The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

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comicsgalore
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The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

The Beezer and Topper comics came to an end in 1993. So these are the comics that jumped ship to the Beano and Dandy.
From: Beezer To: Beano The Numskulls (1993)
From: Topper To: Dandy Beryl the Peril (1993)
From: Beezer To: Dandy Blinky (1994)
From: Topper To: Beano Tricky Dicky (1999)
From: Beezer To: Beano Gordon Bennett (2000)
From: Topper To: Beano Splodge (2000)
From: Beezer To: Dandy Banana Bunch (2004)
From: Topper To: Dandy Ali's Baba (2004)
From: Beezer To: Beano Christmas Carole (2005)
From: Beezer To: Beano Fred's Bed (2007)
From: Beezer To: Beano Adrian the Barbarian (2008).
From:Beezer To: BeanoMax Willy Nilly (2011)
Just thought i'd tell you!
Last edited by AndyB on 09 Oct 2011, 09:56, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Fixed formatting - A

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WizzKid97
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by WizzKid97 »

Interesting, thanks for the information. :)

One story I think would work brilliantly i Beezer to Beano/Dandy of Baby Crockett drawn by Jamie Smart, after seeing Jamie's Pre-Skool PM, I reckon his Baby Crockett would be brilliant!

Also never knew that Ali's Baba was also in the Dandy! However I heard about a strip that sounded similar, Jimmy's Green Genie. Was that Ali's Baba recoloured and things?

Also, remember that along with moving to a new comic, many stories were renamed or new artists took over.

- Nigel Parkinson took over drawing Banana Bunch and introduced a new girl who I think was called Luvvy.
- Tricky Dicky's dad became a joke shop owner so it made sense where Dicky got the tricks from. John Dallas continued to draw it.
- Adrian the Barbarian was renamed Ollaf the Madlander and the Beano used reprints by Sid Burgon.
- Fred's Bed was originally Topper/Beezer reprints by David Parkins, after using up all the stories (bar the final one where the bed explodes), Hunt Emerson took over drawing it and introduced an alarm clock which allowed Fred to choose where he went. Then when Tom Paterson and David Sutherland took over, the alarm clock idea was dropped. Nigel Parkinson and Laura Howell have also contributed to Fred's Bed as ghost artists.
- Blinky was completely redesigned by Nick Brennan and the only thing that stayed the same was the poor sight.
- The Numskulls was completely changed with 'Our Man' changing to a boy called 'Edd' and 'Luggy' being renamed 'Radar', 'Nosey' being renamed 'Snitch' and Alf and Fred being replaced with Cruncher. Barry Glennard and Tom Paterson took over drawing it with other ghost artists such as Nigel Parkinson, Dave Eastbury and Steve Horrocks.
- Not too sure about Ali's Baba but I'm guessing it was reprints in the Dandy drawn by Mal Judge and was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie (Which quite frankly, sounds awful)
- Beryl the Peril stayed vbery much the same when Bob Nixon drew it in the Dandy, yet when Karl Dixon took over the drawing the pig-tailed one, Beryl changed completely. Beryl's mum was removed from the story plot strangely. This was confirmed quite a few times suggesting either the Mum left the Dad or she died somehow.
- Gordon Bennett is another I'm quite unsure about, but I do know he WAS in the Beezer and was drawn by Jimmy Hansen, where as the plot and artist didn't change from it's comic move, the appearance of Gordon changed from a nerdy boy to a poor tramp boy. (I loved Gordon Bennett) :D
- Christmas Carole changed quite a bit and was drawn by Keith Page, if I recall, the comic strip was painted instead of computer coloured and had a generally warming, Christmassy feel towards it.

Another notable move although not a famous one was Willy Nilly, a story drawn by Nick Brennan and was about a boy and his feet that took him everywhere, the story returned as a one-off in the BeanoMAX - the issue before Evil Edgar debuted. Both were drawn by David Sutherland.
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comicsgalore
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

Ah, i forgot about Willy Nilly! Must have been because it was only in it once. The girl in the Banana Bunch was called mitzy. I never knew Laura Howell drew Fred's Bed, when about? Also, our man was already a boy three years before The Numskulls moved to the beano. About Gordon Bennett, i've only seen him in the 2001 annual, and i never knew he was nerdy. Yeah, Ali's Baba was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie. I find Pre-skool PM very funny! Better than My Own Genie i think. And maybe Baby Crockett would be a good idea! However, i think getting him to draw Roger the Dodger would be a good idea. Complete outsider of course... but good idea..

