A couple of weeks ago eBay auctioneer Phil Shrimpton had the pleasure of meeting the current Beano editor, John Anderson, at the DC Thomson HQ in Dundee, and has kindly shared his interview with him.
The latest Phil-Comics auction, ending this weekend, includes a number of classic Beano comics – details of just some of them below!
John has worked in the Beano office since 2004 and has been the Editor since 2016. A very nice man indeed and I spent 30 minutes or so in the Beano office hearing about how the comic is made, seeing some speech bubbles being added to a strip on-screen, plus various things Beano related. I’d previously asked members of the Beano Collectors Society if anyone had any questions to ask and a few did. Here’s John’s answers…
What are your favourite Beano memories as a kid?
I used to read Beano and my next-door neighbour would read The Dandy and then we’d swap. More specifically, I remember the “21-Catty Salute” (was that issue 2,500?) and Dennis changing his look to shell suit and Walkman (before Gnasher mistook him for the postie, if memory serves).
How important are adult readers for sales figures and encouraging their kids to read it?
It’s impossible to say how many adults are reading Beano each week. But what is important is that we know that parental knowledge and approval (from reading it when they were children) leads to kids discovering Beano in the first place.
Did the end of The Dandy affect the Beano‘s sales figures?
Short answer is no. The ABC figures from this period are in the public domain. Casting my own mind back, Beano’s sales figures started to increase in late 2014, fully two years after The Dandy ended. Not sure that’s close enough to draw a correlation.
Did you read The Dandy also and have any favourite characters?
Yeah, as mentioned above. My absolute favourite Dandy character is Corporal Clott.
What was your first Beano issue or annual?
No idea. I’ve a feeling I started reading around the 50th anniversary in 1988 and certainly had a collection of the white-jacketed “50 Years” releases.
Is there any character from your youth and reading The Beano that you would love to see back one day?
Not from my youth exactly, but I still have an intense soft spot for Kick-Ass Koalas from my time on BeanoMAX. (The characters appeared in 21 issues of BeanoMAX – Ed)
What made you decide to “grow up” Ivy the Terrible?
I’m trying to remember where we did this now… was it in the annual for the 85th anniversary story? If so, probably because I thought it would be a laugh! But if this is a roundabout way of asking whether this means Ivy the Terrible can’t come back as a toddler, then… no. If I feel the time is right for Ivy to come back as a terrible toddler, then she will.
I loved Les Pretend as a kid, any plans for him to return one day?
I love Les too. He’s one of those characters who always comes up in conversations when we’re thinking about who might come back. No firm plans, but don’t rule it out!
Who’s your favourite Bash Street Kid?
Smiffy. Always been Smiffy. He’s the one who can do the deadpan Airplane-style gags.
We’re looking forward to Betty and her Yeti going into book form… what other characters will get this treatment… and is this the future for the Beano, now WHSmiths appears to be going?
I can’t really say what the future of the book range might bring. If there’s a demand, they’ll happen, I guess. Beano is sold via subscription over newsstand at a ratio of about 3 to 1. Again, this sort of ABC data is public domain. It’s very sad to hear about the uncertainty around WHSmith, and I feel especially for the staff who will be affected by the outcome. I’m keeping my fingers crossed we aren’t about to lose another high street fixture.
Why has the Beano survived on the newsstands, while other comics haven’t?
Personally, I think it was the introduction of the child characters in the 1950s. It’s hardly revolutionary to say that Beano has tracked changing trends rather than setting them, and this give the comic a unique perspective from which to tell stories – a child’s perspective. And as times and tastes have changed, so too the comic has changed with them.
Then, of course, there’s the simplicity and/or strength of these characters themselves. It’s a testament to the work that was done by the creative team back then that they’re so well defined that the “window dressing” can change around them and yet they remain so vibrant and relevant whether it’s 1955 or 2025. Consider my cap doffed; we stand on the shoulders of giants.
What new characters are you developing?
We’re always working behind the scenes to refine and evolve the characters (relevant to the above answer) and plug any gaps where they might appear. We’ve something new starting in late April for a short run to see if it might develop.
What comics did you read growing up and what did you enjoy about them?
I started with Beano (and the neighbour’s Dandy) and then moved onto the dying days of [1980s] The Eagle (“The Thirteenth Floor” still resonates in my mind 30 years later) and then 2000AD around the time of the Judgement Day arc. And, obviously, I’ve been reading the Doctor Who comic strip for decades (Hello, “Glorious Dead” arc!) Still, nothing makes me laugh like slapstick humour. Deadpan humour. Genuine wit. Comics can deliver all of that in spades. I’d like to think that’s what we do on Beano every week for the next generation to enjoy.
Why should children today read The Beano?
For the slapstick humour. The deadpan humour. The genuine wit. And to be motivated to make more in the future.
What would you like to achieve as editor?
When my daughters grow up, and maybe have children of their own, and it’s a wet, grey day outside, and they’re moved to read one of those old comics they’ve found on the shelf, and they’re able to say, “Dad did that” with no small amount of pride. Then my job is done.
Beano is on sale every Wednesday in all good newsagents, and available on subscription. Check it out online at beano.com
• Betty and the Yeti: Friends at First Fart is on sale in all good bookshops from 27th March 2025
Betty and the Yeti are the best of friends, but Yeti is, well … a yeti, and Betty isn’t supposed to have a yeti living in her room – not that she’s asked! What the groan-ups don’t know won’t hurt them, right? Well, just their house, their garden and their bank accounts! But shh! You wouldn’t tell them about Yeti, would you?
Join Betty and Yeti as they get to grips with being roommates and Yeti learns how to act like a human to blend in. Will it end in disaster or will they become friends at first fart? Find out in this epic new comic book series, which includes awesome activities for you to complete as you go.
Phil-Comics latest auction includes a huge number of The Beano back issues, alongside a plethora of Battle comics, The Dandy, TV Century 21, WHAM! fantastic art by Walt Howarth, and much, much more! Here are come of our favourite lots…
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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