Comments on: British Comics Month – the Beano and the Dandy http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/ The Best In Sci-Fi & Fantasy, News, Reviews, Graphic Novels, comics and more! Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:22:29 +0000 hourly 1 By: gh http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-256388 gh Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:03:25 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-256388 i hAVE READ the Beano and Dandy since i was 9 now i am 16 it used to be amazing but it seems to be going downhill i dropped the dandy after its rejuvination because the cahrecters became loutish and now i endure the dennis the menace after they changed it to be like the tv program the art is now dreadful and so is the plot DC thomas stick to what you know, or you'll get one less member in the beanoslub next year! i hAVE READ the Beano and Dandy since i was 9 now i am 16

it used to be amazing but it seems to be going downhill
i dropped the dandy after its rejuvination because the cahrecters became loutish and now i endure the dennis the menace after they changed it to be like the tv program the art is now dreadful and so is the plot

DC thomas stick to what you know, or you’ll get one less member in the beanoslub next year!

]]> By: Beef http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-233955 Beef Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:09:49 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-233955 Hiya guys!! i love the beano and still collect it!! mind u has gone up in price since i started gettin it. Is there a beano fan website out there?! Hiya guys!! i love the beano and still collect it!! mind u has gone up in price since i started gettin it. Is there a beano fan website out there?!

]]> By: Fine Art Prints http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-97687 Fine Art Prints Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:31:00 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-97687 These comics were right for their own time. I have a feeling that for those of us who were around for the originals would be disappointed with newer versions. These comics were right for their own time. I have a feeling that for those of us who were around for the originals would be disappointed with newer versions.

]]> By: Mike Hobart http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-94432 Mike Hobart Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:46:29 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-94432 Not a promising move. It reminds me of the attempt to re-launch PUNCH magazine -- and how long that idea lasted. Not a promising move. It reminds me of the attempt to re-launch PUNCH magazine — and how long that idea lasted.

]]> By: The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » “This is the British ninth art. We should be proud of our comics history” - FPI explores Comics Britannia http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-88827 The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » “This is the British ninth art. We should be proud of our comics history” - FPI explores Comics Britannia Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:18:25 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-88827 [...] Instead this episode revels in the humour of those comics and I found myself laughing out loud at much of the artwork; so many of those characters are still funny, often more so for the expressions their artists gave them than the actual prank they are playing. How very appropriate that I would laugh so much watching this episode. There are appearances from various folks, including Paul Gravett (introduced with a cartoon caption reading ‘Comics Brainiac’) and DC Thomson’s Euan Kerr (who you may recall chatted to us about the Beano and Dandy last summer), but the main focus is on some of the great names: Dudley Watkins, Ken Reid and Leo Baxendale, with plenty of time given to them (and a good helping of Leo, always a welcome sight to British comics readers). Given how few of the creators of that period were actually credited by name on their creations it is nice to see them being given such recognition here. Boys and Girls (which airs on Monday 17th at 9pm on BBC4) does what it says on the tin – looks at the comics for boys and girls, those titles readers graduated to after starting on the kid’s comics. That means thinking about what girls want in a comic, which is interesting in itself – today we often discuss gender portrayal in comics and the imbalance between female creators (and readers) and the male, but in the 50s these comics sold in their millions and what the girls wanted wasn’t a ‘female Dan Dare’ adventure like woman pilot Kitty Hawk, they wanted stories about friendship, school, love and ballet dancing (enter Belle of the Ballet) - how times change. The boys, of course, wanted adventure and they got it, most notably with Dan Dare and his colour pages brightening up a post-war, Austerity era Britain with dynamic art, daring-do and an optimism in the future – and along the way influencing a number of young readers, some of whom would grow up to become highly respected comics writers and artists themselves, in turn influencing more up and coming readers and creators. [...] [...] Instead this episode revels in the humour of those comics and I found myself laughing out loud at much of the artwork; so many of those characters are still funny, often more so for the expressions their artists gave them than the actual prank they are playing. How very appropriate that I would laugh so much watching this episode. There are appearances from various folks, including Paul Gravett (introduced with a cartoon caption reading ‘Comics Brainiac’) and DC Thomson’s Euan Kerr (who you may recall chatted to us about the Beano and Dandy last summer), but the main focus is on some of the great names: Dudley Watkins, Ken Reid and Leo Baxendale, with plenty of time given to them (and a good helping of Leo, always a welcome sight to British comics readers). Given how few of the creators of that period were actually credited by name on their creations it is nice to see them being given such recognition here. Boys and Girls (which airs on Monday 17th at 9pm on BBC4) does what it says on the tin – looks at the comics for boys and girls, those titles readers graduated to after starting on the kid’s comics. That means thinking about what girls want in a comic, which is interesting in itself – today we often discuss gender portrayal in comics and the imbalance between female creators (and readers) and the male, but in the 50s these comics sold in their millions and what the girls wanted wasn’t a ‘female Dan Dare’ adventure like woman pilot Kitty Hawk, they wanted stories about friendship, school, love and ballet dancing (enter Belle of the Ballet) – how times change. The boys, of course, wanted adventure and they got it, most notably with Dan Dare and his colour pages brightening up a post-war, Austerity era Britain with dynamic art, daring-do and an optimism in the future – and along the way influencing a number of young readers, some of whom would grow up to become highly respected comics writers and artists themselves, in turn influencing more up and coming readers and creators. [...]

