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| The first-ever Dennis book. Art by Davey Law |
Readers who bought The BEANO #452, dated March 17th 1951, could never have guessed what impact the new strip on page 5 of the 12 page comic (priced 2d) would eventually have, not only on the comic itself, but also the country at large.
Today, DENNIS The MENACE is a British icon, and there can't be a kid (or adult) in the land who hasn't heard of the spiky-haired rascal. Dreamed up by GEORGE MOONIE (who took the name from a song), IAN CHISHOLM, and DAVID LAW, the lovable scamp has been the comic's cover star since 1974.
However, his initial appearance (without the famous hooped jersey, which didn't show up until a few strips down the line) is rather standard fare, and displays only a faint hint of the madcap anarchy which established his reader popularity in subsequent escapades.
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| Dennis's very first appearance. Art by Davey Law |
So successful did the strip become that, if not for Dennis, LEO BAXENDALE might never have been inspired to contact the Dundee "fun factory" looking for work. After a few false starts, things were not looking good for him until, copying Dennis's face, he created LITTLE PLUM (or BOOSTER, as he was provisionally called), the strip which secured his place in the world of D.C. THOMSON's children's comics. (It wasn't too long before Plum developed his own distinct facial features.)
It's no exaggeration to say that, without Dennis, Thomson's may well have had no Leo to produce not only Little Plum, but also The BASH STREET KIDS and The THREE BEARS, who - along with DUDLEY D. WATKIN's LORD SNOOTY and KEN REID's ROGER The DODGER - were destined to become some of the comic's other most iconic characters.
Interestingly, in what can only be described as an amazing coincidence, another DENNIS The MENACE - by HANK KETCHAM - debuted in his own American newspaper strip on March 12th 1951.
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| The issue Dennis first appeared. Artwork by Dudley D. Watkins |
However, British comics are traditionally released up to seven days before the cover date to give them a full week's shelf life until the next issue, so that means our Dennis hit the shops well in advance of the 17th. (Some sources say the 12th, the same day as the U.S. version.)
However, as current Dennis artist NIGEL PARKINSON points out, U.K. comics are usually printed up to a week before going on sale, so regardless of which character had the longer lead-in to publication (which is anybody's guess), the British Dennis definitely saw print first - by several days. (Consider also that U.K. weekly comics are prepared about two months before publication.)
Although known in this country, the U.S. version does not enjoy the same level (or anywhere near it) of popularity as our own home-grown rascal, but is big in the States, and no doubt our Dennis is just a minor footnote over there. The two are completely different types of strips however, and aren't really comparable.
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| Classic Dennis from the 1978 Dennis book. Art by Davey Law |
Today, Dennis is everywhere: books, stationery, stamps, toys, figurines, DVDs, TV, and, of course, comics. Given the disappointing circulation figures that afflict traditional kids' comics nowadays, let's hope that Dennis will still be around in another 60 years. All together now - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENNIS! (The one who isn't the gay gondolier from Venice, that is - because it's not his birthday.)
(FOOTNOTE: When the U.S. strips were reprinted in Britain many years ago, the title was renamed after the character's live-action '60s TV show, JUST DENNIS (The PICKLE), to avoid confusion with the Thomson's character. In 1976 or '77, DENIS GIFFORD, the late British comics historian and collector, made mention of this fact in the pages of an issue of his ALLY SLOPER magazine, and received an irate letter from a young American reader who had mistakenly assumed that Denis was saying the strip's name-change had occurred in the USA - so it seems our Stateside cousins are just as enthusiastic about their version of Dennis as we are of ours.)
(All images on this post are copyright of D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.)
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| Back cover of the first-ever Dennis book. Art by Davey Law |
Roy Thomas's Alter Ego magazine, in about 2004, mentioned the coincidence of the two Dennis the Menace debuts with the words "apparently an English Dennis the Menace also started that month and ran for a short while." I did put them straight, especially over the use of the word 'English'!
ReplyDeleteApparently there was also a world war back in the '30s and '40s which America won mostly by itself - though I understand that "England" lent some mild support. (They're in their own little world, aren't they?)
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, Dennis is British - that way he belongs to all of us. You must be fair chuffed, NP, being the current Dennis artist, eh? There's not many who could pull off that gig successfully. Fan as I was of the late, great Bob Nixon, his style just didn't suit Oor Wullie and The Broons. Dennis is in the same category - he needs the right artist and you're one of the few who are up to the job. (It's a shame that Thomson's have lumbered you with the "TV look" instead of the "classic" one 'though.)
Damn, Dennis had long legs in the early days...
ReplyDeleteHe was tiny initially. He stretched as a consequence of Davey Law trying to get the strip drawn in a decent time. Eventually he shrunk back down a bit.
ReplyDeleteIn 1976 or '77, DENIS GIFFORD, the late British comics historian and collector, made mention of this fact in the pages of an issue of his ALLY SLOPER magazine, and received an irate letter from a young American reader who had mistakenly assumed that Denis was saying the strip's name-change had occurred in the USA - so it seems our Stateside cousins are just as enthusiastic about their version of Dennis as we are of ours.)
ReplyDeleteI don't, our Dennis sucks! We really needed THIS kid instead!
I think you could live without the current incarnation of the character, Chris (well-drawn as it is).
ReplyDeleteThe 'classic' Dennis is the one to go for.