Classic Crash in The Dandy!
Since the 2010 revamp, The Dandy has been full of great, new stories among the classics like Jamie Smart’s Desperate Dan, Wayne Thompson’s Bananaman, Phil Corbett’s Korky the Cat and of course, the more modern strip, Nigel Auchterlounie’s The Bogies.
During 2011, we gained many new stories as well as seeing a few returns, the first of these being Duncan Scott’s Doctor Loo which I’m lead to believe was probably stock-piled strips which were meant to appear in The Dandy Xtreme – after a four week run – Doctor Loo and Gwen went off so far in the L.A.D.I.E.S that they eventually went AWOL (true fact). Next came Jamie Smart with a Sparky classic, Thingummyblob – lasting a 13 week run, Thingummyblob quickly became one of my favourites – however, the run faced a very bumpy ride with some of the strips first appearing being over four years old! Crikey!
Thingummyblob – Jamie Smart (Straight from the Sparky – sort of).
Soon came the triumphant winners of the Strictly Come Laughing, Andy Fanton’s Harry and his Hippo - up against Steve Beckett’s Daredevil Dad, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell’s Tag Team Tastic and the frankly appalling Chris McGhie’s Phil’s Finger – Andy managed to narrowly beat Tag Team Tastic after the contest was pulled one day early. Harry and his Hippo soon went on to get their first official series which started in the same issue as the return of Pre-Skool Prime Minister – this issue resulting in my favourite issue of all time. Harry and his cabbage-hungry Hippo managed to stay in the comic up until the second of the haunting “Summer of Fun” issues when the comic got riddled with celebrities and unfunny stories – this meaning Harry and his Hippo’s first proper run – and sadly their only run so far – lasted 10 weeks.
Next came Phil Corbett’s second classic return, the fearless fly himself - Freddy the Fearless Fly! This strip appeared to be loved by the younger age-group with Freddy regularly appearing in the Mailbag section - well, either that or he might have just been easy to draw. The story had a long run of 18 weeks – many of these being based around the “fly in my soup” gag. The series wasn’t exactly incredible but it was quite clever – possibly Phil’s best Dandy story with it managing to barely ever use puns!
Freddy the Fearless Fly – Phil Corbett
In the issue before the end of Harry and his Hippo (and George VS. Dragon)’s run – The Dandy launched their first reprint much to the disappointment of most of its readers who were promised “100% New!” according to The Dandy adverts which ran in The Beano for some time. The reprint of course being Jamie Smart’s popular My Own Genie - The Dandy managed to keep this ridiculously long but funny reprint run going over the course of a massive 38 issues with the reprint run ending only a few issues back this year! Crumbs!
The classic returns then faced a small absence with more celebrity-based strips appearing in The Dandy. This era being easily the weakest era since the 2010 revamp. When the 36 page boost was announced on the ‘Next Week’ page of the 2011 Bonfire Night Special – news came with it that as well as Pepperoni Pig getting an unexpected second run as well as Rocky O’Flair gaining a full page comic strip that The Dandy were about to shove in yet another reprint – Jamie Smart’s frankly fantastic Space Raoul - I didn’t actually have a problem with this. I’d never read any of his adventures before except the one The Dandy uploaded to their Facebook page only a few months before (whoops!). The series lasted 12 weeks just like the series originally did in the weekly. The story ending in the same issue which saw the debut to the new reprint run of Cuddles and Dimples – not more reprints!
Space Raoul – Jamie Smart got a 12 week reprint run in The Dandy in November-February.
And speaking of the devils, Cuddles and Dimples managed to nab three pages of the 44-page 2011 Christmas Special which also saw the final episode of Harry Hill’s Real-Life Adventures in TV Land. They then disappeared in the next issue (being the first of 2012) much to the surprise of every reader. However, in the Next Week page of Issue 3569 – news reached us that not only were Lew Stringer’s Kid Cops were returning but also the “Terrible Toddlers” with a picture of Nigel Parkinson’s Cuddles and Dimples. After asking Nigel, we found out that these were sadly not new but was in fact, the official start of the C&D reprints. Now I wonder if the Christmas Special was simply foreshadowing their return. Cuddles and Dimples luckily didn’t have such a long run as My Own Genie – only lasting 10 weeks.
