Why I'm so passionate about the Beano

Welcome to another of my blog posts

In this post, I would like to go through why I am so passionate about the Beano comic.

As a proud six year and counting reader, this particular comic has quite literally changed my life in a very good way.

You're probably sat there, right in front of your screens, staring at this post and thinking "How can a comic change your life?" - let me explain, because this publication is more than just a comic to me.

It all started in the Summer of 2010. I was in a shop, I believe it was Asda, helping my grandparents do their weekly shop. Once finished, my Granddad offered to buy me a comic. I was 12 at the time (presently I am 18), the Beano was the comic I chose. I wasn't really into reading then, I would generally just be playing video games and spend time on my laptop for too long. This was the day that changed.

I have to be honest, I thought reading was just going to be boring. From what I remember, I chose the Beano on this day because of the cover and gifts, but I don't recall even using the gifts. I began to read the comic and I was drawn in to it. What was I even thinking? Reading wasn't boring, it was brilliant. All of the comic strips were exciting to read when I tried the Beano for my first time. Even characters that don't exist in the weekly comic now, like Fred's Bed.

If it wasn't for the Beano (and credit to my Granddad for buying my first ever copy) I might have not even been bothered in reading to this day. Oh, and believe me, if I had never tried the Beano and I made it this far without one, I would regret that choice if I knew what I missed out on.

How is the Beano "more than just a comic", I hear you ask?

I've tried other comics like The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants, but they just aren't the same, as for some reason I wasn't as passionate about these titles. They were okay, but I just gave up on them. I still read the Beano to this date, and proudly hold a subscription for it of which I renew every time it expires.

The Beano comic has been (and still is) something I laugh at every week, something that entertains me and something that puts me in a good mood whenever I'm feeling down.


The comic has been through so many exciting events, too, whether they're promotions such as the Golden Ticket, Prize or Prank, (I won a Batmobile in the Golden Ticket), or other events such as the Trial of Dennis The Menace, even though I didn't get to see it.

There's been talks too, and book readings of my favourite Beano book series, 'The Diary of Dennis The Menace', by Steven Butler (author).

My favourite event to date, however, has to be the Beano rebrand during September 2016. A lot was done to promote this and the comic did not simply change their logo instantly, the build up was huge. The comic had a few editions which lead to The Beano Experience, a 2 hour party event to help release all the fun and "power up" the launch of the brand new Beano.com, which was part of the rebrand. One thing goes without saying; the Beano know who their fans are. I'm 18 and despite my age, I was still invited to The Beano Experience. I went to London for my second time (first time was years ago with school) and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

You can find out more about The Beano Experience event in my related post here.

The fun doesn't end there, as from my understanding, Beano Studios have musicals and potential movies in the pipeline. On top of that, 2017 is the year of which the brand new Dennis and Gnasher TV series (Unleashed) airs on our TV screens, in CGI for the very first time.

Currently, the comic is 78 years old. In 2017 it will be 79 years, then in 2018 it will be 80 years old. From the previous Birthday/Anniversary celebrations, I am sure however the comic reaching 80 is celebrated will be spectacular.

As you can clearly tell from reading my post, the Beano is more than just a comic. It has kept me going with the brilliant comics week by week, special competitions, promotions and events. It helps me calm down by reading it when I'm stressed or annoyed. It is the thing I am most passionate about and I hope it lasts forever. It does not deserve to have the loved by many weekly issues lost from the world like the Dandy was, it deserves to be a permanent product.

I have to credit all the artists, and everyone who works at DC Thomson for making the Beano a thing. It's honestly the thing I am most passionate about and I'm proud of it.

So, Beano team, if you're reading this, thank you so much for keeping the Beano going for so long, producing quality worth reading week by week and acknowledging who your biggest fans are. You are the best company I know.

I have now reached the end of this post. Thank you for reading.

-Andrew

The Beano Experience - Sunday 25th September 2016

The Beano Experience - A day to remember

On Sunday the 25th of September 2016 I went down to Central London to go to The Beano Experience and it was more than I expected. The event was a huge party, I got gunged, used a giant catapult, bought a Beano notebook, got this weeks Beano and this years annual free (oh, and a squishy tomato, light up balloon and SO/NO Beano foam glove), to top it off though... I met some guys from The Beano. I met Nigel Auchterlounie who draws The Numskulls. I got a nice drawing of myself as a Numskull from him:


I also met Kev F Sutherland, I got a portrait of myself from him:

But to top it off... I met Michael Stirling. When I went to meet him, I asked him if I could have his autograph. He said yes and asked me my name, so I said "Andrew". He instantly recognised me and said "Andrew Worrall?", he knew who I was and I didn't even have to mention my surname. That was brilliant and I never thought I'd see the day where I meet Michael Stirling in person. I got a bit more than just an autograph as you can see - and I'm now officially The Beano's No.1 fan, as pictured below!



