Number 13 and The Germs return in the bigger 36 page Beano!

[AndyB]

Yeah, but didn't it use to be more often a nose for trouble?

(posted by someone who can find plenty of trouble himself... of his own making...)

The new No.13 masthead will be interesting. I wonder how much (if any) of the original will be kept.

[Gilly]

I cant wait I used to love No 13

Hope we see the strips with Frankie and his pet brick over the coming weeks

[Digifiend]

I prefer the reprints to be the same as they were printed as well.
....recolouring is a shame as John Geering did some very unusual colour painted work in number 13...sometimes one panel in one colour..

Yeah, on later strips. When Number 13 started, it was in black and white, so there'd be no previous colouring to remove.

[AndyB]

I don't believe they will redo the colouring on any strips from the gravure era. It'll only be those originally printed in black and white, for example, in the newsprint era.

[Jonny Whizz]

It's not always been totally consistent in the past, though. When the Beano was reprinting Robert Nixon's Ivy the Terrible stories, most of the single page strips were left as they were originally coloured while the later, post-1998 two pagers were usually recoloured.

On the other hand, the colour era Billy Whizz reprints weren't recoloured. More recent reprint like Little Plum also weren't recoloured, but I think they were originally coloured on computer in any case.

I don't think Number 13 went colour until the entire comic did in October 1993. When I read a couple of pre-full colour 1993 issues a number of years ago (one of which I think has been identified), it was in black and white.

[felneymike]

In 1998 or so there was a Billy Whizz in almost entirely black and white, because Billy had spilled the paint to be used for colouring it. I wonder if that one should ever be reprinted it will be coloured 'anyway' "because kids will see black and white and think it's boring".

[-MikeD-]

In 1998 or so there was a Billy Whizz in almost entirely black and white, because Billy had spilled the paint to be used for colouring it. I wonder if that one should ever be reprinted it will be coloured 'anyway' "because kids will see black and white and think it's boring".

That old chestnut! I'm glad you put it in quotes, as I guess we all know it's just an example of received wisdom which just doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Black and white doesn't look boring to kids, but it often feels old fashioned. And why not use the potential offered by colour printing, now it's affordable? The problem is - too much Photoshop colouring, especially in comics, is just filling in the shapes. It's production line colour - primary flats with highlights and simple shadow tones. It works, it's very fast - but it's dull. There's no attempt to balance cool and warm, to use complementary colours or reflections...it's all so graphic.

[Jay]

I'm calling a Numskulls/Germs crossover for the Beano Christmas issue! Come on Beano guys, you know it makes sense.

[Digifiend]

Well Numskulls is new material, so it's certainly doable. After all, Robbie Rebel had a crossover with the Riot Squad, which like The Germs was otherwise reprints, in a Christmas issue once.

[Jonny Whizz]

However, Robbie Rebel and the Riot Squad always had the same artist, whereas The Numskulls are drawn by Barry Glennard. I suspect that if are ever going to be any new Germs strips, Dave Sutherland will draw them (unless they're dropped or he retires while they're still being reprinted).

Having said that, I have a couple of 2000/2001 issues of the Beano where I think the current Numskulls artist, Barry Glennard, did draw The Germs. I may be wrong though.

[comicsgalore]

Could they not have David Sutherland draw the numskulls? Though i cant see it somehow.

[Digifiend]

Dave could quite easily do it, I reckon. His past strips include Danny on a Dolphin (which was done in Paddy Brennan's style), Biffo (Dudley Watkins), Dennis the Menace (David Law), and of course, The Bash Street Kids (Leo Baxendale) and Fred's Bed (Hunt Emerson AND David Parkins, he's drawn him both before and since Hunt redesigned him). Honestly, he's very versatile, and his age is the only reason those talents aren't used more.

Also, bear in mind that Glennard himself used to emulate Dave's style on Gnasher and Gnipper, before updating them later on, so he actually wouldn't have any trouble copying Dave's style for The Germs. There really isn't any artistic issue with doing a crossover.

[Gilly]

I would have mixed emotions if they did a crossover with the Numskulls and Germs.

For one would it be better to let the Germs standalone as as strip for a bit to let the current readers get used to it?

Although it could also do the Germs some good to have a tie in with one of the most popular strips in the Beano at the minute and a crossover would be awesome

What is everyones thoughts on this?

[Jonny Whizz]

I think a crossover would have good humour potential - maybe Edd could catch the Germs with the Numskulls going into Ill Will - although I agree it would be best to see how the Germs does on its own first.

About how many Germs strips did Dave Sutherland draw? I don't think the strip appeared all that often, but Dave will have been very busy at the time because he was still drawing Dennis as well as the Bash Street Kids. If the run of reprints goes on for a while, I suspect we'll be seeing Vic Neill's strips sooner rather than later.

[WizzKid97]

Well, we only have a few days left now until the unveiling of the new, bigger Beano! *excited!!*

Anyway, I'd love to see a Germs and Numskulls cross, maybe one like the brilliant Ball Boy and Freddie Fear cross and the Bash Street Kids and Fred's Bed cross.
It could be 6 pages or so and continue from one story to the other. The story could have a mock picture on the front of The Numskulls VS The Germs (Like the famous X-Men against the old android X-Men picture that was used once by Kev F in the Invasion of the Beano Snatchers. There can also be a pullout poster containing a fight between the Numskulls and the Germs.

Where it begins with The Germs feeling like making somebody else ill because they're bored of Will, after making several people really ill (maybe a lot of Beano characters) and then going back to Will as they go for a walk they discover Edd, the leader (who's name escapes me) then says come on Germs, it's time to fight the Numskulls!

Then in the Numskulls, The Germs start making Edd really ill. The Numskulls soon discover them and they come face to face, they have a fight all over Edd's body making Edd ill everywhere. (This bit will take centre pages and is a double page spread of wacky fighting and is also available as a massive poster). Eventually they have a massive punch-up and right at the end Brainy is groaning 'Well, the good news is Edd is fine now!', then the final panel shows the Numskulls and the Germs laying in hospital beds, Brainy says, 'Too bad we're not!'

AND THAT'S MY IDEA!