But the reprint amount was about to increase again as in the next issue, we were surprised to see John Dallas’ Beryl the Peril in there – a clear reprint simply for the fact that they still had the old speech bubbles on them – now that, is a proper reprint! Beryl disappeared for a few weeks after that oddly before then returning again, still in John Dallas reprints for exactly 3 weeks before disappearing again. But of course, that was not the last we’d see of Beryl… (thanks Oliver for update)
Beryl the Peril featured in reprints for four weeks by John Dallas. (Art by Steve Bright I think?)
And then with Beryl disappearing – we had to clearly gain another reprint – this time it being a personal favourite of mine, Nick Brennan’s Blinky – the strip strangely only lasted one issue before disappearing for two weeks – instead being replaced with another Nick Brennan reprint, Sneaker - this short reprint run lasting only 2 issues before we got to read more of the “ongoing” reprint adventures of Blinky. Very odd…
With My Own Genie ending a few issues back and Cuddles and Dimples ending in Issue 3581 appearing to be a test run with the familiar words “Like Cuddles and Dimples? Tell us about it – editor@dandy.com” appearing at the end clearly showing it was a reprint to any absent-minded readers who thought we were being treated to 4 page C&D stories. Blinky also returned in the same issue and is still going on as of present.
However, the one issue which is probably going to go down in history now as the day The Dandy went classic-mad is in Issue 3582 where not only did Bully Beef and Chips return in new stories by Wayne Thompson (as announced in the previous Next Week page) but we also saw the return of top artist, Steve Bright who had returned drawing brand-new Beryl the Peril episodes. The Dandy even claimed it to be new – probably trying to wipe the Dallas reprint run from our minds. Busted!
Beryl the Peril – Steve Bright (definitely not John Dallas!)
Sadly, with Cuddles and Dimples gone – of course, we couldn’t be treated to a new comic strip series – that would be silly! So instead we are re-introduced to Stephen White’s Dreadlock Holmes – with a Next Week part at the end of it – it shows it really is a direct replacement for Cuddles and Dimples – plus it’s four pages long! Not good.
But hold your horses because that’s not the end – sure, I’ve managed to bring up to date with the classic returns but there’s more news!
As announced on Nigel’s blog today, Nigel Parkinson is drawing a new comic strip series for The Dandy which is due to debut in two weeks time! Except it isn’t exactly new – but it’s not a reprint… Here were the two pictures that Nigel uploaded to his blog doing what he does best, teasing us:
Who could this be? – Courtesy of Nigel Parkinson’s blog.
A boy and his dog – who could it be? The return of Hoot’s Dogsbody as suggested by an anonymous blogger? – Courtesy of Nigel Parkinson’s blog
After a helpful clue from Peter Gray claiming:
Got the new Dandy on subscribtion so now know the answer…didn’t expect that…hope you can use the characters someetimes as a where’s ——like the Where’s Harry Hill you did…I love the poster page and these characters are known for it…a clue..;)
Well, that cracked the riddle for me – I guessed it straight away – it had to be…
All is revealed! THE BANANA BUNCH ARE RETURNING! – Courtesy of Nigel Parkinson’s blog
So, it’s official – in exactly two weeks’ time – we’ll be seeing the return of the Beezer bunch – The Banana Bunch - this being Nigel’s third time at drawing them. With The Banana Bunch appearing in The Dandy once upon a time and then being reprinted in The Dandy Xtreme once upon a time – very few Dandy readers will probably be familiar with them. But being a big fan of the Bunch – I’m now a very excited Dandy fan!