Here's me after I got gunged:


Using the giant catapult:


Tons of fun to be had - it was a great party as you can see!:


I will now finish off with a video I took at the event:

Thank you for reading my post. If you are reading this Beano Team, thank you so much for the experience. It was a great party, one of the best I have ever been to, and a real pleasure to meet Michael Stirling, Nigel Auchterlounie and Kev F Sutherland.

-Andrew Worrall

Goons of The Galaxy - Review

This post contains my review of Goons of The Galaxy by Marc Jackson.

Before I begin, I would like to point out I was provided a free copy of the comic for review purposes. I have not been paid in any format to write this review, nor would I accept payment to write a review anyway.

All imagery of the comic and wording from the comic in this review are copyright to Marc Jackson and Weirdo Comics. I am in no way affiliated with the creator, publishers or anyone involved in the creation of the publication.

Goons of The Galaxy is an interesting comic, one I would say is worth reading. I do not want to spoil the story too much, though, so I'll focus more on the artwork in my review. As we can see the front cover is above, with great detail. I can tell what the theme of the comic is going to be about from the title as well as the art.

I can tell that a lot of work has been put into this comic, and it is definitely worth a read.

Very creative ideas have been used... the "blue milk" made me laugh.

Apologies for this review being short, since I'm stuck for time I had to keep it brief, but this comic is exceptionally good - I recommend it.

Thank you for reading my review.

-Andrew

Epic Issue 120 - Review

Issue 120 of Epic - Cover

This month, I decided to go ahead and purchase a digital copy of the magazine, for £2.49 (which is 50p cheaper than buying an in-store edition priced at £2.99)

The reason I chose the digital version was because the gifts this month are a prank pen, toxic slime and some sweet I've never heard of (which I know I won't like). All of these gifts would just go in the bin so I didn't see any purpose in paying extra for them.

However, the magazine sure is hard to read online - text is too small so having to zoom in then zoom out to read the next part of something, with the zoom feature not always working properly.

Before I get onto the review, one more thing - I paid £5 for a 6 month (6 issues) subscription to Epic Magazine, as I won £15 within two competitions; Doritos Stick or Kick and McDonald's Monopoly 2016. I am yet to bank both cheques.

Okay, I've said enough - onto the review!:

I will this month just list the contents and leave my review beneath the content list.

1: Front Cover

2,3,4 & 5: Epic News

6 & 7: Top 10 Nexo Powers

8 & 9: Avengers Biggest Battles

10 & 11: Brilliant Booby Traps (Minecraft)

12 & 13: Top 10 Star Trek Coolest Aliens

14 & 15: Mixeled Up (Puzzle)

15: Dennis and Gnasher (No 'The Menace' in Dennis's title again)

16: My Dad's A Doofus

17: Lego Ninjago Competition

18 & 19: The Epic Mario Quiz

20 & 21: Ghostbusters Spooky Secrets

22: Epic Stuff (Page to promote latest 'gadgets')

23: Poster (Ghostbusters poster with Minecraft style ghost, titled a "Ghast")

24: Mario Poster

25: Batman Poster

26: Minecraft "Keep Calm And Eat Cake" poster

27: DANTDM's (Links to videos)

28 & 29: Epic Gaming - Minecraft, Plants VS Zombies Garden Warfare 2 and Fifa 16

30 & 31: 6 Reasons The Freemaker Adventures Rocks, Win Lego Star Wars

32: Footy Fouls

33: Football Competition

34: Epic subscription advert

35: Minecraft jokes

36: The Secret Life of Pets Sausage Search (Puzzle)

37: Danger Mouse Magazine Advert

38: The Grossery Gang and Shaun The Sheep Puzzle Putt (Both half page adverts)

39: Lego Dimensions Competition

40 & 41: Lego Ninjago VS Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

42 & 43: Wallace & Gromit

44: Oh My Glob (Crazy Facts)

45: Minecraft Competition

46: Cartoon Network Puzzles

47: Next Issue (Pictured below)

48: Fur Wars (Star Wars parody poster)

49: The Beano 14 Day Free Trial Advert (I think this may have been an add-on for the digital issue because I can't see a physical copy containing over 48 pages)

50: Blank Page (yes this really does appear in the digital edition - must be an error)

Next Issue of Epic Magazine page

Overall, this issue seems disappointing to me. One page of Dennis and Gnasher, and I thought two pages was bad last month.

