Dan Leno (1860–1904) was an inventive British music hall comedian from the late 1880s who had a knack for recognising an opportunity. He had his finger on the pulse to what was, or could be, a popular form of entertainment to target long before his competitors caught on. This, of course, included a younger version of the comic book industry.
Leno had already built a sure-fire reputation for being ahead of the curve. He’d carved a career out of preforming on stage dressed as elaborate characters he’d created who were comical in appearance but representative of relatable people or issues. His character the Railway Guard, for instance, wore a uniform three times his actual body size, sported a wild beard that would’ve looked more well-fitted around the jaw of a young lion, had big bushy eyebrows, and regularly showcased a smile that under no circumstance could’ve been taken seriously. While the character’s personality traits were an exaggerated version of an everyday person, the Railway Guard was inspired by a real gentleman Leno had observed working at Brixton train station. The character would typically insert himself into scenarios where he humorously made a relatively straightforward situations worse. (Let’s hope for the real railway guard’s sake he was never made aware that his obnoxious behavior was the inspiration behind such a popular a comedic routine.)
Due to the overblown appearances of the characters he created, such as the Railway Guard, Leno recognized how prevalent his image had become, both in and out of character. The celebrity shrewdly took advantage of this notoriety by becoming one of the first performers to start selling merchandise at his shows. Dan Leno mugs, postcards and inkwells soon became very sought-after commodities at the height of his fame.
In 1898, when Leno had established himself as one of the most adored performers in the world, he identified a rising interest in comic strips and believed his style of entertainment would mesh perfectly with the art form. Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson, an emerging newspaper proprietor, had concurrently recognized the potential rewards in producing serialized stories. Pearson had recently founded the publishing company C. Arthur Pearson, which intended to capitalize on the growing popularity of comics. The Big Budget was the first ongoing comic the company published. The series was launched in 1897 and managed to run for an impressive 614 issues. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before a meeting was arranged between Pearson and Leno.
By the time Leno was showing an interest in the comic book medium his name had been established as a pretty safe bet, while Pearson had built an equally stellar reputation. In 1890, Pearson launched his own journal titled Pearson’s Weekly, which had been very successful in its own right. The first issue sold 250,000 copies.1 He’d also purchased the Morning Herald in 1898, the same year he was discussing a potential partnership with Dan Leno. He’d acquired the London newspaper to merge it with his own broadsheet newspaper, the Daily Express, which remains a leading publication in Great Britain to this day.
Conversations between the two men went swimmingly, and Leno keenly agreed to make an appearance as himself in Pearson’s already tried-and-tested The Big Budget, whereupon two slapstick characters Airy Alf and Bouncing Billy attempt to interview him at a pantomime. The feature worked out well for both parties and discussions to enhance Leno’s involvement with the publication promptly followed. However, the dancehall comedian had bigger aspirations than merely increasing his role in somebody else’s work, and instead expressed his desire to create his own paper - an idea Pearson was more than happy to accommodate. Furthermore, Pearson’s faith in Leno was so strong that he granted him full editorial control of the project. As had been the case with so many elements of Leno’s career, he intended to approach this venture slightly differently.
Much like he had done when creating merchandise to sell at his shows, Leno recognized that his image and name were his most valuable assets for a new project. Therefore, he determined it wise to make the comic predominantly about himself. Well, an embellished version of himself for comedic purposes anyway. He titled the paper Dan Leno’s Comic Journal, and in doing so, made comic book history. Leno had officially created the first ever comic paper to share its name with, and be centered around, a living person. Leno had no interest in plainly lending his name to the comic or simply giving a thumbs up once an issue was ready for the printing machine, either. He allocated himself the role of head writer. Leno was renowned for his unremitting work ethic and was even simultaneously writing his autobiography, Dan Leno: Hys Booke, while crafting together the many issues of the comic.
The cover of each issue of Dan Leno’s Comic Journal featured a humorously chaotic illustration of Leno and his editing team attempting to work despite a plethora of silly distractions. Leno would write reoccurring characters for the paper which would be illustrated by reputable artists who had already proven their worth in the industry, such as Tom Browne, Frank Holland and Charles Genge (all three of whom have also produced work for The Big Budget).
The paper itself was very formulaic. Recurring characters (The Leno Kids, Dan’s pal Tony Hamfat), themed pages, slogans and a section dedicated to “Fresh Jokes” generally always featured. The paper would commonly include cycling advertisements, too. This was another attempt by Leno to capitalize on a growing trend after noting that many people enjoyed riding bicycles around South London, the area upon which he resided while producing the comic.
Dan Leno’s Comic Journal had a fairly short run, publishing its final issue in 1899, the year after it was launched. This wasn’t due to a lack of success; the comic sold impressively. The first issue, for instance, sold 350,000 copies.2 It’s presumed the venture was short-lived on the grounds the fast-moving, busy Leno had grown slightly bored of the project and wished to devote his attention elsewhere. The fact he was playing Dame Trot in a pantomime version of Jack and the Beanstalk merely weeks after the final issue of his comic journal was on sale may support that theory. Albeit this wasn’t especially out of the ordinary for Leno; he’d been consistently appearing in pantomimes from the age of 5. In any case, irrespective of the paper’s brief lifespan, the comedian’s sharp eye for smart marketing has forever cemented his name as a significant one in the history of comics.
Dan Leno only lived a short life. He died at the age of 43, with official documentation declaring his cause of death to be general paralysis of the insane,3 a wordier way of stating he’d contracted syphilis. Needless to say, this wasn’t a pleasant way to go. The disease was known to negatively inflict a person’s character, and Leno’s mood dramatically fluctuated in the final two years of his life. At the worst of times, he was argumentative and uncooperative. He also suffered from a loss of hearing. Despite turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism, he continued to perform shows throughout this period.
Jay Hickory Wood, an author who in 1905 released his own Dan Leno biography, simply titled Dan Leno, commented on Leno’s remarkable dedication to his craft, declaring, "I can honestly say that I never saw him absolutely at rest. He was always doing something, and had something else to do afterwards; or he had just been somewhere, was going somewhere else, and had several other appointments to follow."4
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