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Quality of the Beano


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Old 09-06-2011, 08:42
leaby
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I used to love The Beano when I was younger, but I do remember preferring a few of my Dad’s older copies of it (we also had an annual from the 80’s that I used to read over and over!). I just seem to remember them being funnier than the modern day issues (I think it helped that they weren’t packed with advertisements). I still loved them though – my favourite was Calamity James, because the drawings for it were hilarious and there were loads of background jokes that used to crack me up. Like a lot of others I liked Roger the Dodger too.

But yeah, as lovely as it is that the comic’s still going, it’s not the same reading it now – the humour is intended for kids and it’s always been cringe worthy, we just never noticed before!

I’m inclined to agree with the PC thing – Dennis the Menace’s parents, for example, used to have very stereotypical gender roles and appearances – the Dad in a pinstriped suit, and the Mum in the 50’s skirt and slippers I think it's a great way to see how things have changed over the years
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Old 09-06-2011, 12:06
retrocool73
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I may be wrong here but The Beano I remember of the early 80s (still have them all in the loft!) was very entertaining and also a trifle subversive in comparison to the other DC Thompson competitors, which kept it strong in the age of the "more TISWAS" IPC comics like Whizzer & Chips. As I grew out of the comic (post-85 I guess) I felt it was becoming "softer" and thus blander in an attempt to appeal, but that this somewhat missed the point.
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Old 09-06-2011, 15:44
Simon Rodgers
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I haven't read it for a while, but does it still say Every Thursday, even though it comes out on a Wednesday?
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Old 10-06-2011, 01:30
spaintv
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I grew up reading the 80s Beano (and its sister comics Dandy, Beezer, Topper) and read them for the most part of the 80s. During childhood I also made it a point to go out and seek older copies (60s 70s whatever I could find) and "borrowed" older Beanos from the 70s from older cousins etc. I enjoyed the Beano of the 80s and prior to the 80s, and having checked the Beano post 90s at random over the years it has changed for the worse IMO. Nowadays I wouldn't even try to get my younger nephew to read the comic, but I would if it was like the Beano I knew.
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Old 10-06-2011, 09:29
JAS84
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I haven't read it for a while, but does it still say Every Thursday, even though it comes out on a Wednesday?
Nope, that's finally been corrected, "Every Wednesday!" is next to the B in the logo.
I haven't read it for years but I've noticed it's gone very expensive as of late. Isn't it around the £1.50 mark now?
Yeah - when there's no covermount. So-called free gifts cost an extra £1! Of course, they no longer call the gifts free, but the word gift implies that it should be free... I'm not fooled.
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Old 10-06-2011, 10:24
elnombre
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Anyone know what sort of circulation it has these days?
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Old 10-06-2011, 10:26
Simon Rodgers
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I grew up reading the 80s Beano (and its sister comics Dandy, Beezer, Topper) and read them for the most part of the 80s. During childhood I also made it a point to go out and seek older copies (60s 70s whatever I could find) and "borrowed" older Beanos from the 70s from older cousins etc. I enjoyed the Beano of the 80s and prior to the 80s, and having checked the Beano post 90s at random over the years it has changed for the worse IMO. Nowadays I wouldn't even try to get my younger nephew to read the comic, but I would if it was like the Beano I knew.
How come the Beezer and Topper folded but the Dandy and Beano are still going?

Sometimes I wonder if they just keep it going for the sake of tradition more than anything else.
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Old 10-06-2011, 10:28
Simon Rodgers
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Nope, that's finally been corrected, "Every Wednesday!" is next to the B in the logo.Yeah - when there's no covermount. So-called free gifts cost an extra £1! Of course, they no longer call the gifts free, but the word gift implies that it should be free... I'm not fooled.
The "Every Thursday" bit caught me out a few times.
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Old 10-06-2011, 10:41
Simon Rodgers
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Anyone know what sort of circulation it has these days?
Good question, I don't see it in the shops as much as I used to.