Most of the issue was movie and gaming content, of which I'd buy Mega, Toxic or 110% Gaming if I wanted all this. I know DC Thomson are trying to copy Toxic, but I don't think they should be.

I've already ordered the subscription stated earlier in this blog post, but it saddens me to say I don't think I'll be considering continuing purchasing this title if it doesn't improve within those 6 months, and buy that I mean bring more Beano content in the magazine than just one or two pages.

It seems, unfortunately, the main priority DC Thomson are focusing on are the free gifts and movie/gaming content for this specific publication. "All this EPIC stuff for just £2.99!" (followed by a list of the gifts) clearly shows DCT (DC Thomson) are trying to make the gifts stand out.

One of the reasons the price has been dropped from £3.99 (sometimes £4.99) to £2.99, I am assuming, is due to lack of sales (I have seen the recently announced sales figures). I am not stating this as a fact but purely what I think. If they improved the magazine, I'm quite confident they would boost the sales total a bit.

I give this issue a 2/5 total rating, due to the small amount of comic strip content compared to all of the movie and gaming content included.

Thank you for reading my review.

-Andrew.

Beano Review - Issue 25 May 2016

Beano Issue Wednesday 25 May 2016 - Review

During this review, I will go through each page of the latest Beano (Issue Wednesday 25 May 2016) with my thoughts on the content.

Page 1 - Front Cover - The cover is good, as it highlights comic snips from the previous week for readers that may not have had read it, and is very detailed, with humour such as "THAT'S WHAT WE CALL A CLIFF... HANGER!" whilst the bus is on the edge of a cliff. This is classic Beano humour and definitely belongs on the front cover! 

The cover gets a 5/5 from me.

Page 2 - Puzzle: Dot To Dolt (Dot to Dot) - I see puzzle pages as a weak feature. Beanotown Confidential pages were more beneficial to the reader, and, to the main point, had an opening or 'welcome' to the comic. This was better than a puzzle just slap banged on the page for the reader. Additionally, Beanotown Confidential also had a 'hunt' which 'earned' the reader a special card at the back of the comic, which is no longer here. I'm just glad the Menace Test is still here and I will not be happy if that becomes discontinued, also. 

I give the puzzle a 1/5.

Also, the gifts (which I went and bought a copy in a shop because I wanted to see what they were like) included a cardboard pair of Beano-Culars (binoculars) which my pair came with one of the 'lenses' slightly misplaced and is very delicate. This gift isn't worth the extra £1 for the comic (£3.50 instead of £2.50) in my opinion, however the other gift compensates for this. It's a folded cardboard Map of Beanotown, complete with the Beanotown Confidential symbol on the front. I think this gift was due some time ago since it states you can follow the adventures of Beanotown in Beanotown Confidential every week in The Beano, which you no longer can. Not to mention it has 2015 on it. The map is good and has loads of information on it. I feel the cardboard binoculars were cardboard, not plastic as they were quickly made to go with the map as if you're 'zooming in' or 'out' at the locations. 

I give the binoculars gift a 2/5 and the Beanotown Confidential Map gift a 5/5.

Note: I did not take pictures of the gifts.

Page 3, 4 & 5 - Dennis The Menace and Gnasher (Words: Nigel Auchiterloune Art: Nigel Parkinson) 

(Yes, I know they've now called it "Dennis and Gnasher" but I refuse to name it without saying 'The Menace' in the title.)

This comic strip is decent. I don't want to spoil it since it contains the conclusion from the latest weekly cliff-hanger comic story, but I'll just say this...

...this strip gets a 5/5 for me this week!

Page 6 - Fun Kids Strip (Words: Nigel Auchiterloune Art: Barrie Appleby) - This weeks guest is Chief O'Reilly... and a potential Bananaman, you could say.

I give this strip a 3/5.

Page 7 - Funsize Funnies

1 - Simply Smiffy (Words & Art: Paul Palmer) - The strip could have been detailed more. This strip showcases Smiffy being tired from answering the phone late in the night only to be notified the person called Smiffy by mistake. Smiffy is supposedly tired, but doesn't look that tired to me, he just looks how I'd look a few minutes before I go to sleep.

I give this strip a 4/5.

2 - Jungle Judy (Words & Art: Sharp Bros.) - This strip is okay to me, but isn't my favourite. I did enjoy the gag this week though.

I give this strip a 5/5.

