The Magic Comic
Encyclopedia
The Magic Comic was the ill fated third comic to 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. Paper rationing due to the outbreak of World War II
was to blame for its demise.
Two annuals, named The Magic Fun Book, were also published in 1941 and 1942. From 1942 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 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.
On 31 January 1976 DC Thomson revived the comic. This comic would go onto last until 1979. This new comic was aimed at younger audience than The Beano and Dandy and was more of a pre-school comic than the earlier Magic comic. The comic was loosely concerned with magic
of all kinds. Even though this new comic is considered a revival it contained none of the characters that appeared in the earlier Magic comic. However it did contain characters from The Beano with a spinoff of Biffo the Bear
involving his two nephews named Cuddly and Dudley appearing in the new comic.
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...
and 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...
. 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. Paper rationing due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was to blame for its demise.
Two annuals, named The Magic Fun Book, were also published in 1941 and 1942. From 1942 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
Big Eggo
Big Eggo was an ostrich and fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. He first appeared in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the first ever cover star. His first words in the strip were 'Somebody's taken my egg again!' It was drawn throughout by Reg Carter.Eggo remained on...
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
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
in February 2006 for £1,250 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.
On 31 January 1976 DC Thomson revived the comic. This comic would go onto last until 1979. This new comic was aimed at younger audience than The Beano and Dandy and was more of a pre-school comic than the earlier Magic comic. The comic was loosely concerned with magic
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
of all kinds. Even though this new comic is considered a revival it contained none of the characters that appeared in the earlier Magic comic. However it did contain characters from The Beano with a spinoff of Biffo the Bear
Biffo the Bear
Biffo the Bear was a fictional character who had his own comic strip in the British comic The Beano. Biffo was an anthropomorphic bear resembling Mickey Mouse who gained the front cover of the comic starting from issue 327, dated January 24, 1948, replacing Big Eggo...
involving his two nephews named Cuddly and Dudley appearing in the new comic.
Comic Strips featured in the first comic
- Koko the Pup
- Dolly Dimple
- Peter Piper
- 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
- 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
- Leave It to Lop Ears
- Crusty Crosspatch
- The Wolf Boy of Badenoch
- Old Pop Pelican
- Tootsy McTurk
- 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
- 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
- Witch Wanda
- Elfey
- Rainbow Road (about children in neighbouring houses with each door painted a different colour of the rainbowRainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
) - Copy Cat
- Betsy's Magic Bracelet (a serialSerial (literature)In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
about a girl who owned a braceletBraceletA bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...
with lucky charmsCharm braceletA charm bracelet is an item of jewelry worn around the wrist. It carries personal "charms": decorative pendants or trinkets which signify important things in the wearer's life.-History:...
enchantedIncantationAn incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words. An incantation may take place during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer, and may invoke or praise a deity. In magic, occultism, witchcraft it may be used with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person...
by a friendly witch) - Flying Flapears (a flying rabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
) - Spaceship Lollipop
- AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
and his Magic LampOil lampAn oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day.... - The Magic ClubClubA club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
(including "Magic Pictures", "Magic MirrorMirrorA mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
" and "Magic Riddles") - Cuddly and Dudley (this was a spin-off from The BeanoThe BeanoThe 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...
s Biffo the BearBiffo the BearBiffo the Bear was a fictional character who had his own comic strip in the British comic The Beano. Biffo was an anthropomorphic bear resembling Mickey Mouse who gained the front cover of the comic starting from issue 327, dated January 24, 1948, replacing Big Eggo...
) - 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 worldWonders of the WorldVarious lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural wonders and manmade structures....
).