List Of British Comic Strips
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British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
Comic Strips A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...
. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. The coloured backgrounds denote the publisher: : – indicates D. C. Thomson. : – indicates AP,
Fleetway Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London. It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies that merg ...
and IPC Comics. : – indicates Viz. : – indicates a strip published in a newspaper.


Lesser known British comic strips

* ''Belinda'' was modelled after the American Strip
Little Orphan Annie ''Little Orphan Annie'' is a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and it made its debut on Aug ...
was published in the
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
. It was drawn by Steve Dowling and Tony Royle during the 1930s & 1940s. * ''Billy and Bunny'' was a long-running comic strip featured in a Scottish Newspaper. They were drawn by James Crighton better known for drawing
Korky the Cat ''Korky the Cat'' is a character in a comic strip in the British comics magazine The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, except for one issue, No. 294 (9 June 1945) when Keyhole Kate was on the cover. For several decad ...
for
The Dandy ''The Dandy'' was a British children's comic magazine published by the Dundee based publisher DC Thomson. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after ''Il Giornalino'' (cover dated 1 Oct ...
comic. Billy was a young boy and Bunny was an anthropomorphised rabbit. Their stories were set in a fantasy fairytale world where they often got up to mischief. There were several annuals from 1922 to 1941 and in 1948 & 1949. Even on the last 1949 Annual, they were still wearing their early 1920s trademark spats and
gaiters Gaiters are garments worn over the shoe and bottom of the pant or trouser leg, and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar garments used primarily for display are spats. Originally, gaiters were made of leather or canvas. T ...
, a popular male fashion item from decades before. These annuals were all published by John Leng & Co, London * ''Boy meets Girl'' was started in the
Sunday Dispatch The ''Sunday Dispatch'' was a prominent British newspaper, published between 27 September 1801 and 18 June 1961. It was ultimately discontinued due to its merger with the ''Sunday Express''. History The newspaper was first published as the ''Wee ...
in 1940. It was drawn by Rouson and featured amusing ways of boy meeting girl * ''Carol Day'' was a strip created by painter
David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made ...
, and continued after his death by Kenneth Inns. It was published initially in 1956 in the
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
, but later in 1971, it was in the
Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
. Carol was an ex-fashion model and was drawn as being very elegant. * ''Come on Steve'' Published initially in the
Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
in 1936 and transferred to the
Sunday Dispatch The ''Sunday Dispatch'' was a prominent British newspaper, published between 27 September 1801 and 18 June 1961. It was ultimately discontinued due to its merger with the ''Sunday Express''. History The newspaper was first published as the ''Wee ...
in 1941. It was drawn by Roland Davies. The character "Steve" was a cart horse name after the British jockey
Steve Donoghue Steve Donoghue (8 November 188423 March 1945) was a leading England, English flat-race jockey in the 1910s and 1920s. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey, Champion Jockey 10 times between 1914 and 1923 and was one of the most celebrated ...
. The expression "Come on Steve" was a cheer used by racing fans to encourage Donoghue. * ''Dot and Carrie'' was introduced as a three-month trial in the London
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
at the end of 1922. It transferred to the London
Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Evening News'', an alternate name for '' News Hour'' in so ...
on 18 October 1960, finally ceasing on 23 May 1964. its author was J F Horrabin. Dot and Carrie were secretaries in an office under a Mr Spillikin. * ''Eb and Flo'' were drawn by Wilfred Haughton who also drew the '' Mickey Mouse Annuals'' from 1931 to 1939 and the ''Mickey Mouse Weekly'' comic covers as well as the
Bobby Bear {{No footnotes, date=September 2010 Bobby Bear was a British comics character in the '' Daily Herald'' newspaper starting in 1919. He was a young male bear character based on the Steiff teddy bear that was popular at the time. His friends were Ruby ...
annuals in the 1930s. Haughton first drew this cartoon strip for The
Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
before his 1930s Disney work. It was about two Negro orphans, Ebenezer and Florence, who acted as parents to the unnamed Twins. Also featured were Timothy - a school pal, Uncles Joe and Desmond, Auntie Kate, Gran'pa and their pup, Sausage. There was a later annual published in 1939 (as dated by a 1939 inscription as found in a copy) by Deans called Eb' and Flo' annual which featured stories and reprinted cartoon strips all in a similar style to the ''Mickey Mouse Annuals''. From their initial appearance in the late 1920s, an enamelled badge shows Eb and Flo were the characters related to the 'Cheery Coons Club' for the
Sunday People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ' ...
newspaper in the early 1930s. * ''Flint of the Flying Squad'' was published in the
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
, starting in 1952. It was written by Alan Stranks and drawn by George Davies. The characters were used on a BBC Radio Home Service series in 1952, starring
Bruce Seton Sir Bruce Lovat Seton, 11th Baronet (29 May 1909 – 28 September 1969) was a British actor and soldier. He is best remembered for his eponymous lead role in ''Fabian of the Yard''. Early life Bruce Lovat Seton was born in Simla, British Ind ...
,
Mary Mackenzie Mary Mackenzie (3 May 1922 – 20 September 1966) was an English actress. One of her earliest credited TV roles was in 1950 on BBC's ''Sunday Night Theatre'', as Miriam in an adaptation of H. G. Wells' ''The History of Mr Polly'', a role she r ...
&
Norman Claridge Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
. This used the same title * ''Jimpy'' was drawn by Hugh McClelland (cartoonist). It started in the
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
on 5 January 1946 and lasted for six years. Set in medieval times the main character was a youth trying to become an apprentice wizard.
Selection of title frames
* ''The Larks'' drawn by Jack Dunkley in the
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
, it was first seen on 5 August 1957. * ''Lord God Almighty'' by Steve Bell appeared in
The Leveller ''The Leveller'' was a British political magazine, collectively produced in London from 1976 to 1982 by a shifting coalition of radicals, socialists, marxists, feminists, and others of the British left and progressive movements. It was publishe ...
in the 1970s * ''The Nipper'' started during 1933 in the
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
and was drawn by
Brian White (cartoonist) Brian "H.B." White (born 1902; died 1984) was a British cartoonist, creating 'The Nipper' for the Daily Mail between 1933 and 1947. Both "Keyhole Kate" and "Double Trouble" ran in London's Evening Standard. Early in his career he forged links w ...
. An annual was produced for many years. The nipper was a child of about 2 years age, who was able to get into the mischief of children of that age

