Beano monitoring

[AndyB]

Issue 3501 (now everyone else can see it) replaces Rasher, finally, with Granny's pet pig. Somehow, that fits, although it's a pity that the name was changed.

The new Ball Boy has considerably more life to it than Dave's earlier work, and I think it will work well. So far only the boys have featured (but not yet Dimmy).

We've already talked about Chipis, and there's a Tom 60-second Dennis with Gnasher barely changed (yay!) Walter features in Ivy as his own cousin (not entirely sure why he's been recaptioned, when he's still recognisably Walter), and as far as Minnie's concerned, all I can say is that Jim Petrie's work is utterly timeless.

[Peter Gray]

Is Harley from anywhere...a company that sells Bacon?

Also Desert Island Dick is in The Beano But as Desert Island Rick!!
spotted rick pudding anyone..

I also got a lot of pleasure from Jim P's work...just wonderful.

The Beano was out a day early in WHSmiths...hence my posts..

[Digifiend]

and as far as Minnie's concerned, all I can say is that Jim Petrie's work is utterly timeless.

So Minnie's reprint then. I assume that's a one-off because Ken Harrison was unavailable again - he's missed weeks a few times since he took over.

Petrie was drawing her for 2000 issues - about 40 years. And his style never really changed, at least not after Min got her second page, so I'd agree about the timeless quality without even seeing which strip was used (the newsagent I went to didn't have it, I'll buy it elsewhere tomorrow).

[Lew Stringer]

and as far as Minnie's concerned, all I can say is that Jim Petrie's work is utterly timeless.

So Minnie's reprint then. I assume that's a one-off because Ken Harrison was unavailable again - he's missed weeks a few times since he took over. Petrie was drawing her for 2000 issues - about 40 years.

Every person has his/her own situation to deal with Digi. It's a bit unfair to compare artists track records like that.

Lew

[Digifiend]

I wasn't. I was saying it's probably a one-off reprint due to the unavailablility of the regular artist, and that Petrie's long run proves how timeless his work was. I didn't intend to compare them, so I guess I should've put the bit about Petrie as a new paragraph.

[Lew Stringer]

Thanks for clearing that up Digi.

Lew

[David Gerstein]

I'm not in the UK right now—what's the new pig's name? (Does he/she still look like Rasher?)

[Jonny Whizz]

David, the new pig's name is Harley. Not as good as Rasher is it? There's not much to say about his appearance - he's a pig after all - though he is less hairy, has a quite different face and doesn't have the same trotters - Rasher's were bigger.

I think it's wrong that they've changed the whole background in the new Dennis, especially as it treats it like it has always been like this - notice the reference to Walter's cousin in Ivy the Terrible for proof. Suddenly, nearly 60 years of strips seem to have become irrelevant. I did however like Tom Paterson's Dennis - it seemed a lot more traditional, and while obviously changed for the TV series, it felt more like the 'proper' Dennis, with more emphasis on the comic and less on making the characters look like they do on television.

I agree about Jim Petrie. Any artist that can last nearly 40 years on a single strip must be timeless, and he was a really good artist as well. He perfectly captured Minnie's character.

[David Gerstein]

I actually like many elements of the new CBBC series. Walter, in particular, is much more the cheeky swot of the 1970s and before, rather than the simpering softy who—no matter how much I might have liked him—never seemed quite as much like a worthy opponent for Dennis.
But why change Granny's design to the point where she's unrecognizable? If there's going to be a pig, why not Rasher?
Many of the *relationship* changes actually work just fine for me (I can see why Dennis in modern suburbia would be less likely to own the series' pig himself). But a few much more serious character changes seem to have been taken simply due to an entirely subjective dislike of a few existing designs.

[Digifiend]

Especially since Gnipper was also given to Granny, whereas previously he was considered to be Bea's dog, and before she was born, Dennis's third pet.

[Steve Henderson]

They have got rid of Rasher!!! This renders my free Rasher badge from 1993 useless! Its not a few weeks since he was on the cover dressed up as a policeman or the reprints were coloured in for a new generation of readers to enjoy.

The new tv series has so far 'killed off' at least 3 comics.

Rasher (if they have got rid of him)

Bea and Ivy (Kept Ivy though obviously seeing as she was based on the editors daughter!!, kept bea aswell but not in Bea and Ivy)

Gnasher and Gnipper (is it me or is Gnipper older than Gnasher in the tv series?)

Quite a radical change if you look at it in this way, but as ive said before, you have to trust the writers.

[Digifiend]

Gnipper? Older than Gnasher? Not seen that episode, but I can only assume if they're the same size or Gnipper's bigger, that they're now brothers instead of father and son.

I wonder what Alan's daughter thinks of Ivy now? I mean, she must be in her mid-late 20s, since Ivy started in 1986.

[Steve Henderson]

I read something about it being the pigtails that were based on his Daughter, may be wrong though.

Yeah its the episode were Dennis turns detective and has to find Grannys red teapot. Its on the iplayer. Gnipper is the same size as gnasher although has black ears a thicker muzzle and his tooth is to one side instead of central which makes him look older to me! Also the fact that hes hanging around with Granny adds to the illusion i suppose

[PaulTwist]

Quite a lot of "retconning" then... what does everyone think of the renaming of Desert Island "Rick"? Is "Dick" now unusable as a name in childrens' comics? And if so, why now and not 20 years ago? It's political correctness gone mad! (Oo-er, coming over a bit Daily Mail, there.)

[David Gerstein]

If they had to rename him, why not the alliterating Desert Island Dan or Desert Island Dave?
Desert Island Rick only "works" as a play on his previous name.