Fun fact! Did you know that 410,000 bars of Lemon ‘n’ Lime chew bar, weighing over six tons and which, laid end to end would cover 32 miles, were given away with The Beano No. 2394, cover dated Jun 4th 1988?
Well, actually, neither did we, but that’s the claim of whoever put together a rarely seen press pack produced in 1988 for The Beano and The Dandy’s comics then upcoming 50th Anniversary Celebrations, unearthed by Phil Shrimpton of Phil-Comics fame.
The press pack includes a copy of that issue, and promotional material for The Beano No. 2402, cover dated 30th July 1988, a Special 50th Birthday Issue, which included “The First 50 Years Celebration Poster”, and a reminder of the recent release of The Dandy and the Beano – The First Fifty Years, a celebratory book published in 1987, copies available at reasonable prices online.
Run by Phil Shrimpton, the award-winning Phil-Comics specialises in vintage comics and related items such as annuals, holiday specials, free gifts and original artwork.
• Check out the full catalogue of the current Phil-Comics auction here on eBay
• Buy The Dandy and the Beano – The First Fifty Years from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Abe Books | ISBN 978-0851163840
• There’s a copy of The Beano No. 2402 complete with poster available here from Nigel Smith Books
With thanks to Phil Shrimpton | The Beano ©️ Beano Studios/DC Thomson Media
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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.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Books, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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