What about HOOT!?

[Digifiend]

How many pages were in colour? Beano and Dandy only had their front and back covers and centre spreads in colour until 1988, didn't they? The rest being either black and white or with red shading.

[Lew Stringer]

How many pages were in colour? Beano and Dandy only had their front and back covers and centre spreads in colour until 1988, didn't they? The rest being either black and white or with red shading.

Hoot had eight pages in full colour, eight in spot colour (red). It was a good comic but perhaps the few extra pence tipped the balance against it. Then again 1980s new comics didn't fare too well overall so the odds were not in its favour. It was launched at the time when "traditional" comics were going out of fashion.

[Phoenix]

When I discovered that my younger son, Russell, wasn't at all keen on reading the books I was buying him, I started to drop the odd comic in front of him every couple of days or so on an any-port-in-a-storm policy. It worked in spades and in the long run cost quite a bit more than I had been paying for books. I must have been getting him about a dozen different titles every week, but the comic that appealed to him most was Hoot. He was extremely disappointed when it went belly up. I am looking after the full run for him to make sure they don't get damaged.

[Digifiend]

How many pages were in colour? Beano and Dandy only had their front and back covers and centre spreads in colour until 1988, didn't they? The rest being either black and white or with red shading.

Hoot had eight pages in full colour, eight in spot colour (red). It was a good comic but perhaps the few extra pence tipped the balance against it. Then again 1980s new comics didn't fare too well overall so the odds were not in its favour. It was launched at the time when "traditional" comics were going out of fashion.

Those extra four pages in full colour explain the higher price. I suspected that might be the case. But you're right, it launched a few years too late anyway.

[Jonny Whizz]

I suppose the only advantage of Hoot's short run was that it would be relatively easy to build up a full collection of the comic - something that Beano or Dandy collectors can only dream of (especially because of the rare wartime issues which were mostly recycled for the war effort).

The same could also be said for (out of DCT's humour comics) Buzz, Cracker and Plug, plus the combined Beezer and Topper and maybe even Nutty.

[Lew Stringer]

Those extra four pages in full colour explain the higher price. I suspected that might be the case. But you're right, it launched a few years too late anyway.

If memory serves me right it was only expensive compared to Dandy and Beano. Compared to IPC's comics it was still cheap, I think.

[AndyB]

Not particularly. I forget what price Whizzer and Chips was at the time, but it was a LOT less than 40p for 32 pages - granted, of course, Whizzer and Chips had less spot colour than Hoot, but that's not the point. To a 13 year old it seemed really bad value for the number of strips (as of course was Whizzer and Chips when it was relaunched in (hardly) full colour a few years later with fewer pages than Buster at higher price per page)

[Raven]

Not particularly. I forget what price Whizzer and Chips was at the time, but it was a LOT less than 40p for 32 pages ...

Whizzer and Chips was 22p for 32 pages in 1985, as opposed to Hoot's 20p for 16 pages.

Hoot has only four pages in red spot colour in the issues I have. Whizzer and Chips had four pages in full colour and eight in spot colour (blue/red) around that time.

It was obvious Hoot wasn't going to last - most of the strips (Polar Blair, Piggles, Super Fran, etc.) just weren't very strong or inspired. It needed some stand out strips and concepts to stand a chance.

[Lew Stringer]

Not particularly. I forget what price Whizzer and Chips was at the time, but it was a LOT less than 40p for 32 pages - granted, of course, Whizzer and Chips had less spot colour than Hoot, but that's not the point. To a 13 year old it seemed really bad value for the number of strips (as of course was Whizzer and Chips when it was relaunched in (hardly) full colour a few years later with fewer pages than Buster at higher price per page)

I was comparing cover price though, and Hoot was cheaper than most of its rivals.

I must admit that page length never bothered me personally. For example Smash! had 28 pages in 1966 compared to Buster's 40, for the same price, but I still preferred Smash. (Ditto TV21, Wham, and TV Comic, all of which had less pages than Fleetway's product.) I appreciate I was probably in the minority though given that the chunkier comics ultimately won out.

[Peter Gray]

Polar Blair is in Classics this Month.I think its Hoot uless its the late ones in the Dandy..

[Digifiend]

Should the year badge say which it is? I'm buying my copy tomorrow.

[Peter Gray]

It is Hoot..

HT 22/11/86

Also enjoyed Barney's Bear..also the first Three Bears which is wonderful to see...

[Digifiend]

It is Hoot..

HT 22/11/86

Also enjoyed Barney's Bear..also the first Three Bears which is wonderful to see...

HT 23/11/85 actually. It is a little blurry though, probably the result of the removal of any colour. Anyway, finally, Hoot is in Classics!

[felneymike]

How's that for service!

Come to think of it, Victor reprints started not long after people on here were saying "what about the adventure comics?" and text stories started after people on here were saying "what about the text story-papers?" Hmm....

I think what's really missing from Classics is winning lottery tickets in each issue.

[Digifiend]

lol, I think the fact Iain McLoghlin is on this board helps. Anything we suggest ends up known to the staff at DCT.

Since this thread was only bumped up a month ago though, I'll chalk this one off as a coincidence. Great minds think alike!