Finally returned.

*stretches fingers* 

Hello again my non-existing fans, how are you today? Good, I am glad to hear that. How am I you ask? I’m doing well, thank you – although it does seem my blog has been collected layers upon layers of dust as of late. So here I am to sweep the piles of dust away which were slowly taking over my website and now, settled in my computer chair with my hot cup of tea and a fitting music track playing quietly in the background, I can now announce that I have returned with many new points to discuss, but firstly:

Remember my humour comic, The Wizzo? Yeah, that one I seemed very passionate about and all? Yes, well, Issue 4 still hasn’t come out and for this I deeply apologise. Call it bad timing, unprofessional or simply call it life, in fact, call it the most difficult time of my life so far. Yes, the GCSEs certainly do whisk you away from your comfortable spot among the things you enjoy most and then place you in what I like to call a reality-check where the world doesn’t care if you can recognise a comic artist’s style in The Beano by its line-work and colours and cares more about those funny little letters which will forever be linked to you, like a ball and chain and will depend on how your life turns out – and if I’m entirely honest, I’d rather not get a bunch of low grades and have to spend the rest of my life roaming around Poundland, wearily explaining to young “jokers” that everything in the shop costs £1.00 so they can stop asking how much said item costs with that smug grin across their blemished faces.

To summarise, The Wizzo has been put on a hiatus for many reasons which I will explain in a later blog post if I have any free time. But The Wizzo will return this year, in fact I may even be considering rebooting the comic and starting at Issue 1 so people can stop asking for that mess of an issue. But hey, more on that later…

I once again apologise for not being so consistent in my blog updates, I hope you can understand why and I promise every single one of you readers that once these GCSEs are over and when I’m not working at wherever my first proper job will be, I will be using my blog, my deviantART and even YouTube more than ever. And as for The Wizzo? Like I said, more on that later.

- Harry Rickard

A suitable shoutout for Faye White’s new art blog!

I have the honour to know one of the greatest young artists there is currently – and amazingly, she’s only 14-years-old! If you hadn’t already guessed by the title of this blog post, I am talking about fellow Wizzo artist and good friend of mine, Faye White!

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I’ve known Faye personally for a long time now and over the past few years have managed to really begin to appreciate her artwork a lot more – so much so she is now part of The Wizzo – thank goodness! 

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Faye has now made a WordPress blog after seeing mine and being inspired (woo!) so here’s a blog post to simply give her her first shoutout – seriously, check out her website – her artwork is AMAZING! Check it out below:

http://feishiro.wordpress.com/

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Oh, and I designed her that blog header you see at the top if this post too – not sure if she’ll use it but there it is for all of you lot anyway, (heh, you lot… there’s probably only two of you…)!

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So yeah, be sure to check out her blog and make sure you follow so you can see more of her amazing art talents! 

Until the next blog post, see ya chaps!

- Harry Rickard

Comic Recommendations: RAISING AMY by Stephen White

A new series of blog posts for me as I share with you a range of comic books, graphic novels and webcomics which I would recommend anyone to read – beginning with the wonderful ‘Raising Amy’ comic book by Stephen White (Stref) – a 250-strip-filled comic book about a toddler called Amy who is best described as a “Scottish ginger nutcase” who also wields many weapons in her tiny hands. Below is my review on this comic book:

Raising Amy is available to buy online and I would certainly recommend to any comic fan looking for many laughs.

I got Raising Amy as a surprise Christmas present and was very pleased to have seen it when I tore it out of the Christmassy wrapping paper that surrounded it. I’m awful when it comes to buying small-press comic books – I just forget and never pick them up and end up regretting it. So to see Raising Amy inside that wrapping paper was a lovely surprise!

I started and finished reading it on Boxing Day and it certainly killed a few hours of my time – I was lost inside this insane world where toddlers create trouble worse than Dennis the Menace ever had and everything  had a surreal quality to it. And I loved it.

