Annuals Revisited

 

Part One: The 1960s

Back in the 1960s and 70s, no Christmas was complete without annuals. I had them bought for me every year until I was in my mid teens. I still have the very first of them, Baby’s Own, a Fleetway publication printed in 1962. In the days before I’d learned to read, the bright colour illustrations in this book left a huge impression on my developing imagination. By the late 60s, the sight of annuals in the shops was an exciting reminder that Christmas wasn’t too far away. I can clearly recall seeing 1967’s Captain Scarlet Annual piled up in WH Smiths, brand new and still fresh from the printer, with its distinctive new-printed smell.

Every Christmas brought a fresh crop of annuals, some years providing a bumper harvest, and between my brother and myself, we probably got around half a dozen new annuals every year. Most of them are still in my possession, and it occurred to me to make a list of all the ones we had, going right back to 1962. Which were the most popular? Which survived intact? And which was the very last?

As mentioned above, Baby’s Own set the ball rolling back in 1962 when I was a mere eighteen months old. In addition to this, I had earlier been given two of the so called ‘Big Noddy Books’, annual-sized publications that had been published on a semi-regular basis since the early 50s. So, as of Christmas 1962, my collection of annuals stood at three. Now, let’s count off the rest, year by year…

1963

Fireball XL5 Annual – the first of four, from publishers WM Collins and son, and a clear favourite judging by the distressed condition in which it survives to this day. All four in the series followed the same format, with full colour printing at the beginning, middle and end, and single colour/ spot colour on heavy pulp paper elsewhere. Such 1930s production values were on the way out, and would not endure beyond the mid-1960s.

Collins’ Childrens’ Annual – a blend of mostly text stories, ranging from fairytale whimsy to Enid Blytonesque rollicking adventure, the Children’s Annual had been going for years by the time I was given my one and only copy. It survives to this day in very good condition, testament to the fact that I didn’t care much for it, although one particular story – Lost in the Snow – became a childhood favourite. 

Bobby Bear’s Annual

Dean and Son’s Bobby Bear had been a fixture of the Daily Herald newspaper since 1919, making him even older than Rupert, and his annuals went all the way back to the 1920s. The Herald had undergone a change of ownership in 1961 and would be revamped into The Sun just over a year later, so Bobby’s days were numbered. This annual was clearly well-loved, and suffered the same fate as Fireball XL5, losing its board covers and several pages. More recently, I bought myself this mint condition copy off ebay.

1964

Fireball XL5 Annual – the second of the series, this one survived rather better than its predcessor, though I must have given it away in the 1970s as the original is no longer in my possession, having been replaced by a cleaner copy. The stories were written by Alan Fennell, who had contributed about half of the scripts for the TV series, so they were very much in the style of the original. With the TV series only on air once a week, and often absent from the screen altogether, the Fireball Annuals became as important to me as the programme itself.

Robin Annual – Cover-dated 1965, this was another favourite, alongside the following year’s edition. I’m not sure if we were ever bought the Robin comic on anything like a regular basis, and these two annuals were the only examples we ever owned. Our mum gave them away in the 1970s, but I later found replacement copies. Some of the stories from this year’s edition became beloved childhood favourites and just to look at the illustrations is to evoke a rush of nostalgia for winter afternoons in front of the fire. TV characters like Andy Pandy and Bill and Ben rub shoulders here with the likes of Bizzy Beaver, Nutty Squirrel and Richard Lion; but Robin’s most intriguing character was based on Mr Woppit, the teddy bear mascot that accompanied speed demon Donald Campbell in his various Bluebirds (and was rescued from the final tragic wreck on Coniston Water). Originating in the 50s, by 1964 Woppit looked more like a pig than a bear, and was accompanied by his friends Mokey the donkey, and Tiptop, a clown.

TV Land Annual – TV Land was a short-lived comic, launched as a junior companion to TV Comic when the latter revamped its contents to appeal to a slightly older readership. The comic’s original cover star, Pussy Cat Willum, was long gone by the time this annual was published. It was, I believe, bought for my brother, and survives intact to this day. Stories include Noggin the Nog and Ivor the Engine (both with illustrations by Peter Firmin); The Woodentops; and a cartoon elephant called Packi, created by Tony Hart.

Teddy Bear Annual – Teddy Bear was a Fleetway publication, promoted as being ‘the only story paper for mothers with young children written by a mother with young children’, and had been appearing weekly since late 1963. Its title character was a charming little bear who lived with his family in ‘Bear Green’ (clearly inspired by the real life Beare Green in Surrey), and other regulars included a pre-Denis Healey Silly Billy, Nurse Susan and Dr. David and Paddy-Paws the puppy (of which I own several original art boards). Creator/writer Barbara Hayes appears to have been a prolific contributor to Amalgamated Press and Fleetway publications, and in 2010 published a book on ‘How to be a Successful Writer’. So she must have done all right out of it.

