Annuals Revisited – The 1970s

 

And thus to the 1970s, a decade in which TV spin-offs from World Distributors enjoyed a near monopoly over the festive annual market. D.C. Thompson continued to keep the Dundee flag flying with its regular publications, of which we received the Beano, Dandy, Beezer and Topper at various times over the next few years. Both my brother and myself had outgrown nursery papers like Teddy Bear and Pippin, and the yearly crop of annuals began to feature more grown-up fare. By 1975 I was no longer content to wait until Christmas and would make sure of getting a copy of something like the Space:1999 Annual as soon as it appeared. In this case, my friend’s mum ordered a couple of copies from a catalogue for us.

1970

UFO Annual – Polystyle, publishers of TV Comic certainly hit the ground running with this sumptuously illustrated book that reached the shelves in time for Christmas, a mere three months after UFO had made its TV debut. The absence of comic strips in any annual is always a clear indication of a short lead time, and the reliance on photos illustrating text stories and features meant that this would have been a comparatively easy item to produce. For me, the exclusive use of photos gave this annual an edge over the typical World Distributors efforts, which relied far too heavily on artwork that often looked rushed. The UFO Annual was clearly designed by someone who’d studied the series and its iconography: the Eurostile font employed on the main titles is used throughout. Purists might bemoan the absence of comic strips, but for me, their absence adds quality – there being no rubbishy artwork to spoil the clean page layouts. Of all the Gerry Anderson tie-in annuals, UFO is up there with the best of them.

The Beano Book/ The Beezer Book – Strange as it may sound, these were the first of the classic D.C. Thompson annuals to arrive in our house, and they owed their appearance to a summer holiday ferry trip to the Republic of Ireland when my brother and myself had been bought copies of the Beano and Beezer to keep us entertained on the voyage. Of incidental interest is the fact that the copies for sale on the ferry were several weeks out of synch with what you’d have found in any newsagent. After the holiday, we started getting both comics on a regular basis, so the year’s annuals seemed like a safe bet. I still think Colonel Blink is the single funniest creation ever to emerge from D.C. Thompson, but it’s probably not okay any more to use myopia as a source of humour. Oddly, we see a distinct difference in production values between these two sibling annuals – The Beezer had a lower page count, but was printed in colour throughout (likewise the Topper), whilst the Beano book was longer, but printed in black line with a variety of spot colours, a format also adopted by the Dandy.

TV21 Annual – After the bumper crop of TV21 spin-off annuals that had taken pride of place over the last three years, 1970 saw the wheels come off the operation. TV21 had been thoughtlessly amalgamated with Joe 90 the previous year, losing most of the remaining Gerry Anderson strips in the process. Unbelievably, Tarzan and The Saint, both of them renegades from TV Tornado following its merger into TV21, were still on the roster for this year’s annual. But the golden turkey here was Land of the Giants, a survivor from the Joe 90 comic, whose author had clearly seen the series but never read a single piece of promotional literature, for he insisted on referring to the little people’s spaceship as the ‘Spendthrift’ (it was really the ‘Spindrift’). A clear case of Chinese whispers, I think. If one had to sum up this annual in a single word, I think ‘rubbish’ would suffice.

Thunderbirds Annual – A curiosity, this. For, despite the title, the contents look very much like what we might have expected from this year’s TV21 Annual – or perhaps last year's.The featured series was to be found in just four stories and features, whilst the remaineder of the contents comprised titles from the 1969 TV21 weekly – Department S, Captain Scarlet, Secret Agent 21 and Zero-X – plus Joe 90. It certainly did not reflect the state of TV21 circa 1970. Pages were printed in the customary ‘cheap colour overlay’ process familiar from the last few years’ annuals from City Magazines, alongside red and green duotones. Artwork was of the very cheapest: functional journeyman stuff with neither the commitment nor flair of the genre’s greatest exponents.

TV Comic Annual – The last edition to find its way into our house had arrived at Christmas 1965, but 1970 would be the first of several years in which either myself or my brother was given this annual at Christmas. Of the 1966 strip line-up, TV Terrors and Mighty Moth were still present and correct, alongside Dr. Who and Popeye, although the rest of the contents had been updated to keep in line with what was currently popular on the box. To say that the two Dr. Who strips were not quite like the TV series is something of an understatement: both the Doctor and the Brigadier were present, but beyond that, continuity went out of the window. One strip saw the Doctor experimenting with levitation and thus capturing a fleeing spy whilst the other saw him using his trusty recorder (shurely shome mishtake? - Ed) to communicate with some dolphins.

