NEW! Dangerous Dan by Nigel P

[Peter Gray]

I think this character needs to grow on me..so not sure of it yet.need to see some more...

[blaing]

As my latest issue of the Beano hasn't arrived yet (probably will arrive in the mail, along with this week's Dandy tomorrow) I'll leave it until then to give my thoughts on the strip

[Digifiend]

Dangerous Dan... this secret agent needs to watch out for the other Dangerous Dan, a certain desperado's old enemy... yup, the name's recycled, even though the character is new.

[WizzKid97]

I like the look of Dangerous Dan, seems more Dandy styled to me but still, NEW STORY! Thank you!

The first story is quite good, the artwork is brilliant as usual and the characters seem interesting and likeable. So far the comic strip looks promising. With this being the first brand new story to feature brand new characters does this mean we'll be seeing more newbies very soon? Let's hope so!

It'd be cool if the Beano worked like the Dandy. Revamped, kept Dennis, Minnie, Roger and BSK as regulars and then used the rest in runs, make new characters, have them go in 10 strip runs to keep the comic new, this way they'll be able to come up with more stories.

Anyway, the story looks good, glad we have a new story. The last new story was Meebo and Zuky for goodness sake, and before that it was Super School! (With stories like Beano Manga, Gnasher's Bite and At Home with BSK thrown in as well)

[Jonny Whizz]

It'd be cool if the Beano worked like the Dandy. Revamped, kept Dennis, Minnie, Roger and BSK as regulars and then used the rest in runs, make new characters, have them go in 10 strip runs to keep the comic new, this way they'll be able to come up with more stories.

I can see the merit in that idea, and I think it could work quite well, but I honestly think it's better if the Beano keeps its line up more fixed than the Dandy does. The Beano has tended to rely on the same core cast of characters since the 1950s, whereas the Dandy rotates its strips to a much greater extent. I actually prefer the way the Beano does it as it is more likely that your favourite character will appear in that week´s comic.

I'm away right now so I haven´t seen this week´s issue yet, so I´ll have to wait until I get back until I can make a first judgement on the new story, although by the time I get back there will have been two strips. As an aside, I thought NP hadn´t been doing much in the Beano recently.

[Digifiend]

You're right, he hasn't done much since Barrie Appleby took over Dennis. He did also do Fred's Bed this week, and did a Minnie recently, but both of those were what I'm guessing is holiday cover.

[NP]

He did also do Fred's Bed this week, and did a Minnie recently, but both of those were what I'm guessing is holiday cover.

What Minnie was it? And I still do 5 pages of Dennis every month in BeanoMAX, you know!

[WizzKid97]

He did also do Fred's Bed this week, and did a Minnie recently, but both of those were what I'm guessing is holiday cover.

What Minnie was it? And I still do 5 pages of Dennis every month in BeanoMAX, you know!

It was the one where Min's Dad gets ran over by a crowd of people (that's the only but I remember at the moment), I think she has a cold or something.

Also ah yes, your Dennis 5 pagers, they're good.

[AndyB]

Truthfully, Nigel, I wonder how you find enough time to produce all your pages!

[Digifiend]

He did also do Fred's Bed this week, and did a Minnie recently, but both of those were what I'm guessing is holiday cover.

What Minnie was it? And I still do 5 pages of Dennis every month in BeanoMAX, you know!

I was referring to Beano weekly, where your work has been sparse of late.

[blaing]

My issue of the Beano arrived in the mail on Monday morning, and quite like what I've seen, and looking forward to seeing more.

Hopefully, it will be a winner for it's younger readership.

[BeanoMark]

Truthfully, Nigel, I wonder how you find enough time to produce all your pages!

I often think this. It never ceases to amaze me how artists are able to manifest a visual feast, especially against tight deadlines. Geniuses.

[Tin Can Tommy]

The new Dangerous Dan strip has begun to grow on me. With the latest strips alot better than the awkward first strip. However i find it odd that Dangerous Dan lacks a father and i think i might be reading too much into this, because many Beano characters dont appear to have fathers (Fred's Bed is a good example), but i think there are some unfortunate implications that Dangerous Dan is both fatherless and black.

Also its a bit odd that Dangerous Dan started around the same time they released the movie Spy Kids 4.

[swirlythingy]

The Beano's done worse. Not only did Calamity James's father never appear, but his openly abusive mother was one of the strip's many running gags!

I thought the first strip was substandard as well, but lots of new strips have suffered the problem of trying to combine introduction and scene-setting with a coherent story in its own right, and most don't manage it, especially when the space available is only one page. I expected it to get better once all the formalities were over and done with, which it has done, more or less.

I'm still not entirely sure what it's about - whether it's a paranoid boy fantasising he's a secret agent, or a real secret agent suffering from overenthusiasm, but this should be answered in time as well. My main remaining objection is the enormous prominence given to the SMIRK name every week, which is repetitive and I'd have thought unnecessary after the first strip.

Whatever problems it has at the moment, I'm sure it's just the usual teething trouble suffered by most new characters. If it's still like this in six months, that might be the time to start worrying.

[Jonny Whizz]

I agree that the first strip wasn't an especially good start, but it has improved both weeks since then. In fairness, I find that with a few exceptions (such as Johnny Bean, which I personally got into very quickly) most new strips take a while to really get going. I think NP has done a good job on the artwork, with some good sight gags included.

The one thing I do find odd is the 'SMIRK' acronym, as the 'Kommittee' bit on the end of it makes little sense in my opinion. I think it would have been better if it had just been the 'Special Ministry of International Rotters', though I can see why SMIRK works better as an acronym than SMIR.

Regarding absent fathers, the most curious case has to be the Numskulls where ever since they joined the Beano in 1993, Edd's Dad had been a regular character, but he disappeared around 2006 and hasn't been seen since. I remember a Calamity James strip where his Mum sent into his Dad's filthy shed, but I've never seen his Dad.