The Beano 75 years issue whats inside...its guessing time..

[George Shiers]

I'm hearing very mixed reviews about the birthday Beano. I wish the overseas delivery with it was as good as it is with The Phoenix. the latest issue of The Phoenix arrived today, whereas I haven't even recieved LAST WEEK'S Beano yet. I know I live 11,000 miles away, but if the Phoenix can do it, so can the Beano!

Still, I should get it in a week or two, and I look forwads to it!

[philcom55]

I didn't notice this week's regular Beano but, as I've said somewhere, I thought the cover of the Beano Special was really eye-catching with its confrontation of old and new style characters, not to mention the multi-coloured logo.

I have to say that the value of covers (once the main selling point of any comic - especially for a first issue) seems to have been seriously devalued in recent years by the number of free gifts plastered all over them. In my opinion this resulted in Dennis & Gnasher no.1 having the least memorable cover I've ever seen. When I think of some of the classic first issue covers of the past it almost makes me want to cry!

- Phil R.

[George Shiers]

In my opinion this resulted in Dennis & Gnasher no.1 having the least memorable cover I've ever seen. When I think of some of the classic first issue covers of the past it almost makes me want to cry!

- Phil R.

I agree - when I first saw the cover for the Dennis and Gnasher megazine I actually thoguht it was an advert for the comic - not the cover itself!

[Gilly]

For anyone who wants to hear my view, here's my review of it!

http://wizzkid97.wordpress.com/2013/07/ ... ssue-3695/

Great review that WizzKid and I totally agree with most of your points.

I think Les Pretend is in the picture at the end though isn't that him stood next to Will I Am?

[Digifiend]

With Daft I Be on his t-shirt, yeah.

[Lew Stringer]

Another wasted journey today, to WH Smith in Coventry this time. No sign of the specials. Asked the store assistant who was tidying up the shelves. He rummaged through the comics section. I mentioned they were bookazines...

"If they're bookazines they'll be over here" he said, showing me the bookazine section. "Are they published by Smiths?"

"I don't think they're exclusive to Smiths" I replied.

"We only have ones published by Smiths" he said.

"They're published by DC Thomson" I said.

"No... we haven't got them. Only ones published by Smiths." (Gesturing to magazines published by IP and others.)

I couldn't be bothered to explain how he'd wrongly thought mags exclusive to Smiths were published by Smiths but it just shows how little retail staff understand about their stock. Both this guy and the woman I spoke to yesterday were old enough and experienced enough to know better by the way, not young staff.

Perhaps the specials are only available in limited areas. I dunno. But I'm not bothering to try another branch of Smiths that's for sure. Will order them via DCT.

[WizzKid97]

Great review that WizzKid and I totally agree with most of your points.

Thank you very much! I went into probably a liiiiittle too much detail but ah well!

I think Les Pretend is in the picture at the end though isn't that him stood next to Will I Am?

With Daft I Be on his t-shirt, yeah.

Oh! For some reason I originally thought that was Smiffy or Pie-Face for some reason, probably because they're the dumbest characters. Maybe I'm the one who should be wearing that 'Daft I Be' t-shirt?

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Off into Liverpool tomorrow to try and find those specials, but for now I've got the 75th birthday issue...

Nice enough cover, a nice map of Beanotown, but apart from that it felt worryingly like I was reading the Dandy again... Far too many celebrities and too much Jamie Smart (two pages is too much!).

The Bash Street Kids strip has me worried as well - is this really the end of Bash Street School? Are they really moving to Beano High? All I can say is... WHY?

[Digifiend]

I agree about the celebs but not about Jamie... it was about time he got an actual story to draw, having only previously appeared in the Beano doing puzzle pages, and when his Dandy material was used in adverts. I've always thought that the 2010-12 version of the Dandy's failures were in marketing (they sent out all those copies of the relaunch issue, but failure to advertise meant they didn't sell) and distribution (too many stockists discontinued it, including Tesco!), not content. The Newsround report was very telling when the print Dandy's closure was announced. Some people either thought it was long gone or had never even heard of it.

[AndyB]

Indeed. I have read many suggestions that the problem with the Dandy was the content, which is true to the extent that Dandy Xtreme alienated a pile of the readership, and bringing a proper comic back alienated the gamers. I'm not exactly convinced that the 2004 Dandy particularly helped either.

I have always sided with those who believe the problem with the 2010 Dandy was marketing and distribution, not content. The only way to see who is right is to watch the circulation figures early next year when the anniversary "bounce" feeds out of the figures.

[SID]

Found a 75th Beano and the new Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Megazine in a local McColl's in Gairloch, Scotland. Miles from anywhere.

[Lew Stringer]

My local Smiths finally had copies of the two specials today, which saves me ordering them via post. The Beano one was displayed quite prominently but I had to hunt for the Dandy Special, which was jammed right at the back shelf and completely obscured by other comics (so obviously that's not going to sell in my town at least).

As for the unhelpful staff from last week, would it really be much of an effort for Smiths managers to insist that all staff read Retail Newsagent every week so they know something about the incoming stock? It's a slim magazine so I'm sure it wouldn't be much of a strain for them.

[SID]

I say this about McColl's: Both comics are stacked neatly without damage with The Beano being displayed prominently by the cash till. Just a pity that neither have been sold yet.

[Lew Stringer]

I say this about McColl's: Both comics are stacked neatly without damage with The Beano being displayed prominently by the cash till. Just a pity that neither have been sold yet.

My local shops now have the Dennis mag displayed upside down, damaging the tops with the weight of the gift. I think what's happened is that as comics with cover mounts come from the warehouse one up/one down (so they stack easier) the staff have just plonked them on the shelves like that. People have bought the 'right way up' issues, leaving all the upside down ones that staff can't be bothered to put right. After all, they're only comics so who cares? (I adjusted them myself.)

[TwoHeadedBoy]

It's more a case of the toys taking up so much room, and with the plastic shelving designed for flat magazines/comics, that often the only way to fit them in is to alternate them right-way-up/upside down. otherwise they get all squashed and lean over the front. At least you can tell what you're looking at rather than having a heaving mass of plastic bags pouring out of the racks.