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If there was a way to describe Raising Amy in a nutshell, I would certainly say the following:

Raising Amy is everything a humour comic book should be, it contains the surreality and humour of something which closely resembles Calvin and Hobbes however includes that familiar British twist in the humour which allows me to relate to the storylines far better. This clever way of writing when accompanied with the simple yet wonderful illustrations supplied also by Stephen White allows the comic book to flow and become a joy to read.

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One thing I really do enjoy in comic strips is the breaking of the fourth wall as it allows the artist to be a little more creative in their storylines and can allow them to be lazy and still create laughs when done right! Below are a few of my favourite examples of the silly stories which break the fourth wall:

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My only small problem with the comic book (and I mean very small) is the sudden change of font – however, I’m glad it does change as I felt the size of the font was slightly distracting – although I felt it did suit the comic strip better. But as I said, a very small problem which does not affect the quality of writing or art in any way whatsoever.

Another funny thing about the comic book is its mini-arc inside about Amy’s babysitter, Flower and “Love-Sick Dick”, the obsessed stalker who follows Flower everywhere. This makes up for some very silly storylines and also allows both to mix when Dick follows Flower to Amy’s house! There are also other silly story-arcs such as Amy’s obsession with eating worms, Amy’s chemistry set and my favourite, the monsters under Amy’s bed. All are very funny and full of perfect comic humour both modern and traditional!

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Overall, a wonderful read which I would gladly read over and over again timeless amounts – Stephen’s simplistic art style allows the characters to take centre-stage and make every story clear, quick and witty without overcomplicating the reader. Every story managed to make me chuckle and each in their own right deserve to be commended for their geniosity and originality. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from start to finish and I would certainly recommend it to any comic lover of any age.

The Final Exit

Hello my wonderful pals! How are you all today? Good? Glad to hear it! 

Today’s blog post is a little special as it’s yet another one of my Creative Writing stories for an upcoming assessment (this time being a draft) – following the lovely feedback I received from many kind people from good friends to new blog fans – I’m so grateful for your support. So, here’s another treat for you all – or a nightmare – it depends if you like my writing…

Anyway, the theme this time was ‘conflict’ so here’s a little story for you all – not as quirky as ‘Chords’ but hopefully just as enjoyable!

You probably just want me to share with you the story, right? Well, here you go then you impatient lot, enjoy!

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An original story by Harry Rickard

*CHING!*

“Oh god.” I thought. “How’d I get into this mess?”

I jumped to the side as the giant serrated blade crashed down to the ground once again. The sword came down again and missed me by inches as I aimlessly rolled across the war ground as the weapon violently thrashed the ground once more.
I grabbed my puny blade from the ground – pulled on my even punier helmet and stumbled towards the giant man grasping the death-trap in his mighty fists.
I ducked suddenly as the colossal weapon hurtled towards me – this man was thirsty for blood. My blood.
I ducked and darted around the vast arena – my opponent thundering after me – his hooves penetrating the ground beneath him with every forceful thud. He let out a mighty roar and as he did so, I felt myself quivering – fixed to the ground, unable to move in fear.
“Man up!” I told myself in exasperation, “You’ve trained months and months for this moment – now hold that blade with pride and destroy that foul beast.”
I clenched my sword and stared angrily at my opponent who was now hurtling towards me like a loose cannonball. His eyes were filled with cold fire as he roared once more. This man was insane; to take him on was stupid! And yet here I was. Oh god, I am a fool.
I closed my eyes and hoped it would all be over quickly – there I was, fixed to a spot which was soon to have my blood spilled over it.
This was it, my last performance – the final exit. Oh, and what a way to die – being completely lacerated by a murderous sword-wielding madman.

