Guess who's back...

[Jonny Whizz]

On page 12 of this week's Beano, there is a surprise return for Calamity James, who hasn't been seen since issue 3375, in April 2007. It's a reprint, but it feels great just to see the world's unluckiest boy (not to mention Alexander Lemming!) again.

I know this is something of a spoiler for those of you who haven't seen this week's Beano, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Calamity James is back!

[ComicCrazy]

I seen that... though I'm not sure if its a reprint...

[Jonny Whizz]

I think it's a reprint, because of the colouring.

[Digifiend]

Well Alex wearing James's clothes should make it easy to identify if it is. What I don't get is why, when Alan Digby apparently isn't a Calamity James fan, did he bring him back?

[Jonny Whizz]

I think he's been brought back to fill a reprint slot, now that Billy Whizz is new. So now the Beano is back to reprinting the same three strips it was using in early 2007 (before Fred's Bed and Riot Squad started) - Calamity James, Les Pretend and Ivy the Terrible. Minnie is also a Jim Petrie reprint this week, but that's out of neccessity rather than it being done deliberately.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, they knew about the postal strikes and held Ken's next one back probably.

[Peter Gray]

A very funny story as well Calamity James..hope it continues...

[Steve Henderson]

If its the postal strike thats caused us to get Calamity James back in the Beano then I'm going to go and give my local posties a big flask of tea and shake all theirs hands at the picket line at my local sorting office

[Digifiend]

It isn't. Billy Whizz became new so James took his place in the reprint list. Funny thing is, James isn't in this week's issue, and neither are Snooty or Ball Boy.

[AndyB]

That's because four pages got sacrificed for the Wallace and Gromit pull-out.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, and two more for the Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games game. They really should have made it 36 pages this week.

[Jonny Whizz]

It certainly felt like there were fewer reprint pages this week than there have been for some time I think - two pages for Ivy, and one page for Les Pretend. This is a good thing!

In recent weeks, we've all lost the Ball Boy and Billy Whizz reprints, and Fred's Bed has been new for six months now.

[Lew Stringer]

It certainly felt like there were fewer reprint pages this week than there have been for some time I think - two pages for Ivy, and one page for Les Pretend. This is a good thing!

It's all down to the comic's budget. One less reprint page this week but only 15 pages of new artwork due to the pull out supplement taking up four pages, so you actually get less new strip pages. I'm sure things will balance out though, but at this time of year there are generally more adverts in comics as advertisers promote their stuff for Christmas. Adverts are good though, - they boost the comics' profits.

Lew

[Steve Henderson]

Can I ask a stupid question to those in the know? How come the Beanos budget cannot stretch to original artwork every week? If DC Thomson can pay millions for the friends reunited website why can't they give Alan Digby a few hundred quid more per week to fund an extra few artists and writers per week?

I'm ready for the obvious answer that I haven't thought of!

[Digifiend]

Different department. Beano comes under Juvenile Publications, Friends Reunited was purchased by DCT subsidary Brightsolid. Can't give The Beano money from Brightsolid.

And funny that you mention that, as the OFT are investigating ITV's sale of FR to DCT, due to competition concerns - seems Find My Past's merger with Genes Reunited will give it too big a market share in the genealogy scene.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/no ... s-reunited