Beano Annual reviewed in Private Eye!

[Raven]

Yes, the book review in the new Private Eye (7th January - 20th January) is - surprisingly enough - of The Beano Annual 2011.

The writer seems familiar with and very fond of the old Thomson comics empire, and says only The Beano retains the true spirit of children's comic past. But, describing the annual as feeling "like a battleground between old and new" is critical of some of the new ways.

Sample from the longish review:

"In 2009, the BBC made an animated version of the strip and chose to make Dennis kinder and less violent - a different character, in short. Initially the Beano denied that it would follow suit, and then did so anyway. Dennis is now less a Menace than a Mild Irritant, with a bland Disney grin superimposed over his trademark grimace ... They think no-one will notice or care, a contempt for the audience that would be grievously punished if they had any competition. But they haven't."

[Digifiend]

Almost but not quite. There is competition, just not nearly as much as there was 20-30 years ago. There's The Dandy obviously. Simpsons Comics may be licensed, but unlike most so-called comics today, it's not cheap tat, it actually contains mostly comic strip material. Toxic and BeanoMAX have some comic material alongside their magazine content. If people want adventure comic material, 2000AD and Commando are still around (although both probably appeal to older age groups nowadays, teens at least), there's Doctor Who Adventures and some kids Marvel titles by Panini, and the Power Rangers magazine has a comic story. Not sure about what other licensed titles actually include comic strips. Beano and Dandy are the only surviving 100% comic material kids anthology humour comics.

[Raven]

In the context of the review, it most likely means competition in terms of comics "that retain the true spirit of children's comics past ... " etc.

It acknowledges the Dandy, but says it "is only there by a thread. Until recently it had spent three years as a mere fortnightly, pathetically renamed Dandy Xtreme, which is a bit like arming a soft toy with an uzi."

Criticism for Les Pretend, too:

' "Gulp!" says Les (in the final frame). "Better be off - man hunted beavers to extinction in Britain!" What? a heavy-handed eco-message instead of a punchline?'

Wanting Beano to continue, it finishes by requesting a reversion to a properly menacing Dennis as a start.

' "Yuk! Yuk! as Baby-Face Finlayson might have said.'

[stevezodiac]

The review:

[Digifiend]

Thanks for posting it. Roger the Dodderer? They complain about the Billy the Cat kissing scene, they should take it in context. Billy didn't like it either and fled! Then next day, of course, he has the last laugh when Katie's would be boyfriend turns out to have another girl. Billy's reaction was probably the same as most of the readers - and even so, I'm sure it's no worse than in the "proper" superhero comics from Marvel and DC, which inspired Billy's creation in the first place in the 1960s. Doesn't represent the comic at it's best, they say? Doesn't represent it at all in some ways - Billy and Katie being one example, since the weekly comic lacks any adventure stories.

Lord Snooty "may well have died of old age"... this week's Beano actually highlights that he did indeed, showing his portrait, and then saying "we don't talk about him" in reference to Snooty II. Snooty III also says his only relative is an Aunt (who has appeared once), which confirms that the original Snooty is indeed dead. They didn't say the D word, but they've actually killed off the 1930s Lord Marmaduke off panel!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

'once the Beano is gone, it won't be coming back'..

Pretty doom-laden stuff! I actually agree with much of what the EYE have said, but that's probably because I'm a boring old stuffy-duddy, who mostly reads vintage comics.

That pushing up the daisies reference near the beginning was chilling and alarming.......cutting satire, but that's what the EYE is all about.

[Digifiend]

I don't think it'll be gone anytime soon!

[Lew Stringer]

What a cynical piece. The reviewer sounds like he just wants the world to be like it was when he was seven.

[Raven]

Well, we're so used to gushing hype nowadays (and reviews in mainstream media which are little more than an extension of PR press releases) anything *critical* can seem disparaging by comparison, but the opinion on making Dennis blander, for example, is a perfectly reasonable one to have, and probably shared by many. It's also in the nature of Private Eye to be oppositional.

[Lew Stringer]

Well, we're so used to gushing hype nowadays (and reviews in mainstream media which are little more than an extension of PR press releases) anything *critical* can seem disparaging by comparison, but the opinion on making Dennis blander, for example, is a perfectly reasonable one to have, and probably shared by many. It's also in the nature of Private Eye to be oppositional.

True, but there's still a sense of "It's not like it used to be, dammit!" about the whole thing. I also found its dismissal of The Dandy to be very unfair. They could have congratulated Britain's oldest comic for reinventing itself but instead they make a swipe at the now-defunct Xtreme version and say the current version is hanging on by a thread. What a glass half-empty attitude. No wonder Britain's never appreciated comics as much as its European neighbours have when reviews such as this are so unenthusiastic.

[Phoenix]

What a cynical piece. The reviewer sounds like he just wants the world to be like it was when he was seven.

I don't see cynicism, just regret.

[Raven]

I'm inclined to agree with Phoenix. I think the comments about the Dandy are in the context of regretting how things have gone over the last few years, regretting the comics losing their previous self confidence and timeless qualities, to follow trends and focus groups and be marketing led. He's basically a well wisher, flagging up warning signs, in his opinion.

I think the scene would benefit and improve from a lot more criticism from within and without, really. You don't tend to get that for the nicest of reasons, of course - because comics people are usually very nice, supportive types who love the medium to bits. But you can kill with kindness, and regular no holds barred constructive critical evaluation may be more likely to lead to higher standards and, hopefully, success.

[Lew Stringer]

Yes I appreciate that but at a time when comics sales are in the decline one would think a true well-wisher would focus on the positives. Nothing is as it was. Things never go back to how they were. Comics have always changed.

The main problem with a nostalgic review is it compares something of today with something of the reviewer's childhood, ignoring all the gradual changes in between. It also ignores the fact that the old styles and characters faded away because a they ceased to be popular. (Otherwise Weary Willie and Tired Tim would still be around today, along with Alfie and his Air Bus and Ally Sloper.) That's not to dismiss those classics of course, but everything has its day. That's life.

In Dennis' case I agree the changes were inflicted due to the cartoon, but had the reviewer kept up to date he'd have noticed a gradual shift back to a more menacing Dennis in the weekly. I get the impression that the reviewer hasn't really kept in touch with the comic scene he's criticizing and as is usual in these cases isn't standing back and viewing it as a point in over 100 years of history.

Lew

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I never saw the kiss between Billy the Cat and Katy, but it sounds pretty mild......'sex' in any form is still a no-no in UK [kid's ] comics. I estimate it will be at least another 10 years before we see a close-up of Billy patting Katy's bottom, and even then it will be depicted with taste and decency.


On the other hand, if such a scene generated a huge reader response in the affirmitive, it would only be a matter of time before the 'PORNO' and the 'RANDY' hit the stands: thankfully there is no sign of this happening yet, this is one of the final taboos as yet unbreached.

[Lew Stringer]

I never saw the kiss between Billy the Cat and Katy, but it sounds pretty mild......'sex' in any form is still a no-no in UK [kid's ] comics. I estimate it will be at least another 10 years before we see a close-up of Billy patting Katy's bottom, and even then it will be depicted with taste and decency.

I blummin' hope we don't see that. They're COUSINS!