10 favourite Scottish comic books

Scotland has a rich history of comics. Oor Wullie and The Broons appeared alternately as annuals, from the late 1930s onwards, and also as short comics each week in The Sunday Post, while newsstand titles including The Beano, The Dandy, Jackie, and Topper, were popular for several decades. 

The Beano, first published in 1938, has now sold over 2 billion copies, more than any comic outside of Japan. The figures are mind-boggling: in 1945 Beano issue 272 was the first to sell more than a million copies. Both The Dandy and Beano had print runs of more than 4 million copies every week – only stopping the presses to allow the next week’s comics to go to print. Reading comics enriched the lives of countless children. Generations of young people brought up reading comics has had a significant cultural impact. 

Although the newsstand comics are printed in smaller numbers now, the interest in graphic novels is growing. Scotland has produced some of the world’s top comic creators: including Alan Grant, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison and Mark Miller. And there’s an exciting scene of up-and-coming creators. Here are ten recent graphic novels and comics for kids and YA we’ve really enjoyed: 

A great graphic novel adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. Stays faithful to the original text, with beautiful art augmenting the story’s atmosphere. 

Two giants of comics combine to bring Batman outside of Gotham and deep into an intrigue. Batman has Scottish ancestry in this mystery and Quitely’s classic art and striking scenery is offset by the historical background of the Highland Clearances. 

Takes you through the steps in building your very own graphic novel. Imaginative fun and a springboard for unlocking creativity. 

The adventures of Fun Mudlifter. A great quirky tale, packed with trolls, three-headed beasts, soothsaying shamans and headless barbarians. Metalevel humour for all ages. 

Nessie and her team save the day when a gang of gulls terrorise Loch Ness in this hilarious story. 

Fun and philosophical four-panel strips with a cast of quirky fairy-tale-like characters. We particularly enjoyed meeting Loghead the insomniac! 

Gorgeous clear line art brings this faithful interpretation of the classic children’s story to life. 

Interviews with corpses! Find out what the dead famous and the famous dead have to say for themselves. Ever wanted to chat with a zombie? This excellent comic gives you the chance. 

A great graphic novel that brings a loveable, culinary universe to life and follows the magical adventures of the seventeen-year-old Soup, as she risks everything to save her beloved market and the restaurant where she lives. 

A sumptuous period romance. This lovely graphic novel occupies the place where Jane Austen meets Heartstopper. Love whoever you want to love and be whoever you want to be. Art and language combine perfectly to bring the characters alive. 

Wilomina: The Land of Dreams and Nightmares by John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs is out now.