Star Trek – I would continue to receive these Star Trek Annuals as a Christmas tradition right the way through to 1975, and they have all survived in mint condition. I was and still am a fan of the original series, but I never thought much of its comic strip incarnations, and publishers World Distributors relied on US comic book content for their Star Trek annuals for as long as the title remained in publication. As a footnote, I didn’t mind TV21’s take on the series: by 1970, Mike Noble’s strip was the only decent thing left in the comic, although he clearly did not possess a colour television set as he insisted on depicting Captain Kirk in a red shirt...

1971

Look-in Annual/ Countdown Annual – 1971 wasn’t a bad year for comic launches, with the two best offerings arriving hot on each others’ heels early in the year. The early start meant there was ample time to have an annual ready in time for the Christmas market, and both Look-In and Countdown weighed in with a couple of quite respectable efforts. Of the two, Look-In felt somewhat superior, with a classic laminated board cover, although the pages were falling out from day one. Countdown found room for artwork from comic contributors John M Burns, John Cooper and Jon Davis – although I have to confess I have never liked the work of the latter pair. Former Dan Dare assistant Don Harley turned in a fine if rather routine take on Thunderbirds, distinguished by some excellent likenesses of the characters. The strip, Terror at Toreba featured a kind of giant roast chicken from space crash landing on a Pacific island. Elsewhere, the annual followed the comic’s format with features about space travel and UFOs, the latter including some highly dubious photographs...

Barrier Reef Annual – Yet another World Distributors TV tie-in, and one that you can’t give away today on ebay. Try finding anyone who remembers the series! I watched it and had this annual bought for me this Christmas, but I doubt I’ve ever given it more than a cursory glance. The series never had much of an impact, and one wonders why World even bothered with an annual, unless the title came as part of a BBC licensing package deal. I’d have preferred an Ace of Wands annual myself, but sadly no such publication ever appeared. Incidentally, I can still hum the ‘feem toon’ from Barrier Reef, if anyone’s interested? Thought not...

Laurel and Hardy Bumper Book – Arriving before Christmas and hailing, if memory serves, from what must have been my last ever trip to Santa’s grotto, this gift book follows the World Distributors model of reproducing material from comic books. A couple of photo articles, one of them illustrated with a picture of Morecambe and Wise, belied the book’s British origins – although like a good many such efforts, it was printed overseas. The characters are not quite the Laurel and Hardy of the Hal Roach films, but a ‘reimagining’ by cartoon producer Larry Harmon, based on his TV films. Having said that, I couldn’t really tell the difference aged ten, and enjoyed reading this book in the run-up to Christmas, several of the stories having a festive or autumnal flavour.

Tom & Jerry Annual – I’m not sure how many of these were produced, but we got given a couple of examples this year and next. Like Laurel and Hardy, these were definitely not the Tom & Jerry of the original cinema cartoons, as both of them spoke (it would have been hard for them not to do so in the comic strip format), although their appearance was unaltered. The artwork, reproduced from American comic books, was slick and excellent.

TV Comic Annual – Another excellent effort from Polystyle, maintaining the production format familiar from our old 1966 example, blending full colour strips (of which there seemed more this year) alongside red or green duotone. Popeye remained a perennial favourite, as did Mighty Moth and TV Terrors, but this year saw new original characters in the form of Nelly and her Telly (she daydreamed herself into the programmes she was watching) and Texas Ted, a stetson-hatted braggart who came across like a charmless Desperate Dan. Tom and Jerry were the cover stars during this era and are featured prominently, alongside Roadrunner, Pink Panther and Bugs Bunny. Other licensed TV material included Animal Magic, Basil Brush, Dad’s Army (nicely drawn by TV Comic regular Bill Titcombe), Skippy, Titch and Quackers, Whacko! and, somewhat surprisingly, The Avengers. Dr. Who had by this time been regenerated into the new Countdown comic which was perhaps for the best...

Also weighing in this year were annuals from The Beano and The Dandy, alongside the Beezer and Topper.

