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Topper (comic book)
Encyclopedia
The Topper was a UK comic
published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer.
A strip named "Mickey the Monkey
" originally graced the front cover. In the early 1970s, it was replaced by "Send for Kelly". That strip was replaced with "Danny's Tranny" in 1975, and then "Tricky Dicky
" in 1979. "Beryl the Peril
" took over on 24 May 1986, and remained there until the merger with The Beezer.
Unlike most other comics at the time, which were half tabloid size, the Topper was for many years full tabloid. It changed to A4 in 1980, one year before The Beezer.
Two comics were merged into The Topper during its run: these were Buzz
in 1975 and Sparky
in 1977.
The Topper also produced an annual collection (see The Topper Book
).
taking a greater share of children's time, sales of comics began to fall, and so D. C. Thomson decided to modernise the Topper, relaunching it as Topper '89 from February 1989.
In September 1990, it was decided to merge the Topper with another of D. C. Thomson's long-running comics, The Beezer and the two comics combined as Beezer and Topper. This continued in publication until 1993; it subsequently closed, with a small amount of content from the combined comic subsequently relocating into other D. C. Thomson publications The Beano
and The Dandy
.
Despite the closure of the Topper as a standalone title, The Topper Book
continued as an annual, separate from The Beezer Book, until the 1994 annual (published 1993, the year new issues of Beezer and Topper ceased).
Vintage stories from the Topper appeared alongside stories from other D. C. Thomson publications in Classics from the Comics
, a compilation magazine series which ran from 1996 to 2010.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, is a publishing company based in Dundee, Scotland, best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Sunday Post, Oor Wullie, The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy and Commando comics...
that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer.
A strip named "Mickey the Monkey
Mickey the Monkey
Mickey the Monkey was a comic strip which featured the eponymous fictional monkey, Mickey. The character was the cover star of British comic The Topper from its launch in 1953 until the 1970s. The strip appeared throughout the comic's run, until its merger with The Beezer. The final story was in...
" originally graced the front cover. In the early 1970s, it was replaced by "Send for Kelly". That strip was replaced with "Danny's Tranny" in 1975, and then "Tricky Dicky
Tricky Dicky (comics)
Tricky Dicky was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Topper. Drawn by John Dallas, Dicky used to play practical jokes on people, but they usually managed to get the last laugh...
" in 1979. "Beryl the Peril
Beryl the Peril
Beryl the Peril is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for Issue 1 of The Topper comic published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black and red apparel, and devilishly tormented her parents and other members of her community...
" took over on 24 May 1986, and remained there until the merger with The Beezer.
Unlike most other comics at the time, which were half tabloid size, the Topper was for many years full tabloid. It changed to A4 in 1980, one year before The Beezer.
Two comics were merged into The Topper during its run: these were Buzz
Buzz (comic)
Buzz was an A3 British comic that ran from 20 January 1973 to 4 January 1975, when it merged with The Topper. Buzz ran for 103 Issues.-List of Buzz comic strips:...
in 1975 and Sparky
Sparky (comic)
Sparky was a British comic published weekly by DC Thomson, that ran from 23 January 1965 to 9 July 1977 when it merged with The Topper after 652 issues. From 1965-1980 the comic published an annual entitled The Sparky Book...
in 1977.
The Topper also produced an annual collection (see The Topper Book
The Topper Book
The Topper Book was the name of the book that had been published every year since 1954, to tie in with the children's comic The Topper. 40 were made over the years. Since they were traditionally published in the autumn and in time for Christmas, since 1966 they had the date of the following year on...
).
Rebrand, closure and reprints
In the late 1980s and 1990s, with the expansion of children's television and videogamesVideoGames
VideoGames may refer to:*VideoGames, a mid-1990s magazine about video games.*Video games in general....
taking a greater share of children's time, sales of comics began to fall, and so D. C. Thomson decided to modernise the Topper, relaunching it as Topper '89 from February 1989.
In September 1990, it was decided to merge the Topper with another of D. C. Thomson's long-running comics, The Beezer and the two comics combined as Beezer and Topper. This continued in publication until 1993; it subsequently closed, with a small amount of content from the combined comic subsequently relocating into other D. C. Thomson publications The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
and The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
.
