Stamp of approval for Dennis and his friends

A collection of stamps featuring characters from some of Britain’s best-loved comic books will be issued by the Royal Mail.

The new range of 10 first-class stamps will include Dennis the Menace, Roy of the Rovers and Desperate Dan, in a celebration of Britain’s uniquely eccentric comics, a company spokesman said.

The stamps, which went on sale yesterday, will display an image of each character alongside their respective front covers, marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s longest-running comic, The Dandy.

Royal Mail spokesman Philip Parker said: “For more than a century Britain’s uniquely eccentric comics have brought cheer to generations of readers. More importantly, it has presented us with a cast of characters that, like the memories of those comics themselves, remain with us throughout our lives. The Dandy, celebrating its 75th birthday this year, and The Beano, which will do likewise next year, are almost British institutions and it feels appropriate to celebrate these comics and their characters on a set of very special stamps.”

The comic books featured in the stamp collection are The Dandy, The Beano, Roy Of The Rovers, Eagle, The Topper And Tiger, Bunty, Buster, Valiant, Twinkle and 2000AD.