The Beano this decade

[Jonny Whizz]

With the 2000's all but over (though technically the next decade does not start until 1st January 2011!), I thought it would be interesting to review what has happened in the Beano over the past ten years.

We can discuss any highlights and lowlights from 2000 to 2009. Personal highlights include the 70th birthday issue, and some of the best new original strips in recent years including Ratz, Johnny Bean and Super School (and Fred's Bed as well, but he's not 100% original, as he was in the Beezer and Topper), plus new artists like Laura. Also, in this decade, Alan Digby took over as editor, and the Beano moved to glossy paper, among notable changes.

What did you think were the best and worst things of the last decade in the Beano?

[Digifiend]

Worst - the fact that they started skipping a week at Christmas, and also the instability of the price recently - they effectively charge extra for some of the gifts now. Also, the death of Robert Nixon, and this year's changes to the Dennis strip.

Best - New talent, namely Hunt Emerson, Laura Howell, Lew Stringer, and a few years earlier, Dave Eastbury. And they chose well in giving Barrie Appleby the Roger the Dodger strip.

[Jonny Whizz]

I agree on those points, especially about all the new artists this decade.

Having thought about it a bit more, I also think that the deaths of Vic Neill (2000) and John Sherwood (2003) were bad for the comic. Sherwood's Les Pretend was set to be retired after his death, though Les later returned. The comic failed to properly replace Neill in my opinion - The Germs was dropped, Tim Traveller was taken over by Keith Reynolds but then dropped, and Graeme Hall was not the right choice for Billy, it wasn't until Wayne Thompson took over that a suitable replacement was found.

Looking on the positive side, the Beano still remains a traditional comic, unlike Dandy Xtreme, and has a high number of new comic pages each week, without too many reprints, although as recently as 2005 there were no reprints. The first time I remember strips being reprinted were in November 2005 when several Robert Nixon Roger strips were reused.

[skyromie]

Glossy paper was huge for me. To finally get vibrant, strong, clean lines on a title like The Beano was essential. Others moved into that area first, and I've no idea why.

Bye bye to Ewan Kerr, firstly to be moved to BeanoMax and then to leave completely.

Say what you like about the redesign of Dennis & Gnasher, but it's great to get them back on the telly again. And we've not seen all of the new series yet. And I think the comic has benefited from it. It's got a firm look about it now, and not all mish-mashy like it was 2-3 years ago.

Hate the price changes.

Can't think of anything more just now. But if I could ask them to do something for the next decade, it would be to enhance on their branding. One stop shop for all Beano-related buying, do they even have a shop in Dundee? Brand out, without selling out.

[Digifiend]

About a shop, not that I know of, the only one they might have had would be the gift shop at Chessington, but Beanoland has closed down now. Another low point for the comic this year/decade.

(Pedantic) It's Euan Kerr, with a U, by the way.

[Lew Stringer]

Thanks for the kind words on Super School. It's an enjoyable strip to draw as it reminds me of the happy days working on Buster, - a complete full page fun strip for a traditional comic. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I've drawn a four page Super School for the 2011 Beano Annual. My first work in a Thomson book, so I'm really looking forward to seeing it in print. Only another eight months to wait.

Anyway, back to the drawing board to complete my last Super School strip for this year.

Lew

[Jonny Whizz]

It's going to be good to see Super School in the annual, because it's only ever had one page in the comic. I really liked this week's Super School as well, I thought that Mega Dude was a funny character.

Talking of Lew's work, I was given a 1998 Buster a few months ago, and the reprint of Tom Thug is one of the best things in the comic. (By this time of course, nearly the whole comic was reprint, except for Buster himself and also some new stuff from Jack Edward Oliver).

Also, Lew, when you drew Fred's Bed and Ivy the Terrible as one-offs, were you given any specific instruction as to how to draw them, or did the Beano staff let you draw in your own style?

[Lew Stringer]

Also, Lew, when you drew Fred's Bed and Ivy the Terrible as one-offs, were you given any specific instruction as to how to draw them, or did the Beano staff let you draw in your own style?

I was asked to keep the style similar to a certain extent. In retrospect perhaps I tried to ghost Tam Paterson and Bob Nixon too closely as I think The Beano may have been looking for something more individual (as they later used Hunt on Fred, totally revamping it).

Lew

[Jonny Whizz]

Thanks for the information. Personally I think you got it about right on those strips, as while a radical revamp like Hunt gave Fred when he took over can work well on a permanent basis, I think as a one-off you're better to stick with the familiar style.

When I first started drawing cartoons seriously, I drew a couple of Calamity James strips where I attempted to clone Tom Paterson's style. It's definitely one of the hardest to do, and although I think I did an okay(ish) job, looking back at those strips I'm not that happy because it's too much of a copy of Paterson's style, and there's not really enough of my own style in there. The best replacement/ghost artists, such as Laura on Ratz (taking over from Hunt), or Barie Appleby on Roger (taking over from Bob Nixon), draw the strips in a style similar to the previous artist, but leave their own mark on it, which I think I failed to do.

[Old Freddy]

best things about the decade: 70th birthday issue, the new artists for the comic (Hunt Emerson, Laura H, etc.), the move to glossy paper, the new strips introduced, like Johnny bean and super school, and the Beanomax.

worst things about the decade: price rise due to not-so-free gifts, overusage of reprints during 2007 (not anyone's fault), Euan kerr leaving Thomsons, Dennis' facelift, Dave eastbury's 'old' Ball boy (not the style he's drawing currently, but his first one).

[Digifiend]

Have you seen Dave Eastbury's other strip, Freddie Fear, in this week's Beano (well, as of tomorrow, last week's)? Looks like that's taken on a new style too. His mum just doesn't look scary in that strip like she's supposed to.

[Jonny Whizz]

I think what's happened is that Dave has translated his Ball Boy style to Freddie Fear. I prefer his new style on Ball Boy (though I quite liked the old one), but I thought that the old style probably worked better on Freddie Fear.

I do agree with Old Freddy that there were too many reprints in 2007 - in that year, I think Les Pretend, Calamity James, Ivy the Terrible, Fred's Bed, Riot Squad/Hoot Squad and Billy Whizz were all regularly reprinted.

EDIT: Any chance of you adding any more pages on your Comics Central website Freddy? I think Billy Whizz, Bananaman and Beryl the Peril pages would be good.