View source for The Topper (comics)

{{Short description|Topper (comic strip)}}
{{for|the comic-strip term|Topper (comic strip)}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox comic book title|  <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| title = The Topper
| image = Topper No1.jpg
| imagesize = 200
| caption = The cover of ''The Topper'' #1
| schedule = Weekly
| format = Broadsheet
| publisher = [[D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd]]
| date = 7 February 1953 – 15 September 1990
| issues = 1963
| main_char_team = 
| writers = 
| artists = [[Gordon Bell (artist)|Gordon Bell]]<br>[[David Law (cartoonist)|David Law]]
| pencillers = 
| inkers = 
| colorists = 
| creative_team_month = 
| creative_team_year = 
| creators = 
}}
'''''The Topper''''' was a UK [[comic book|comic]] published by [[D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd]] that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with ''[[The Beezer]]''.

A strip named "[[Mickey the Monkey]]" originally appeared on the front cover. In 1973, it was replaced by "[[Send for Kelly]]", by "[[Danny's Tranny]]" in 1975, briefly by "The Whizzers from Oz" in 1979, and again in 1979 by "[[Tricky Dicky (comics)|Tricky Dicky]]". "[[Beryl the Peril]]" took over on 24 May 1986, and remained there until the merger with ''The Beezer''.

Unlike most other comics at the time, which were half tabloid size, the Topper was for many years full tabloid. It changed to A4 in 1980, one year before ''The Beezer''.

Two comics were merged into ''The Topper'' during its run: these were ''[[Buzz (comic)|Buzz]]'' in 1975 and ''[[Sparky (comic)|Sparky]]'' in issue 1276 (16 July 1977). In issue 1260 on 26 March 1977, "Big News" was announced on the front cover redirecting the reader to page 7 of the comic. The announcement was that starting from issue number 1261 the comic would include a "Special Pull-out section" that brought back classic Topper Characters such as [[Splodge]] and [[Big Uggy]]. These lasted until issue 1276, when the pull out section was used for the Sparky comic, creating the "Special Sparky Pull-Out". The Sparky Pull out section was continued until the change to the A4 format.

''The Topper'' also produced an annual collection, ''[[The Topper Book]]''.

==Rebrand, closure and reprints==

In the late 1980s and 1990s, with the expansion of [[children's television]] and [[video game]]s taking a greater share of children's time, sales of comics began to fall. So D. C. Thomson decided to modernise the ''Topper'', relaunching it as ''Topper '89'' from February 1989.

In September 1990, it was decided to merge the ''Topper'' with another of D. C. Thomson's long-running comics, ''[[The Beezer]]'' and the two comics combined as ''Beezer and Topper''. This continued in publication until 1993; it subsequently closed, with a small amount of content from the combined comic subsequently relocating into other D. C. Thomson publications ''[[The Beano]]'' and ''[[The Dandy]]''.

Despite the closure of the ''Topper'' as a standalone title, ''[[The Topper Book]]'' continued as an annual, separate from ''[[The Beezer Book]]'', until the 1994 annual (published 1993, the year new issues of ''Beezer and Topper'' ceased).

Vintage stories from the ''Topper'' appeared alongside stories from other D. C. Thomson publications in [[Classics from the Comics]], a compilation magazine series which ran from 1996 to 2010.

In March 2012, the [[Royal Mail]] launched a special stamp collection to celebrate Britain's rich comic book history.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17421394 |title=Beano's Dennis the Menace on Royal Mail comic stamps |publisher=BBC News |date= 19 March 2012|access-date=2012-03-19}}</ref> The collection featured ''The Beano'', ''The Dandy'', ''[[Eagle (comic)|Eagle]]'', ''The Topper'', ''[[Roy of the Rovers (comic)|Roy of the Rovers]]'', ''[[Bunty]]'', ''[[Buster (comics)|Buster]]'', ''[[Valiant (comics)|Valiant]]'', ''[[Twinkle (comics)|Twinkle]]'' and ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]''.

==Strips==
{{main|List of Topper comic strips|List of Beezer and Topper comic strips}}

==Famous creators==
Well known creators who worked for The Topper include:
*[[Gordon Bell (artist)|Gordon Bell]]
*[[Paddy Brennan]]
*[[David Law (cartoonist)|David Law]]
*[[Tom Paterson]]
*[[Dudley D. Watkins]]
*[[John Dallas (comics)|John Dallas]]
*[[Malcolm Judge]]
*[[Robert Nixon (comics)|Robert Nixon]]
*[[David Parkins]]

==See also==
* [[List of DC Thomson publications]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{D. C. Thomson Comics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topper, the}}
[[Category:DC Thomson Comics titles]]
[[Category:Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct British comics]]
[[Category:British humour comics]]
[[Category:1953 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1990 comics endings]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1953]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1990]]
[[Category:Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom]]