]]> By: The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » Dandy Xtreme http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-86427 The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » Dandy Xtreme Sat, 04 Aug 2007 13:44:03 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-86427 [...] Hard as it may be to believe, but the Dandy, which has been providing entertainment to generations of British kids for seven decades, has been changed to the now fortnightly Dandy Xtreme, the first time it has been published fortnightly since paper shortages during World War Two as far as I know. As well as a name change the new-look Dandy has a revised format, with more of a ‘lifestyle magazine’ feel to it apparently (do eight year olds need lifestyle magazines now? Perhaps they do, but that makes me rather sad. When I was a kid these comics were our lifestyle - changed days). Dundee-based D C Thomson said that the format had been updated due to feedback from the readership, but along with the new look many famous British comics characters will continue to run in the new Xtreme version (presumably promoting correct English will not be a part of the comic’s remit), so Desperate Dan and his Cow Pies do still have a home, which is good. And to be fair, it does continue the publisher’s push to keep all of their comics creations relevant to today’s kids, as D C Thomson’s Euan Kerr told me last summer, where he commented on competing against multi-channel TV, video games and music aimed at younger audiences. [...] [...] Hard as it may be to believe, but the Dandy, which has been providing entertainment to generations of British kids for seven decades, has been changed to the now fortnightly Dandy Xtreme, the first time it has been published fortnightly since paper shortages during World War Two as far as I know. As well as a name change the new-look Dandy has a revised format, with more of a ‘lifestyle magazine’ feel to it apparently (do eight year olds need lifestyle magazines now? Perhaps they do, but that makes me rather sad. When I was a kid these comics were our lifestyle – changed days). Dundee-based D C Thomson said that the format had been updated due to feedback from the readership, but along with the new look many famous British comics characters will continue to run in the new Xtreme version (presumably promoting correct English will not be a part of the comic’s remit), so Desperate Dan and his Cow Pies do still have a home, which is good. And to be fair, it does continue the publisher’s push to keep all of their comics creations relevant to today’s kids, as D C Thomson’s Euan Kerr told me last summer, where he commented on competing against multi-channel TV, video games and music aimed at younger audiences. [...]

]]> By: The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » Blast from the past - Spitfire Comics’ Chris Smillie talks classic British strips http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-19734 The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » Blast from the past - Spitfire Comics’ Chris Smillie talks classic British strips Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:41:28 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-19734 [...] FPI: I did actually raise that point with the Beano and Dandy head honcho Euan Kerr in an interview last summer and asked if we would ever see some archive collections of their strips, like an anthology of Leo Baxendale’s Bash Street Kids for example, but although he said they were always considering such things there were no firm plans he could discuss then, which is a shame (doesn’t rule out future ventures of course, he added hopefully). As you say, there are a lot of readers out there who would love to get a chance to see this material again and it would be good sales for comics shops and publishers, so I don’t know why more isn’t being done in this field. [...] [...] FPI: I did actually raise that point with the Beano and Dandy head honcho Euan Kerr in an interview last summer and asked if we would ever see some archive collections of their strips, like an anthology of Leo Baxendale’s Bash Street Kids for example, but although he said they were always considering such things there were no firm plans he could discuss then, which is a shame (doesn’t rule out future ventures of course, he added hopefully). As you say, there are a lot of readers out there who would love to get a chance to see this material again and it would be good sales for comics shops and publishers, so I don’t know why more isn’t being done in this field. [...]

