If you were the Editor...

[AndyB]

Unfortunately, and to my considerable regret, because I love the adventure strips, I understand they are not popular with the kids any more. That's why, apart from the abortive run of Billy the Cat a few years ago, they are restricted to the annuals.

[felneymike]

If I was in charge of Spaceship Away:
- Decrease the paper quality
- Increase the frequency (to monthly)
- Shorter instalments of strips, as they'd be coming out more often
- Try and get even more classic British sci-fi heroes who could possibly be licnenced 'cheaply' (like Captain "Space" Kingley)
- Get some non sci-fi characters like Biggles, Bulldog Drummond or Sherlock Holmes, in both comic strip and text story form, reprints and new tales!
- New stories in classic Eagle style!

Basically it'd be a tradtionalism-infused Strip Magazine!

Also if I was starting a theoretical British version of Shonen Jump I'd:
- Make it weekly or maybe biweekly, IE closer to the Japanese version than the American one.
- Get more of the stories from the Japanese one translated
- Get stories from the British small press manga-style scene. Some of that stuff is of astonishing quality!
- Re-run classic series from the Japanese version that'd have the advantage of being "all there" (because they've finished!) and only needing translation. Plus for these I'd include historical articles.

[Digifiend]

Unfortunately, and to my considerable regret, because I love the adventure strips, I understand they are not popular with the kids any more. That's why, apart from the abortive run of Billy the Cat a few years ago, they are restricted to the annuals.

Yeah... unless they're licensed, I guess (Marvel and DC comics, Ben 10, Transformers, Doctor Who, those are all technically adventure stories and kids seem to like those). Only way an adventure comic strip would succeed these days is with a TV show backing it up.

[Nigel Auchterlounie]

Yeah... unless they're licensed, I guess (Marvel and DC comics, Ben 10, Transformers, Doctor Who, those are all technically adventure stories and kids seem to like those). Only way an adventure comic strip would succeed these days is with a TV show backing it up.

Yeah, shame though.
One nice thing about Ben 10 is it has a lot of humour in it too. A funny adventure strip in something somewhere would be great.
Maybe the phoenix will have some of that. (fingers crossed)


(That is in no way a coded hint. I sent them some stuff but got no response)

[WizzKid97]

Maybe the phoenix will have some of that. (fingers crossed)

I'm sure it will, it looks like a very promising comic, they said they're trying to steer clear of Beano and Dandy artists which will explain why they haven't responded (then again, Jamie Smart and The E Brothers are in the Phoenix... Hmmm...)

Anyway, on the note of the topic if I were editor I'd bring back some more classics in the Dandy which featured in the 2012 Annual, Fiddle O'Diddle by Nik Holmes, Bully Beef and Chips by Laura Howell, Brain Duane by Steve Beckett, Brassneck by Nick Brennan and of course Corporal Clott by Nigel Auchterlounie. These five stories stood out for me.

[Lew Stringer]

they said they're trying to steer clear of Beano and Dandy artists

Where did they say that, and why?

which will explain why they haven't responded (then again, Jamie Smart and The E Brothers are in the Phoenix... Hmmm...)

It's bad manners not to reply. I'm sure they'll get back to Nigel soon.

[WizzKid97]

they said they're trying to steer clear of Beano and Dandy artists

Where did they say that, and why?

Simply because they don't want to:

1. Steal artists from other comics, they found them first so it'd be unfair to steal.

2. The Beano/Dandy style does not fit in with the comic apparently.

I think I mentioned you, Andy and Steve as artists for the Phoenix but they said the above things.

[Lew Stringer]

they said they're trying to steer clear of Beano and Dandy artists

Where did they say that, and why?

Simply because they don't want to:

1. Steal artists from other comics, they found them first so it'd be unfair to steal.

2. The Beano/Dandy style does not fit in with the comic apparently.

I think I mentioned you, Andy and Steve as artists for the Phoenix but they said the above things.

If that's the case it sounds like a weak excuse I'm afraid. You can't "steal" a freelancer, especially if some of those freelancers are approaching them for work. (Which I did with The DFC and received no reply.) It's not like headhunting a company employee. We can work for both comics.

I can fully appreciate that they don't want The Phoenix to be a clone of The Beano (innovation being better than imitation) but it might be best to see what strips creators are offering them first before they blacklist artists.

[WizzKid97]

If that's the case it sounds like a weak excuse I'm afraid. You can't "steal" a freelancer, especially if some of those freelancers are approaching them for work. (Which I did with The DFC and received no reply.)

I can fully appreciate that they don't want The Phoenix to be a clone of The Beano (innovation being better than imitation) but it might be best to see what strips creators are offering them first before they blacklist artists.

All I can suggest is try and get in touch with them, if they do not respond it'll be because they are busy, Will Flicking said it was a very busy time in the offices right now
trying to get issues completed.

