2017 Annuals

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Peter Gray
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Peter Gray »

I've changed layout..

It does make the inside of the annual so dull..
artists should do fresh stuff for the annual...do more unusual stuff..poster pages...play with layout...go out of character a bit..have some fun..
Have you seen the Beano annual in shop it has a new Beano logo rounded letters..

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Digifiend
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Digifiend »

WHSmith didn't have it yet. Waterstones don't seem to have any annuals at all. So that wasn't the final cover then?

AndyB
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by AndyB »

It was not the final cover. The in-comic ads carry a small print disclaimer that the Beano annual cover may be different (read: WILL be different) but I haven't had a chance to dig around and see if it's available in Belfast yet.

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Digifiend
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Digifiend »

Have now confirmed, as my local WHSmith has the annual already...

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TwoHeadedBoy
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by TwoHeadedBoy »

Peter Gray wrote:I've changed layout..

It does make the inside of the annual so dull..
artists should do fresh stuff for the annual...do more unusual stuff..poster pages...play with layout...go out of character a bit..have some fun..
Have you seen the Beano annual in shop it has a new Beano logo rounded letters..
Agreed - the Beezer and Topper annuals in the nineties were fantastic, experimentation and strangeness all over the place in those books.

Also, just want to take this opportunity to say that Peter's blog looks MILES better since the redesign, much easier on the eyes - I'll enjoy exploring the archives a fair bit over the next few days :)
http://twoheadedthingies.blogspot.co.uk/ - My comics blog, mostly lesser-known UK stuff from the 1980s and 1990s

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Peter Gray
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Peter Gray »

thanks...
sorry I don't do so many posts now..
I do an illustrated magazine and poster facebook fansite every day now..7 posts everyday..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/935538616494384/

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Peter Gray
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Peter Gray »

also looking at your facebook page..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1096895030347538/

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TwoHeadedBoy
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by TwoHeadedBoy »

Peter Gray wrote:thanks...
sorry I don't do so many posts now..
I do an illustrated magazine and poster facebook fansite every day now..7 posts everyday..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/935538616494384/
Yeah, I've been following that for a long time, some fantastic stuff you're digging up there.
http://twoheadedthingies.blogspot.co.uk/ - My comics blog, mostly lesser-known UK stuff from the 1980s and 1990s

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Digifiend
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Digifiend »

I noticed something of an oddity today. There's a Batman/Superman annual out from Titan, with the new DC logo on it. Somehow, DC Thomson also have the rights to the same characters, and has published separate annuals with the old DC logo on them.

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Peter Gray
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Peter Gray »

Had another look at the Beano annual...I was wrong it does have quirky longer stories under the title Beano adventures..so wanted to correct what I said.

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SID
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by SID »

Bought it today from local WHSmiths. Good read. The strips are funny and well drawn.

My only gripe (and it is more regarding DCT's modern annuals in general) is that the strips looks like they were drawn for the weekly. I also bought The Beano & The Dandy - Raiders of the Lost Archive and you could easily identify the strips from old annuals thanks to the custom title pages. It makes me wonder if there is done intentionally e.g. so a strip drawn for the annual could be printed in the comic at a moment's notice.

One other thing: I do miss the winter/Christmas theme that would run through all the strips in the older annuals. Nowadays, it seems like the stories take place in the milder months. Is that because annuals are no longer perceived as books just for Christmas?
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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Digifiend
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Digifiend »

Partly - they're usually available in July now. The other reason is that we now have a Christmas special bookazine - the holiday themed strips end up in that or in the final weekly edition of the year.

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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Lew Stringer »

SID wrote:Bought it today from local WHSmiths. Good read. The strips are funny and well drawn.

My only gripe (and it is more regarding DCT's modern annuals in general) is that the strips looks like they were drawn for the weekly. I also bought The Beano & The Dandy - Raiders of the Lost Archive and you could easily identify the strips from old annuals thanks to the custom title pages. It makes me wonder if there is done intentionally e.g. so a strip drawn for the annual could be printed in the comic at a moment's notice.

One other thing: I do miss the winter/Christmas theme that would run through all the strips in the older annuals. Nowadays, it seems like the stories take place in the milder months. Is that because annuals are no longer perceived as books just for Christmas?

Partly, although even in the old annuals, most of the stories never took place in winter. Perhaps the Christmas themed strips resonated more because you had them at Christmas?

I always try to include at least one snowy and/or Christmas story in the annuals I contribute to. (See this year's Dandy Annual for example.)

As for them looking like they were drawn for the weekly; a few years ago it was decided to include more panels on the page (like the weeklies). The old annuals sometimes only had four or five panels per page, so the new system gives better value in that respect.
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SID
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by SID »

You could be right, Lew. I am talking about the books in the 70s where not only did I get them in my stocking at Christmas but the strips where coloured in blue (or red) which gave the impression of winter (if that makes sense).

And with what Digi says, it would make more sense that the annual is aimed for the whole year.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

Lew Stringer
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Re: 2017 Annuals

Post by Lew Stringer »

SID wrote:You could be right, Lew. I am talking about the books in the 70s where not only did I get them in my stocking at Christmas but the strips where coloured in blue (or red) which gave the impression of winter (if that makes sense).

And with what Digi says, it would make more sense that the annual is aimed for the whole year.
I think most of us had them for Christmas but they've always been available months before so some had them for birthday presents, holiday treats, etc.

Another reason why the majority of the contents have never had a Christmas theme is because it'd get incredibly tiresome, page after page, for over 100 pages. If you check those 1970s annuals you'll see that festive stories are used sparingly, rather than dominating the books.
The blog of British comics: http://lewstringer.blogspot.com
My website: http://www.lewstringer.com
Blog about my own work: http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/

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