The Topper, published by DC Thompson ran from 1953 to 1990. It was the sister title to the similarly tabloid-sized sister paper The Beezer (covered previously). The Topper’s first issue was dated 7 February 1953 (price 3d) with a free gift Big Crack Bang.
The original cover star was Mickey the Monkey, originally drawn by the legendary Dudley Watkins, and the antics of the cunning chimp lasted until the final issue. But by far the most memorable character in The Topper was Beryl the Peril. Drawn by another legendary British artist, David Law, the pigtailed girl with an evil grin was conceived as the female version of Law’s iconic Dennis the Menace from The Beano, created two years earlier. Both shared the same mop-head hairdo, black and red clothes, and fiendish desire to torment family, friends and passersby. And both usually got what they deserved at story’s end too: a whacking on the backside with a shoe, cane or other blunt object.
Beryl was the only character to outlast The Topper itself. Beginning in the very first issue, she went on to join The Dandy, following the demise of The Beezer and Topper (as it would become) in 1993.
Due to the oversized tabloid format several strips bunked up together on the same page. Thus we had Smart Art (“He’s quick on the draw”) sharing with Captain Bungle. Uncle Dan (“The Menagerie Man”) doubled up with Foxy. One of the stranger early double acts was Nancy and Fritzi Ritz, both obviously hailing from across the Atlantic, these syndicated strips had previously appeared in the ‘funnies’ sections of various American newspapers, and the latter—detailing the ditzy misadventures of a sexy, statuesque ‘flapper’ in the style of Betty Boop or The Daily Mirror’s Jane—looked out of place in a British children’s comic. From 1962, The Topper reprinted another American strip, The Katzenjammer Kids, which they retitled The Bustem Boys on Bunkum Island.
Other comic strips of note included a mischievous goblin called Splodge which ran for five years, while the popular Figaro! featured an incompetent Mexican bandit and his horse Pedro. Desert Island Dick was quite an amusing ‘shipwrecked man on island with single palm tree’ strip.
One of the best humour strips was Send for Kelly. Nick Kelly was a lantern-jawed, pipe-smoking special agent in the mould of Dick Barton, accompanied on his life-or-death missions by the bowler hat-wearing Cedric (later replaced by Kelly’s nephew Harry). Their dotty adventures lasted from 1961 until halfway through the comic’s merger with The Beezer in 1990.
In the 70s, two other comics merged with The Topper in quick succession. First it was the turn of the short-lived Buzz in 1975, followed in 1977 by Sparky, which had managed a good innings since its first issue in 1965. Following a last ditch attempt to rebrand the comic by calling it Topper ’89.
As previously recorded the sister titles merged for one final hurrah in a new comic The Beezer and The Topper.
The Topper Book ran from 1954 until 1993. The first twelve books were undated, and the first of these were printed in landscape format, which gives them a lovely unique feel. Summer Specials came a bit late in the day from 1983-1993.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (2020) - Chapter Four (Part 4 of 4)
It’s been a long time since I read Dracula, maybe 20 years or so, but I don’t recall Vlad being mentioned in the novel - is this some poetic licence being used here?
Chapter 5 begins tomorrow…
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,749Chief of Staff
I can’t remember Vlad being mentioned either…but I wouldn’t swear to it…however, the story is deftly told and - again - the artwork really is a cut above 👏🏻
I've only just happened up on this fine thread - I'd assumed it would all be modern Marvel type stuff and graphic novels.