I opened my eyes briefly and as I did so, I suddenly felt an applause of wind fill the arena – my hair danced with the breeze and suddenly loud noises came from above. Thunder. Dark grey billowing clouds with jagged weapons to accompany it.
As crashes came from above and rumbles overflowed the ground we stood on, painted with the blood of the once-living – I felt a new form of anger erupt inside me. I let out a mighty roar as the lightning crashed into the ground violently. The rain began to tumble and sprayed my reddened face. My opponent suddenly stopped in shock as the lightning bolts smashed into the dirt that lay around him – I saw my chance and hurtled towards him, my eyes full of murder and my blade waiting to meet its contact.
I pounced into the air and as I did, the storm suddenly died out as a sea of grass looked upon me – I swung back my sword and thrashed it forward – the weapon hurtled towards my opponent – straight into his skull.

The sword smacked him violently on the head as he let out a massive cry of defeat. I had won! My opponent who I once feared was dead and I was triumphant. I looked down upon him, lifeless on the ground – his blood spilled across the dirt beneath him. Then the storms came again – this time louder, the thunder clapped and my opponent awoke from his never-ending sleep and then arose the rest of the fallen – we all dropped our swords and bowed as the theatre was filled with the sounds of hearty applause.

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And that’s that! I hope you enjoyed it – if you did, why not leave a comment about your thoughts, like the post and follow for hopefully more creative writing pieces!

But until then, bye chaps!

- Harry Rickard

My Shaving Experience

 

 

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This actually happened. :c

Still, it made a neat little comic strip! Hope you like laughing at my first world problems!

The bleeding obviously wasn’t as bad as it looks here – I guess you could say it was a close SHAVE!

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If you liked it – please let me know in the comments below and I’ll make more to share with you all!

Until then, farewell, chums!

- Harry Rickard

When The Beano got good!

The Beano made possibly its greatest move in years a few weeks back. With The Dandy dying, Craig Graham and Michelle O’Donnell  joined The Beano back in August with the release of its mini-revamp of which changed most of the graphic design but keeping the regular characters (and removing Number 13, Pup Parade and The Germs in the process). 

However, as seen here in a previous blog post, The Beano was about to incorporate an even greater change. With The Dandy edging closer and closer by the day towards its final 100 page issue, it seemed The Dandy’s top artists and writers were going to go with it – after all, The Beano has a totally different style – doesn’t it?

My goodness, how wrong we were.

On November 10th 2012, The Beano suddenly had new life breathed into it. Inside readers were treated with ‘Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher’ artist, Wilbur Dawbarn drawing possibly the greatest Billy Whizz in years with a nod back to the past in its distinct Malcolm Judge style; Funsize Funnies, two new pages which included mini-strips of classic bring-backs including Little Plum, Baby-Face Finlayson and Les Pretend plus all new pull-out Beano movie posters for your room, and that wasn’t even the coolest bit as they even included amazing 4 page movie parody comic strips on the back – such a brilliant move by The Beano here and one I am so far really enjoying!

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The Beano’s latest revamp has amazed me so much, it just goes to show that we can always be pleasantly surprised by things. Below are my opinions on every single comic strip that features in the brilliant new incarnation of The Beano we have today:

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher by Nigel Parkinson and Nigel Auchterlounie

- Dennis has been on quite a rollercoaster in these last few years starting off in 2009 with the awful CBBC revamp where Dennis became soft and Walter became a bully – these mildly average storylines that reeked of “political-correctness-gone-mad” continued to plague The Beano for quite some time – up until August 2012 to be precise! In August, something changed in The Beano, the old retro cover idea was scrapped and along with it went the CBBC Dennis and Gnasher. The Menace was back! Dennis returned back to his brilliant old-self and with that he also regained his catapult and menace-filled storylines! Dennis’ parents were for some reason updated to younger versions – I personally didn’t like this part of the revamp but I’ve become used to them a bit more now. In the latest issue (#3662), Dennis gained a new writer alongside the return of his old artist, Nigel Parkinson – now Dennis was to be written by the very popular writer from The Dandy, Nigel Auchterlounie – this was certainly a good move meaning the stories have become funnier, wackier and all round better!