Despite the closure of the Topper as a standalone title, The Topper Book
The Topper Book
The Topper Book was the name of the book that had been published every year since 1954, to tie in with the children's comic The Topper. 40 were made over the years. Since they were traditionally published in the autumn and in time for Christmas, since 1966 they had the date of the following year on...
continued as an annual, separate from The Beezer Book, until the 1994 annual (published 1993, the year new issues of Beezer and Topper ceased).
Vintage stories from the Topper appeared alongside stories from other D. C. Thomson publications in Classics from the Comics
Classics from the Comics
Classics from the Comics was a UK comic, published from March 1996 until October 2010. Published monthly, it was D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd's third all-reprint comic...
, a compilation magazine series which ran from 1996 to 2010.
Strips
Strips in The Topper included:- Al Change - Master of Disguise
- Ali's Baba (from Sparky)
- Andy Ladd - a short strip about a young resourceful inventor
- Beryl the PerilBeryl the PerilBeryl the Peril is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for Issue 1 of The Topper comic published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black and red apparel, and devilishly tormented her parents and other members of her community...
- a mischievous girl similar to Minnie the MinxMinnie the MinxMinnie the Minx is a fictional character in the British comic The Beano. Created and originally drawn by Leo Baxendale, she first appeared in issue 596, dated 19 December 1953 making her the third longest running Beano character, behind only Dennis the Menace and Roger the Dodger...
. Appeared on cover from 1986 to the merge with Beezer in 1990. Recently appeared in the Dandy. - Big Uggy - a caveman and an anthropomorphic dinosaur friend Dopey
- Danny's Tranny (1973-86) - a boy and his magical transistor radio - was cover star in mid 1970s.
- Desert Island Dick - a short strip about a castaway, his pet octopus and his incompetent attempts to summon rescue. The name is a parody of Desert Island DiscsDesert Island DiscsDesert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. - Dopey Joe - a short strip about an incompetent Indian
- Figaro - an overweight Mexican bandit and his gang.
- Foxy - A fox forever trying to steal chickens and forever getting blasted by The Farmer. Later joins the Dandy
- Fred the Flop (1973-86) - Incompetent petty criminal whose scheme slaways fail. (Originally from Buzz)
- Fred's BedFred's BedFred's Bed is a comic strip in the British comic The Beano. It originally appeared in the The Topper section of the merged The Beezer and Topper comic in 1991. In the first strip, Fred breaks his old bed and when Fred and his mum go out to buy a new one, she buys the cheapest bed in the shop...
A boy with a weird bed than can take him into far removed places and back in time. Came back in The BeanoThe BeanoThe Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
in 2007, first as reprints, becoming new strips in 2009. Appeared in the merged Beezer and Topper. - Ghastly Manor - A group of ghosts and monsters who live in a run down manor which is perpetually for sale. Each episode is based on them scaring away a prospective buyer.
- Hungry Horace (from Sparky) - the kid with the bottomless appetite who is always after food.
- The Iron Eaters An extra terrestrial invasion of Earth by pink sponge-like creatures which ate iron and other metals.
- Jimmy Jinx and what he thinks (1973-89) - Originally from Buzz (appears as a character in Fun Size Dandy
- Julius Cheeser - a short strip about a cat's failures to catch a mouse.
- Keyhole KateKeyhole KateKeyhole Kate was a comic strip in The Dandy. The strip featured a nosy young girl who looked looking through people's keyholes. She first appeared in The Dandy's first issue drawn by Allan Morley back in 1937. She continued in The Dandy until 1955 and even appeared as the cover strip of issue 294...
- Revival from The Dandy, this version was originally in Sparky. - King Gussie Everybody laughs to see the antics of His Majesty - a short strip about a kingMonarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
; like strips such as Desperate DanDesperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
, this surreally combined historical and modern day elements. - Mickey the MonkeyMickey the MonkeyMickey the Monkey was a comic strip which featured the eponymous fictional monkey, Mickey. The character was the cover star of British comic The Topper from its launch in 1953 until the 1970s. The strip appeared throughout the comic's run, until its merger with The Beezer. The final story was in...
(1953-85,1990) - a similar concept to Biffo the BearBiffo the BearBiffo the Bear was a fictional character who had his own comic strip in the British comic The Beano. Biffo was an anthropomorphic bear resembling Mickey Mouse who gained the front cover of the comic starting from issue 327, dated January 24, 1948, replacing Big Eggo...