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Jonny Whizz
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by Jonny Whizz »

I'm not aware of Gordon Bennett having ever been in the Beezer or the Topper. I always thought it was a bit strange to have a kid called Gordon though, I don't know anyone with that name below the age of 30 or so.

I think Laura drew one ghosted Fred's Bed strip. Tom Paterson also drew a few stories in the Beezer and Topper days, and I think he played a major role in designing Fred, but David Parkins drew the vast majority of strips.

Another one you forgot to include in your list was Splodge, who was originally in the Topper (drawn by Charlie Grigg if memory serves, though I could be wrong) but was in the Beano for about a year in 2000-2001, drawn by Ken Harrison. He was very popular character in the Topper, but Euan Kerr says he bombed in the Beano poll.
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comicsgalore
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

Oh, Splodge! He was a good character in The Topper, but boring in The Beano, haha!

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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by WizzKid97 »

comicsgalore wrote:Ah, i forgot about Willy Nilly! Must have been because it was only in it once. The girl in the Banana Bunch was called mitzy. I never knew Laura Howell drew Fred's Bed, when about? Also, our man was already a boy three years before The Numskulls moved to the beano. About Gordon Bennett, i've only seen him in the 2001 annual, and i never knew he was nerdy. Yeah, Ali's Baba was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie.
Thanks for replying -
1. Yeah, Willy Nilly appeared on a double page spread for one issue where he meets his true love, Dilly Dally.
2. I knew it was Mitzy or Luvvy. I just get confused with the girl in Banana Bunch and the girl in Knockout comic strip, The Group.
3. Laura Howell drew Fred's Bed as a one-off a few months ago, the story was about Fred needing his school photo, then going under his bed and ending up meeting George Washington, after being mistaken for him, Fred gets his face painted on the dollar note instead of Washington. He then says he's already had his school photo and shows his Mum a dollar with him on it, holding on with pride. :)
4. I knew about the 'Our Boy' thing but I'm just saying he was never really named until the Beano took over The Numskulls.
5. If you have the Beezer Book 2000 then you'll realise Gordon Bennett features inside, in this version he has a blue cap and has a very 'Ollie Fliptrik-ish' hairstyle. He has round glasses, buckteeth and is very spotty. He wears a read top with a patch on it and green checkered shorts. He looks like a right nerd!
6. Thanks! I thought so! :)

--------------

Rats was possibly another, it started in the Beezer drawn by Vic Neill and later on by Terry Bave and Nigel Parkinson. It then may have returned as Ratz in the Beano but all the characters were changed.
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comicsgalore
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

WizzKid97 wrote:
comicsgalore wrote:Ah, i forgot about Willy Nilly! Must have been because it was only in it once. The girl in the Banana Bunch was called mitzy. I never knew Laura Howell drew Fred's Bed, when about? Also, our man was already a boy three years before The Numskulls moved to the beano. About Gordon Bennett, i've only seen him in the 2001 annual, and i never knew he was nerdy. Yeah, Ali's Baba was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie.
Thanks for replying -
1. Yeah, Willy Nilly appeared on a double page spread for one issue where he meets his true love, Dilly Dally.
2. I knew it was Mitzy or Luvvy. I just get confused with the girl in Banana Bunch and the girl in Knockout comic strip, The Group.
3. Laura Howell drew Fred's Bed as a one-off a few months ago, the story was about Fred needing his school photo, then going under his bed and ending up meeting George Washington, after being mistaken for him, Fred gets his face painted on the dollar note instead of Washington. He then says he's already had his school photo and shows his Mum a dollar with him on it, holding on with pride. :)
4. I knew about the 'Our Boy' thing but I'm just saying he was never really named until the Beano took over The Numskulls.
5. If you have the Beezer Book 2000 then you'll realise Gordon Bennett features inside, in this version he has a blue cap and has a very 'Ollie Fliptrik-ish' hairstyle. He has round glasses, buckteeth and is very spotty. He wears a read top with a patch on it and green checkered shorts. He looks like a right nerd!
6. Thanks! I thought so! :)

--------------

Rats was possibly another, it started in the Beezer drawn by Vic Neill and later on by Terry Bave and Nigel Parkinson. It then may have returned as Ratz in the Beano but all the characters were changed.
I can

comicsgalore
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

I dont have that particular annual. I have the 2001 and 2003, but he's in neither. I cant believe any character would look like that!

