Annuals were always the mainstay of a kid's Christmas stocking - a bumper edition of your favourite weekly with a shiny hardback, more colour and (in most cases) better quality paper. There was always a selection on my Christmas list and the perfect antidote to the Boxing Day, post-Christmas blues. Here are a few of my favourite or most memorable covers.
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The best accompaniment for a day trip to Margate, Southend or Clacton and a must-have for the long train journey. They were a little more glossy and usually at least double the number of pages of the usual weekly comic. I never had all the ones pictured below, but love all these covers. If the cover price is below 40p then chances are they were in my era and in my hands on the way to a day of sun, sand and funfairs.
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Christmas comics always came with a little extra sparkle — a dusting of snow on the title, ribbons and holly sneaking around the panels, and covers bursting with colour like wrapping paper on Christmas morning. Here are a few of my favourite festive crackers!
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1977 |
1980 |
1984 |
1977 |
1976 |
1981 |
1976 |
1979 |
1976 |
1978 |
1982 |