Why Topper is so sadly missed

kevf · Post by **kevf** » 07 Mar 2006, 08:52

Three words - Desert Island Dick.

Conor B · Post by **Conor B** » 08 Apr 2006, 12:55

No - its everything from the paper size to the characters to the page number. Its all gone and there's no coming back. The only way is to revive all the characters, not just Beryl, Thor and Splodge.

davey_r · Post by **davey_r** » 30 Oct 2006, 00:50

Desert Island Dick was indeed a legend, such a simple forumla but so perfect.. the one strip I always looked out for as a kid..

It would be great to revive all the characters somehow, but only if they remained true to themselves. If you look at the original Beryl stories she wasn't a Dennis/Minnie type character... she didn't go around bullying people and deliberately causing trouble, she was just clumsy, thoughtless and oblivious, causing trouble for people (mainly her dad) without even realising it. By the time she got imported into Dandy she was more of a bog standard menance/minx character (as well as having a completley different appearance to match the completley different personality).

If this sort of tampering could be avoided, I really think some of the characters should be revived for the odd run in Dandy or Beano, as long as they're not given skateboards or anything...

davey_r · Post by **davey_r** » 30 Oct 2006, 13:41

Having said that, I've just seen some of Dandy's latest of Beryl, and it seems to have gone back to more of a hyperactive, chaotic character. Still sort of misses the point of the original though..

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 30 Oct 2006, 17:00

davey_r wrote:Having said that, I've just seen some of Dandy's latest of Beryl, and it seems to have gone back to more of a hyperactive, chaotic character. Still sort of misses the point of the original though..

I think it's sad that there's so little difference between the characters now. The "naughty rebel" theme was popular with Dennis so it's been repeated ad infinitum. When I was a kid I loved the variety that comics like Dandy and the early Smash! had to offer: a mixture of humour and adventure. Something a little different at the turn of every page.

Credit to D C Thomson that they're going by what's popular with the readers, but I have to wonder how unimaginative and dull those readers are who want nothing but "naughty rebel kid strips" from cover to cover. Polls show that readers prefer to "relate" to characters and situations. What a shame those readers don't have the thirst for the fantastic that made such strips as The Steel Claw and Dan Dare so popular.

Lew

Peter Gray · Post by **Peter Gray** » 30 Oct 2006, 17:35

With Horrible Histories...Harry Potter...and many other childrens books which are being read today.......
Also clever children book films

I think children would like to read and enjoy an adventure...like a Wulf of an arrow...or the whizzers of oz.......which were seen in Topper..... picture and text...

Comics UK