Free comics in The Guardian

[Lew Stringer]

I'm sure some of the people here who always nail their "anti-lefty" colours to the mast won't have seen this ( ) but today's issue of The Guardian (in the magazine) features an article about Jon Ronson writing a Numbskulls script for The Beano. Comments from Alan Digby and Morris Heggie are also included.

This is just the start of The Guardian devoting a week to comics, which gets underway NEXT Saturday. All that week, The Guardian will be giving away a reprint of an old comic (mostly 1980s Egmont & Thomson stuff from what I can make out) starting with Jackie in next Saturday's edition, followed by The Beano No.2000, Tammy, Whizzer & Chips and others.

Monday Sept 14th sees an article on Egmont's Classic Comics, including interviews with Paul Gravett, me, and others.

The focus seems to be mainly on the 1980s comics. If I'd realised that at the time of the interview I'd have mentioned the 50 years of pre-Dandy comics that Comics Britannia ignored, before those decades are completely forgotten by the media. However, the fact that a major newspaper is devoting any space to comics history, - not to mention it being a week-long event, - is fantastic! Let's hope it starts a domino effect that'll make Britain more aware, and respectful, of its comics.

Lew

[Phoenix]

They charged me £1.90 for my copy this morning, a hefty hike from last week and, as I understand it, the daily hits £1 next week. It's nice to know that we are going to get these free gift comic reprints but when this wave of generosity is just a memory, The Guardian will still be £1 and I'll have to decide which day's issue to do without.

[steelclaw]

Thanks Lew, I don't usually buy News Papers(I read on line) but will make an effort to buy these, as I'm a bit of a sucker for things like this.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I happily admit to trusting NONE of the political parties in the UK [one of the reasons I 'escape' into the fantasy of comics] however, I have always enjoyed the savagery of STEVE BELL'S work in the Guardian.





Politics is not for me, but I could quite easily take up political cartooning. Imagine getting paid to do imagery like the above.......[isn't one-time DENNIS artist David Parkin now a political cartoonist?]

[Digifiend]

£1 for a copy of The Guardian with The Beano issue 2000 free inside? Sounds good - wouldn't normally buy that kind of paper, but I might have to make an exception for this. Thanks for the heads up.

EDIT: Looked it up. They're giving away a Dandy as well.
This seems to be the magazine article you're talking about Lew.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/se ... jon-ronson

EDIT2: And a related article - this wasn't linked correctly at The Guardian's website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/se ... s-verdicts

Full list of comics being given away:
Roy of the Rovers
Tammy
The Beano
The Dandy
Jackie
Bunty
Whizzer and Chips

[PaulTwist]

Thanks for this Lew. I love the Guardian - by far my favourite newspaper, and I buy it every Saturday already. Will definitely pick it up throughout comics week.

Yours,
A Lefty.

[SID]

Mental Note: *Must by Guardian week after next*

[Jonny Whizz]

I thought that David Parkins emigrated to Canada in 2006 - I seem to remember that Euan Kerr mentioned this. His work hasn't been seen in the Beano since then, for sure, although, ironically, reprints of his The Three Bears, Fred's Bed and Billy Whizz strips have all appeared in the comic, as well as in the Dennis the Menace annuals from 2007-2009.

[steelclaw]

I would say having these free comics is as good if not better then Egmont's 4 classics.

[felneymike]

Argh! I'm in Japan that week!

Will have to persuade somebody to part with £7 for me...

[Digifiend]

I would say having these free comics is as good if not better then Egmont's 4 classics.

Not free exactly (it's costing money if you don't normally buy the paper, plus it just went up in price), but it is cheaper than a modern Beano.

[tony ingram]

I wouldn't normally touch the Gruniad with a barge pole, but in this case...

[Phoenix]

the Gruniad

Attracting our attention to the newspaper by misspelling the normally-accepted misspelling. A nice touch, Tony, I like it.

[stevezodiac]

I buy every paper on Saturdays except the Guardian - but I do always glance at the cover and noticed it had increased by six shillings since last Saturday. A long way from when the Beano increased its price by only a penny in 30 years. (Can anyone give more details on how long the Beano and Dandy lasted with only a penny increase?) I seem to remember it was 4d in 1971 when decimal currency came in and it went to 2p but when did it go up from 3d to 4d?

I was more enthused by the Daily Telegraph which gave away a complete copy of the paper dated 4 September 1939. Part 1 of a new 60 part series where they are selling a WW2 magazine with a complete facsimile Telegraph from the war inside. £2.50 a copy at newsagents in a couple of weeks.

How is the Guardian reproducing these comics? Will be they be exact replicas thereby reducing the value of the originals?

[Lew Stringer]

(Can anyone give more details on how long the Beano and Dandy lasted with only a penny increase?) I seem to remember it was 4d in 1971 when decimal currency came in and it went to 2p but when did it go up from 3d to 4d?

1968.

I was more enthused by the Daily Telegraph which gave away a complete copy of the paper dated 4 September 1939. Part 1 of a new 60 part series where they are selling a WW2 magazine with a complete facsimile Telegraph from the war inside. £2.50 a copy at newsagents in a couple of weeks.

The partwork Images of War did exactly the same thing several years ago. Then it had a variety of newspaper reprints, particularly a lot of Daily Mirrors, so plenty of strip reprints there.

How is the Guardian reproducing these comics? Will be they be exact replicas thereby reducing the value of the originals?

No idea, but I very much doubt they'll be exact replicas. I expect to see them on the same newsprint The Guardian itself uses. They might even be smaller, like the booklets they're giving out this week. We'll soon know I suppose.

Don't worry about it affecting the "value" of the originals. Apart from a couple of examples the editions being reprinted aren't exactly collector's items. The reprints might even turn out to be more sought after than the original comics!

Lew