It should not be confused with the Canadian comic strip by Doug Wright (cartoonist), Doug Wright about a similar child, but about 4 years old, and in a Canadian suburban setting. * ''Paul Temple'' a strip based on
Francis Durbridge Francis Henry Durbridge (; 25 November 1912 – 11 April 1998) was an English dramatist and author, best known for the creation of the character Paul Temple, the gentlemanly detective who appeared in 16 BBC multi-part radio serials from 1 ...
's radio detective started in the London
Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Evening News'', an alternate name for '' News Hour'' in so ...
19 November 1951 and lasted over twenty years, The graphics were by Alfred Sindall. * ''Penny'' by George Davies appeared in the
Sunday Pictorial The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marke ...
during the 1940s and 1950s. The strip is featured in the film ''
Penny and the Pownall Case ''Penny and the Pownall Case'' is a 1948 British second feature mystery film, directed by Slim Hand and starring Ralph Michael, Peggy Evans, Diana Dors and Christopher Lee. It was the first featured role for Diana Dors, the second female lead, ...
'' (1948). * ''Psycops''. A strip that appeared in The Sun between 1994 and 1999. Written by Pete Nash (''Striker'') and illustrated by Nash, John Cooper and John M Burns. * ''Sporting Sam'' was thirty years from 1944 in the
Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
. It was produced by Reg Wootton. * ''Spotlight on Sally'' by
Arthur Ferrier Arthur Ferrier (1891 – 27 May 1973) was a Scottish artist, illustrator and cartoonist. Ferrier was born and started work in Glasgow, Scotland as an analytical chemist. He freelanced as a cartoonist for the '' Daily Record'' there. He moved ...
appeared in the
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
at the end of World War II. It was contemporary and competed with the strip
Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
. * ''Tim, Toots & Teeny were a cartoon strip in the
Daily Chronicle The 'Daily Chronicle' was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the ''Daily News (UK), Daily News'' to become the ''News Chronicle''. Foundation The ''Daily Chronicle'' was developed by Edward Lloyd (publis ...
newspaper from at least 1929, and there were several annuals issued starting in 1930 to at least 1937, as the undated 1931 to 1938 Annuals inclusive. These annuals were published by George Newnes of London, and feature Tim (a cat), Toots (a pig) and Tiny (a duck). The first 1931 Annual states 'A Whole Year Of Adventure with the Famous Pets'. No artist or linked newspaper name is mentioned in these annuals, leaving them remaining unknown until two Christmas and Birthday postcards revealed their origins. A copy of the 1934 annual was found in the printer's archives, Jarrold & Sons Ltd, Norwich, stamped 'Jarrolds Factory Book Dept.' To identify the set of eight Tim Toots & Teeny Annual books, 1931 Orange Car, 1932 Leapfrog, 1933 Train, 1934 Bicycle, 1935 Toy Plane, 1936 River Boat, 1937 Treehouse & 1938 Fairground are the front covers. * ''
Varoomshka ''Varoomshka'' was a British satirical and erotic comic strip by New Zealand cartoonist John Kent that ran in ''The Guardian'' from 1969 to 1979. The title character, a buxom and generally scantily-clad young woman, was an everywoman used by Kent ...
'' by John Kent appeared in
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
in the 1970s.


See also

*
British comics A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper. British comics are usually Comics anthology, comics antho ...
*
List of Beano comic strips Over the years ''The Beano'' has had many different strips, ranging from comic strips to adventure strips to prose stories. Prose stories were the first to go, being phased out in 1955. Adventure strips were phased out in 1975, with the last on ...
*
List of Dandy comic strips Over the years the British comic magazine ''The Dandy'' has had many different strips ranging from humour strips to adventure strips to prose stories. However eventually the ''Dandy'' changed from having all these different types of strips to h ...
*
List of Viz comic strips The following is a list of recurring or notable one-off strips from the British adult spoof comic magazine '' Viz''. This list is by no means complete as with each issue new characters/strips/stories are introduced. A–E *Abel Unstable – ...
*
List of 2000 AD stories This is a list of series stories appearing in British comic '' 2000AD''. As an anthology comic magazine which has been published since 1977, ''2000AD'' has featured both long running titles (like ''Judge Dredd'' and ''ABC Warriors'') as well as d ...
* List of D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd publications *
List of AP, Fleetway and IPC Comics publications Comics published by the British company variously known as Amalgamated Press, Fleetway Publications, Odhams Press and IPC Media. Titles # * '' 2000 AD'' (Feb. 1977 – present) — now published by Rebellion Developments A * '' Action ...


References

{{reflist, 30em British comic strips
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...