Minnie the Minx by Nigel Parkinson/Laura Howell/Ken Harrison

- For the new revamp, Minnie was reduced to only one page. This is something a majority of The Beano’s readers dislike about the new Beano as they feel Minnie is such an iconic character and deserves to have two pages. But they forget the old saying, “quality over quantity”… I’m quite a fan of Minnie the Minx to be quite honest – whilst many feel she is simply a female version of Dennis, I think that the two characters are actually very different, with Minnie being closer to her parents (particularly her Dad) and doesn’t menace people for no apparent reason. Minnie’s reducing to one page is actually something I quite like because I feel Minnie works just as well at one page and so far they’ve made a grand job of the new Minnie stories! Another thing I really like is seeing Nigel’s unique title panels every week, something I’ve missed seeing since they ended in The Bash Street Kids all those years back. *sniff*

The Bash Street Kids by David Sutherland

- The Bash Street Kids haven’t changed at all which is lovely to see, the pupils of Bash Street School have forever remained the same, still being drawn by the amazing David Sutherland to this very day. There’s nothing new about The Bash Street Kids and this is what I love, they don’t need updating because they’re brilliant as they are. That said, I would like to see them be a bit more naughty although they’ve even started that recently!

Roger the Dodger by Barrie Appleby

- Roger the Dodger was in reprints for almost all of 2011 and was still in Bob Nixon reprints all the way up to August 2012. However, like all the rest of the changes, Roger faced a brilliant change as the reprints ended and in replacement came brand-new Roger the Dodger episodes by his last new artist, Barrie Appleby. This was a great surprise because unlike others, I’ve always been a fan of Barrie’s Roger the Dodger. Like Dennis the Menace, Roger’s parents were also updated – although unlike Dennis’ parents, I actually really like the current parents! The only thing I’d like to see return is the checked border because that made the pages really stand out! 

Billy Whizz by Wilbur Dawbarn

- With Billy Whizz under the inks of Nick Brennan since 2009, the strips were beginning to become quite repetitive and whilst I loved Nick’s Billy Whizz – it just seemed to be getting old. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who sensed this because in the revamp that took place in #3660, Billy Whizz gained himself a brand-new artist – namely, ‘Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher’ artist, Wilbur Dawbarn! Following Will’s Dandy Annual debut drawing Malcolm Judge’s ‘The Badd Lads’ among other classics, Wilbur was approached by The Beano to become the new artist (and writer) for Billy Whizz! This is actually my favourite addition to the comic as it’s not only brilliant to see the return of a classic Billy Whizz complete with his red shirt but also to see top Dandy and Phoenix artist, Wilbur Dawbarn finally getting to feature regularly inside The Beano!

The Numskulls by Barry Glennard

- The Numskulls have been the same for years, drawn by Barry Glennard. Whereas some people aren’t too keen on Barry’s artwork, I’m certainly a fan of his fun, appealing style. Many were quite surprised though to see The Numskulls move nearer to the back of the comic and reduced to one page – and we were even more surprised to discover it was a reprint – edited to replace the McFly CD cover with the latest One Direction CD – attention to detail much? Luckily, this reprint was a one-off as next week came a brand-new, one page story featuring Snitch and then in this week’s issue (#3662), The Numskulls returned to its regular two pages – what on earth?! 

Fred’s Bed by Jay C (mystery surname!)

- Sadly, not all of the additions to The Beano were good – or shall I say ‘removals’. It appears that popular reprint-to-new Fred’s Bed originally from The Beezer and Topper has finally ended after first appearing in the comic back in 2007.Of course, this is just speculation and I really hope it’s just having a small break and shall return soon.