1965

Fireball XL5 Annual – Ex-Eagle artist Eric Eden's fine artwork had featured in the first two volumes but this year the comic strips were supplied by another Eagle contributor, Desmond Walduck. His illustrations of Fireball made the ship look as if it had eaten all the pies in Space City. The stories were still excellent stuff, and included a couple of classics. Eden remained on board, providing paintings for the cover and endpapers, but by 1965 had found weekly employment on TV21, illustrating the Lady Penelope strip.

Robin Annual – Although the original was long gone, many years later I chanced upon a copy of this year’s Robin Annual in an antiquarian bookseller in Lichfield. I hadn’t had sight of the contents for over thirty years, and when I opened it up, it was a full-on hit of forgotten childhood. Robin, like its older sibling Eagle, used the best illustrators in the business, and this year’s annual includes some fine work from John M. Burns and Gerry Embleton.

TV Comic Annual – TV Land having ceased publication, my brother was bought this in its place. The line-up of characters seemed designed to put me off as a reader, as it included several series I found hard to take on the television: not only did we have Dr. Who, but Space Patrol and (horrors!) The Telegoons. On the printed page, they were somewhat less disturbing, but I still tried to avoid looking at the colour endpaper photographs of the Space Patrol crew. The original copy has survived to this day. 

Teddy Bear Annual – Author/editor Barbara Hayes was really working her socks off, turning out every week’s edition of the comic (for which she received sole writer credit) and a couple of annuals every year. Artists are hard to identify, except for the prolific Jesus Blasco, better known for his action-oriented strips, but who could turn his hand to fairytale whimsy when the occasion demanded. I own a panel of his artwork from this year's annual, which accompanied the tale of 'Barbara One-Shoe'. I told you she was working her socks off...

1966

Thunderbirds Annual – International Rescue had arrived on the small screen in the autumn of 1965, which was too late for that year’s crop of annuals, so it was another year before Thunderbirds scored its own annual. TV21 publisher City Magazines was responsible, and this was the first of their publications to appear in a new large format. The inclusion of colour photographs added interest, but the contents were for the most part illustrations, rendered in the same cheap line and wash printing technique that City used on all of their annuals. Nevertheless, I was pleased to get it and can remember opening it on Christmas Day when it was still dark outside...

Fireball XL5 Annual – This was to be the last of Collins’ Gerry Anderson tie-ins, and with the series itself fast disappearing from screens, there must have seemed little point in continuing. The covers of the first three had all been provided by Eric Eden, but this year saw him demoted to the endpapers, with TV21’s Fireball artist Mike Noble doing the honours on the cover. Unlike the cobalt blue space backgrounds that appeared in the TV21 comic strip, Noble here bowed to convention and provided a solid black space background, giving the four Fireball annuals a kind of visual continuity. Of the four, this was my least favourite, mostly on account of what I felt was somewhat inferior artwork (I was a hard taskmaster at the age of five).

Batman Story Book Annual – The Caped Crusader had been the year’s must-see television event, and by the autumn was spawning merchandising spin-offs including toys, bubble gum cards and this cheap cash-in from Manchester-based publishing house World Distributors. World’s annuals often looked like rush jobs, abd Batman was no exception. Comic strips took time to produce and were expensive to commission, so all too often these publications consisted of nothing but text stories, illustrated in haste by one Walter Howarth – a name revered by Dr. Who fans for his work on that series’ annuals. Howarth could turn out excellent likenesses of key actors, but his technique was rushed – hardly surprising considering his workload – and the cheap Ben Day dot printing process didn’t add much to his slick linework. The cover artist looks to have been under orders to avoid any resemblance to Adam West...

1967 

Blue Peter Book – I’d been watching Blue Peter on television since we’d had a set in the house, but this was the first year I’d had one of the ‘Blue Peter Books’ bought for me. The programme was at a point of transition, with John Noakes having recently joined, and Peter Purves waiting in the wings, so the cover designer played safe by photographing the show’s line-up of pets, arrayed around the Blue Peter emblem. The contents included an illustrated guide to making your own Christmas ‘advent crown’ (coathangers and tinsel), which proves that this kitsch classic had been a staple of the programme since the mid 60s. I would continue to receive the Blue Peter books every christmas for the next four or five years, by which time I’d stopped watching the programme.

These were great annuals for Christmas day reading, with their blend of easy-to-read features (generally reprising material from the TV episodes), puzzles and stories featuring William ‘Tim’ Timmins’ perennial favourites Bengo the boxer pup, and junior space adventurers Bleep and Booster.

Captain Scarlet Annual – The first of only two dedicated Captain Scarlet annuals (though there would be later examples when the series was revived in the 1990s). I can still recall the excitement of seeing this in the shops, only a matter of weeks after the series had started on TV. Annuals like this were a great source of reference material if, like me, you wanted to draw pictures of your TV heroes, as there were plenty of colour photographs available to study (my original copy still bears a palimpsest of scored-in outlines where I’d traced various photographs). Artwork came courtesy of TV21’s ‘B-listers’, Ron Turner and Jim Watson. 

The Pogles Annual – Slim, but handsomely produced, and featuring a photographic cover, this was one of my brother’s annuals at Christmas 1967. The following year brought a further volume.