3 - Betty & The Yeti (Words & Art: Hugh Raine) - This week the strip really made me laugh, let's just say Yeti sitting in a cafe eating an ice-cream is not something you see every day, with an additional gag in there!

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 8 - Gnasher and Gnipper (Words: Barry Hutchison Art: Barrie Appleby) - This week, the dogs are not chasing the postman, which gets boring seeing the same old gag week by week. I don't mind it every few weeks, but not every issue running. Instead, Gnasher and Gnipper are being hypnotised... but at the same time they're not... someone else is. (Not the postman!)

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 9 - (Advert) Puzzle: Scooby-Doo Coordination Grid - Even though this is nothing to do with The Beano, and is still technically advertising Scooby-Doo, I enjoy this sort of puzzle.

I give this feature a 4/5.

Page 10 & 11 - Minnie The Minx (Words & Art: Nigel Parkinson) - The story this week is unrealistic, as because Minnie cannot sleep her Dad suggests he reads a book... um, that isn't going to work, so Minnie shreds it - but that's not the unrealistic bit. The unrealistic bit is the next suggestion by her Dad is counting sheep, and a load of sheep magically appear. However, a comic does not have to be realistic, so I have no objection. I never stated the unrealistic parts were bad, and to me, they're not. They are what make the comic funny. If the comic was based on what would happen in real life, it would just be boring. I'm not going to spoil the strip for you, so buy your copy if you haven't already to read it.

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 12 - Dennis... and Gnasher's Gnawesome Giveaways - The prizes this week are a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles package (one to win) which consists of a Sewer Lair Playset, Technodrome Tactical Truck and four Super Deluxe turtle action figures, as well as a PS4 Game Pack (which includes a Playstation 4 and Goosebumps DVD). Again, there is only one of these to win. The final prize in the selection is a StickBot Studio and StickBot Figure, there are fifteen of these to win.

Overall, only one of the prizes have more than one available to win, and only one (the PS4) has a 'high value'. I feel the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles package could have had a few more winners on it, rather than just one.

I give this weeks prize selection a 3/5.

Page 13 - Calamity James (Words & Art: Leslie Stannage) - This weeks Calamity James is quite funny, has the great Calamity James texture to it, rather than a 'modernised' comic texture.

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 14 - The Numskulls (Words & Art: Nigel Auchterlounie) - This weeks strip mainly focuses on Brainy, the Numskull in charge of Edd's Head. I think it's safe to say that Brainy doesn't have a fantastic night. I would however like to see the strip focus on Edd and the other Numskulls more.

I give this strip a 4/5.

Page 15 - Puzzle: Help Brainy! - This puzzle is a maze where you move your finger or use a pen to try to follow the correct path to the relevant object/area, in this case the brain. The puzzle relates to the comic strip however I'd rather not have it and just have a comic strip to read. They could even make the puzzle half the size of a page and put two Funsize Funny strips (3 panel ones) underneath or on top of the puzzle. I wouldn't mind this.

I give this puzzle a 2/5.

Page 16 - (Advertisement) - WIDL DEALS! - This is an advertisement for The Beano Shop, showcasing the deals on The Beano website. I like the style, as 'WIDL' is clearly a mimic of Lidl, however the "deals" could be better. For example, a Menace Mug is £14.99, so basically £15. Although it is personalised and has your name on it, this is a bit much. I would happily settle on paying £10, but I can get a normal Beano Mug (I have several in my house) that is not personalised for about £5 in shops such as Tesco and sometimes Wilkinson.

I give this page a 3/5.

Page 17 - Ball Boy (Words: Barry Hutchison Art: Chris McGhie) - This doesn't really involve the gang playing football, more of trying to cool down, therefore I found it funny. I don't like football, never will, but this strip I found okay, and even though I don't like football, I don't mind the Ball Boy Comic Strip as it doesn't always largely relate to or include the gang playing football.

I give this strip a 4/5.

Page 18 & 19 - The Bash Street Kids (Words: Tommy Donbavand Art: David Sutherland) - This strip entertained me as it starts off with a 'normal' day in class and turns into... I'm not spoiling it for you. Buy the comic!

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 20 - The Bash Feet Kids (Puzzle) - This is similar to The Numskulls puzzle earlier, so I'll just give it a...

...2 out of 5.

Page 21 - Pup Parade (Words & Art: Lew Stringer) - I really liked this strip, and Lew Stringer is one of my favourite artists in The Beano.

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 22 - Funsize Funnies

1 - Hayley Comet (Words & Art: Steve Beckett) - This strip was good, so let's just say computer tablets can have some disadvantages with people from outer space, as you'll find out in the actual comic strip itself.