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As well as this, we also manage to see a lot of classic (as well as present character) cameos appearing all of the time – notably in Stu Munro’s Justin Beaver which had the following classic (and present) cameos in it:
Korky the Cat, Beryl the Peril, Marvo the Wonder Chicken, Brassneck, Olly (from Desert Island Dick), Dragon (from George VS. Dragon), a dodge book (from Roger the Dodger), Foxy, a dog that was based off of Pop (from Pop, Dick and Harry), Julius Cheeser, Hoss (from Hungry Hoss), Tiny, Bear Thrills, The Buurd, Bananaman, Desperate Dan, Sting, Gnasher, Minnie the Minx and Toots (from The Bash Street Kids)
As well as this, Dave the Squirrel also cameoed many times even after finally getting his own strip – regularly sneaking into Andy’s comic strips as well as a Tiny’s Temper, Punslinger and Ray Fears story. Mr. Meecher recently cameoed in Bananaman and Boo cameoed in the Mr. Meecher Halloween story. Grampire cameoed in Boo in that same issue and Freddy the Fearless Fly cameoed in both the X-Factor Boo-Hoo Bingo and a Boo story – notably the issue before the announcement of his return – freaky! Owen Goal cameoed in both Little David Beckham and in a recent Bad Grandad story – as did Smasher in another Bad Grandad story. Harry and his Hippo had Brain Duane, Dinah Mo and Smasher also feature in one of their stories along with Bully Beef and Chips in another earlier one, Bully Beef and Chips also starring in a Bananaman story. The Blundercats recently cameoed in The Incredible Sulk on a poster, Greedy Pigg starred as the criminal in a early Kid Cops story and Postman Prat and Brassneck once cameoed in Korky the Cat (with Brassneck also featuring in Springwatch). Many favourites including Robot on the Run, Pre-Skool Prime Minister and the Shao Lin Punks featured in a Harry Hill strip which also included Postman Prat and Professor Dandy earlier on in the strip. Pepperoni Pig was the main star of a War ‘n’ Pizza Madvert by Nigel Auchterlounie and Winker Watson featured in both Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher and Bananaman. Bananaman, Desperate Dan and Korky all featured as judges in a Arena of Awesome story and Dan went up against Dennis the Menace in a special Arena of Awesome episode, Dennis later on appearing recently in the first of the Dreadlock Holmes reprint run (thanks James!). Black Bob featured in a Harry and his Hippo story as well as in Farm-ula One and Nuke Noodle – Nuke also meeting Colonel Blink in a recent story. Beryl the Peril cameoed in a puzzle page recently by Stu Munro as well as also hiding in Cheryl’s hair in What’s In Cheryl’s Hair Today? Plus, The Mighty Bork had a Dennis the Menace plushie as well as featuring Corporal Clott and Colonel Grumbly in its final episode. Desperate Dan (or Dan Solo) starred in Clown Wars – meanwhile they cameoed in a Pass the Peril story by Steve Beckett on The Dandy Facebook Page along with Bananaman and Daredevil Dad‘s neighbour, Mr Simpkins. A recent Bad Grandad story also featured Desperate Dan, Harry and his Hippo, Korky and Bananaman all commenting on a photo of Timmy and Jessica. There are probably even more cameos – I just can’t think of them all!
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Of course, that means that in two weeks’ time – we’re going to be having a classic explosion within The Dandy!
This meaning that in Issue 3584, we’ll be seeing:
Jamie Smart’s Desperate Dan, Wayne Thompson’s Bananaman, Nigel Auchterlounie’s The Bogies, Steve Bright’s Beryl the Peril, Nigel Parkinson’s The Banana Bunch, Wayne Thompson’s Bully Beef and Chips (and possibly, Phil Corbett’s Korky the Cat) all in brand-new strips as well as the current reprint runs of Nick Brennan’s Blinky and Stephen White’s Dreadlock Holmes! Now all we need are Harry and his Hippo and Freddy the Fearless Fly to get second runs!
Plus there will also be the latest episodes of Jamie Smart’s Mega-Lo Maniacs, Andy Fanton’s Bad Grandad (and Cavemen in Black!), Will Dawbarn’s Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher and Alex Matthews’ Nuke Noodle – The Arena of Awesome probably ending the issue before so that The Banana Bunch can get centre pages like the good, ol’ days!
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All I can really say is, ROLL ON ISSUE 3584!
- Harry Rickard
The Dandy – Issue 3581
The Dandy – Issue 3581
This week’s Dandy is out in shops now – along with The Beano if you really want to get that… This week’s Dandy is on top form is always and just goes to show that revamps can sometimes be a very good idea. Before I go onto the content of this issue, how about a quick walkthrough of what’s inside this issue?
To be honest, there really isn’t that much that’s worth noting about except most of the comic was very good. A new mini-strip joined this week and replaced… My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie? Nope! Alan the Forgetful Goldfish? Nuh-uh! Errr… NOPE! – Steve Beckett’s brand new mini-strip, Garth Vader actually replaced… none other than Phil Corbett’s Korky the Cat! *Gasp!* – could it really be the end of Korky?
Other notable stuff is that as well as Korky – Go Ape is also absent. Blundercats ends this week – and supposedly, Cuddles and Dimples, which appears to end its reprint run on another four page horror. There’s another terrible Boy Louts Madvert by Nigel Auchterlounie… Blinky is back as this week’s reprint in the reprint rotor… Ermm… And that’s about it… Well, in this week’s issue at least, next week looks to be interesting…
Who can it be? (1)
Who can it be? (2)
Who can it be? (3)
Hmmm… Intriguing… Now my blog has a puzzle feature as well! Wa-hey! So, can you figure the three mystery classics that are returning next week by Wayne Thompson (new), Steve Bright (new) and Stephen White (reprint)?