Comics were barred from my household because my parents always had ambitions for me to be a regular unpaid contributor to a James Bond website when I grew up, but on a 1977 camping trip in Wales another family had a stash of Beanos and I got stuck in. They really were hilarious, like nothing else. I was allowed to take them back home by the other family - a treat! - but inevitably they disappeared thanks to Mum, she had a tendency to do that. I went on a Scout camping trip and had a load of pullout posters on my bedroom wall from TVTimes such as The Incredible Hulk, Cliff Richard or Starsky and Hutch, that sort of thing, when I came back they'd all gone. It was a bit unnecessary.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,749Chief of Staff
Looks like this will be a great read…thanks 🍸
YNWA 97
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
Really excellent thread, CHB. I was a massive comic book fan as a youngster, and a renewed nerd in the early '90s... until I had a mortgage, haha. You've got some great ones highlighted.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
It’s hard to believe that this was launched 40 years ago, Monday 24th March 1984, the first issue of Scream! retailed for just 22p and featured a free pair of plastic fangs taped to the garish cover image of a vampire and Grim Reaper, both framing the tag line ‘Justwhen you thought it was safe to sleep in the dark’…
Comparisons to Action aside, nothing actually published in the UK had gone down this route before: an anthology horror comic written, illustrated, and produced in the UK and featuring a range of ghastly content, such as The Dracula Files, The Terror of the Cats, The Library of Death and Monster. All richly drawn and featuring stark moments of horror, and very, very popular. Yet, after only 15 issues, Scream! abruptly ceased publication, having only survived until June of its debut year.
Scream! was published by the IPC group, one of the big three largest British Comics publishers, alongside Marvel UK and DC Thompson.
Scream! was edited by Ghastly McNasty, “the once human editor of this gruesome publication”. McNasty promised in his opening editorial to publish stories “that will chill you to the bone and make your blood run cold”.
McNasty would appear throughout the pages with warnings or lighthearted comments but always appearing as a hunched, robed figure whose face was concealed within the folds and shadows of his hood, with only two dazzlingly bright eyes to give any sense of what McNasty might look like.
Scream! consisted of five regular ongoing stories The Dracula File, The Thirteenth Floor, Monster, Tales from the Grave and The Terror of the Cats supported by one-to-three-page self-contained morality tales titled A Ghastly Tale and Library of Death. To balance all of this horror, a humorous element came in the form of a reprint from another of IPC’s comics, Cor!!, Fiends and Neighbours.
The Scream! strips were mainly set in the present day: The Dracula File sees Count Dracula escaping from Europe and relocating to 1980’s Britain while The Thirteenth Floor was set in a high-rise council building, mirroring the urban landscape of contemporary Britain, and Monster features police officers in modern uniform.
Only one strip was explicitly located in the past: Tales from the Grave was set in Victorian London and was one of the few strips to appear in full colour in the comic. The colour was garish and highlighted the misery of the era and compounded any horror that occurred within its narrative.
As the comic moved past its sixth issue some of the serialised stories were concluded – such as Terror of the Cats – and replaced with new ones while A Ghastly Tale became a longer one-off strip.
Scream! did not shy away from explicit content. Issue 1 featured a character being shot down in a hail of bullets with what seems to be pieces of flesh splattering away from his body; the Grim Reaper stands with a scythe over a terrified man; one story ends with a child living in a house haunted by their parents.
Subsequent issues continued with more brutal imagery –a man is repeatedly electrocuted to death; a vampire stands over its victim, his mouth wet and dripping with blood; a skeleton of a witch drags a character beneath the surface in an effort to drown them; a full colour panel illustrates the remains of a character’s face after having been eaten by rats.
With Scream! being published at a time of great concern over the influence horror was having upon British youth (the video nasty furore was in full national outcry), it is perhaps not a surprise that it did not last long. But while it might be easy to suggest that the comic was cancelled as a result of a public outcry, this may not have been the case. Scream! was cancelled along with five other IPC comics as a result of an industrial dispute. Whether the publishers took the easy option to cancel the title will probably never be known. The final issue was released on Monday 30th June 1984 and, unaware of the impending cancellation at the time of publication, this issue did not end the ongoing narratives of Dracula etc. Instead, each episode ended on the usual cliff-hanger and with a closing box stating “Next Monday…” or “In seven days…” to ensure the purchase of the next issue.
Three months after its cancellation, the title merged with another IPC comic, Eagle, and while this seemed like an ideal hybrid, only two stories from Scream! carried over: The Thirteenth Floor and Monster.
