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You'd have thought The Beano (I don't care that they've dropped the 'The', I'm still using it) would've learned to do without featuring 'celebrities', considering the potential scandals lying in wait for the future. DCT really overuse this dreary approach and I think I'd be more inclined not to buy the comic because of celebrity overkill than I'd be persuaded to make a purchase. (Only bought this one because of its historical significance.)
Anyway, The Beano has made it to 85 years of age, so congratulations, but I still miss the original Dennis and resent the cutesy doppelganger who seems to have supplanted him. I haven't read it yet, don't know if I will, as a casual browse-through fails to enthuse me with any desire to do so. Dennis isn't called a menace anymore and Fatty and Spotty were renamed a while back to Freddy and Scotty, apparently to diminish any possible influence on readers who might refer to other kids (in the real world) by those 'awful' appellations.
This tacit admission that comics might have the power to do such a thing surely demonstrates that those who once claimed comics couldn't possibly have any negative influence on kids' behaviour were wrong, doesn't it? Otherwise why bother? The editor even boasts of the periodical now being 'woke', as if it's a good thing. I'd settle for it being funny, but that remains to be seen - if I ever get around to reading it.
Anyway, Happy Birthday Beano!
(Incidentally, contrary to some TV news reports, The Beano isn't the oldest comic in the world - it's only the oldest British weekly comic in the world. There's a difference.)
The celeb in the Dennis jumper is meant to be singer Lewis Capaldi (nephew of Peter) and I think the woman behind the mountain is possibly Adele but I don't know who the one on the left is.
ReplyDeleteI thought the 'celeb' in the red and black striped jersey was meant to be a girl. Does Lewis Capaldi really look as girlie as that? That's what's wrong with the entertainment industry nowadays - too many minor celebrities, not enough major stars.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he does look a bit like that illo, its not the best cartoon of Lewis Capaldi I have seen . He doesn't look to me, like a woman in real life . The other guy in the dungarees is Harry Styles, which I recognised. Adele is the other one ( as noted by Colin). Its a bit of a bland cover.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually a wraparound cover with more celebrities on the back, McS, but I can't see many (if any) kids buying the comic just because of the presence of some pop and TV celebs. It's obviously designed to generate some extra media publicity - almost as if the fact that the comic is 85 isn't enough.
ReplyDeleteI started buying The Beano in 1977. I was persuaded by a school friend to convert from The Topper and as there was a free Pop Pistol in the first issue I bought, I didn't put up a fight. The price had gone up with that issue to 5p. The current price is £2.99 which is an increase of around 6000 per cent. I realise that the paper is better quality and printing costs are probably more pro rata but I blame lower circulation numbers for the what I regard as a high price for a pocket money item. I think the comic is sold as a lost leader and is propped up by other DCT revenue. To be honest, I am surprised that they have made it to 85 but I think they will make the centenary even if it is making a loss. I'd like to buy the issue but I've bought the odd issue in the last decade and never read them either, they just look awful and too computerised. I agree with McScotty, the cover is totally bland and you could easily miss the 85 message. It doesn't inspire me to congratulate them especially with the woke sentiment.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, M, the low circulation (compared to its heyday) is the reason behind the higher price, as obviously fewer readers have to pay to keep the comic going. I know for a fact that, even when the comic cost far less than it costs now, it would deter parents from buying it for their kids. "I'm not paying THAT for a comic" is something I heard a few times over the years, going back 20 or more. Some of the art is absolutely fine, but as you say, it all looks too 'computerised' and not something that's produced by human beings. Far too shiny and 'samey' for my tastes, though those who'd disagree would no doubt claim that kids of today enjoy it so it must be doing something right. Personally, I think it had more 'character' when it was printed on newsprint and not every page was in colour.
ReplyDeleteI always had the belief The Dandy was around the same age as the Beano. There can't be much difference. ?
ReplyDeleteThe Dandy came out in December 1937, LH, The Beano in July '38, so only 8 months between them.
ReplyDeleteMy old mum used to read the Dandy when she was a wee lassie. She was born in 1930 so probably read copy no 1..
DeleteFunny to think of The Dandy and The Beano being for boys AND girls, LH. When I was a kid I never saw any girls reading them.
ReplyDeleteAwk look at all the man-childs moaning about a children's comic not even aimed at them, and yet another right-wing, xenophobic, sexist, homophobic clot who doesn't know what "woke" actually means or stands for, or that being so "anti-woke" just shows him up for the xenophobic, sexist, homophobic clot he is. Sad.
ReplyDeleteWhat's sad is that you even took the time to think of that comment, never mind type it. Here's a suggestion - wait until the motorway nearest you is at its busiest, then try running across it with your eyes closed. You tit.
ReplyDelete