters include Robot Archie (initially referred to as The Jungle Robot).
Gerald Campion debuts in the title role in TV’s Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School. The character first appeared in Magnet in 1908.
1953
The Topper first appears. Mickey the Monkey appears on the cover but the most memorable character is Beryl the Peril.
A new comic Robin is launched. It is intended to be a companion paper to The Eagle. It is aimed at the under-eights and features TV’s Andy Pandy as a regular character.
A vintage year for The Beano with Little Plum, Minnie the Minx, General Jumbo and Roger the Dodger all making their first appearance.
Dan Dare launches Operation Saturn.
TV Fun is launched, accompanying the long-running Film Fun and Radio Fun.
1954
Yet another companion to The Eagle appears. Swift is aimed at even younger readers than Robin. Tarna: Jungle Boy, Mono the Moon Man and a comic version of radio’s Educating Archie all appear.
Tiger comic arrives. The first issue features footballing legend, Roy of the Rovers.
The first Desperate Dan ‘annual’ appears. Only four more appear in 1978, 1990, 1991 and 1992.
School-based story, When The Bell Rings begins in The Beano. It later becomes The Bash Street Kids.
The Dan Dare story, Prisoners of Space begins.
1955
The first Dennis the Menace Book is published. Dennis is the first Beano character to get his own annual. He now appears in colour on the back page of The Beano every week.
Keyhole Kate leaves The Dandy. She will return.
Dan Dare appears in The Man From Nowhere.
1956
New arrival The Beezer joins The Topper on newsagent shelves. Ginger dominates the front page.
When The Bell Rings, in The Beano, changes its name to The Bash Street Kids.
1957
Much-loved children’s TV series Captain Pugwash begins. It was originally a short-lived story in The Eagle in 1950.
Jonah, the hopeless sailor, sets sail in The Beano.
Amnesiac Mark Question (‘The Boy With A Future But No Past!’) debuts in The Eagle. The Reign of the Robots begins in Dan Dare.
1958
Bunty begins. Strips include The Four Marys (‘Fun at boarding school with a frolicsome foursome’).
Colonel Blink, the Short-Sighted Gink stumbles onto the pages of The Beezer.
Topper’s Beryl the Peril appears in her first annual, this Christmas.
1959
The Three Bears blast off in The Beano.
The long-running Hotspur folds. A text-based story paper rather than a comic, it is replaced by The New Hotspur which is definitely a comic.
Chris Hallam is a freelance writer. Originally from Peterborough, he now lives in Exeter with his wife. He writes for a number of magazines including Yours Retro, Best of British and Comic Scene – in which he wrote about Judge Death, The Ballad of Halo Jones, Dan Dare, The Eagle and Alan Moore’s Watchmen (amongst other things). He co-wrote the book, Secret Exeter (with Tim Isaac) and wrote A-Z of Exeter – People, Places, History. He was also wrote the 2014 annuals for The Smurfs, Furbys and Star Wars Clone Wars annuals as well as the 2015 Transformers annual.
Chris Hallam's World View 