Ball Boy by Dave Eastbury

- It’s unbelievable that this comic strip is still going strong in The Beano to this very day! Ball Boy was one that I always considered to be quite obscure so was amazed to find out it was still running in The Beano! Still, it’s brilliant at the moment and Dave is doing a grand job drawing it – although I would like to see a lot less of Chandra and a lot more of Titch, Goalie and Dimmy…

Meebo and Zuky by Laura Howell

- Meebo and Zuky has been running since 2010 and it’s becoming evident – there’s only so long a strip about cartoon violence can run for until it gets boring. I do like Meebo and Zuky and it is very clever at times – but I do feel it is becoming repetitive now and is losing its original charm. Perhaps it’s best to either silently drop it or reduce it to a mini-strip? Then replace it with Johnny Bean form Happy Bunny Green – I’m sure I’m not the only person who’d like to see that back!

Ratz by Hunt Emerson

- Ratz is another I’m certainly surprised to see still going. Starting in 2006, the strip has been overall quite high on my list with some very nice art supplied by Hunt Emerson. I was never too keen on Ratz to begin with but recently have really started to appreciate Hunt’s artwork. The strip hasn’t really changed except for Hunt’s artwork which is improving more and more each week – one thing I do miss though are the scripts supplied by Laura Howell. I liked them working together – nice to see a collaboration.

Bananaman by John Geering (reprint)

- The Beano began reprinting Bananaman stories from ‘Nutty’ back in January 2012. I’m not really too keen on them as I feel the humour is quite tiresome and reprinting a strip from The Dandy was always a bit pointless. Still, with The Dandy ending – I’m suddenly glad they have started reprinting it. The strip itself hasn’t changed at all due to it being a reprint – but the border has sadly gone.

Gnasher’s Bite by Barrie Appleby

- A strip which originally started off being quite funny beginning in 2011; Gnasher’s Bite too hasn’t really changed since the revamp but since August 2012 does have the old Gnasher and a new title panel. It’s become pretty tiresome recently though, a lot of jokes about postmen – I’d like to see a bit more originality. Perhaps it’s time to send in Nigel Auchterlounie! 

Calamity James by Tom Paterson (reprint)

- Calamity James reprints were reintroduced since being dropped back in 2011, I imagine the reason for this reprint to return was because Calamity James was very popular and many enjoy seeing Tom’s artwork. It doesn’t really bother me seeing the Calamity James reprints – but I do find I’m not nearly so entertained as many seem to be by his unlucky antics.

Little Plum by Laura Howell

- Everyone’s favourite redskin chum returned to The Beano in #3660 along with 7 other stories to fill in the spaces of the new comic pages ‘Funsize Funnies’ drawn (and supposedly written) by Laura Howell. Little Plum, in my opinion, has so far been one of my favourites and works surprisingly well as a mini-strip!

Gnash Gnews by Barrie Appleby

- The old “news-joke-strip” has become quite a cliché with The Dandy having three of their stories as news jokes and now The Beano have one too. But don’t get me wrong, I actually quite enjoy these news joke pieces – although I would like to see Gnash Gnews being renamed ‘Gnasher’s Gnews Bites’  for old times’ sake. I also really like Barrie’s artwork and the colour choices – the strip works very nicely and I have rather enjoyed it!

Winston by Paul Palmer

- Winston has been pun-filled so far and is basically cat jokes (“paws” button… octo-pussy… First Aid Kitty… geddit?). I’m not really getting into Winston very much – it seems to just be a way to use up “hilarious” cat puns – a shame as I really liked the Winston stories in the Beano Annual 2012. Still, Paul Palmer’s artwork is very nice to see!

Rasher by Lew Stringer

- I’ve really enjoyed Rasher’s outings so far in The Beano and I definitely feel Lew was a brilliant choice for the artist and writer! The stories so far have all been quite funny, the second and third ones are my favourite – I’m glad to see Rasher back as well because he’s quite a fun character! Although I don’t like the title font very much – would have preferred a hand-drawn one by Lew that represented Rasher better.