, but with a monkey. Mickey was sometimes portrayed as stupid, forgetful and unlucky. The Clash drummer Topper HeadonTopper HeadonHeadon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
was reputedly nicknamed after the character. The original cover star. - Peter Piper - (1939-40, 1967?-88) with magical pan pipes that could animate objects. Originally appeared in the short lived Magic comic and revived in Sparky.
- Pup ParadePup ParadePup Parade was a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. It centred around The Bash Street Kids' dogs, known as The Bash Street Pups, and their many adventures. It made its first appearance in issue 1326, dated 16 December 1967, and was drawn by Gordon Bell. The dogs were all anthropomorphic...
(1989-92) - A canine version of 'The Bash Street kids' - Originally from The BeanoThe BeanoThe Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
between 1967 and 1988. Later reappeared in the same comic in 2003. - Scaredy Cat (1989-93) - A petrified cat who had lost 8 out his 9 lives. Survived Beezer merger and stayed until comic's end.
- Send for Kelly (1960s-91)- A secret agent called Nick Kelly, helped by assistant Cedric for most of the strip's run. Cedric was later replaced by Harry, nephew of Kelly. Survived Beezer merger in 1990.
- Sir Laughalot - a fantasy knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and his misadventures - Smart Art
- Souper Boy (1977-86) - a weedy boy who became extremely strong when drinking a special soup, similarly to PopeyePopeyePopeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
- SplodgeSplodgeSplodge was a fictional character in a comic strip in, originally, the UK comic The Topper. Drawn by Charles Grigg, Splodge himself was the last of the goblins, a mischievous one who would play sneaky, nasty tricks on the animals of the woods, but they usually had the last laugh at the end...
the last of the goblins - around four inches high and invisible to humans, who stole food (Later in Beano.) - Tiny - The World's Biggest Dog
- Tom and Terry (1979-88) (from Sparky)
- Tricky DickyTricky Dicky (comics)Tricky Dicky was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Topper. Drawn by John Dallas, Dicky used to play practical jokes on people, but they usually managed to get the last laugh...
(1976-93) - cover star from 1979 until 1986. Moved to the inside for the duration of the comic's life, survived Beezer merge, later in Beano during the year 2000. - The Whizzers from Ozz
Famous creators
Well known creators who worked for The Topper include:- Leo BaxendaleLeo BaxendaleLeo Baxendale is a British cartoonist, who was the creator of the classic Beano strips Little Plum , Minnie the Minx , The Bash Street Kids and The Three Bears .Leo Baxendale was at the end of his National Service days in the RAF, when he decided he...
- Gordon BellGordon Bell (artist)Gordon Bell is an artist who lives in the UK. From the 1960s onward he has worked extensively for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, publishers of The Beano and The Dandy comics . His sketchy, breezy cartoon style places the emphasis firmly on the foreground characters, with the backgrounds often consisting...
- Paddy BrennanPaddy BrennanPaddy Brennan is an Irish comics artist who worked mainly in the UK, drawing adventure strips for D. C. Thomson & Co. titles. He was a freelancer, working six months of the year in Dublin and six months in London....
- David LawDavid LawDavid "Davey" Law was a Scottish cartoonist best known for creating Dennis the Menace and Beryl the Peril for Dundee publishers D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd ....
- Joe McCaffrey
- Tom PatersonTom PatersonTom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986-onwards. He lives in Leith, with three kids, and is a Hearts supporter.He is famous for drawing comics such as:-Fleetway:...
- Dudley D. WatkinsDudley D. WatkinsDudley Dexter Watkins was a British cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie and The Broons; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post since 1936, along with annual compilations...
- John Dallas
- Malcolm JudgeMalcolm JudgeMalcolm Judge was a British cartoonist, best known for his contributions to DC Thomson's range of comics. He was married, had one daughter, and lived in Bishopbriggs near Glasgow....
- Robert NixonRobert NixonRobert Fletcher Nixon is a retired politician in the province of Ontario, Canada. The son of former Premier of Ontario Harry Nixon, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a 1962 by-election following his father's death...
- David ParkinsDavid ParkinsDavid Parkins is a British cartoonist and illustrator who has worked for D.C. Thomson, publisher of The Beano and The Dandy. Now based in Canada, he illustrates children's picture books....