Next Wednesday's Beano out already!

[Lew Stringer]

I meant to post this earlier but the issue that should be out this coming Wednesday is in the shops already! (Sunday 3rd Jan). Bought mine this morning. (Super School is in it again. )

Lew

[Digifiend]

Three days early!?! Thanks for the heads-up. I'll check my local newsagent tomorrow then.

[Jonny Whizz]

It's not mentioned on the Beano website. I'll keep an eye out it for it though, so thanks Lew.

[Jonny Whizz]

Did anyone else notice in this week's Beano that the Ratz strip was by Laura? Her name was on the strip, and I didn't see Hunt's anywhere, not even as HE, though Hunt does normally sign his name in full. Looking at the style as well, it definitely looks like Laura's work.

[Digifiend]

If Laura's name was on it, she was the artist. Maybe it was stockpiled.

[Jonny Whizz]

I think you're right. Or it could be that Hunt was unavailable, as I remember a few times around late 2007/early 2008 that the strip was drawn by Laura instead of Hunt. At that time, she was inking Ratz regularly but I think she also drew a few strips herself, when Hunt wasn't able to do it due to his other work.

[LauraH]

Correct. I'm still back-up artist on the strip for weeks when Hunt's too busy - although I haven't done any more since the one that you're talking about. By the way, look out for a great one by Hunt in a few weeks' time involving a maze...

[Jonny Whizz]

Thank you Laura. I was hoping that you'd confirm it.

Also, congratulations on reaching 100 posts.

[AndyB]

Are you still writing Ratz, Laura?

[Jonny Whizz]

She was definitely writing it in 2007, and I'm pretty sure she was writing it in 2008 as well. However, when she was drawing it regularly last year, she wasn't writing it, it mentions on her website that it's now written in-house. Actually, I still think that Ratz isn't written by Laura now, and is written by the Beano staff, because since Hunt became the regular artist again, the Ratz scripts have been mentioned on the writer's blog, and so was last week's strip which was drawn by Laura.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, one of the people on the website calls themselves "Writes Ratz (and other stuff)" - and that's definitely not Laura.

[LauraH]

Ha, didn't even realise I'd reached 100 posts - I still have a long way to go to catch up with most of the people here! No, I stopped writing Ratz around last May when I started drawing it, owing to my workload increasing. I still do the odd bit of Beano writing here and there - for instance, the Johnny Bean I'm drawing at the moment is one of mine, but that's the exception rather than the rule. Unless it's Derek the Sheep, it's usually a safe bet to assume any given strip has been written in-house.

[Jonny Whizz]

Yeah, Derek is always written and drawn by Gary Northfield, as he's created owned property. Kev F always wrote his own stuff as well. The only other artists who have both written and drawn most of their work are Mike Pearse and Jamie Smart.

Personally I preferred your Ratz scripts Laura, the in-house strips I think have taken them out of the sewers a tad too much, but they're not bad, and the art is still very good, whether you or Hunt drew it.