Simply Smiffy by Paul Palmer

- Simply Smiffy used to be brilliant back in the 1980s when he’d star alongside Normal Norman in a humorous comic series by Jerry Swaffield – so what happened? Simply Smiffy has been reduced to a mini-strip – a one-panel strip to be precise. This format does not suit Smiffy well at all – I always felt a strip like this should have a build-up to show the idiocy of the character – the one-panel format doesn’t allow for this much needed build-up. On the plus side, Paul Palmer’s artwork is very nice!

Baby-Face Finlayson by Alexander Matthews

- ‘Nuke Noodle’ and ‘Robot on the Run’ artist and writer, Alexander Matthews was the first person to announce his upcoming work for The Beano, thus setting the ball rolling (with Lew and Nigel soon both revealing their work too)! In the great issue (namely #3660), Alexander brought back the “Pest of the West” himself, Baby-Face Finlayson (who originally began in Little Plum, fact fans!) in all-new mini-strips. Baby-Face Finlayson has so far been absolutely fantastic and absolutely ridiculous! Alexander has certainly made a huge impact on The Beano and I hope soon we can be treated to a full page of his silliness!

Les Pretend by Laura Howell

- After previously running in The Beano by the late John Sherwood as a reprint run back in 2008, Les Pretend returned along with 7 other characters to fill up the Funsize Funnies illustrated (and supposedly written) by Laura Howell. I really like Laura’s Les Pretend artwork although so far the stories have been very average (excluding the second week which was quite good). I hope later episodes will be better.

Pup Parade by Nigel Auchterlounie

- After previously being another reprint-to-new series, Pup Parade ended after a strong 12-week run in new episodes by Nigel Parkinson. Pup Parade then returned to fill in the final spot in the Funsize Funnies drawn (and supposedly written) by Nigel Auchterlounie. Pup Parade has so far definitely been in my Top 3 Funsize Funnies – so far having a very good run in The Beano, also glad to see more characters being used (such as Tubby and ‘Enry) as opposed to using Sniffy (who notably has not appeared yet)!

A huge well-done to all of those onboard this latest revamp – The Beano is quickly becoming absolutely brilliant!

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So there’s my verdict, facts and stuff – I hope you liked it! If you agree or have a different opinion, let me know below by leaving a comment!

Until next time, see ya, chums!

- Harry Rickard

My Dream Beano

Something I enjoy writing is my very own Dream Beano – so here is my current one based off the current revamp.

For my Dream Beano, I want to be more realistic than usual when I’d give The Beano something like 58 pages so here is a 40 page Beano (that’s only 4 pages above the normal page count).

PG 1: Front Cover – Various

- As much as I like Nigel Parkinson’s artwork, it gets dull seeing Dennis the Menace forever heralding the front cover – I’d like to see some other characters get the limelight. A Fred’s Bed one and Meebo and Zuky one would both be quite dynamic I reckon due to their action. However, I do understand that Dennis is a household name so it’s a risk to remove him from the cover spot.

PG 2: Funsize Funnies #1:

- Derek the Sheep by Gary Northfield
- Biffo by Stephen Waller
- Fred the Flop by Andy Fanton
- Colonel’s Crackpot Circus by Will Dawbarn

- I feel that the more ‘Funsize Funnies’ pages included – the better! I chose the following for different reasons. I felt Derek the Sheep would work nicely in this format and it would also be nice to see Gary Northfield and Derek both back in the pages of The Beano. Biffo was included as he’s such a famous character and I loved his silent era – I also felt Biffo would be a great story for Stephen Waller. Fred the Flop is the black sheep of these four stories – a comic strip from Buzz and later on Topper and not too well-known. However, after seeing Constable Clod by Andy in The Dandy, I felt this story would be perfect to explore the opposite side, and let’s be honest, Andy had to draw it! Finally, another obscurity, Malcolm Judge’s first ever Beano strip, ‘Colonel’s Crackpot Circus’ of course being drawn by Will Dawbarn due to his incredible Billy Whizz and Badd Lads!

