Why aren't we talking about the Beano?

The Beano is the world's longest running weekly comic and a central part of British culture, yet it is almost never discussed in British Comics Studies journals or conferences. This paper will use an analysis of journals and past conferences to show how little research and discussion there has been about one of Britain's best-loved comics, especially in comparison to other, supposedly adult, texts. It will examine some of the possible reasons why this might be, including the history of Comics Studies as a field and its ongoing quest for academic respectability. It will also discuss why The Beano - and other ignored childrens' series like The Dandy, Buster, Whizzer and Chips and many more - matters, and what we lose as a field by focusing our energies on so-called "Posh Comics" instead.

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