]]> By: The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » Dandy in race row http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-7524 The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » Dandy in race row Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:37:08 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-7524 [...] I’d rather it was left in, partly for authenticity (just look at how annoyed many were at the revisions Marvel made to recent collections of their 70s horror for example) but also because airbrushing out past attitudes does not improve today’s society, it just sweeps the problem under the carpet, which is rarely a clever approach to any problem. Next we’ll have people complaining Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is elitist and fails to celebrate how special each and every one of us is… At least DC Thomson are sticking by their book. Besides, I suspect the use of the ‘n’ word was less than the average hardcore rap track. And many of us would like to see DC Thomson releasing a lot more of the vast library of British comics material they hold in collected editions; in fact it was one of the questions I asked Beano and Dandy head honcho Euan Kerr back in British Comics Month. Let’s hope this doesn’t put them off. [...] [...] I’d rather it was left in, partly for authenticity (just look at how annoyed many were at the revisions Marvel made to recent collections of their 70s horror for example) but also because airbrushing out past attitudes does not improve today’s society, it just sweeps the problem under the carpet, which is rarely a clever approach to any problem. Next we’ll have people complaining Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is elitist and fails to celebrate how special each and every one of us is… At least DC Thomson are sticking by their book. Besides, I suspect the use of the ‘n’ word was less than the average hardcore rap track. And many of us would like to see DC Thomson releasing a lot more of the vast library of British comics material they hold in collected editions; in fact it was one of the questions I asked Beano and Dandy head honcho Euan Kerr back in British Comics Month. Let’s hope this doesn’t put them off. [...]

]]> By: The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » £8, 000 for first Beano http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-2493 The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log » £8, 000 for first Beano Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:11:18 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-2493 [...] The Comics Journal’s Journalista blog drew my attention to this story from the Daily Record: a copy of the very first issue of the mighty Beano comic (now a British institution of course) published in July 1938, sold for £8, 252 at auction in London yesterday. Now that’s what I call a pretty valuable back issue. On the Beano front, in case you missed it I posted a potted history of the Beano and its sister publication the Dandy back in July here as part of British Comics Month, along with an interview with Beano head honcho Euan Kerr. [...] [...] The Comics Journal’s Journalista blog drew my attention to this story from the Daily Record: a copy of the very first issue of the mighty Beano comic (now a British institution of course) published in July 1938, sold for £8, 252 at auction in London yesterday. Now that’s what I call a pretty valuable back issue. On the Beano front, in case you missed it I posted a potted history of the Beano and its sister publication the Dandy back in July here as part of British Comics Month, along with an interview with Beano head honcho Euan Kerr. [...]

]]> By: Kev F http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/british-comics-month-%e2%80%93-the-beano-and-the-dandy/comment-page-1/#comment-353 Kev F Sun, 09 Jul 2006 07:28:27 +0000 http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1086#comment-353 Excellent article, and good to hear from Euan. He's the editor who brought me into the Beano, with new faces like Gary Northfield, Hunt Emerson and Mike Pearse ahead of me, and has kept The Beano on its toes all this time. I only started to pick up and enjoy The Beano in 1999, when I spotted Mike Pearse's long stories, and I've stuck with it ever since. The introduction of Derek The Sheep was similarly revolutionary, and obviously letting me write and draw my serialised Bash St Kids Adventures has been a treat. I hope whatever Euan does next is as good as his handling of The Beano. hip hip hooray (as we probably say in Beanotown, I dunno, I've not read the byelaws). Kev F Out Of The Beano Excellent article, and good to hear from Euan. He’s the editor who brought me into the Beano, with new faces like Gary Northfield, Hunt Emerson and Mike Pearse ahead of me, and has kept The Beano on its toes all this time.

I only started to pick up and enjoy The Beano in 1999, when I spotted Mike Pearse’s long stories, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. The introduction of Derek The Sheep was similarly revolutionary, and obviously letting me write and draw my serialised Bash St Kids Adventures has been a treat.

I hope whatever Euan does next is as good as his handling of The Beano. hip hip hooray (as we probably say in Beanotown, I dunno, I’ve not read the byelaws).

Kev F Out Of The Beano

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