beano questions from 1977

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geoff42
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beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

hi, i'm not hugely experienced with the Beano. I had it bought for me as a child back in 1975/77, then I explored further and lost contact. Recently, I acquired a full year of Beano 1977 and have a few queries that I can't find on the internet. When did David Sutherland stop drawing Biffo the Bear at which time Jimmy Glen followed? All I can find is that David Sutherland stopped drawing Biffo in the late seventies. And the strip "Jacky Daw with maw and paw" started in 1976... but with what issue and date? Thanks in advance of any replies.

Kashgar
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by Kashgar »

geoff42 wrote:hi, i'm not hugely experienced with the Beano. I had it bought for me as a child back in 1975/77, then I explored further and lost contact. Recently, I acquired a full year of Beano 1977 and have a few queries that I can't find on the internet. When did David Sutherland stop drawing Biffo the Bear at which time Jimmy Glen followed? All I can find is that David Sutherland stopped drawing Biffo in the late seventies. And the strip "Jacky Daw with maw and paw" started in 1976... but with what issue and date? Thanks in advance of any replies.
Hi Geoff, The precise answer to the Dave Sutherland/Biffo question is hidden in issues in my collection that are beyond easy access, so I'll leave it to someone else to answer that, but "Jacky Daw and hsi Maw and Paw" began in Beano No1768(5/6/76) and ended in No1891(14/10/78). Artwork by Dave Gudgeon.

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

thank you, Kashgar, for that information on Jacky Daw. Just goes to show: one can find more info on certain comics and titles from this forum than wiki. :D

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

It's times like this, i'm so glad to be a member.

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

I'm currently reading Beano's 1977 issues and have reached 1st October. Biffo the Bear has been missing in action now for the last 7 issues and, i'm pretty sure, that the issues beforehand weren't drawn by Jimmy Glen. At the same time, he was doing Lord Snooty and Grandpa and they are nothing like the latter strips of Biffo. which had sadly declined to half a page by the time of mid 1977.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

David Sutherland was a brilliant artist then Geoff, there is no question of that, but his Biffo looked very cold and calculated compared to the more spirited Watkins original---in my view.

I have never really embraced calculated ghosting like this, to the point I can hardly remember any instances of the Sutherland-era Biffo storylines.

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

I've now reached December 1977 and Biffo has completely disappeared. Sorry, ISPY, are you saying that David Sutherland drew the latter Biffo strips of 1977? He was already drawing Dennis the Menace, Bash Street Kids, and half a page of Gnasher's Tale in that year. Although, around the time Gnasher's Tale began, Biffo went South.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

Hiya Geoff I stopped seeing the Beano by 1977 but I have these on file and I will check......I am sure. Dave Sutherland was still drawing Biffo l as a small interior strip later than that...maybe the character reappeared later on? I seem to remember a long spate of Biffo zookeper half pages.......Again I cannot say for sure...Sid Burgon took over the character in the late 80s or so and it was a silent pantomime strip....very different

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

Indeed, Biffo reappeared in the very last issue of 1977 ( he had been missing in action for the last 20 weeks!) Whether or not he continued into 1978, I don't know having not the issues at hand. But i'm sure the artist differs from this issue as opposed to one from over 20 issues ago. This last issue of 1977 appears more fluid in contrast to the earlier ones, which were quite stark lines. Was this the beginning of the Jimmy Glen period?

AndyB
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by AndyB »

Biffo kept going until Euan Kerr took over in 1984, by then reduced to a single line of three panels.

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

As a reviewer of Beano of the year 1977, when Biffo went missing, I didn't miss him. Dennis the menace, Bash street Kids and Minnie the Minx were obviously up there as favourites. Pup Parade gave me many a laugh, especially via Sniffy's dumbness. Roger the Dodger was well drawn and always created lovely dodges that, ultimately, ended in failure. Tom, Dick and Sally always gave a cruel smirk over the boy's apparent selfishness as regards their sister. Little Plum was engaging and you really didn't know whether or not he would come up trumps or not by the end of the strip. Baby-face Finlayson - just love the face. I wasn't keen on Wee Ben Nevis and was glad to see it replaced by 2-Gun Tony whose ongoing skirmishes with his pet parrot, Geronimo, were entertaining. However, I disagreed with the Nibblers replacing Baby-Face. Many a time, I had trouble discerning what was going on within a panel of the Nibblers. There was so much detail and yet such a little panel with which to contain. Sometimes, it was confusing. Jacky Daw was pleasant enough, more so when the flying menaces were on patrol. Gnasher's Tale were so-so but did better than the previous Biffo strips. Lord Snooty was hit and miss... when Angus appeared, the stag seemed to improve the strip. The 3 Bears was always humorous which wasn't always the case with Ball Boy. Billy Whizz was good but, I feel, it could have been far better. A few strips were brilliant but the consistency was poor, considering the potential... maybe which had been drained in the previous years which I haven't read.

geoff42
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by geoff42 »

Having read the first issue of Whoopee 1977, I'm quite disappointed. Is it because i'm so immersed in Beano from recent readings that I find it disappointing? I have a memory from childhood that IPC humour comics always superseded those of D C Thomson. Now, I check myself. Maybe I was wrong. Of course, after a few more issues, I may feel differently but... my intuition says... the Beano really was good in 1977. Maybe i'm making that transition from an old lover to a new one :shock:

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Digifiend
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by Digifiend »

AndyB wrote:Biffo kept going until Euan Kerr took over in 1984, by then reduced to a single line of three panels.
No, it was half a page, and he ended in 1986. He and Little Plum were replaced by Calamity James. Biffo returned three years later for the silent run drawn by Sid Burgon.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I remember a fair few casual comics fans saying that Biffo had becoming 'boring' by the 8os: I tend to agree, for all it was beautifully drawn...the Burgon version was a nice departure: the artwork was more raw but it looked more vital.

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colcool007
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Re: beano questions from 1977

Post by colcool007 »

In case anyone would like to see a bit of David Gudgeon art, my latest blog post features some original art from him.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!

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