One could argue that, in a sense, the last Dennis the Menace annual was actually the one for 2009, as Dennis's visual appearance in the ones for 2010 and 2011 was based on the television cartoon series, rather than the character we knew of old. Is it a coincidence that they presumably didn't sell as well as previous editions, leading to the demise of the 55 year old series of books?
The final two annuals were also the ones which were rebranded "Dennis and Gnasher", again after the TV series of the same name. Gnasher's name had been added to the cover a few times in previous years, but on those occasions the title had been "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher", with his canine chum's appellation in much smaller letters. Perhaps the change in appearance and name was a step too far for loyal readers, causing them to abandon their childhood chum's annuals on the grounds that he was no longer the Dennis they were familiar with.
Whatever the reason, Dennis hasn't graced his own regular annual or book for nearly a decade. There have been a couple of retrospective "one-offs", but I think it's time for D.C. Thomson to at least consider releasing a "Best of Dennis the Menace" annual or special to celebrate this striped icon of British comics. In the meantime, enjoy this classic covers cavalcade of the last 19 Dennis books ever to be published.
(As in part 1, where the back cover illustration is the same as the front, it has not been included in order to avoid repetition.)
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