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The first Annual I remember receiving as a Christmas present was the TV Century 21 Annual for 1966 (issued in '65). Around the same time or not long afterwards, I got the Stingray Annual for the same year. I also had all four Fireball XL5 Annuals, but they were acquired from jumble sales a year or two (or more) after the fact, not bought new as they were published. (Though I recall seeing the endpapers of either the first or second Annual, belonging to a pal of my brother's, as we walked to school one morning in 1964.) I had a couple of the 'new' Smash! Annuals, the first Thunder Annual, plus the Super DC Bumper Book, only one of which was ever produced. (As in for one year only, not one lone book.)
My brother may've had one or two Beano Books obtained from friends in the early '60s, but I'm not entirely sure. The reason I think it's possible is because I remember using one as a 'seat' on a single skate and racing down the street where we lived at the time. The first Annual I purchased in my present house was the Knockout Annual for 1973, soon followed by the Marvel Annual for the same year. Then followed Spider-Man, The Avengers, The Titans, The Incredible Hulk, Captain Britain, and The Super-Heroes.
Doubtless there were many others, but they escape the clutches of memory as I type this. Once I've finished, I'll sit down, cast my thoughts back, see which ones spring to the forefront of my mind, and include them in some kind of order in this post. New, old, second-hand, I'll feature all the ones I recall having as a kid and teenager. See how many of them you remember having yourself, and reminisce about them to your heart's content in our comments section.
The earliest annual I can recall receiving was called Teddy Bear I think but here are some more:
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Topper
Beano
Dennis The Menace
Dr. Who
Planet Of The Apes
Star Trek
Space: 1999
Spider-Man (1979)
Hulk (1979)
I think annuals dated 1979 were the last ones I ever bought.
I've bought a few Rupert Annuals over the years, CJ, so I should've included them. I still buy a few Annuals every year, like the combined 'The Broons and Oor Wullie' books that come out each year. And I've got every Dennis The Menace Book ever published, though most of the older ones I acquired long after the fact. I should've included the ones for '76. '78, '83 (there were none between '78 & '83) onwards. They usually came out every two years until around '86 or '87.
ReplyDeleteThe 60s were my era for annuals. Early sixties I remember sooty and torchy annuals then the hanna barbera ones Top Cat Yogi Bear Hucklebrrry Hound. Went on to the dandy beano beezer topper sparky buster after that. The 1965 dalek annual was always a favourite. I remember a Jackpot annual in mid sixties which had no comnection with any comic but featured a teacher who was a teapot. I think the 60s Dandy annuals are definitely my all time favourites. I still buy the broons oor wullie Rupert dandy and beano annuals to this day
ReplyDeleteI may well have had a Hanna-Barbera Annual of some kind, LH, and have some old ones now, but I can't recall whether I had any of my current lot back then. I've now got all three Dalek books of the '60s, but I didn't have them at the time so haven't included them in this post. I don't buy the alternating Broons and Wullie books, only the combined yearly hardback ones.
ReplyDeleteI definitely had the 1978 Dennis The Menace - I remember the cover.
ReplyDeleteI said in my previous comment that annuals dated 1979 were my final ones but I also bought The Beano Annual 2009 out of curiosity and nostalgia - 2009 turned out to be the year my mother died and I became an "orphan" so it's curious I chose to buy the Beano annual for that year in particular.
Of all the annuals shown here I only had the Pow 1968 annual ( although I picked up the second Willy the Kid annual about 12 years ago). Despite buying every issue of Mighty World of Marvel, the first 300 issues of Spiderman and many issues of the Avengers and Titans I never had their annuals. I think the last regular annual I got as a present at the time, was around 1972 possibly the Dandy. My gran may have bought Oor Wullie or the Broons for us after that time as a Hogmanay gift though. I pretty much lost I Teresa in UK annuals when I was 12 in 1972 although I have picked up the odd 1960s annual whrn I see them at a good price and I used to buy those best of Beano and Dandy books (until about 5 years ago(
ReplyDeleteI've a few of these tucked away, discovered in back issue boxes. But my favorite cover is the one with the Hulk giving the soldiers a serious spanking when he lifts up that gun. It's stunning!
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Meant to add £1 for a Willy the Kid annual that's amazing I'm a tad jealous of that and not just at the price but in having this in your collection at all.
ReplyDeleteActually, CJ, I've bought the Beano and Dandy Annuals over the last several years, but I can't remember how many and they're all tucked away at the moment, so I can't scan them. I suppose you think of your mother when you look at that Annual, eh?
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Yeah, I've got a good few of those books too, McS, they're usually quite nice. I'll have to force myself to stop buying them though as I don't have much space to put things anymore. I've got all three Willy The Kid books, but it took me over 30 years to track down the third one.
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That cover is copied from a panel in the interior Hulk strip, RJ. I did a post a while back comparing both of them, but can't recall what I called it.
I saw your first Willy the Kid book in Oxfam Books in Byers Road for a few years ago for .....£50, and it sold. I saw 3 Wham annuals 1970,71 and 73 and one Pow 1974 in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago for £3 each but we're pretty tatty - I might buy them when I visit the city again if they are still there.
ReplyDeleteIf you buy them, I might be able to tart them up for you a bit, McS, as I'm quite good at improving things. Oxfam were obviously following an ebay seller's asking price for the Willy book. Just a shame they didn't see the seller who was asking £50 for all three books and adjusted their price accordingly.
ReplyDeleteKind offer Kid. If I get them I'll certainly contact you.
ReplyDeleteRepairs won't cost you anything, McS. Recently bought some special Chinese paper-repair tape, so I'm itchin' to go.
ReplyDeleteI don't still have that Beano 2009 annual, Kid - I gave it to a charity shop a couple of months after buying it.
ReplyDeleteIf I bought the 2009 Annual (which I think I did), it'll still be lying around somewhere, CJ. Can't recall anything about it though.
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