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Anyway, enough with my babbling, let’s get on with the content!
PG 1: Front Cover – Wayne Thompson
- A Wayne Thompson Bananaman front cover means the comic is already looking promising, this week’s cover image is fairly simple yet effective, I like how the covers don’t look so cluttered now, this issue is a good example of what a cover should look like – not something like the over-cluttered Blundercats cover from six weeks back… GOOD
PG 2: Jokes! – Chris McGhie
- Inside we’re welcomed by the tiresome jokes page, I do wonder if the supporting illustrations by Chris McGhie are new material or stock-art. BAD
PG 3: What’s Inside? – Jamie Smart
- The contents page is no different than usual with a fourth skit from The Dandy Editor’s “Sekret (sic.) Diary”. Sadly quite a dull skit this time around. Wednesday’s entry made me chuckle though. AVERAGE
PG 4: Mega-Lo Maniacs – Jamie Smart
- This week’s episode of Mega-Lo Maniacs introduces us to the dreaded CRUSHINATOR. The story is action-packed, full of humour and cleverly done – couldn’t help but notice the absence of Rory though – luckily Chief Constable Derek Dobbins made up for that! GOOD
PG 6: Madvertisement: Boy Louts – Nigel Auchterlounie
- Sadly, the brilliance isn’t to continue as we are punched in the face with yet another of the tiresome Boy Louts series, seriously, just end the Madverts now – the novelty wore off ages ago. WORST
PG 7: Shorts #1:
- Garth Vader – Steve Beckett NEW!
- Crash Test Dummy – Karl Dixon
- Angry Nerds – Will Dawbarn
- Guitar Zero – Alexander Matthews
- A new mini-strip greets us on the opposite page, Steve Beckett’s Garth Vader! The story works well at the three-panel format (unlike Steve’s other mini-strip also running at the moment, The Incredible Sulk) – the story is cleverly done and passes off the over-used Star Wars gag well – but I do feel a better name for the strip would have been Daft Vader. Crash Test Dummy doesn’t fail to disappoint me with the series so far delivering the laughs we were missing in 99 Genius Homework Excuses. The story is cleverly devised and the lack of speech works well in this format – I’m glad The Dandy didn’t choose to add stupid speech in it like “Ooh! That nips!” – do you get that, Iain McCaughlin? Angry Nerds was good, luckily managing to get back on track after a series of disappointing storylines. There’s something very appealing about Will’s artwork in this strip which makes it different to Mr. Meecher. Guitar Zero was very funny – Alex’s humour works really well in this format and th facial expressions on his characters are priceless! GOOD (4/4)
PG 8: Bananaman – Wayne Thompson
- Bananaman features no villain – not that that’s a bad thing. In my honest opinion, the only villain that actually works really well is The Banker (and Fat Cat). The story is funny, witty and Wayne’s artwork is on top form – not to mention the balloonist who makes this strip look even better with some lovely, new speech bubbles. Plus to tie off a perfect strip, Meech also features in it! Could the strip be any better? I don’t think it could. BEST
PG 10: Puzzle: The Hunger Games – Stu Munro
- Stu’s puzzle page ‘The Huger Games’ is clearly a spoof on The Hunger Games film that came out last month – luckily this puzzle page is far better than the film. Stu’s detail is impressive and to even cameo Beryl the Peril made this page far better than I thought it would be! GOOD
PG 11: Superball – Nigel Auchterlounie
- Opposite is Nigel Auchterlounie’s Superball, sadly, I felt that the one-page format does not work for this strip and the strip worked far better at the two-pages it received last issue. The story is still done really well and it certainly reflects on Nigel’s usual charm within his strips with a well-planned storyline. GOOD
PG 12: Blundercats – Steve Beckett
- Blundercats faces the end of its all-too-short run in my opinion and this immediately knocks it down from its usual top spot. While Steve’s artwork may be just as impressive as always – and once again showing why Steve needs two pages – the storyline was far too rushed – a massive BLUNDER for The Dandy if you ask me, this strip deserved to have a longer run – a much longer run. AVERAGE (purely because the story-arc was too rushed…)
PG 13: Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher – Will Dawbarn
- Meech is opposite sporting the new font based off of Will’s handwriting it appears, I personally feel it works really well – plus Will’s on top form with his artwork this week – a definite improvement to the first Mr Meecher strip to feature way back in January 2011. GOOD
PG 14: The Dandy Subscription Page
- Moving on… AVERAGE
PG 15: Nuke Noodle – Alexander Matthews
- Alex Matthews’ Nuke Noodle faces an awkward week in my opinion and certainly let’s itself down when compared to the stories from the past few weeks. The artwork is there but sadly the story doesn’t work for me – it does show that Alex’s humour is either a hit or miss, very similar to Nigel Auchterlounie’s. AVERAGE
PG 16: Comps!
