Longest running Beano reader & the one with the most issues?

[Digifiend]

I don't know either - it would be very useful to know for my webpage actually.

[Phoenix]

I don't know either - it would be very useful to know for my webpage actually.

O.M.G. Where's Denis when you need him most? Perhaps someone at DC Thomsons could be persuaded to investigate on Tin Can's behalf.

[Tin Can Tommy]

from trying to find out myself when the last Beano Superstars was:

according to wikipedia The last few issues were printed versions of episodes from the 1996-1998 Dennis and Gnasher cartoon. But Digifiend wrote that on Wikipedia and he doesnt know when the last issue was.

relevant link.

also if that were the case then it would mean they had reprinted some of the superstars cos a number of earlier ones contained stories straight from the TV series (compare Digifiends SuperStars list to a list of episodes of the Dennis the Menace 1996 TV Series) and ive never seen a mention of them being reprinted anywhere.

Also after issue 120 the shop where i got them from stopped selling them so i think they may have stopped Beano Superstars then because i looked around alot of shops for it and couldnt find it. But in this thread andyB says the last issue said so but 120 had an advert for issue 121.

[Digifiend]

also if that were the case then it would mean they had reprinted some of the superstars and ive never seen a mention of this anywhere.

How the heck do you work that out? No issues of Beano Superstars contain reprint, to my knowledge - no names appear twice in the list so far. The scripts for the last couple of years were taken from the Dennis cartoon, but not the artwork, which was new and I think was drawn by Barrie Appleby. The Dennis ones started using TV scripts before Minnie and Roger were removed from the series - their stories were all new. I think 121 must be only a few issues from the end, if not the last one, but I don't know the exact number or date, as I don't have it. What I do know is that they stopped when all the TV episodes had been used.

[Tin Can Tommy]

also if that were the case then it would mean they had reprinted some of the superstars and ive never seen a mention of this anywhere.

How the heck do you work that out? No issues of Beano Superstars contain reprint, to my knowledge - no names appear twice in the list so far. The scripts for the last couple of years were taken from the Dennis cartoon, but not the artwork, which was new and I think was drawn by Barrie Appleby. The Dennis ones started using TV scripts before Minnie and Roger were removed from the series - their stories were all new. I think 121 must be only a few issues from the end, if not the last one, but I don't know the exact number or date, as I don't have it. What I do know is that they stopped when all the TV episodes had been used.

i thought they must have reprinted them becuase you said the last ones were all scripts from the TV series and some earlier ones which weren't last used scripts from the TV series. also 120 didnt use a script from the tV series but it was similiar to the episode Dennis and the Beanstalk in many ways.

[Phoenix]

But in this thread andyB says the last issue said so but 120 had an advert for issue 121.

I reckon that virtually all the comic collectors in comicsuk know about and probably have had some experience of this. Just because a comic says that such and such a story will be starting next week does not mean that it will. You have to remember that about five weeks worth of future issues have already been prepared by the time any given issue of any comic goes on sale. Within that period, decisions can be taken that will affect the first issue after those already printed. It would appear that that might well have happened here. Below you can see another effect of decisions being overruled in a much earlier period. Black Hand! was issue 20 in what was effectively the first series of Boys' Favourite Library. Without checking my notes, I cannot be sure whether it came out in late 1949 or early 1950, but what is certain is that it was the last in the series, despite the advert on the rear cover for issue 21, The Convict Speed-Devil, which was to be the next month's offering. The cover was even photographed on that back page, so the issue must almost certainly have been ready. In fact, it wasn't published until 1952 or 1953, I'm not sure which, my reference book has gone walkabout, but you get the picture, as issue 3 of series 2. For this second series the company had changed publisher and printers and, as you can see, even changed the name to Boys' Favourite on the cover and in adverts but, curiously, printed Boys' Favourite Library at the top of every right-hand page.

[AndyB]

On this occasion, Andy's memory is quite correct, because the last issue actually said so on the inside back cover. Andy just wishes he still had that last copy, but will make a few discreet inquiries.

[Digifiend]

Pheonix, I know, that's what happened to the Fun-Sizes and Classics, but from what Andy said, it didn't happen to Superstars.

[Jon]

I have 1405 issues of The Beano - I would estimate about 10% of those are duplicates. I have near complete runs from 1978 - 1982 (an extremely cheap purchase on eBay), 1988 - 1996 (a fairly cheap purchase on eBay) and 2000 - 2006 (my own childhood collection). Then just the odd issues in between. My eventual realistic goal is to get every issue from 1970 onwards - I would be very satisfied with that, although I am aware that the average price of one issue shoots up massively when you get back into the '70s!

[Jonny Whizz]

I've just checked my collection and I've found two issues of Beano Superstars. Both feature Dennis the Menace - I have issues 108 (Pantomonium) and 115 (The Shape of Things to Come). They seem to have been from near the end of the run, though I can't remember either story featuring in the 1990s Dennis TV series but I might be wrong there.

I also have an unusual issue in my collection - I have two copies of issue 3282, dated 11th June 2005. One is simply a standard edition, but the other was signed by Rafa Benitez a couple of weeks after Liverpool won the Champions League!

[Tin Can Tommy]

I've just checked my collection and I've found two issues of Beano Superstars. Both feature Dennis the Menace - I have issues 108 (Pantomonium) and 115 (The Shape of Things to Come). They seem to have been from near the end of the run, though I can't remember either story featuring in the 1990s Dennis TV series but I might be wrong there.

Pantomonium sounds very similiar to Beano Superstars 120 which is Panto time again. I too have 115 and the aliens in that are similar to the ones from the TV series in that they too can shapeshift. also issue 108 isnt on Digifiend's list of Beano superstars.

[Digifiend]

Nice. Looks like I'll be adding that later then. Thanks Jonny.

[BeanoKev70]

I have been reading since 1975 and have every issue from 1969 to todays issue. I'm 41 & my week would be a little sadder without my Beano. I have also been reading the Dandy since about 1978 & have every issue from then apart from the Xtreme years.

[r3tr0_gam3r]

I started getting the Beano and Dandy when I was about 5/6 (I'm 21 now) so between 1994/1995. Me and my brother used to share them, though he soon got bored of them (I know, mad right?). I carried on getting them until around 2001/02, stopped for a while and then started buying the occasional Beano or Dandy from 2007 when I started to collect the annuals again. I did start up a subscription a while back for both comics, but had to stop that for a while due to lack of funds. However today, I have restarted it . As for exactly how many comics I have, I cannot be too sure on the later years (I really need to get them sorted) but I do have a few complete years for 70's/80's. In the last year or so, I have started to collect mostly annual's and just the occasional comics. Just like Jon said, the prices do start to shoot up once you get back to the 70's, so collecting anything further back can be expensive.
Now then, as for annuals, I have all the Beano's back to 1967 and also 1953,54,57,58,59,60,65. All Dandy's back to 1969 and 1946,54,55,58,59,64,67,69. I've collected every Desperate Dan annual, all but one (1962) Dennis The Menace and every Bash Street Kids. The list does go on, as I also have collected a few Fleetway annuals over the years, but won't bore you all right now!

[Tin Can Tommy]

I find that the annuals are alot more collectible than the individual comics mainly due to them having more strips in them and some of them, especially more recent ones, even being around the same price as individual comics. It is also alot easier to build up a full set of annuals than a full set of comics.