Maybe this could mean the end of an era.
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Old 10-06-2011, 12:01
November_Rain
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Good question, I don't see it in the shops as much as I used to.

Maybe this could mean the end of an era.
Nor do I. It'll be a shame if it does go, but it won't be surprising. Most kids these days are probably more interested in games consoles and the internet.
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Old 10-06-2011, 13:05
Charcole911
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My favourite comics were Beano and Buster. This was early - late 90's circa.

Does anyone rememer when the Bash St kids got sent to a very posh school and all changed their characters and personalities for a few weeks? Then something happened and they went back to their old school again. I remember pug / plug face,

They brought a VHS out for it too
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Old 10-06-2011, 13:17
Listentome
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I've got every annual from 1970 to 2011 (my mum still buys me one ever xmas since 1993 and i collected the rest when I was little) and I must say I think it was the best in the 70s and 80s. I don't like the more modern ones.
Same for me. I got my first in my Christmas stocking in 1976 and have continued to get one up until last year. Can't say I actually read the new ones though.

The 70s and 80s were definitely the prime Beanos. I didn't like it when the illustrations become full colour.
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Old 10-06-2011, 13:29
WolfGirl2
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I used to love the Beano I think I still have all my old copies in the attic somewhere! I was even part of the Beano club you got some great goodies when you joined I remember wearing my Beano club T-shirt proudly to school!
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Old 10-06-2011, 17:56
_radioamerica
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I used to love the Beano I think I still have all my old copies in the attic somewhere! I was even part of the Beano club you got some great goodies when you joined I remember wearing my Beano club T-shirt proudly to school!
I never joined but I wanted the Gnasher badge.
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Old 10-06-2011, 19:48
Shaiya
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I think the Bash Street Kids change was supposed to be permanent but after fan backlash they went back to their usual ways. Sounds like a publicity stunt though.

I also fondly rememember Whizzer & Chips. That was actually a brilliant comic, incredible characters. Store Wars was one of my faves.
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Old 10-06-2011, 20:33
stud u like
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Not read "The Beano","The Dandy","The Beezer","Buster" or "Whizzer and Chips" in years.
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Old 10-06-2011, 22:14
cnbcwatcher
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Good question, I don't see it in the shops as much as I used to.

Maybe this could mean the end of an era.
I saw the comic in a local newsagent of mine today so it's still around. I don't see as much of the "Classics from the Comics" or the funsized ones I used to get a few years ago which focused on only one or two characters.
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Old 10-06-2011, 22:26
englandsglory
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I saw the comic in a local newsagent of mine today so it's still around. I don't see as much of the "Classics from the Comics" or the funsized ones I used to get a few years ago which focused on only one or two characters.
Remember those, "Summer Specials" i think they were called.
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Old 10-06-2011, 22:28
Simon Rodgers
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They brought a VHS out for it too
They made three as far as I know, but none for the Dandy.

I was in The Works not so long ago and saw a three DVD box set of them for £4.99 it has the Beano video, Beano Video stars and a third one which I can't remember the name of name of and I never even knew existsed.

Can anyone confirm if there were none for the Dandy made?

I've seen the first Beano video one and it ruined things for me as the characters did not sound like how I imagined they would have done. I know most of the characters are comic children but I still imagined they would have had more mature voices.

Still, had it's good points, it featured The Pink Glove storyline which I never read the ending of because I missed the comic, so I eventually (after many years though) found out the ending
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Old 10-06-2011, 22:30
Simon Rodgers
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I saw the comic in a local newsagent of mine today so it's still around. I don't see as much of the "Classics from the Comics" or the funsized ones I used to get a few years ago which focused on only one or two characters.
Remember those, "Summer Specials" i think they were called.
They brought out Summer Specials of the Beano which was basically a larger version of the comic, but I think what you're thinking of is the Comic Libraries. These were about A5 size and were basically one extended storyline of one particular strip.

