Beano monitoring

[Digifiend]

Three years, as it looks like the Beano/Dandy classic one has shrunk this year. Can't check until I actually buy it though, but it looks thinner than the previous Golden/60/70 Years books.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

cutting the amount of pages in annuals is a bad sign: cost-cutting, obviously, as well as providing even less work for creators even in today's tiny market.

Something similar happened in US newspaper strips: in the early days, lavish, large-scale artwork often graced the papers, but eventually this devolved into the tiny, usually- cramped frames we 'enjoy' today.

On a more positive note, newspaper strips are still around, with no signs---as yet----of them falling to the cult of webcomics.

I am convinced that comics will always be around, as long as mankind is on the planet.

[Jonny Whizz]

Effectively, the Beano annual was reduced last year from being 4.5 times the size of the weekly comic to being 4 times the size. Dandy Xtreme has 36 pages I think, so the ratio isn't quite the same.

The other problem with the annuals being reduced in size is that there's less room for strips. For example, Billy the Cat and Ball Boy didn't appear in last year's Beano annual.

[Digifiend]

To be fair, Billy's absence was to make way for General Jumbo. A Billy the cat story had been done for it though, and that's in this year's. We already know another is in next year's, and with the weekly strip having now been dropped, I think Nigel Dobbyn will continue doing them beyond that, rather than Barrie Appleby taking over. Ball Boy was bumped out, and I assume the strips Dave Eastbury drew for the 2009 annual are in the 2010 one instead, meaning he won't have needed to prepare any new ones this time.

[Digifiend]

This week's Beano had a free Book of Terror mini-mag. No surprise that the two feature stories are reprints. The Bash Street Pups in Escape from Al-cat-raz was originally in a Bash Street Annual, and the Doctor Beastly feature was in the weekly comic, both about 10 years ago. Beastly is a case of spot the cameo - there are Beano regulars on every page - including The Colonel, who is renamed as "war hero, Major Disappointment" (we know why that is, the curse of the new TV series strikes again! ) and on the final panel, an unnamed Walter and Matilda, one of only two occasions (I think) that she ever appeared in The Beano.

[Jonny Whizz]

The name change for the Colonel isn't the first thing they've changed since the new TV series came on. In one recent Ivy the Terrible story, she refers to 'Walter's cousin' - who is clearly Walter!

Dennis's Granny also appears in the comic for the first time with her new design. Personally, I feel that that particular change was unnecessary, and I preferred the old design. Also, bring back Rasher! Harley the pig just isn't the same.

I think Doctor Beastly was from 2002. I can give the exact issue number as well that the particular strip appeared in; 3145, dated 26th October 2002. I haven't read the mini comic, but if I remember Calamity James put his hand in the 'Unlucky dip' at one point.

[Digifiend]

Yes he did, and they've identified him with a caption box, since he's no longer a current character.

[MikeC]

In the light of your comments, Mike, I have read this whole thread through again. I have to tell you that I cannot see any evidence of moaning. What I do see is a whole host of intelligent, sensitive and committed forum members analysing, commenting, advising, suggesting, and offering opinions, some voiced with approval, others with disappointment, but all really affectionate towards The Beano. In fact, I doubt whether you will ever find anybody more committed to any comic anywhere than Digifiend is to The Beano. When Lew Stringer said, Blimey, the things we discuss here eh?, he was expressing the ethos of this forum. We discuss things, and we take pleasure in doing so. The only sour notes on this thread have been provided by or instigated by you. As you are a member of the forum, it goes without saying that you love comics/story papers like everyone else here. So why have you seen fit to get aggressive with members? Why don't you share your personal enthusiasms with us? We can certainly do without the confrontations. All arguments here should always be friendly ones, dealt with in the right spirit.

Sorry if my last post came over more seriously than I meant - I should have used or something!

My point is that as an infrequent visitor to this site, I read quite a lot at once and believe me, it is overwhelmingly negative when it comes to current comics, Beano and Dandy. Dandy in particular seems to be reviled for daring to try something new in the face of falling circulation. I'm pretty sure the people who work on these comics know what they're doing - too often discussion here ends up sounding like the old "I could do it better myself" argument, which is obviously fatuous. Anyway, as you were... but maybe with a little more charitable outlook?

[Digifiend]

There isn't a lot wrong with The Beano at present IMHO - my biggest annoyance is that the price isn't the same every week. "Free" gifts are no longer free.

As for The Dandy, circulation dropping means they must be doing something wrong. Two relaunches in the last five years have done little to stop the slide. We're just trying to think of ways in which it can be saved, and people do have different opinions on the subject. But that's a subject for another thread, in the appropriate sub-forum.

[ComicCrazy]

Is it me but does the new Dennis say: Plan something in every issue. For example in the latest one he says "plan D" the issue before Plan A" and two issues before that "Plan D"
Its getting quite repetitive.

[Digifiend]

Yes, I've noticed that. He's not supposed to have a plan, he's a doer, not a thinker! Leave the thinking to Roger!

[Jonny Whizz]

Dennis the Dodger anyone? Doesn't sound right to me! More to the point, why doesn't the new Dennis ever seem to have a plan B or a plan C?

[Steve Henderson]

Plan D for Dennis perhaps?

[skyromie]

Plan D for Dennis perhaps?

That's what I thought.

"Free" gifts are no longer free.

To be fair, has any of the price-increased issues that contained gifts ever said that they were 'free'? The only time you'll see Free Gift written on the Beano is when there is a gift without a price-increase. Otherwise, they're just gifts.

[Digifiend]

Look in a dictionary. The word free is superfluous anyway, a gift means a present, something you give someone without getting anything in return. In other words, the use of the word gift still implies that it's free.