From 1985 to 1989 there were HolidaySpecials, the content was mostly reprints from the original 15 issue run but also featured photographic tours of the London Dungeon and similar attractions, as well as board games, and quizzes. These issues are pretty rare in nice condition. Surprisingly, no annuals were published.
Scream! remains a popular title for comic collectors, it’s content and low number run being two good reasons.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,749Chief of Staff
That’s one comic I’d never heard of before…must be due to it’s short lived publication 🤔
Thanks, CHB. This is one of the few adaptations where we have faces for all (unless I've forgotten someone) of the characters from Stoker - usually a film will omit Quincey, Arthur or both and/or maybe combine others eg Lucy and Mina. The artwork just zings along, modernising an old story in a fresh way.
Comments
A good one to finish with. 👍
THE TOPPER (1953-1990) 1963 issues.
The Topper, published by DC Thompson ran from 1953 to 1990. It was the sister title to the similarly tabloid-sized sister paper The Beezer (covered previously). The Topper’s first issue was dated 7 February 1953 (price 3d) with a free gift Big Crack Bang.
The original cover star was Mickey the Monkey, originally drawn by the legendary Dudley Watkins, and the antics of the cunning chimp lasted until the final issue. But by far the most memorable character in The Topper was Beryl the Peril. Drawn by another legendary British artist, David Law, the pigtailed girl with an evil grin was conceived as the female version of Law’s iconic Dennis the Menace from The Beano, created two years earlier. Both shared the same mop-head hairdo, black and red clothes, and fiendish desire to torment family, friends and passersby. And both usually got what they deserved at story’s end too: a whacking on the backside with a shoe, cane or other blunt object.
Beryl was the only character to outlast The Topper itself. Beginning in the very first issue, she went on to join The Dandy, following the demise of The Beezer and Topper (as it would become) in 1993.
Due to the oversized tabloid format several strips bunked up together on the same page. Thus we had Smart Art (“He’s quick on the draw”) sharing with Captain Bungle. Uncle Dan (“The Menagerie Man”) doubled up with Foxy. One of the stranger early double acts was Nancy and Fritzi Ritz, both obviously hailing from across the Atlantic, these syndicated strips had previously appeared in the ‘funnies’ sections of various American newspapers, and the latter—detailing the ditzy misadventures of a sexy, statuesque ‘flapper’ in the style of Betty Boop or The Daily Mirror’s Jane—looked out of place in a British children’s comic. From 1962, The Topper reprinted another American strip, The Katzenjammer Kids, which they retitled The Bustem Boys on Bunkum Island.
Other comic strips of note included a mischievous goblin called Splodge which ran for five years, while the popular Figaro! featured an incompetent Mexican bandit and his horse Pedro. Desert Island Dick was quite an amusing ‘shipwrecked man on island with single palm tree’ strip.
One of the best humour strips was Send for Kelly. Nick Kelly was a lantern-jawed, pipe-smoking special agent in the mould of Dick Barton, accompanied on his life-or-death missions by the bowler hat-wearing Cedric (later replaced by Kelly’s nephew Harry). Their dotty adventures lasted from 1961 until halfway through the comic’s merger with The Beezer in 1990.
In the 70s, two other comics merged with The Topper in quick succession. First it was the turn of the short-lived Buzz in 1975, followed in 1977 by Sparky, which had managed a good innings since its first issue in 1965. Following a last ditch attempt to rebrand the comic by calling it Topper ’89.
As previously recorded the sister titles merged for one final hurrah in a new comic The Beezer and The Topper.
The Topper Book ran from 1954 until 1993. The first twelve books were undated, and the first of these were printed in landscape format, which gives them a lovely unique feel. Summer Specials came a bit late in the day from 1983-1993.
Thanks again, CHB. I remember seeing that on the shelves but I don't think I ever read one.
