This week's issue Take 2

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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Old Freddy
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Old Freddy »

David Gerstein wrote:I want so much to like what they're doing—but that new look for Dennis' Dad distracts me every time. It's not the hair or the absence of mustache that bother me: it's the podgy neck and the very different face.
Whenever I look at the new look parents in the beano, specifically Dennis' Dad and Roger's Dad, I can only interpret them as older siblings. I'm fine with modernisation but this attempt just seems so forced.
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Gilly
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Gilly »

I have to say this weeks Beano is brilliant, its now probably in the best shape it has been in for years (definitely the Mike Stirling era) due to the revamp. Here are some of the changes that I liked.

I thought Wilbur Dawburn's version of Billy Whizz really suits the strip well. Not knocking Nick Brennan's time drawing Billy as I thought he did a good job but it's nice to see the strip return to a more classic Malcolm Judge style. Great to see Calamity James back even if it's a reprint as I feel he has been one of the most consistently funny strips in The Beano over the years. I don't understand why he was dropped in the first place because I can see today's audience still being entertained by him. It was very nostalgic seeing Dennis the Menace's Fan Club page return with the old 70s/80's logo as and I am going to sound old here but it took me back to when I was a member as a kid.

The mini strips are brilliant mainly because it's great to see some old faces back in The Beano's pages (Little Plum, Baby Face Finlayson, Les Pretend) and long may these continue. Also the Beano felt more packed with strips this week making it feel like there was a lot more going on and although there was still pages what we would call "filler" they felt more like a compliment to the strips rather than being instead of them. Also due to this I didn't notice that Fred's Bed was absent this week until I read Lew's blog.

I will admit though it felt strange seeing Minnie the Minx slip down to one page as she has been on two for many years now and is one of the big 4 in The Beano. However I don't think it harmed her strip and is by no means a blip in what I feel is the best issue of The Beano for years.

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Digifiend
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Digifiend »

Hasn't Minnie been two pages for over 40 years?

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Gilly
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Gilly »

She has yes as she was two pages in The Beano's I own from the early 70s when even Dennis had just one page on the back.

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stevezodiac
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by stevezodiac »

I thought Minnie was one and a half pages in the 70s with Teaser Time as the bottom half of her second page.

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Gilly
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Gilly »

I will have to have a check to confirm my old Beanos are round at my parents house and I never usually touch them for obvious reasons.

big bad bri
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by big bad bri »

I loved seeing Jonah return in the Gnaws pullout,here's hoping we get to see more new stories or even 3 panel strips with him,or even a complete ken reid reprint book.

AndyB
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by AndyB »

By the late 70s Minnie was the full two pages most weeks. She occasionally lost half a page to an (in-house) ad.

PaulTwist
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by PaulTwist »

As an occasional reader of The Beano, I've very much enjoyed the two issues since the relaunch. OK, so it's an evolution of the existing strips rather than the (creatively brilliant) 2010 revolution of The Dandy, but then I suppose The Beano is selling well enough to not need such drastic measures.

The mini-strips are a nice way to bring back old characters - and maybe introduce new ones and test out popularity for full-length strips further down the line? Lew Stringer's Rasher is good fun, and I'm delighted to see "Baby Face" Finlayson back in the fold! (Full page please!)

I have mixed feelings about the makeover of the parents. Although it's a shame to see the "classic" designs retired, it makes sense from the perspective of a child reader. At 34, I'm old enough to be the father to Dennis, Minnie or Roger, yet their parents all looked old enough to be MY parents! It makes sense to redesign the parents to keep them more in-line with what young children's parents REALLY look like in 2012. (Another fantastic example of this is Steve Bright's new version of Beryl's dad in The Dandy.) Indeed, much of the Beano already appeared anachronistic to me as an 8-year-old in 1986 - especially Lord Snooty and the Bash St Kids' mortar-boarded teacher. (Though I'm sure the 8-year-old me wasn't precocious or pretentious enough to use the word "anachronistic". Still, eh?)

The glossy cover is nice, if inessential, and the posters justify their inclusion thanks to the new strips printed on the back. Hope these are a permanent fixture - it certainly seems that way.

Anyway, for the first time in a very long time I've been compelled to buy two consecutive issues of The Beano (and probably will get this week's, too) - so they must be doing something right. I just hope the 8 to 10 year olds are enjoying it as much as this 34 year old.

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Digifiend
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Digifiend »

We know why the latest changes happened now. Mike's gone, Craig's in. Yes, the Dandy editor is now the Beano editor.

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Gilly
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Gilly »

That also explains why a couple of The artists in The Dandy have transfered over to The Beano.

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Digifiend
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Digifiend »

Yeah, as well as why Funsize Funnies and the next week page were introduced.

Also, Nigel Auchterlounie is writing Dennis now.

AndyB
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by AndyB »

Just to clarify, Mike's not actually gone. Craig is the immediate editor, but Mike is still editor in chief - he is deputy head of children's entertainment (boys), and I believe has been for some years.

Nigel Auchterlounie
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by Nigel Auchterlounie »

Digifiend wrote:Yeah, as well as why Funsize Funnies and the next week page were introduced.

Also, Nigel Auchterlounie is writing Dennis now.
Yes. Always felt a little bit of the poor relation when it came to art. If you put my scratchings up against the other Nigel Lew Jamie and others.

So I've always tried super hard with the writing in the hope that it will make up for it some how.

I never thought this would happen though!
(My first (just) writing job was actually for the last Dandy. Not Dennis. I obviously didn't mess that up :)

big bad bri
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Re: This week's issue Take 2

Post by big bad bri »

Theres a full page ad for last ever Dandy.its a pity these ads never started at last revamp.at least they are advertisibg digi dandy as well.Also next week sees the return of the plastic tat so i wonder how much it will cost next week :-( Dct have to start recouping the costs of losing 8000 weekly Dandy sales after all.

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