Sooty Annual – The Daily Mirror had been cranking out Sooty annuals for a good few years, but this was the first of them to make it into our house. I never cared for them very much: Sooty was reinvented in a kind of toytown setting populated with characters who never saw action on the TV series. Harry Corbett, of course, was nowhere to be seen, as the annual Sooty had grown a pair… of legs, that is.

The same year brought a further Teddy Bear Annual – now a gift for my brother – but little else. I’d passed on the second Thunderbirds Annual, having somewhat lost interest in the show in the wake of Captain Scarlet. I would make up the defecit a few years later by acquiring a copy discarded by our cousins.

1968

Joe 90 Annual – I can still remember seeing this in a TV21 half-page advert in the autumn of 1968, a week or so before the series appeared on television. The cover image of Joe in the Big Rat intrigued me: what was it all about? I’m afraid the series, when it arrived, had rather less of an impact. The format followed the look of the Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds examples. Good colour photographs, cheaply overlaid colour printing on the strips. And those ‘B-listers’ were being kept busy, Ron Turner in particular...

Captain Scarlet Annual – Another fine effort from the TV21 production team, with art editor Jim Watson providing a number of strips. The excellent Ron Turner was also on board, although as a child I found his drawings too stylised, and he was rather less adept at drawing the series’ hardware than he was at making up his own. And he couldn’t draw Captain Scarlet’s hat to save his life!

Thunderbirds Annual – Nice cover design here, placing each of the Thunderbird craft inside its respective number. I’ve long been of the opinion that, when he was asked to design the International Rescue vehicles, Derek Meddings started by drawing the numbers one to five and using them as the basis for their shapes. Thunderbird Four looks just like a figure four, Thunderbird One is clearly a figure one, Thunderbird Three has three nacelles… all of which has no relevance to this year’s annual. Amongst the strip stories was an effort clearly from the pen of TV21’s Scott Goodall, who never missed an opportunity of smashing up the hero craft. In his strip Curse of the Elastos, much of Tracy Island gets pounded into rubble and Thunderbird Three is completely destroyed. I mean, it’s only a comic strip, but you just don’t do that kind of thing!

TV21 Annual – I’d started getting TV21 on a regular basis in late November of 1967, too late to be bothered with that year’s annual, and this one was the first I had bought for me. This year saw a big family gathering at our grandparents’ small semi, and our grandad had gone to the trouble of making a ‘bran tub’ from which we each extracted our presents, mine including this particular annual, which has survived with me to the present day.

Also in the running for this year were The Herbs Annual – a gift for my brother – and yet another of the perennially popular Teddy Bear, alongside another outing for The Pogles. Meanwhile, in the category of ‘I’d have liked it but didn’t get it’ we find TV21’s spin-off Project Sword. Despite being bought several of the toys tied into the concept, we never had the annual, and I wouldn’t have sight of it until I turned up a copy in the late 70s.

1969 

Star Trek Annual – Star Trek had only been on air since July, but World Distributors were quick off the mark, with an annual in the shops in time for Christmas. This one followed their long-established practise of licensing comic strips from the USA and reprinting them alongside a few hastily cobbled together features. For all that, I was glad to have it, and one of those features promised the return of Halley’s Comet in the far distant future of 1986. I could hardly wait.

Joe 90 Annual – Joe got two annuals this year, a series edition and another based on the comic that had been launched under his moniker in January. My brother got the latter whilst I was given the former. It followed the by now standard City Magazines format of strip stories and text stories illustrated with colour photographs. The self-styled ‘Joe 90 Comic Annual’ included the same character line-up as the weekly, which meant appearances from The Champions , Land of the Giants and two sporting Inuits known as Ninepence+Tenpence alongside Joe himself.

Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds Annual – You couldn’t get the wrapping off this one… oh, as you were, that brown paper and string is part of the cover design. A demotion for two Gerry Anderson properties who were nearing their sell-by date and had clearly not shifted enough copies last year. The contents were the usual TV21 Annual-style artworked strips, alongside text stories illustrated with photos. For me, the artwork in these annuals was getting worse with every passing year. Jim Watson and Ron Turner provided their usual reliable schtick, but alongside them we got the sketchy efforts of Jon Cooper, whose work I have never liked, and an unidentified artist with a dreadful exaggerated style that verged on caricature. Whoever he was, his two stories – The Mind Machine and Secret of the Mummy’s Tomb – were so downright awful that I’ve never bothered to read them!

TV21 Annual – Now in its fifth year, but sporting a rather pedestrian cover design of boxed photos, this would prove to be the last of the really good TV21 publications before the comic and its associated annuals turned bad. The following year’s example was dire. This year we still had the expected comic line-up of Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds and Secret Agent 21, who also appeared in his revamped format as Mr. Magnet, plus appearances from Fireball XL5 and Stingray, both of which had been absent from the comic for more than a year. The colour photographic endpaper of Fireball XL5 alone makes this edition worth collecting, as the original transparency has long since vanished.

In the next part, I'll consider the many different annuals – mostly TV spin-offs – that arrived in the 1970s.