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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by Digifiend »

WizzKid97 wrote:Also never knew that Ali's Baba was also in the Dandy! However I heard about a strip that sounded similar, Jimmy's Green Genie. Was that Ali's Baba recoloured and things?

- The Numskulls was completely changed with 'Our Man' changing to a boy called 'Edd' and 'Luggy' being renamed 'Radar', 'Nosey' being renamed 'Snitch' and Alf and Fred being replaced with Cruncher. Barry Glennard and Tom Paterson took over drawing it with other ghost artists such as Nigel Parkinson, Dave Eastbury and Steve Horrocks.
- Not too sure about Ali's Baba but I'm guessing it was reprints in the Dandy drawn by Mal Judge and was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie (Which quite frankly, sounds awful)
- Beryl the Peril stayed very much the same when Bob Nixon drew it in the Dandy, yet when Karl Dixon took over the drawing the pig-tailed one, Beryl changed completely. Beryl's mum was removed from the story plot strangely. This was confirmed quite a few times suggesting either the Mum left the Dad or she died somehow.
Yes, Jimmy's Green Genie was coloured reprints of Ali's Baba. They stopped due to the Xtreme revamp.

Numskulls switched to Our Boy instead of Our Man when the Bezer and Topper merged, but the two mouth numskulls only became one, and Edd got his name, when they moved to the Beano. After skipping the 1995 Beezer book, the Numskulls with Our Man returned in the 1996 edition and appeared until they were stopped.

Beryl's Mum was restored to the strip when Steve Bright took over. She also stopped with the Xtreme revamp.

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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

Digifiend wrote:
WizzKid97 wrote:Also never knew that Ali's Baba was also in the Dandy! However I heard about a strip that sounded similar, Jimmy's Green Genie. Was that Ali's Baba recoloured and things?

- The Numskulls was completely changed with 'Our Man' changing to a boy called 'Edd' and 'Luggy' being renamed 'Radar', 'Nosey' being renamed 'Snitch' and Alf and Fred being replaced with Cruncher. Barry Glennard and Tom Paterson took over drawing it with other ghost artists such as Nigel Parkinson, Dave Eastbury and Steve Horrocks.
- Not too sure about Ali's Baba but I'm guessing it was reprints in the Dandy drawn by Mal Judge and was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie (Which quite frankly, sounds awful)
- Beryl the Peril stayed very much the same when Bob Nixon drew it in the Dandy, yet when Karl Dixon took over the drawing the pig-tailed one, Beryl changed completely. Beryl's mum was removed from the story plot strangely. This was confirmed quite a few times suggesting either the Mum left the Dad or she died somehow.
Yes, Jimmy's Green Genie was coloured reprints of Ali's Baba. They stopped due to the Xtreme revamp.

Numskulls switched to Our Boy instead of Our Man when the Bezer and Topper merged, but the two mouth numskulls only became one, and Edd got his name, when they moved to the Beano. After skipping the 1995 Beezer book, the Numskulls with Our Man returned in the 1996 edition and appeared until they were stopped.

Beryl's Mum was restored to the strip when Steve Bright took over. She also stopped with the Xtreme revamp.
I'll have you know the reprints of Ali's Baba stopped in October 2004, with the first revamp, not the Xtreme one. Also, the Numskulls arent in the 2001 or 2003 annuals, so are you sure about that?

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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by Digifiend »

comicsgalore wrote:
Digifiend wrote:
WizzKid97 wrote:Also never knew that Ali's Baba was also in the Dandy! However I heard about a strip that sounded similar, Jimmy's Green Genie. Was that Ali's Baba recoloured and things?

