DC Thomson and the Royal Mail have worked together to produce a special collection of stamps featuring iconic comic book characters.

The new Royal Mail Collection features ten comic book front covers including five from DC Thomson's stable - The Dandy, The Beano, The Topper, Bunty and Twinkle.

The stamp issue also marks the 75th birthday of The Dandy this year, the world's longest continuously published comic.

"For over a century, Britain's uniquely eccentric comics have brought cheer to generations of readers," said Philip Parker, spokesperson for the Royal Mail. "More importantly it has presented us with a cast of characters that, like the memories of those comics themselves, remain with us throughout our lives."

Tim Collins, head of commercial at DC Thomson, added: "It's a genuine honour to be asked by Royal Mail to appear on a special stamp collection, so we were delighted to be able to licence five of our existing and classic titles for this purpose."

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In addition, DC Thomson has revealed a tie up with The Football Association and Wembley Stadium. This will see the introduction of Beano tours, as well as a special Wembley-themed issue of the weekly comic.