For the past 70 years mischief-maker Dennis, complete with black spiky hair and his iconic red and black-stiped top, has been gracing the pages of the Beano.
And to celebrate the seven decades since the menace first appeared in the comic on March 17, 1951, TV star Joe Sugg will guest edit a special limited-edition Beano to kick start a year of celebratory festivities.
The 48-page bumper issue immortalises Mr Sugg as a Beanotown character with his own strip, and includes a number of guest appearances from the YouTuber’s friends and family including girlfriend and Strictly Come Dancing partner Dianne Buswell and The Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood.
As the birthday boss, Mr Sugg penned multiple strips for the comic including creating his own Beano character Archie Ology. The strip, Birthday Prank-Ageddon sees him team up with Dennis to pull the ultimate prank on Beanotown and references the fan’s appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off, poking fun at his fainting spell in the Bake Off tent.
The 29-year-old said: “I am incredibly excited to be the guest editor of Dennis’s birthday comic, I grew up with Dennis, reading Beano each week and I can’t wait for readers to see all the fun, pranks, and surprises we’ve worked into the special issue. This really is a dream project for me.”
His childhood was spent drawing his favourite Beanotown characters, so in his editor letter, the lifelong fan has shared an old strip featuring himself alongside his favourite Beano character at the time, Calamity James, as well as a childhood photo of himself sporting a Dennis-inspired black and red striped coat.
Mike Stirling, editorial director of Beano Studios said: “We truly believe that everyone has a little bit of Dennis in them but Joe definitely embodies the Dennis spirit through and through. He’s fun, cheeky and full of LOLZ which is what Dennis and Beano have always been about. We can’t wait for fans to get their hands on the special issue.”
DC Thomson’s Beano was first published in July 1938 and today an edition is bought every seven seconds in the UK.
The Dennis 70th Anniversary issue is available in shops and online from Wednesday, March 17, or from this Saturday for subscribers.