The Magic Comic
The Magic Comic was a British comics magazine. It was the ill-fated third comics magazine from DC Thomson (after The Beano and The Dandy ). It was aimed at a younger audience, with more emphasis on picture stories. The first issue was published on 22 July 1939. The comic ran for only 80 issues until 25 January 1941.[1] Paper rationing resulting from the outbreak of the Second World War caused its demise. Its Editor Bill Powrie promised that 'the Magic' would return; however, he was killed in action in 1942.
Two annuals, named The Magic Fun Book , were also published in 1941 and 1942. From 1943 to 1949, The Magic Comic would share its annual with The Beano, under the title, The Magic-Beano Book . The cover star was Koko the Pup who would later team up with Big Eggo in the Magic-Beano Books between 1943 and 1950 in the story named Eggo and Koko.
A first issue of The Magic comic was sold on eBay in February 2006 for 1,250ドル to a collector, and it was one of only 6 copies known to exist. A 'Very Fine' copy was also sold in 1997 for 2,975ドル.[citation needed ] On 20 January 2015 the first 24 issues of The Magic Comic were sold for 13,000ドル (+20% commission; 15,600); it came to 650ドル per comic.
On 31 January 1976 DC Thomson revived the Magic Comic.[1] This incarnation would go on to last until 1979.[2] The new version was aimed at younger audience than The Beano and Dandy and was more of a pre-school comic than the original Magic comic. The comic was loosely concerned with magic of all kinds. Even though this new comic was considered a revival it contained none of the characters that appeared in the earlier Magic. However it did contain characters from The Beano with a spinoff of Biffo the Bear involving his niece and nephew, Cuddly and Dudley, appearing in the new comic.
Comic strips featured in the first comic
[edit ]- Koko the Pup (The comic's cover star featuring an anthropomorphic dog.)
- Dolly Dimple, not so simple
- Peter Piper (Drawn by Dudley Watkins this comic strip featured a boy with magical pipes that could bring statues to life. It was revived in the Dandy in the 1990s.)
- Boy Biffo the Brave
- Uncle Dan The Magic man
- The Boy with the Golden Goose
- Cheeky Mary – The Lord Mayors Daughter
- Tell-Tale Tilly
- Sam Swell
- Little Squirty
- The Adventures of Grandfather Clock
- The Tickler Twins in Wonderland (About a pair of twins living in a world full of characters from popular fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The Beano character Pansy Potter would later have her own in Wonderland series.)
- Pa, Ma and Squeaker
- Oompah Pete
- Ugly Muggins
- Wee Hi Lo
- Poor Blind Billy
- The Seven-Foot Cowboy
- Val in the Magic Forest
- The Magic Joke Page
- Inky, Binky and Bluff
- Sooty Snowball (The main character of this comic strip was a black caricature who was dressed in nothing but a grass skirt. It appeared on the comic's back cover.)
- Leave It to Lop Ears
- Crusty Crosspatch
- The Wolf Boy of Badenoch
- Old Pop Pelican
- Tootsy McTurk (A comic strip about a man with unusually large feet. A similar strip called Claude Hopper would later appear in the Dandy.)
- Sammy's Magic Stone
- Herr Paul Fry – The Nasty Spy
- Ding-Dong Dally
- Little Orphan Andy
- Old Father Time
- Kipper Feet
- Beric the Caveboy
- Dizzy Duck
- Dick Turpentine the hopeless highway man
- Dirty Dick – The Chimney Sweep
- Stone-Age Steve
- Young Buffalo Bill
- Two Wanderers of the War
- Softie Sam
- Gulliver
- Keeper of the Flock
- Hiram Scaram – The Stagecoach Driver
- Robin Hood
- Pete of the Spitfires
- Bandy Legs
Comic strips featured in the revived comic
[edit ]- Witch Wanda
- Elfey
- Rainbow Road (about children in neighbouring houses with each door painted a different colour of the rainbow)
- Copy Cat
- Betsy's Magic Bracelet (a serial about a girl who owned a bracelet with lucky charms enchanted by a friendly witch)
- Flying Flapears (a flying rabbit)
- Spaceship Lollipop
- Aladdin and his Magic Lamp
- The Magic Club (including "Magic Pictures", "Magic Mirror" and "Magic Riddles")
- Cuddly and Dudley (Spin-off from The Beano's Biffo the Bear)
- Peter Popin and his Magic Popup Book (a boy who could "fly through time and space" into the worlds within his popup book)
- Tommy Trix
- A Talk with Stubby Pencil
- Magic Playtime
- Penny and the Prince
- The Magic of... (on the back cover, a factual article about the wonders of the world).
References
[edit ]- ^ a b "Magic Comics". kellyscomics.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ "Biffo the Bear". The Beano. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012.