Beezer, Topper and the Shoot - British Comics

While in my local corner shop and perusing the magazine rack looking for something to read I noticed as well as the top shelf material disappeared, there was a general lack of what I would call comics for kids. The ones I could see were aimed at girls with the selling point of having some kind of gift so I checked out the very pinkie Barbie Magazine, yes they are call magazines now not comics. The cost was an eye watering £3.99 but with a gift, a 6-piece handbag set and some stickers.

I come from a period in time when the kids comic was king where there were more comics for boys than girls I myself had two regular purchased for me by my mum ordering them for me and on the weekend the classic Shoot which can’t really be called a comic.

I would have the Beezer and Topper and would eagerly await the latest goings on between the pages. In the Beezer, I remember ‘General Jim’ who along with his gang liked to play war games. My favourite was ‘Pop, Dick, and Harry’ who were twins who always engaged in bad behaviour, disobeyed, and tormented their overweight father, Pop. You would think I would cheer on Dick and Harry but it was their much put on dad and what a joy if he won the battle.

In the Topper, there was Sir Laughalot who was a somewhat cowardly knight who would have a smart idea to win the day. Mickey the Monkey was the big name of the Topper, and normally found on the front page, and would get up to all kinds of scrapes.

The Shoot, well it was football, I loved football thanks to my dad, and even though I was at the beginnings of becoming a Cardiff City fan any football interested me. Even today, I just love reading about football any team I can even stomach the pages and pages of Premiership crap I would just like editors and the newspaper sports writers to remember there is more to football than the Premier League. Yes, I was a year or so from proclaiming I was an official fan of Cardiff.

There were other comics I would have but the Topper and The Beezer were the only two ordered until I left junior school then my choices changed. I bought or asked for what I wanted the Victor and Commando magazines.