The Beano merges..UPDATE its not a merge!!!!!!!!!!

[WizzKid97]

All I have to go on are the Beano and BeanoMAX covers, but they look almost identical. That can't be a good sign.

This is looking oh so like another Dandy Xtreme moment.

There's the problem - both look so similar now - why have both? I honestly do believe we're about to see The Dandy Xtreme Beano-style. This is not good. The beginning of the end perhaps?

[Digifiend]

I can't see reprints being removed completely, as why start the reprints of Singled Out, under a new name, only to stop them after only two appearances?

Where was the second?

Having not seen this week's issue yet, I assumed it would be present, having been pushed out last week due to third party adverts. Only appearing once is even worse.

[WizzKid97]

Strangely, we've only seen the one "Bash Street Kids Capers" story which seems stupid but then again, The Beano is always full of surprises. The majority of which haven't been too promising - except the 2011 Christmas Special and the debut of Dangerous Dan.

[Lew Stringer]

That's sadly very true, I spoke to Mike Stirling last year actually about the weekly and what he's going to add. One thing he said was that feedback from the target audience reveals that they prefer filler to comic strips - one person even requesting for the comic strips to be removed from the comic as they only read the filler on an old Beano.com blog post!

You can ask 100 kids and get 100 different answers, depending on all sorts of factors including kids who feel it's "big" to dismiss comic strips. Toxic ran a similar survey and found that comic strips were popular, leading to them increasing the strip/cartoon content.

[Gilly]

The beginning of the end perhaps?

Lets see what the content is next week before we go all doom and gloom, all we really have to go on is a cover and the return of old Dennis.

[WizzKid97]

The beginning of the end perhaps?

Lets see what the content is next week before we go all doom and gloom, all we really have to go on is a cover and the return of old Dennis.

A fair enough comment. I just hope I'm wrong in my accusations.

[Lew Stringer]

Subscribers should have their copies by the weekend, if that helps.

[swirlythingy]

I think we've analysed and extrapolated everything we can from the cover - and as I mentioned earlier, a cover change doesn't necessarily imply radical changes inside. All we can do now is sit tight for a week and hope we're wrong.

[Digifiend]

Unless the website spills the beans, of course.

[Lew Stringer]

Unless the website spills the beans, of course.

As I said, subscription copies should be received at the weekend so perhaps someone will reveal the changes here then.

[Peter Gray]

I'm still waiting for this weeks Beano to arrive...

[Digifiend]

If you don't have it by Saturday (when your next issue should arrive), get in touch with the subs department to find out why. I assume your sub hasn't lapsed.

[Peter Gray]

I've got it today...

if The Beano is going extreem I will cancel my sub..I also don't like the tagline grown ups not allowed... I'm a grown up..

The Dandy shows you don't have to go down that avenue..

[Digifiend]

That advert on the back of last week's Beano was also on page 2 of BeanoMAX. Nobody buys it, eh?

[-MikeD-]

Well, it hasn't turned into Beano Max...although the 'Grossest Shark Attack' page looks like a Max page. Still far too much filler. The 'Golden Ticket' thing is five pages of consumerism with no value beyond advertising. I guess they must know what modern kids want.

Edit: Just a thought...if The Beano isn't bagged, couldn't an unscrupulous reader just copy down a whole bunch of Golden Ticket codes and keep trying them until they got something that didn't suck? I suppose it's unlikely (that someone would try multiple numbers...not that you'd get a prize that didn't suck ).