2010 Annual

[ComicCrazy]

I picked up the latest Beano Annual today. I heard it wasn't coming out till tuesday. I had some nice strips in it this year. I was glad that Biffo was in there drawn by David Sutherland. What are everyone elses thoughts on this years annual?

[Conor B]

Haven't seen it yet as I'm in Ireland. Anything worth mentioning that could be of interest to people who haven't seen it?
And if anyone sees the new D&G annual, do the drawings match the new style and cover, or are NP and BA doing their usual style?

[ComicCrazy]

Theres a Billy Whizz story by Tom Paterson in there.

[AndyB]

Conor, Euan Kerr wrote the entire D&G Annual for drawing in the new style. I believe it was conceived from the beginning as a showcase for the show and new strips.

[Digifiend]

Biffo's been brought back? At least readers will be familiar with him from the 70th birthday issue last year. Any other oldies returned? ComicCrazy, it's no surprise Tom did Billy, it's reprints in the comic and Tom drew him for the 2008 annual. What about the other Billy (the Cat)? Is he back, as I heard Nigel Dobbyn was doing it?

Last year, the Dandy Annual had several axed characters in it - Winker Watson, Beryl the Peril, Brassneck. I assume these will all appear again? I suppose the return of Bully Beef and Chips in Xtreme came too late for it though.

Re: Dennis & Gnasher, I'm assuming they'll do the exact same thing for the 2011 edition, since reprints would be in the old style (which will be a headache for the all-reprint Fun Size Comics!) If Euan wrote the entire annual, what a last harrah!

Is the Bash Street Kids Annual back to the 2008 format of Dave Sutherland reprints?

And what about the Beano-Dandy book. The cover design is different to the previous Golden/60/70 Years books, so has the inside drastically changed as well?

[Peter Gray]

I've bought the new Beano and Dandy playing in the snow today..

spoiler ahead..don't read if you don't want to know whats inside the various annual..





Nice to see some poster work of the Banana Bunch..
Its nice seeing the comic page covering two pages..it shows the artwork up in large size.
the book has no dust cover..
the back and white photos of snow scenes from the past are alright...prefer more comic pages myself..
some nice original artwork pages..
a Korky the cat not seen before..
the Crackaway Twins are great..
Jimmy's mighty midgets are inside
Some great Bash Street kids stories..
WHSmiths is the place to get it..

didn't see Oor Wullie/The Broons or The Dandy annual..
Dennis and Gnasher is all new by Nigel..the stories look better..more menacing from my quick glance..
Bash street kids annual is all by Mike P inside..

[ComicCrazy]

Biffo's been brought back? At least readers will be familiar with him from the 70th birthday issue last year. Any other oldies returned? ComicCrazy, it's no surprise Tom did Billy, it's reprints in the comic and Tom drew him for the 2008 annual. What about the other Billy (the Cat)? Is he back, as I heard Nigel Dobbyn was doing it?

Last year, the Dandy Annual had several axed characters in it - Winker Watson, Beryl the Peril, Brassneck. I assume these will all appear again? I suppose the return of Bully Beef and Chips in Xtreme came too late for it though.

Re: Dennis & Gnasher, I'm assuming they'll do the exact same thing for the 2011 edition, since reprints would be in the old style (which will be a headache for the all-reprint Fun Size Comics!) If Euan wrote the entire annual, what a last harrah!

Is the Bash Street Kids Annual back to the 2008 format of Dave Sutherland reprints?

And what about the Beano-Dandy book. The cover design is different to the previous Golden/60/70 Years books, so has the inside drastically changed as well?

No other oldies returned, Billy the Cat has returned in a 10 page story (split into two parts), Laura Howell has a Les prentend strip in there aswell. Can't wait to get my hands on the Beano And Dandy Golden Years Book!

[Jonny Whizz]

I'm certainly looking to forward to seeing Tom Paterson's version of Billy Whizz in the annual - the strip he did in the 2008 annual was excellent. Is he drawn with the original two hairs, or does he have the Vic Neill thunderbolt? I'd expect the former, but the latter has been in the majority of recent strips. It's interesting to hear Biffo's in it as well, and Laura's Les Pretend should be good.

[Digifiend]

So Bash Street is Mike Pearce again eh? They must've used the last of 'em up this time, I guess we should expect Kev F's work in next year's then.

Jonny, don't forget the lead time for the annuals is about a year. Billy's design will be the same as the 2008 annual I expect.

No dustcover for Beano-Dandy, that explains the cover redesign then.

[philcom55]

Oddly Billy the Cat now seems to be known as 'William the Cat' - possibly so he isn't confused with the other Billy?

One title that hasn't been mentioned is the new Bunty book which is entirely devoted to 'Classic' strips from the past in the style of the Beano/Dandy collections. It seems to be very nicely produced, though I'll be sorry if there's no proper Annual as well this year since that would signal the very end of a tradition of Girls' comics that stretches at least as far back as first issue of School Friend in 1950. On the other hand, it would give the Four Marys a chance to finally matriculate after spending half a century at St. Elmo's!

- Phil Rushton

[Digifiend]

No, it's due to the storyline - it's set in the past instead of the present, and so isn't the usual Billy. That strip has been planned since 2006! Apparently, it was originally destined for the 2008 annual, but the Billy and Jumbo story replaced it. Nigel Dobbyn then expected it to be put in the 2009 edition, but apparently it was held back for 2010 to make room for the Jumbo sequel. Look at the June 2006 update here: http://www.nigeldobbyn.co.uk/oldsite/news.html

Bunty cover, shame it's such a small image:

[Lew Stringer]

I've bought the new Beano and Dandy playing in the snow today..

Sadly none of the shops around here have any of the Thomson Annuals yet! I suspect they've been shipped from Dundee but are lurking in a warehouse somewhere.

Lew

[Digifiend]

My local newsagent has the Beano and Dandy annuals, but not the Beano, BeanoMax or Dandy Xtreme comics. Very strange.

I also noticed a Kraze Club Summer Special - with Kraze Club having folded months ago, I guess this has been sitting in the warehouse for a while, and was found during the recent refit. I didn't check the date, but I'm assuming it's from last year. If it's from this year, Dandy's wasn't the last summer special to end.

[Peter Gray]

I've now seen the Dandy annual for the first time...
it has lots of Jamie's Desperate Dan inside also some nice Steve Bright's work..


I normally buy Beano and Dandy annuals later on..
when the prices drop a bit..

[Digifiend]

Yes, me too, Waterstones usually reduce them to a fiver (except the Beano/Dandy 70 Years book, which was £3 off last year), and WHSmith should at least have them at buy one get one half price. I haven't paid full price for years.