Character Traits
Dennis is an uncontrollable school boy who takes pride in causing chaos and mayhem to those around him due to his intolerance for rules and order. Such traits have caused some artists to consider him to be quite the villain. In such strips, Dennis would often prove himself to be quite selfish and greedy, often disregarding his friends in favour for treasures. Despite this, he would often get his comeuppance in the end. His misbehaviour stems from what The Beano explains as an attempt to add excitement to an otherwise dull day. Often equipped with a red and black jersey and an array of menacing weaponry (such as a catapult), Dennis is considered to be quite the loner, seeking no solace in anyone's company aside from his faithful pet dog Gnasher. However, he can be seen alongside other menaces, Curly and Pie-Face. Feature length strips in The Beano reveal that Dennis actually has a rivalling nature with The Bash Street Kids, often brawling and attempting to outwit them. Most notably, he seems to have a particular dislike for Danny, the leader. He has, however, been shown to have a fairly stable friendship with Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger, enough so that the three have been seen to work together often. Dennis has also been shown to be quite heroic, having saved his town on occasion from potential disaster. The Beano Annual 2001-2, both exemplified this in their stories in which Dennis defeated a race of 'Beanobots'.
Even though many strips depict Dennis as being fairly academically challenged, he is in fact extremely inventive and clever when it comes to mechanics. On occasion, it has been shown that Dennis can make from scratch his very own vehicles including a Menace Dune-Buggy, a working rocket and other such things.
Like most Beano characters, Dennis has a rivalry for The Dandy stars, though some editors admitted that he has some sort of respect for long-lasting strip character Desperate Dan.
Read more about this topic: Dennis The Menace (UK Comics)
Famous quotes containing the words character and/or traits:
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“In the years of the Roman Republic, before the Christian era, Roman education was meant to produce those character traits that would make the ideal family man. Children were taught primarily to be good to their families. To revere gods, one’s parents, and the laws of the state were the primary lessons for Roman boys. Cicero described the goal of their child rearing as “self- control, combined with dutiful affection to parents, and kindliness to kindred.””
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