[Lew Stringer]

If that's the case it sounds like a weak excuse I'm afraid. You can't "steal" a freelancer, especially if some of those freelancers are approaching them for work. (Which I did with The DFC and received no reply.)

I can fully appreciate that they don't want The Phoenix to be a clone of The Beano (innovation being better than imitation) but it might be best to see what strips creators are offering them first before they blacklist artists.

All I can suggest is try and get in touch with them, if they do not respond it'll be because they are busy, Will Flicking said it was a very busy time in the offices right now
trying to get issues completed.

I'm too busy to offer them anything at present. I was talking about creators in general. They should have an open mind on any artist in my opinion.

[felneymike]

The village's Parish Magazine...
- Get a comic strip or two in there with gags about fenland life
- Get it a decent title, not just typed Times New Roman
- A different line-illustrated cover on each issue. Currently it almost always has a photo of the church that's just been banged through a few photoshop filters.
- In-depth historical articles, rather than the current historical articles which are just random 100-year-old entries from parish records with no context whatsoever
-Serial text stories set in/around the village/the fens at different points in history
-Make it more "campaigning" with calls for better/existent bus services, restoration of the village library and so on.

[WizzKid97]

If I were the editor of the Dandy I'd probably bring back a few classics, ones which readers can relate to and still fit in with revamped style.

After seeing the Dandy Annual 2012, I immediately fell in love with Nigel's up-to-date version of Corporal Clott and find Nigel's artwork/storylines very funny and certainly modernised. I think the comic could do with having this among its pages.

Laura Howell's Bully Beef and Chips was another I found very good. Laura's modern, manga style really suited BB&C and she is quite a popular artist who hasn't appeared enough in the Dandy.

Steve Beckett's Brain Duane is another which I thought looked brilliant and I know Tom's version was very popular. My only problem was that I found the storylines not too funny so maybe if this improved, Duane could find a home in the Dandy once again.

Nik Holmes' Fiddle O'Diddle was amazing. I really like Nik's style, it's very unique and also very modern. I also thought his version of Muldoon looked brilliant (hated the original, he wore female clothing, probably due to being a tramp.)

As well as this I reckon Nigel Parkinson could easily pull off an impressive Smasher comic series, his style is wacky and energetic yet also classic if not Brian Walker reprints could be a possibility?

Winker Watson should certainly return to the comic with either Wayne Thompson or Ken Harrison drawing it in Eric Roberts' style (which I know Ken is AMAZING at!), there could be some 6 week serials as well to make it feel classic, also no need to make it hilariously funny because I'm pretty sure Winker was always classed as comic/adventure when Eric Roberts drew him. (Terry Bave's version was more humour based)

To be honest, I never liked Black Bob as I found the stories very dull, I don't know if you lot would agree but I think Black Bob could make a great humour strip drawn by Andy Fanton? If not then maybe an adventure comic strip drawn by someone liked Wayne Thompson or The Etherington Brothers?

Beryl the Peril would be a good 'un to bring back, the Dandy never has stories about girls and I find it quite unfair. I reckon Laura Howell would make a fantastic artist for it, if not possibly Steve Beckett or Stu Munro?

Agent Dog 2 Zero was always one of my favourites in the Xtreme and I'd love to see it back with Wayne Thompson or Paul Palmer (who did an amazing job in the Dandy Annual 2012) drawing it.

Owen Goal will easily fit in with the Dandy and to be honest, I really don't get why he didn't survive the revamp. Nigel Parkinson obviously drawing the strip, he said it himself on his blog:
"I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I loved drawing Owen Goal in the Dandy between 1998 and who knows when. "

Also one final story I'd love to return is Ollie Fliptrik who had quite a big fanbase, I really liked Ollie and I thought Karl's energetic style suited the comic strip perfectly! I can't imagine anyone else drawing Ollie Fliptrik in the way that Karl did.

[comicsgalore]

I much preferred Tom Paterson's version of Fiddle o Diddle, who cares if Muldoon was wearing women's clothes? It's a comic! Wayne Thompson draws Black Bob great! Ollie Fliptrik was very funny and i've thought before about bringing that back!

[Digifiend]

Black Bob as a humour strip? Seriously? I really don't think that would work. I do think bringing back a few older strips with new artists would attract the parents (they're more likely to buy it for their kids if they recognise the content), but the front covers would need to mention them, at least at first. Characters they could bring back, basically is anything in the 2012 annual that wasn't either new in the revamp or a direct carry over from Xtreme. Beryl, Winker, and Bully Beef and Chips all qualify (among others - I mention those three due to their longevity).

[WizzKid97]

Black Bob as a humour strip? Seriously? I really don't think that would work.

Yeah, it probably wouldn't. But I can somehow see a one page story by Andy Fanton called Black Bob and it being a humour strip. It was just an idea though, I doubt anyone else would like that as an idea.

Maybe if it's not called Black Bob but is still about sheepdog and his owner? I think it'll be good fun if I'm honest, anyone seeing it? No. I'll grab my coat.