I remember reading those comics too…you forget around half of them until someone mentions them 😀
Although I was a Beano & Dandy reader really, occasionally we’d get a different comic…or just swap them with friends 😁
Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (2020) - Chapter Four (Part 4 of 4)
It’s been a long time since I read Dracula, maybe 20 years or so, but I don’t recall Vlad being mentioned in the novel - is this some poetic licence being used here?
Chapter 5 begins tomorrow…
I can’t remember Vlad being mentioned either…but I wouldn’t swear to it…however, the story is deftly told and - again - the artwork really is a cut above 👏🏻
Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (2020) - Chapter Five (Part 1 of 3)
To be continued next Thursday…
Another week to wait for more! Is another else using Lugosi's voice to say Dracula's lines or is it just me?
IIRC Stoker does not use the name "Vlad" although he heavily implies that to be Dracula's original identity.
Yes, I’m reading Dracula in Bela’s voice!
I've only just happened up on this fine thread - I'd assumed it would all be modern Marvel type stuff and graphic novels.
Comics were barred from my household because my parents always had ambitions for me to be a regular unpaid contributor to a James Bond website when I grew up, but on a 1977 camping trip in Wales another family had a stash of Beanos and I got stuck in. They really were hilarious, like nothing else. I was allowed to take them back home by the other family - a treat! - but inevitably they disappeared thanks to Mum, she had a tendency to do that. I went on a Scout camping trip and had a load of pullout posters on my bedroom wall from TVTimes such as The Incredible Hulk, Cliff Richard or Starsky and Hutch, that sort of thing, when I came back they'd all gone. It was a bit unnecessary.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Enjoy the thread @Napoleon Plural there’s plenty more to come!
LIVE AND LET DIE (2019) Chapter Eleven:
Chapter Twelve tomorrow…
Can anyone else see shades of Timothy Dalton in some of the panels…especially page 5?
Yes, there's a resemblance all right.
This is one of the stories which I hope someday is filmed closer to the book. Until then the above is a good substitute.
Now you’ve pointed it out, it seems obvious about Dalton 🤭
Although I do think Bond is drawn purposefully plainly 🤔
Looking forward to tomorrow’s instalment 👏🏻
LIVE AND LET DIE (2019) Chapter Twelve:
More chapters next weekend…
Loving this, thanks CHB.
A whole week to wait…😳
HOOK JAW - Part 7
The adventure continues next Monday…
It’s time to begin a new book - as pulp characters go they don’t get much better than Mike Hammer, so I think readers of this thread will enjoy this…
Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer - Chapter One (Part 1 of 2)
,
More next Tuesday…
Roll on next Tuesday!
Looks like this will be a great read…thanks 🍸
Really excellent thread, CHB. I was a massive comic book fan as a youngster, and a renewed nerd in the early '90s... until I had a mortgage, haha. You've got some great ones highlighted.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Thank you, guys, I’m glad you’re enjoying them.
SCREAM! - 15 Issues (1984)
It’s hard to believe that this was launched 40 years ago, Monday 24th March 1984, the first issue of Scream! retailed for just 22p and featured a free pair of plastic fangs taped to the garish cover image of a vampire and Grim Reaper, both framing the tag line ‘Just when you thought it was safe to sleep in the dark’…
Comparisons to Action aside, nothing actually published in the UK had gone down this route before: an anthology horror comic written, illustrated, and produced in the UK and featuring a range of ghastly content, such as The Dracula Files, The Terror of the Cats, The Library of Death and Monster. All richly drawn and featuring stark moments of horror, and very, very popular. Yet, after only 15 issues, Scream! abruptly ceased publication, having only survived until June of its debut year.
Scream! was published by the IPC group, one of the big three largest British Comics publishers, alongside Marvel UK and DC Thompson.
Scream! was edited by Ghastly McNasty, “the once human editor of this gruesome publication”. McNasty promised in his opening editorial to publish stories “that will chill you to the bone and make your blood run cold”.
