Dennis the Menace’s 70th birthday: Where to buy the special-edition comic featuring Joe Sugg

The commemorative issue features some famous faces in addition to the world’s naughtiest boy

Get your mitts on this bumper comic before it sells out (iStock/The Independent)

On 17 March 1951, Dennis the Menace strolled onto a black and white strip in The Beano magazine for the first time, wearing a shirt and a stripy tie. At that time he was without his legendary dog Gnasher, who didn’t appear until 1968.

Dubbed the “world’s naughtiest boy”, Dennis revitalised The Beano and inspired a new wave of kids’ comic strips that worked to entertain post-war, austerity Britain.

Fast forward 70 years and the schoolboy remains a well-known character in British culture. To ensure his enduring appeal, The Beano team consult a group of children from across the country each week to discuss what’s happening in the playground, what they’re watching on television and what games they’re playing.

With a fan club of more than a million members, including Mark Hamill, who starred as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, it's clear that the character’s popularity is showing no sign of waning.

As such, fans will be pleased to hear that, to mark seven decades of Dennis the Menace, The Beano has released a special-edition, 48-page bumper edition of the comic featuring some famous faces.

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Superfan, YouTuber and former Strictly Come Dancing star Joe Sugg guest-edited the birthday edition, which includes a bespoke illustration from longstanding Dennis artist Nigel Parkinson that showcases the evolution of the 10-year-old’s appearance over the decades, from the Fifties to the now.

Dennis the Menace’s evolution over time (Beano)

Talking about the commemorative issue, Mike Stirling, editorial director of Beano Studios, said that the Menace family have been “spreading laughs and unique Beano cheer across multiple generations of children and adults alike” for 70 years. We’re not sure about you, but we reckon a little extra humour is very much welcome right now.

For those wanting to celebrate Dennis’s birthday, Kew Gardens is honouring the event this Easter with a 3D Beano comic strip and interactive trail called Dennis & Gnasher’s Big Bonanza.

But if you can’t make it there, or simply want to get inspiration for how you can make your day a little more “Dennis”, the special-edition comic is on hand to help. Read on for everything there is to know about it, including how you can get your hands on it before it sells out.

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The Beano Dennis’s 70th birthday single issue: £3.75, Shop.beano.com

(Beano)

In honour of the 70th birthday of Dennis the Menace, the “world’s naughtiest boy”, The Beano has released a special-edition magazine, guest-edited by Joe Sugg. The YouTube star has written a number of strips for the comic, including one that refers to his stints on both Strictly and Bake Off. Also making an appearance is Sugg’s girlfriend and Strictly Come Dancing dancer Dianne Buswell, and Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood. The 48-page bumper issue also includes a Menace family tree poster. Mark the momentous occasion with this piece of memorabilia that you can cherish forever.

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