P5 (comics)
Encyclopedia
P5 was a short-lived comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy
, made as a replacement to First Class Which had run between December 1993 and 1997.
It was drawn by Dennis the Menace
artist Jimmy Hansen.
children in a school – Class P5, similar to The Bash Street Kids
of The Beano
. Each strip would sometimes focus on an individual in the group, and how they deal with situations that came up in school.
As the series went on, the character of Kim was dropped for reasons that went unexplained in the strips, and the character of Dotty was moved from preschool
class into P5. The strips also moved away from individual stories and focussed more on the group as a whole.
In Issue #3000, the kids had grown up to become adults with a school reunion
theme, with Miss Truncheon now working in a job centre
, until the last frame of the story when she immediately resigned, saying she wanted to stay away from "that lot", who had all since taken jobs at the same job centre.
P5 returned as a reprint on 4 November 2006 under the new title of Class Act. The reprints are mainly from 1998 and 1999 for DC Thomson's policy of comic strips being at least 7 years old before they are reprinted. These reprints ended when The Dandy
relaunched in August 2007.
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
, made as a replacement to First Class Which had run between December 1993 and 1997.
It was drawn by Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (UK)
Dennis the Menace, later called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher and now Dennis and Gnasher, is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic The Beano, published by D. C...
artist Jimmy Hansen.
Overview
The series focussed on a class of prepubescentPuberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
children in a school – Class P5, similar to The Bash Street Kids
The Bash Street Kids
The Bash Street Kids is an ongoing comic strip featuring in the British comic The Beano. The strip was created by Leo Baxendale under the title When the Bell Rings, and first appeared in The Beano in issue 604, dated 13 February 1954. It became The Bash Street Kids in 1956 and since then, it has...
of The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
. Each strip would sometimes focus on an individual in the group, and how they deal with situations that came up in school.
As the series went on, the character of Kim was dropped for reasons that went unexplained in the strips, and the character of Dotty was moved from preschool
Preschool education
Preschool education is the provision of learning to children before the commencement of statutory and obligatory education, usually between the ages of zero and three or five, depending on the jurisdiction....
class into P5. The strips also moved away from individual stories and focussed more on the group as a whole.
In Issue #3000, the kids had grown up to become adults with a school reunion
Class reunion
A class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. Former teachers may be invited as well...
theme, with Miss Truncheon now working in a job centre
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...
, until the last frame of the story when she immediately resigned, saying she wanted to stay away from "that lot", who had all since taken jobs at the same job centre.
P5 returned as a reprint on 4 November 2006 under the new title of Class Act. The reprints are mainly from 1998 and 1999 for DC Thomson's policy of comic strips being at least 7 years old before they are reprinted. These reprints ended when The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
relaunched in August 2007.
Characters
- Den – The class leader, who sometimes appreciates lessons so that he can get away from his sister, Dotty.
- Dotty – Den's annoying little sister, who later attends P5 after passing a set test with flying colours, much to Den's annoyance.
- Jackie – A vain, self-centred blonde often seen with ponytails and high-heel shoes.
- Kim – A Chinese student who was inexplicably dropped halfway during the series run. The character had little time to develop before being dropped from the series.
- Liam & Noel Two rough, violent twin brothers who are almost always fighting with each other. Named after Noel and Liam Gallagher, who founded the band OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
.
- PC – a nerdNerdNerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
y inventor who uses a robotic backpack to help him with his lessons.
- Miss Truncheon – Their long-suffering teacher who seems to have little power over P5, allowing them to stage their own plans and ideas without much opposition.