McNasty would appear throughout the pages with warnings or lighthearted comments but always appearing as a hunched, robed figure whose face was concealed within the folds and shadows of his hood, with only two dazzlingly bright eyes to give any sense of what McNasty might look like.
Scream! consisted of five regular ongoing stories The Dracula File, The Thirteenth Floor, Monster, Tales from the Grave and The Terror of the Cats supported by one-to-three-page self-contained morality tales titled A Ghastly Tale and Library of Death. To balance all of this horror, a humorous element came in the form of a reprint from another of IPC’s comics, Cor!!, Fiends and Neighbours.
The Scream! strips were mainly set in the present day: The Dracula File sees Count Dracula escaping from Europe and relocating to 1980’s Britain while The Thirteenth Floor was set in a high-rise council building, mirroring the urban landscape of contemporary Britain, and Monster features police officers in modern uniform.
Only one strip was explicitly located in the past: Tales from the Grave was set in Victorian London and was one of the few strips to appear in full colour in the comic. The colour was garish and highlighted the misery of the era and compounded any horror that occurred within its narrative.
As the comic moved past its sixth issue some of the serialised stories were concluded – such as Terror of the Cats – and replaced with new ones while A Ghastly Tale became a longer one-off strip.
Scream! did not shy away from explicit content. Issue 1 featured a character being shot down in a hail of bullets with what seems to be pieces of flesh splattering away from his body; the Grim Reaper stands with a scythe over a terrified man; one story ends with a child living in a house haunted by their parents.
Subsequent issues continued with more brutal imagery –a man is repeatedly electrocuted to death; a vampire stands over its victim, his mouth wet and dripping with blood; a skeleton of a witch drags a character beneath the surface in an effort to drown them; a full colour panel illustrates the remains of a character’s face after having been eaten by rats.
With Scream! being published at a time of great concern over the influence horror was having upon British youth (the video nasty furore was in full national outcry), it is perhaps not a surprise that it did not last long. But while it might be easy to suggest that the comic was cancelled as a result of a public outcry, this may not have been the case. Scream! was cancelled along with five other IPC comics as a result of an industrial dispute. Whether the publishers took the easy option to cancel the title will probably never be known. The final issue was released on Monday 30th June 1984 and, unaware of the impending cancellation at the time of publication, this issue did not end the ongoing narratives of Dracula etc. Instead, each episode ended on the usual cliff-hanger and with a closing box stating “Next Monday…” or “In seven days…” to ensure the purchase of the next issue.
Three months after its cancellation, the title merged with another IPC comic, Eagle, and while this seemed like an ideal hybrid, only two stories from Scream! carried over: The Thirteenth Floor and Monster.
From 1985 to 1989 there were Holiday Specials, the content was mostly reprints from the original 15 issue run but also featured photographic tours of the London Dungeon and similar attractions, as well as board games, and quizzes. These issues are pretty rare in nice condition. Surprisingly, no annuals were published.
Scream! remains a popular title for comic collectors, it’s content and low number run being two good reasons.
That’s one comic I’d never heard of before…must be due to it’s short lived publication 🤔
Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (2020) - Chapter Five (Part 2 of 3)
The conclusion of chapter 5 is tomorrow, and it visually portrays everything that you conjure up n your imagination when you read the word Dracula.
Thanks, CHB. This is one of the few adaptations where we have faces for all (unless I've forgotten someone) of the characters from Stoker - usually a film will omit Quincey, Arthur or both and/or maybe combine others eg Lucy and Mina. The artwork just zings along, modernising an old story in a fresh way.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (2020) - Chapter Five (Part 3 of 3)
Stunning artwork. I would love Amazon to produce a mini-series using this graphic novel as a storyboard. Chapter 6 begins next Thursday.
Yes, indeed, that would be great.
Christopher Lee doing the above scene (Lugosi never did), from "Dracula Prince Of Darkness"-
LIVE AND LET DIE (2019) Chapter Thirteen:
Chapter 14 tomorrow…