The TOPS/TV TOPS Thread (DC Thomson 1981-81)

[Shaqui]

I'm working on a comprehensive index to DC Thomson's early 1980s zine 'TOPS' (aka 'TV TOPS') as a complementary guide on the Look-in tribute site I'm working on.

I was wondering if anyone in the know about DC Thomson can name any of the writers and/or editorial team, as well as a few artists who remain unidentified, please?

The editors signed themselves as 'Jan' and 'Young Alan' for some of the mid-run, although I don't know if these were real names or pseudonyms.

Any information would be much appreciated, and of course credited when the site launches.

[big bad bri]

there was another comic/mag in the 80s along the same lines as tops & look in called Beeb in 1985.i have the first 15 issues rescued from my dads loft before he moved back to ireland but my tops were beyond saving.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, BEEB actually ran a Bananaman series (the 1983-87 TV series was ongoing at the time) which ended up getting reprinted in Dandy Xtreme 22 years later. The comic was very shortlived though.

[Shaqui]

I have all 20 issues of BEEB but do you have the Bananaman reprint dates for Dandy Extreme, please? I wasn't aware of any artwork from BEEB surviving so I'm curious if DC Thomson had access to the original art or just used scans from issues...

[stevezodiac]

Wasn't Beeb replaced by a magazine by the name of Fast Forward or am I imagining it? If so I probably have a few copies here.

[NP]

Wasn't Beeb replaced by a magazine by the name of Fast Forward or am I imagining it? If so I probably have a few copies here.

Fast Forward didn't replace BEEB as such, it came along four years later in 1989 after a long period of trying to find out why BEEB failed. Where BEEB ran for six months, Fast Forward notched up more than six years.

[NP]

I have all 20 issues of BEEB but do you have the Bananaman reprint dates for Dandy Extreme, please? I wasn't aware of any artwork from BEEB surviving so I'm curious if DC Thomson had access to the original art or just used scans from issues...

The Bananaman BEEB art was provided by DC Thomson who had it returned to them. I think 'Young Alan' in TV Tops was Alan Halley, but it's all a long time ago.

[Shaqui]

I have all 20 issues of BEEB but do you have the Bananaman reprint dates for Dandy Extreme, please? I wasn't aware of any artwork from BEEB surviving so I'm curious if DC Thomson had access to the original art or just used scans from issues...

The Bananaman BEEB art was provided by DC Thomson who had it returned to them. I think 'Young Alan' in TV Tops was Alan Halley, but it's all a long time ago.

I thought BEEB was by Polystyle so didn't they have the originals, not DC Thomson? I've found the Dandy Xtreme reprints, which seem to have been relettered to match the rest of the magazine's style, but I don't think the entire run was reprinted before Bananaman changed to two pages in the centre then disappeared in early 2008.

The BEEB Bananaman strips have been attributed to Barrie Appleby elsewhere on the internet but does anyone know if this is actually true?

[Digifiend]

DC Thomson own Bananaman, so BEEB was using it under licence to tie into the cartoon. What Nigel said is that DCT arranged for the artwork to be drawn, and sent it to Polystyle, who returned it after use.

[Shaqui]

DC Thomson own Bananaman, so BEEB was using it under licence to tie into the cartoon. What Nigel said is that DCT arranged for the artwork to be drawn, and sent it to Polystyle, who returned it after use.

Thanks for clarifying that. The copyright on the BEEB strips is Bananaman Productions so I presumed they were done independently of DC Thomson. But is anyone certain the artist was Barrie Appleby for this run, when (I gather) the Nutty/Dandy strips were drawn by John Geering? And any idea who wrote them, if not original creator Steve Bright?

[AndyB]

I don't know who the artist is, but I didn't think it was Barrie. Artwork was too bland, and ghosted the animation style.

Re the writer, Steve is on record as the creator of Bananaman, but I'm not so sure he wrote all of them even when he was a staff writer - he can correct us!

[Digifiend]

DC Thomson own Bananaman, so BEEB was using it under licence to tie into the cartoon. What Nigel said is that DCT arranged for the artwork to be drawn, and sent it to Polystyle, who returned it after use.

Thanks for clarifying that. The copyright on the BEEB strips is Bananaman Productions so I presumed they were done independently of DC Thomson. But is anyone certain the artist was Barrie Appleby for this run, when (I gather) the Nutty/Dandy strips were drawn by John Geering? And any idea who wrote them, if not original creator Steve Bright?

I assume Bananaman Productions is similar to Beano Productions, who are credited for the 2009 Dennis and Gnasher cartoon - a DCT subsidiary.

[Shaqui]

I assume Bananaman Productions is similar to Beano Productions, who are credited for the 2009 Dennis and Gnasher cartoon - a DCT subsidiary.

Couldn't say for sure, as the cartoons available online with full credits give no indication of DC Thomson. Only that the actual production was '101 Productions' and the copyright is 'Bananaman Productions'.

Anyway, getting off-topic a bit... TOPS/TV TOPS, anyone?

[Digifiend]

Found a couple of links.
http://www.blindkisspodcast.com/damon/retro/tops.shtml
Apparently it merged with Suzy.
http://www.magazinescelebrity.com/tops- ... -2090.html

[Shaqui]

Found a couple of links.
http://www.blindkisspodcast.com/damon/retro/tops.shtml
Apparently it merged with Suzy.

Thanks for that link - I'd not seen that page before.

'Merged' with Suzy seems relative. I was at the British Library yesterday looking at issues after the 'merger' in early 1984, and I would say TOPS was more 'absorbed' by it - only 'Fame' and 'Hart to Hart' survived as 'TOPS Spot' strips, and neither were as good as their previous incarnations, lasting about six months more.