PG 3: What’s Inside?/Desert Island Dick by Nick Brennan

- A full contents page preferably, including a mini-strip of Topper classic, ‘Desert Island Dick’. I think that Dick would be a good addition to the comic!

PG 4: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher by Nigel Parkinson/Barrie Appleby/Steve Beckett (and Nigel Auchterlounie)

- Dennis the Menace stays pretty much the same – but I would like to see ‘the Menace’ being added to the title of the strip again. Maybe a new logo all together, the 2009 CBBC one has become old. I’d like a mixture of artists drawing Dennis the Menace as well; as much as I love Nigel’s Dennis – I would like to see Steve and Barrie both draw it at times.

PG 7: Win Awesome Stuff!

- I’ve started to accept competition pages will always remain in comics so will leave it in. It is a good non-comic strip page besides.

PG 8: Billy Whizz by Will Dawbarn

- If it’s not broken, don’t fix it…

PG 9: Number 13 by Laura Howell

- Following her great Number 13 story in The Beano Annual 2013, I’d like to see some new Number 13 stories by Laura in the weekly. After all, reprint or not – it was a great story!

PG 10: The Numskulls by Barry Glennard

- I prefer The Numskulls being near the front of The Beano as opposed to nearer to the back, it feels right being early on. Also feel Barry Glennard has done a brilliant job on The Numskulls for all these years so why stop him?

PG 12: Puzzle Page by Various/Advert

- Always liked the hand-drawn puzzle pages in The Dandy so would like to see them in The Beano as well drawn by different artists each week.

PG 13: Minnie the Minx by Nigel Parkinson/Ken Harrison/Laura Howell

- Something many may disagree on is that I’d keep Minnie at only one page. She doesn’t need to take up two pages to be funny! She’s been great so far at only one!

PG 14: Ratz by Hunt Emerson (and Laura Howell)

- I rather like Ratz and think it brings a different style of writing to The Beano quite nicely. Also really like Hunt Emerson’s urban art-style – but of course, Laura Howell would be back on writing duties!

PG 15: Funsize Funnies #2:

- Little Plum by Laura Howell
- Gnash Gnews by Barrie Appleby
- Foxy by Stu Munro
- Rasher by Lew Stringer

- Same mini-strips as usual on this page with the exception of Winston and the addition of Foxy by Stu Munro. The reason I decided to include Foxy was because I felt it would work nicely as a mini-strip and Stu Munro has a good style.

PG 16: New Strip by Jamie Smart

- Jamie needs a story in The Beano so a page is definitely reserved for him to go mad on! I think many younger Beano readers would love his style of humour as well!

PG 17: Super School by Lew Stringer

- Super School is a strip I really want to see back. It was fun and different plus Lew’s artwork was always nice to see. Certainly one I’d bring back.

PG 18: Jonah by Steve Beckett

- A Beano classic and one I reckon should definitely return! I think Steve Beckett would be capable of drawing an amazing Jonah as well!

PG 19: Ivy the Terrible by Andy Fanton

- Another story I reckon Andy would be good at! Ivy is such a strong character and I would really like to see the little terror back under the new pens of Mr. Fanton!

PG 20: The Bash Street Kids by David Sutherland

- Like with Billy Whizz, if it ain’t broken – don’t bother fixing it! Dave has been brilliant for all these years and I’d hate to see him stop now! 

PULLOUT:

- Poster  by Various

- Comic Strip by Various

- This is a new feature in The Beano I really love! What an ingenious idea! Although I think that they should make that if you get the comic – there’s a code inside to get delivered the poster itself so you can have both the comic strip to read and the poster to put up on your bedroom wall.

PG 22: Ball Boy by Dave Eastbury

- I know some people don’t like Ball Boy but I’ve always enjoyed Ball Boy! A fun look at football! Although get rid of Chandra already! So unneeded!