- The Numskulls was completely changed with 'Our Man' changing to a boy called 'Edd' and 'Luggy' being renamed 'Radar', 'Nosey' being renamed 'Snitch' and Alf and Fred being replaced with Cruncher. Barry Glennard and Tom Paterson took over drawing it with other ghost artists such as Nigel Parkinson, Dave Eastbury and Steve Horrocks.
- Not too sure about Ali's Baba but I'm guessing it was reprints in the Dandy drawn by Mal Judge and was renamed Jimmy's Green Genie (Which quite frankly, sounds awful)
- Beryl the Peril stayed very much the same when Bob Nixon drew it in the Dandy, yet when Karl Dixon took over the drawing the pig-tailed one, Beryl changed completely. Beryl's mum was removed from the story plot strangely. This was confirmed quite a few times suggesting either the Mum left the Dad or she died somehow.
Yes, Jimmy's Green Genie was coloured reprints of Ali's Baba. They stopped due to the Xtreme revamp.

Numskulls switched to Our Boy instead of Our Man when the Bezer and Topper merged, but the two mouth numskulls only became one, and Edd got his name, when they moved to the Beano. After skipping the 1995 Beezer book, the Numskulls with Our Man returned in the 1996 edition and appeared until they were stopped.

Beryl's Mum was restored to the strip when Steve Bright took over. She also stopped with the Xtreme revamp.
I'll have you know the reprints of Ali's Baba stopped in October 2004, with the first revamp, not the Xtreme one. Also, the Numskulls arent in the 2001 or 2003 annuals, so are you sure about that?
Yes, I'm sure, they must've skipped 2001 and 2003 actually filled it's pages with Topper material - both Fred's Bed and Mickey the Monkey are in it, so it's not surprising that some Beezer material got squeezed out. I knew it was one of the revamps that killed off Jimmy. Wow you replied fast.

comicsgalore
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

In the early 1990s beezer annuals there seems to be a numskull called "Nutty." What was that about?

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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by WizzKid97 »

I think Nutty was in control of funny bone but I'm not too sure, he didn't last too long.

Also, some more stories that 'deserted the sinking ship' to the Dandy include Blubba and Bear, Cuddles (joining Dimples), The Cannonball Kid (renamed 'Owen Goal'), Peter Pest, and The Snobbs and the Slobbs, Spotted Dick, Piggles, Keyhole Kate (moved to the Sparky and then back again), Hungry Horace (moved to the Sparky and then back again), Peter Piper, Foxy, Snip 'n' Snap (renamed 'Red Hot Chilli Dogs') and not forgetting the famous Bananaman.

Some more which moved to different comics were stories like Pup Parade, Pansy Potter, Helpful Henry, Freddy the Fearless Fly and Hairy Dan.
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comicsgalore
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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by comicsgalore »

WizzKid97 wrote:I think Nutty was in control of funny bone but I'm not too sure, he didn't last too long.

Also, some more stories that 'deserted the sinking ship' to the Dandy include Blubba and Bear, Cuddles (joining Dimples), The Cannonball Kid (renamed 'Owen Goal'), Peter Pest, and The Snobbs and the Slobbs, Spotted Dick, Piggles, Keyhole Kate (moved to the Sparky and then back again), Hungry Horace (moved to the Sparky and then back again), Peter Piper, Foxy, Snip 'n' Snap (renamed 'Red Hot Chilli Dogs') and not forgetting the famous Bananaman.

Some more which moved to different comics were stories like Pup Parade, Pansy Potter, Helpful Henry, Freddy the Fearless Fly and Hairy Dan.
Thanks, Harry. There was also The Nutters, from Cracker, in the 70s.

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Re: The strips that deserted the sinking ship.

Post by Digifiend »

Well, obviously some strips moved from one sinking ship to another. Before joining Dimples in The Dandy, Cuddles went from a single page strip in Nutty, to the cover star of Hoot (occupying front and back pages).

Some (if not all) of Magic's remaining stockpile after it's forced closure in 1941 ended up used in the Beano Book (this is why they changed to Magic-Beano book from 1943-1950, although some new material was done with Magic characters as well, such as the Eggo and Koko strips featuring the cover stars of the two comics).

Pup Parade technically didn't desert a sinking ship. It moved from Beano to Topper in 1988, and while it did survive the Beezer/Topper merger, didn't make it to the last issue, and only returned to the Beano years later. It's moves had nothing to do with comic closures, as it simply went back to it's original home.

Of course, there was a time when Beezer and Topper were not sinking ships, and absorbed plenty of characters from other comics. One famous example is Plug, whose comic merged with Beezer causing his solo strip to appear there, despite it's logical home being the Beano. Hungry Horace, originally a Dandy character, was in Sparky throughout it's run and lasted another decade in The Topper. He didn't return to the Dandy, Harry.

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