I give this strip a 4/5.

2 - Les Pretend (Words & Art: Paul Palmer) - This week was brilliant for this strip. Let's just say there's a little twist!

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 23 - Bananaman (Words: Cavan Scott Art: Wayne Thompson) - Conclusion to the latest weekly running story in the Bananaman strip. Was a decent conclusion.

I give this strip a 4/5.

Page 24 - Tricky Dicky (Words: Nigel Auchterlounie Art: Laura Howell) - Tricky Dicky is my second favourite strip of The Beano after Dennis The Menace and Gnasher. This weeks strip is not to be missed, or should I say 'dodged'?

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 25 - Feature Page: Tricky Dicky's School of Pranks! Lesson 99: Taking The Biscuit! - This was a decent prank, that can be done. Trapping the biscuit tin so it soaks the person when they open it, using a water balloon and obviously the biscuit tin. The only thing I'd say is it states to ask an adult to help with the prank, but it may be the adult the child is pranking or the adult may be suspicious and refuse to help. Also, since this is the 99th prank, I'm hoping prank 100 next week will not be the last one, if we even get a 100th prank. This is a pattern with The Beano, we usually get 50 or 100 weeks of a decent feature (I love Tricky Dicky and the School of Pranks) and then they stop running. I hope this feature, Tricky Dicky's School of Pranks, keeps on going!

I give this feature a 5/5.

Page 26 - Subscription Offer: 13 Issues for £17 - This is a direct debit offer and the total price concludes of £68... for 13 issues. This isn't cheap, working out at £1.33 an issue (even though the retail price is £2.50). I'm stating this as you can get other better offers, which I do myself, such as 15 issues for £15, one-off payment, therefore being just £1 an issue.

I give this offer a 1/5.

Page 27 - Billy Whizz (Words: Gordon Volke Art: Wayne Thompson) - This strip is a sort of Summer style strip, involving donkey rides and reminds me of Beano Summer Specials.

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 28 & 29 - Dennis's Wall Of Fame (Fan Page) - Some good fans featured here but no drawings... drawings are what I'd like to see. I do however like the drawers that a fan (who I won't name since I don't have permission to put their name online) decorated... Beano style!

I give this weeks Wall Of Fame a 4/5.

Page 30 - (Advertisement) - Top Cat Jokes - Not much to say apart from it's a load of cat-themed jokes and an advertisement on when Top Cat is in cinemas.

I give this feature a 4/5 as there are a decent amount of jokes (12 in total).

Page 31 - Funsize Funnies

1 - Dangerous Dan (Words & Art: Paul Palmer) - The strip was 'pants' but in a good way! You'll see what I mean if you buy the comic and read it...

...I give this strip a 5/5.

2 - Zoo-Ella (Words & Art: Gary Northfield) - This strip showcases Zoo-Ella vlogging about where she lives... Beanotown Zoo.

I give this strip a 5/5.

3 - Rasher (Words & Art: Lew Stringer) - This strip was decent, Rasher finds a way to get food.

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 32 & 33 - Roger The Dodger (Words: Gordon Volke Art: Barrie Appleby) - This strip entertained me as Roger pulls off some dodges but are they successful? I'm not spoiling that for you, so you'll have to buy and read the comic yourself to find out!

I give this strip a 5/5.

Page 34 - (Puzzle) Trainspotting Wordsearch - This is a puzzle that is okay to me, takes a bit longer to complete than the other puzzles which can be completed within a few minutes. But... I'm still going by my opinion, I'd rather have a comic strip than a puzzle.

I give this puzzle a 3/5.

Page 35 - The Menace Test and Next Weeks Highlights - The Menace Test is great as always and the next week highlights look promising, keeping me excited to collect the next issue.

Page 36 - Indra The Ninja (Make Me A Menace) (Words: Nigel Auchterlounie Art: Hunt Emerson) - This strip really entertained me. I have tried a few times to get in this strip and I'll have to keep trying every week. Let's just say Indra is a real Ninja!

I give this strip a 5/5.

Overall, this was a good issue. Thank you for reading this review. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it, as it did take me a good hour.

See you in my next post!

-Andrew.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog. My name is Andrew and I am an avid internet user, passionate about blogging, comic designing, gaming, a student in ICT (currently level 3).

On this blog, I highlight my general interests and post updates with anything that I think is cool.

Just remember, "Live life to the full, never be one step behind fun".

So be sure to have a brilliant day everyday - whatever you're doing, you don't have to be bored as no one should.

Thanks! :)

-Andrew