(The) Beano was first published in 1938 and over the intervening years has entertained generations of kids.

Thankfully it’s still going and has recently announced, yet again, that it has bucked the trend of most magazines and comics and seen an improvement in sales.  

Still starring Dennis the Menace, Roger the Dodger and The Bash Street Kids it remains a highly entertaining comic and features fantastic art by Nigel Parkinson, Hunt Emerson and Belfast’s own Leslie Stannage.    

It really has to be the first stop for getting your kids interested in comics, and you'll probably enjoy reading it yourself.

Since 1920 Rupert the Bear has been delighting younger kids.  Beginning life as a tool in the Daily Express' circulatuion wars with the Mail and Mirror, he is best know for the annual Rupert Books that have been in uninterupted production since 1936.  

Rupert's stories are generally gentle adventure stories, set in a village of talking animals, wizards and fabulous beasts.  The stories are told in a unique style, with each page including four illustrations, each with a two line verse beneath them, but with more detailed prose at the bottom of the page.  I've a real soft spot for Rupert, I learnt to read with these annuals, reading the short verses first and only later the longer prose sections.  I had parents to read those bits to me.   Ideal for very young kids, its an interesting introduction to the world of comics.