Comics UK

Just to mark the occasion, today's Beano is the first by the new printer. The size is now A4 (as it used to be years ago), the paper is slicker, but similar to Toxic rather than The Dandy. It really does the artwork justice though and looks very sharp.

The spine is glued, so that should stop copies flopping over in Smiths!

Didn't notice this but now I have I have to say I like it better like this definately. Don't know why, really...

the new/old size stood out a mile for me i spotted it even before i picked it up,it will prob go up to £1.50 after chrimbo.But £4 for next weeks issue is way to much and its not even a double size issue.Will dandy stay weekly over xmas to try and regain their numbering advantage over beano,if so should only take them about 50 years.or will it be a so called double size the week after next. but i do prefer this size.
this morning my local Whs only had 4 copies of beano and dandy 3 after i bought mine,not looking to good methinks.

I don't agree about the price... more likely to go up to £1.40. The paper quality is an improvement, but inferior to Dandy's with the same page count.

Agreed about next week's issue I'm afraid, £3.99? Must be the cost of that Beano Beanie - which will be too small for my head no doubt (too small for anyone over the age of 8 I reckon!) and will just be put aside like any other non-edible gift. Why couldn't they have omitted that gift and charged £2.50 like last year? Having 50% more pages (48 instead of 32) but charging triple the usual cover price is hard to justify. In fact it's the same price as BeanoMax, and know people have begrudged paying that - I've seen complaints about it on beano.com. Also, the Christmas issue should've been a week later, as yet again, there'll be another issue before Christmas. Dandy's got it right if they're doing their's a week later.

WHSmith only had half a dozen Beanos... and one Dandy, which I bought! Not good. They clearly reduced their order. Tesco seemed to have 20 of each title.

I noticed that Dennis and Gnasher, Ivy the Terrible, and Freddie Fear had big white areas - they were clearly drawn for the old page size. Would've been a good idea to put something like those old Gnasher's Gnews Bites banners in those gaps.

Can't get out to buy mine yet...too icey..

Digifiend wrote: Agreed about next week's issue I'm afraid, £3.99? Must be the cost of that Beano Beanie - which will be too small for my head no doubt (too small for anyone over the age of 8 I reckon!) and will just be put aside like any other non-edible gift. Why couldn't they have omitted that gift and charged £2.50 like last year?

Perhaps because it is intended for kids and they'd love a Beano Beanie?

If it fits me I'll be using it to keep my head warm while I'm drawing my Beano pages.

I know it's meant for kids... but I wouldn't be surprised if it proves to be so small half the target audience wouldn't be able to use it. Including something to wear was a risky choice IMHO. Has that type of thing ever been given as a cover mount before?

Digifiend wrote:I know it's meant for kids... but I wouldn't be surprised if it proves to be so small half the target audience wouldn't be able to use it. Including something to wear was a risky choice IMHO. Has that type of thing ever been given as a cover mount before?

A hat? I don't think so.

I'm sure they'll have thought about the size before they commissioned it. Anyway, if it's too small the kids will have to give it to their dogs.

Just to mark the occasion, today's Beano is the first by the new printer. The size is now A4 (as it used to be years ago), the paper is slicker, but similar to Toxic rather than The Dandy. It really does the artwork justice though and looks very sharp.

Nice! I'm yet to see any of my work in print, but i can't wait!!!

By the way, do you know what motivated this change to an external printer?

diegotheterrible wrote:what motivated this change to an external printer?

DC Thomson closed down their printers a while ago.

I had no idea!

Sales of all periodicals are falling, so it was cheaper for them to get their stuff printed outside rather than maintain their own press, sadly.

Something else I've noticed about this week's Beano - with both The 3 Bears and Calamity James absent, there are no reprints.

Good point. I supsect that hasn't happened for a few years (apart from in the 2008 70th birthday issue), there's usually been at least two pages of reprint since 2007, and they have been used regularly since 2006.

As an aside, the first time I noticed a (non-accidental) reprint in the Beano was in late 2005 when they reprinted a Bob Nixon Roger the Dodger. Having started reading the Beano in 2002, I think it was all new material before then. I can recall a few accidental reprints though, such as the time when a Joe Jitsu strip was reprinted two weeks after it first appeared (issues 3229 and 3231 IIRC, in June 2004), and I think the same happened with Ball Boy and Singled Out.

Finally got the Beano and Dandy..

The only problem is the numbskulls its a bit harder to see the middle bit of the story when it flow over the two pages..I noticed that this weeks Bash Street read downwards..

Do like the A4 shape reminds me of the old days..