1972

The Persuaders Annual – If I’d had the task of designing this annual, I doubt I’d have done any different, as the cover follows the same rules I applied when designing the DVD releases of the series, using the same colour palette and, critically the same font as the TV title sequence. A slim volume, like others from the Polystyle stable, this was nevertheless a decent effort, with artwork of a quality comparable to that seen in the Countdown and TV Action comics, and a few decent colour photographs. The strips were provided by Frank Langford, a regular on the Countdown comic, and Martin Asbury, whose energetic style fairly leaps off the page.

Countdown Annual – By the end of 1972, Countdown had long since been revamped into TV Action, but this year's annual – subtitle notwithstanding – still reflected the comic's original line-up of strips and features, with The Persuaders! included albeit only as a text story. The artwork was still noticeably superior to anything seen in the TV21 series of annuals, with extensive four colour printing and a decent array of photographs.

Dr. Who Annual – I’d only picked up on Doctor Who with the beginning of the Jon Pertwee era, since which time there had been only one annual published, in 1970. Why World Distributors missed a year is unknown, but they returned to the fray with this example, boasting a nice colour photographic cover. Inside, artwork ruled the roost, not all of it of a particularly inspiring quality. Nevertheless, I was happy to have it, and would continue to receive the Dr. Who annuals every Christmas until the end of the Pertwee era. During the 70s, I also managed to obtain copies of the two annuals hailing from the William Hartnell era (published in 1965 and 66), and one of the three Patrick Troughton editions, featuring a Cyberman cover painting. These latter must have had considerably smaller print runs than the Hartnells, as they never turned up in the second hand shops and jumble sales from which such old items were usually acquired.

TV Comic Annual – Hard to tell this one apart from the previous year’s edition, with most of the same content still present and correct. Catweazle replaced The Avengers, but otherwise it was the mixture as before.

The Aeronauts Annual – This French TV series had been shown during childen’s viewing hours by BBC1 – although in its home country it was a prime-time mid evening series aimed at adults. Quite what the BBC was thinking was anybody’s guess. The series being based on a comic strip, this was an easy assignment for World Distributors, who simply commissioned a painted cover (nicely depicting the TV series actors), pairing it with a couple of the French comic adventures, translated by Charles Pemberton. Given that the series was based on the comic rather than the other way round, the characters in the strips bore scant resemblance to the TV actors; although the artwork was excellent, especially in its depictions of the various fighter jets.

Knockout Annual – The Knockout title, which had been around in my Dad’s day, was revived with all-new content by IPC in the spring of 1971, which didn’t allow for the publication of an annual that year. The comic was quickly revamped, shifting Bash Street knock-offs The Super Seven from the cover to the inside pages, with a gimmick strip The Full House taking their place. Both are present here, although The Full House (a cutaway with panels showing the events in different rooms of the titular dwelling) didn’t translate well to the narrower page format. All the regulars were present, including Fuss Pot (probably the title’s most successful creation), Joker, The Toffs and the Toughs and Pete’s Pockets. Two strips featuring The Group, appear to have been reprinted from another IPC title, but I’ve no idea of their origin.

Once again, the Beano, Dandy and possibly Beezer annuals found their way into Santa’s sack this year, along with another Tom & Jerry and The Flintstones.

1973

Dr Who – ‘...your 2003 Christmas present is likely to be something like a miniature pocket computer.’ So spoke 1973’s Dr. Who Annual in a feature entitled ‘A Space Age Christmas’ imagining the festivities of thirty years hence. The same article warned young readers that ‘if pollution and the effects of the population explosion go on … there will probably be very few trees left in the world’ (lest anyone was still in any doubt that environmental awareness existed before the Thunberg generation.) Elsewhere, this year’s annual was the expected mix of text stories, perfunctorily illustrated with what look like designer’s roughs. Better artwork was on show in the two strip stories (one of them in full colour), courtesy of one Steve Livesey.

Dad’s Army – It might surprise you to know that no fewer than five Dad’s Army annuals were produced by World Distributors, published every year from 1972 to 1976. This edition was the only one I ever owned, and looks to be typical. The contents were analogous to those of the Dr. Who annuals, heavy on the text stories, with two comic strips and a mix of features, in this case focusing on wartime and military history. The artwork in this edition was a shade better than this year’s Dr. Who, and the artists are all familiar from other World Distributors titles. A nicely designed colour photographic cover added value – subsequent editions would feature artworked covers.

