ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of the British comic

Well kiddo, a long time ago in the United Kingdom, some people started drawing funny pictures and stories in newspapers and magazines. These funny books were known as comics. They were usually printed in black and white, and sold for a penny, which was a lot of money back then.

The first British comic was called The Glasgow Looking Glass and it was published in 1825. It was a satirical publication, which means that it made fun of people and things in society. But it wasn't really a comic book like we have today.

The first real British comic book was called Ally Sloper's Half Holiday and it was published in 1884. It was about a lazy, but lovable character named Ally Sloper who went on adventures and got into all kinds of trouble. People loved it and it quickly became popular.

After that, many other comic books were created in the UK, like The Beano and The Dandy. These comics were aimed at kids and featured characters like Dennis the Menace and Desperate Dan.

But in the 1970s, a new kind of comic book emerged in the UK, called the "comic book revolution". These comics were aimed at adults and were usually darker and more violent. One of the most popular was 2000 AD, which featured characters like Judge Dredd.

Today, comic books are still popular in the UK, and many of the classic characters from the past are still around, like The Beano and The Dandy. But there are also new and exciting comics being created all the time, so there's always something for everyone to enjoy.