PG 23: The Beano Subscription Page/Advert

- Would like to see this looking a bit more exciting. Maybe a few hand-drawn subscriptions pages like in The Phoenix recently? Certainly makes the pages look more appealing!

PG 24: Dangerous Dan by Nigel Parkinson

- This “spy” must return! Honestly, the greatest surprise of all of 2011 (along with the return of Fatty Fudge). The strip felt mistreated and will probably never return – but still, I’m still backing it. Bring back Dangerous Dan!

PG 25: Funsize Funnies #3:

- Meebo and Zuky by Laura Howell
- The 3 Bears by Paul Palmer (and Nigel Auchterlounie)
- Joe Jitsu by Wayne Thompson
- Pansy Potter by Barry Glennard

- Four new ones. First is Meebo and Zuky which I’m growing tired of so would like to see it in a new format so we can have a variety! The 3 Bears are characters that simply must return – I can also imagine Paul Palmer being brilliant at drawing them – scripts by Nigel Auchterlounie. Joe Jitsu is an odd one to have but I like Wayne’s artwork and found Joe Jitsu was actually quite a good character who’d work well in a three-panel format. Finally Pansy Potter who I’ve always rather liked and who I think would once again work nicely in the three-panel format!

PG 26: Bananaman by Steve Bright  (and Alexander Matthews)

- I’d like to see some new Bananaman stories with  Alexander writing it with his unique humour and the amazing Brighty drawing it!

PG 28: The Dennis the Menace Fan Club

- I like readers’ pages in comics. They seem to work well, but I’d like to see them laid out a bit neater. Also the return of the actual Dennis the Menace Fan Club complete with the two badges! It was successful in the past and I’m sure many would love to see it back!

PG 29: Fatty Fudge by Jim Petrie (reprint)

- I have to be realistic and if there has to be a reprint in there, I’d like it to be this. Fatty Fudge was a fun character and seemed quite popular – popular enough to even get into the Christmas Beano 2011! 

PG 30: Fred’s Bed by Alexander Matthews

- Fred’s Bed is a fun strip and works well at two pages so this definitely comes back with Alexander writing it with his unique humour and also drawing it in his appaealing style!

PG 32: Kick-Ass Koalas by Peter Player

- These koalas are simply awesome! They must be in the weekly! I really enjoyed them featuring in The BeanoMAX so would like to see them again!

PG 34: Johnny Bean from Happy Bunny Green by Laura Howell

- I honestly loved this strip so much and was upset to see it end. Would love to see it back at a page again replacing Meebo and Zuky.

PG 35: Jumpin’ with Jokes! by Nigel Auchterlounie

- I’m quite a fan of joke page when they’re drawn jokes like Stripz. Nigel is also a brilliant writer and has a fun style which would suit the wacky humour on this page.

PG 36: Roger the Dodger by Barrie Appleby

- Roger works nicely as it is so no editing required! But the border must return!

PG 38: Funsize Funnies #4:

- BSK: Singled Out by Paul Palmer (and Andy Fanton)
- Baby-Face Finlayson by Alexander Matthews
- Les Pretend by Laura Howell
- Pup Parade by Nigel Auchterlounie

- Basically the current cast on Funsize Funnies #2 but this time with the addition of BSK: Singled Out by Paul Palmer with scripts supplied by Andy Fanton. The rest stay the same as they’re all brilliant!

PG 39: Next Week in The Beano

- Same as it normally looks but with a striped background just so it doesn’t look as plain. Other than that, it’s perfect!

PG 40: The Riot Squad by Ken Harrison

- Finally on the back cover is The Riot Squad which I always really liked – reprints or not! Ken’s artwork is beautiful and he’s brilliant at these fun and busy scenes – a nice back page story as well I reckon!

So, there’s my Dream Beano – what do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

(Coming soon, a blog post about the new-look Beano!)

Until then, goodbye my friends!

- Harry Rickard