DAVID LAW worked for Scottish editor D.C.Thomson since about 1945, drawing cartoons for local papers. One of these was a young version of ‘Dennis the Menace’ entitled ‘The Wee Fella’. During the mid-1950s, David Law also drew ‘Dennis the Menace’ strips for the Weekly News and the Beano. (This strip is not to be confused with the American ‘Dennis the Menace’ by Hank Ketcham, which was independently created around the same time.

The difference between the two is that the American Dennis finds himself in trouble without meaning to, while the British Dennis voluntarily seeks out mischief). Law’s other well-known creation is ‘Beryl the Peril’, whose adventures appear weekly in the Topper. Law drew ‘Dennis the Menace’ until his death in 1971.