Blog: Why Aren't We Talking About The Beano?

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After banging on the other day about all the books and articles that I've had to PROOF lately I can at least let you know about one of the above that has not only been PROOFED but also actively PUBLISHED!

This is my article Why Aren't We Talking ABout The Beano? what was published last week in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. If you have access to Taylor and Francis publications (i.e. if you work at a University or similar organisation OR are an Eccentric Billionaire who enjoys reading academic papers) you can read it on the journal site, but if NOT there is also an Open Access version available to download from UAL's research repository. It is the same TEXT either way, but the "official" one looks slightly fancier!

The article is based on a presentation I did at the IGNCC conference in Cambridge during the summer, about the fact that Comics Studies deliberately avoids even mentioning The Beano (and The Dandy, Buster, Whizzer & Chips etc etc). Not only does it PROVE this fact (with STATS!) but then goes on to give some reasons why this might be before concluding with a call to actually do something about it.

I tried to write it in a fairly straightforward, not wantonly academical way that doesn't require HOMEWORK (something which I fear cannot be said of my BOOK!) because it's about something that I think is Quite Important and so would benefit from Wider Reading. The Beano is a huge part of our national identity and after 85 years of publication it has touched the lives of most people in the UK, so I think it's deserving of investigation. The same applies for all aspects of popular culture really - we seem to spend most of our time discussing works or art that very few of us ever engage with rather than the ones that have had a direct impact on millions of people's lives. I have a dark suspicion that this is to do with CLASS and that "popular" things are deemed unworthy by the posh people who rule our lives, but even saying that out load sounds KRAZY, right?

I reckon it's worth a read anyway - as you can probably gather I am quite PROUD of it and would very much like it to be READ, so do please have a look if you can!

posted 24/1/2024 by MJ Hibbett

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