I haven't seen them for ages though! They probably stopped these.
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Old 10-06-2011, 22:32
Simon Rodgers
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I never joined but I wanted the Gnasher badge.
I did join for 55p and got both badges. God knows where they are now though, probably in my folks loft somewhere.
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Old 10-06-2011, 22:36
Simon Rodgers
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I think the Bash Street Kids change was supposed to be permanent but after fan backlash they went back to their usual ways. Sounds like a publicity stunt though.

I also fondly rememember Whizzer & Chips. That was actually a brilliant comic, incredible characters. Store Wars was one of my faves.
There was a story about that, if you remember. I'm not sure if that was just a storyline or it was the end of something that was going to happen for real and then they backed out of.

Can anyone advise me any further?
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Old 11-06-2011, 00:24
Simon Rodgers
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Nope, that's finally been corrected, "Every Wednesday!" is next to the B in the logo.Yeah - when there's no covermount. So-called free gifts cost an extra £1! Of course, they no longer call the gifts free, but the word gift implies that it should be free... I'm not fooled.
Are Dennis the Menace's parents still called "Dennis's Dad" and "Dennis's Mum"? As he now has a little sister, it might no longer seem appropriate. Plus the joke was quite lame to start with.
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Old 12-06-2011, 12:34
JAS84
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My favourite comics were Beano and Buster. This was early - late 90's circa.

Does anyone rememer when the Bash St kids got sent to a very posh school and all changed their characters and personalities for a few weeks? Then something happened and they went back to their old school again. I remember pug / plug face,

They brought a VHS out for it too
That was in 1994, to mark their 40th birthday.
I never joined but I wanted the Gnasher badge.
You're talking about The Dennis the Menace Fan Club, which was replaced by the Beano Club in 1998. That club folded last year.
I think the Bash Street Kids change was supposed to be permanent but after fan backlash they went back to their usual ways. Sounds like a publicity stunt though.

I also fondly rememember Whizzer & Chips. That was actually a brilliant comic, incredible characters. Store Wars was one of my faves.
Yes, it was a publicity stunt.
Not read "The Beano","The Dandy","The Beezer","Buster" or "Whizzer and Chips" in years.
Beezer ceased in 1993, Whizzer and Chips in 1990, and Buster in 2000.

I saw the comic in a local newsagent of mine today so it's still around. I don't see as much of the "Classics from the Comics" or the funsized ones I used to get a few years ago which focused on only one or two characters.
Classics and the Fun-Sizes were recently discontinued.
Remember those, "Summer Specials" i think they were called.
Those are separate. The comics focusing on one or two characters are the Comic Libraries, and their successors the Fun-Sizes.
They made three as far as I know, but none for the Dandy.

I was in The Works not so long ago and saw a three DVD box set of them for £4.99 it has the Beano video, Beano Video stars and a third one which I can't remember the name of name of and I never even knew existsed.

Can anyone confirm if there were none for the Dandy made?
There were two Beano videos. There was also a TV adaptation of Bananaman and two for Dennis and Gnasher. The third video would be one of those.
They brought out Summer Specials of the Beano which was basically a larger version of the comic, but I think what you're thinking of is the Comic Libraries. These were about A5 size and were basically one extended storyline of one particular strip.

I haven't seen them for ages though! They probably stopped these.
I'm afraid so. The Fun-Sizes replaced them in 1997, then they ended last year.
There was a story about that, if you remember. I'm not sure if that was just a storyline or it was the end of something that was going to happen for real and then they backed out of.

Can anyone advise me any further?
As I said above, it was just a stunt to mark their birthday.
Are Dennis the Menace's parents still called "Dennis's Dad" and "Dennis's Mum"? As he now has a little sister, it might no longer seem appropriate. Plus the joke was quite lame to start with.
It's usually just Dad and Mum. Their real names have still not been revealed.
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Old 12-06-2011, 12:39
JAS84
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Anyone know what sort of circulation it has these days?
40,000.

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/view...lation+figures
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