Top of the Pops – The weekly pop show was about to celebrate its tenth anniversary, which probably accounts for the appearance of this debut publication, the first of many: a TOTP annual was still appearing as late as 1991, although the original run (from, you’ve guessed it, World Distributors) ran out of steam in 1984. Edited by Ken Irwin, this first edition began with a brief overview of the programme’s history – not too much, mind, we don’t want to alienate the teenyboppers of 1973! The teenies were well catered for with the rest of the content, spotlighting current hit artists including Gilbert O’Sullivan, the Jacksons and of course, Slade. Three of the programme’s most popular presenters – including a certain Mr. Savile – each got to pen a short autobiographical piece; and there was, of course, a short feature focusing on the inevitable Pan’s People. Much of the content was in black and white, with a few colour portraits thrown in to justify the 75p price point (standard across all World Distributors titles this year). The preponderance of monochrome pages seems ironic in light of the fact that most of 1973’s TOTP shows that survive exist only as black and white kinescopes!

The Goodies Annual – The Cricklewood trio were well established as TV comedy favourites by 1973, and must have looked like a cert to shift a few thousand annuals when World Distributors signed them up for this one-off publication. Monty Python had already published their first tie-in ‘Big Red Book’, aimed squarely at a mature audience, and alongside such sophistication, The Goodies Annual seems to justify John Cleese’s taunt ‘kids’ programme’ at the end of 1973’s festive special, The Goodies and the Beanstalk. World Distributors knew a winning formula when they saw it: essentially, this is just another Dr. Who Annual with the Goodies taking the place of the Timelord. Comic strips took up more of the content than usual, alongside a couple of text stories, games and a number of photo features, one illustrating the trio in the recording studio (more than a year before The Funky Gibbon), whilst the other looked at the show’s innovative special effects. Some cartoon contributions from Graeme Garden added a kind of Cricklewood Royal Warrant to the whole endeavour, but the Goodies themselves were left decidedly underwhelmed by their first venture into print. Their dissatisfaction with the end product spurred them on to do something better themselves, and next year saw publication of The Goodies File, which played the Pythons at their own game to excellent effect.

Dan Dare Annual – I have to confess to knowing next to nothing about Dan Dare at this point in time. The space ace had first appeared more than a decade before I was born, and by the time I was of an age to appreciate his adventures, they had all but come to an end. This welcome volume reprinted two stories from the classic Frank Hampson era – 1951’s The Red Moon Mystery and 1959’s Safari in Space. As an illustration of Hampson’s progress on the strip, the compilers couldn’t have done a better job. Red Moon was brilliantly realised and a cracking adventure that feels like the template for every environmental disaster movie ever filmed; but Safari looked simply stunning. I’d never seen better artwork on the pages of a comic and surely never will. Hampson’s studio system was by this time running like a well-oiled machine, although the wheels were about to come off, and this would be the last of Dan’s adventures that he saw through to the end. Part way into the continuation story, Terra Nova, Frank left the strip under something of a cloud and would never return. I knew none of this back in 1973, and was able to appreciate the annual for what it was – namely, some of the greatest comic strip artwork ever produced. Up to now, my comic heroes had been the stalwarts of TV21 – Noble, Bellamy, Embleton – but Frank Hampson kicked them all into touch.

Dennis the Menace – For many years the star of his own spin-off annual, Dennis’s solo outings were not strictly annuals given that they appeared every two years. A somewhat slimmer volume than the accompanying Beano book, it shared the same spot colour artwork, in this case red (or orange) and black, the better to depict Dennis’s iconic striped jersey. This was the second Dennis annual we got to see, and almost immediately I spotted something a bit odd about some of the comic strips: Dennis looked different. He was thin and spindly-legged, contrasting his squat, bulky early 70s appearance. I wondered whether these strips might be reprints from an earlier era, which indeed proved to be the case. Despite having been well read, this example survives in absolutely mint condition, which must surely be a testament to D.C. Thompson’s robust production values.

With 1973 done and dusted, we've reached the end of what I personally consider to have been the golden age of annuals, but there would be plenty more to come during the 70s, with World Distributors continuing to license any TV property that looked like it could shift a few thousand copies. In the third and final part of this feature, I'll look at some of the last few annuals that ever made it into my hands, and reflect on the slow decline in content and quality that has brought us to where we are today.