Christmas Beano

Discuss or comment on anything relating to D.C.Thomson's second longest running comic. The home of Dennis the Menace. Has been running since 1938.

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AndyB
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Christmas Beano

Post by AndyB »

Treats awaiting you tomorrow...

1. Fatty Fudge
2. The return of Steve Bright on an excellent cover uninterrupted by barcodes
3. No long all-star stories, just extra Meebo and Zuky, and longer Dennis and Kids strips

The bad news is that it's 44 pages with Starmix (good) and pranks (bad) to make up the higher price.

And a quiz for you: which year was the Pup Parade strip originally printed, without looking up your old Christmas Beanos? There is a Beano book in the last frame, but I don't actually recognise Gordon Bell's fairly generic-looking impression of the cover... there are a few possibilities.

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Jonny Whizz
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Jonny Whizz »

It sounds good, I'm looking forward to reading it. Fatty Fudge and Steve Bright's cover sound good, and I'm honestly quite pleased that there's no all-star long story this year - the one in last year's Christmas issue just didn't work very well in my opinion, as the story was too convoluted and most of the jokes weren't funny. It's a shame there aren't more pages, but I'll take quality over quantity any day of the week.

Regarding the drawing of the Beano Book cover in the Pup Parade strip, I remember the Billy Whizz strip that was reprinted in the 2007 Christmas issue had him receiving several presents, including the 1991 Beano Book (it has Dennis tickling Gnasher's nose with the party pooper as on the cover of the 1991 book), which clearly dated that particular strip to December 1990.
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Digifiend
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Digifiend »

http://www.beano.com/beano-comic/issue-3616
All is revealed, and hey! Looks like Gnipper's reverted to his old design. :up:

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Tin Can Tommy
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Tin Can Tommy »

Thats good that Gnippers been changed back he looked quite odd after the revamp.
I doubt they'll change Granny's appearance back that character's design has been revamped numerous times i can think of at least three different designs for the character.

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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by AndyB »

Don't read too much into Steve's cover art. Gnipper looks far better the old way, though :D

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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by -MikeD- »

Digifiend wrote:http://www.beano.com/beano-comic/issue-3616
All is revealed, and hey! Looks like Gnipper's reverted to his old design. :up:
Strange - The Beano site no longer works in Safari on my Mac...just an orange square where the cover should be...

...and about that cover. It's a very nice picture of Beano characters throwing presents around, but where's the gag..? :?
Last edited by -MikeD- on 14 Dec 2011, 22:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Digifiend
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Digifiend »

On the back cover, where you can see where the presents land and who gets what. I won't spoil it.

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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by -MikeD- »

Digifiend wrote:On the back cover, where you can see where the presents land and who gets what. I won't spoil it.
Ah...excellent! I look forward to getting a copy. It's about time they brought back the front/back cover gag!
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Digifiend
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Digifiend »

It's a two page spread, not the annual style front/back type.

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Gilly
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Gilly »

I have finally read my Christmas Comics this year so I thought I'd share my thoughts on here about the Beano.

Overall I think its a better Christmas issue than last years and I have to agree with Jonny Whizz that it is a good thing that there is no all star strip this year as I think the characters work better in their own strips. However that is not to say that long strips is a bad thing as the extra long Dennis and Bash St strips this year was brilliant.

I thought the cover drawn by Steve Bright was high quality and I liked how it extended on to the back page to show the presents land on the streets to The Beano characters.

It was also excellent and nostalgic to see Jim Petrie return to draw a one off Fatty Fudge strip which brought me back to my childhood, it would have been nice to see Minnie make a cameo in this strip but that does not take away how brilliantly drawn it was.

The issue was not perfect though as it seemed strange in a Christmas Issue that the reprints of Number 13 and The Germs had nothing to do with the festive season.

That is a minor complant on what is an excellent finalle to what has been a strange 2011 for the Beano. The change of editor early in the year meant that it had lost some momentum for much of this year but I get the feel that the transitional period is slowly coming to an end now and that it is becoming the comic the new editor wants it to be.

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Digifiend
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Digifiend »

Minnie did cameo in the Fatty Fudge strip, her picture is on a Beano someone is reading in panel 5.

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Gilly
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Gilly »

Now you pointed that out I see it thanks and Merry Christmas :D

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Jonny Whizz
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Jonny Whizz »

I purchased the Christmas Beano on the day it came out but I decided not to post about it until after 25th December in order not to spoil it for anyone who hadn't seen it yet.

I personally thought this year's Christmas Beano was excellent. For me it marked a significant improvement on last year's issue. The cover spread was great, and it was fantastic to see Steve Bright draw for the Beano again. I hope we see more of his work in the Beano soon. As others have said, having the characters receiving their presents on the back was a nice touch and gave the issue a special feel.

Jim Petrie's Fatty Fudge was also excellent and it was great to see him draw a new page for the Beano again. I thought the choice of story was good, and in keeping with the feel of the original strips, although there were others suggested on the Beano website which I would also have liked to see (I liked Wizzkid97's suggestion about Harry Scoffer - I think that would have been brilliant as a series, much like how there were several James Bond parodies in the 1989-91 Fatty Fudge strips, such You Only Eat Rice and Fishfinger).

Of the regular strips, I thought they were all good but Fred's Bed was a personal highlight, as it was very festive and had a creative take on A Christmas Carol. I also enjoyed the extra-long Meebo and Zuky and Dennis strips, as well as Gnasher's Bit(e) and Billy Whizz.

Regarding reprints, I felt that The Germs strip was vaguely relevant to Christmas, as it featured a snowman. However, I do agree about Number 13, it was a shame that a more festive strip was not chosen - the reprint that appeared seem rather out of place in the Christmas issue. Having said that, the Pup Parade and Roger the Dodger reprints were very well chosen.

I know it's a bit late, but Merry Christmas to everyone on here (I didn't have time to post on Christmas Day or Boxing Day).
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Peter Gray
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Peter Gray »

Happy ChristmasJonny and everyone..

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Digifiend
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Re: Christmas Beano

Post by Digifiend »

Speaking of Steve Bright, he was in yesterday's (Tuesday) Sun. Click on "Click here for today's cartoon" here, it's currently Image 2 of 416

Has anyone bought the Christmas BeanoMAX? It has a two-page Billy Whizz, so you might want to go get it Jonny, if you have £4.99 to spare. There's also a panto story by Nigel Parkinson featuring Dennis, Minnie, Roger, and the Bash Street Kids, a Beano Superstars reprint at half size (Dennis and Gnasher in Panto-Monium), Kick-Ass Koalas, and a two-page Bea strip. Despite being advertised as a Christmas Cracker issue though, Koalas, Bea and Billy Whizz are all non-festive (however, I think they're all new, the only reprint is the Superstars comic).

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