- Moving on… BAD
PG 17: Shorts #2:
- Thor Bum – Paul Palmer
- My Sister’s So Dumb – Karl Dixon
- Chronic the Hedgehog – Rick Eades
- Not So Wise Owl – Laura Howell
- On the second mini-strip page we’re first welcomed by Paul Palmer’s Thor Bum, the story plot is weak and I can’t see this strip lasting more than six weeks to be perfectly honest – however, Paul’s artwork is just as brilliant as always. My Sister’s So Dumb is really quite boring but it works far better than Knock, Knock and any other awful joke strips. I like how it actually illustrates the joke rather than just telling it. Chronic the Hedgehog faces its weakest storyline so far but is still very good, I would like to know what Chronic’s chum is called though. I’m betting it’s Fails. Not So Wise Owl is as funny as always – seeing Laura’s artwork in The Dandy really is great, it’s amazing it’s taken this long for her to actually get a proper series in the comic – although I am fairly certain she also drew ‘What a Conundrum’ last year. GOOD (3/4)
PG 18: The Arena of Awesome: Kevin VS. Fridge – Jamie Smart
- The Arena of Awesome sticks in its usual place and doesn’t fail to deliver the usual laughs. This week’s is cleverly done and I lihe the turnout – the story is perfect and Jamie’s artwork is just as wacky and fun as always. GOOD
PG 20: Cuddles and Dimples – Nigel Parkinson (reprint)
- Cuddles and Dimples appears to be facing the end of its run this week, getting another four pages – *sigh* – the story is just as unfunny as always and just goes to show why they cancelled the series in 2010. BAD
PG 24: The Bogies: Evel Knasal – Nigel Auchterlounie
- The Bogies luckily managed to cheer me up after an abysmal four pages of dullness. Nigel’s humour is just as surreal as always – but the story did feel slightly *too* traditional for my liking. Traditional was never a bad thing though. GOOD
PG 26: Competition: Make Me A Zombie!
- Nice to see more of the zombie mum from My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie – with it getting a mention on the back cover and this competition page and the mini-strip, it’s seemed to prove popular! AVERAGE
PG 27: Shorts #3:
- Tooth Hurty – Paul Palmer
- Alan the Forgetful Goldfish – Paul Palmer
- My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie – Dean Rankine
- The Incredible Sulk – Steve Beckett
- Tooth Hurty was probably at its funniest this issue – I like Paul’s facial expressions he gives his characters – the story is simple but effective – once again managing to show a story can work well without words. Putting Alan the Forgetful Goldfish underneath it was strange though – putting two Palmer strips next to each other doesn’t work – especially as both are only one panel long. Alan continues to amazingly make me chuckle and works well – how this story has been so impressive really is – well – impressive! My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie was great and just goes to show not to jump to conclusions, the story was well done and has easily become one of my favourite mini-strips since October 2010, it will be a shame to see it go. The Incredible Sulk sadly lets the side down by delivering what is frankly a very weak storyline with no clear punchline – I personally feel putting Sulk as a mini-strip was a wrong choice as the story really is restricted. GOOD (3/4)
PG 28: Desperate Dan – Jamie Smart
- Desperate Dan was very funny but to see it nowhere near the end seemed strange. This week’s story works really well and just goes to show why hiring Jamie Smart was such a good decision – The Beano really are missing out… GOOD
PG 29: Filler: Joke Certificates – Nigel Auchterlounie
- Boooorrriiinnnnggggg… BAD
PG 31: Noshy Monsters – Wayne Thompson
- Noshy Monsters is sadly deteriorating – I found the alien abduction was far too rushed and would have worked better if it were longer. AVERAGE
PG 32: Blinky – Nick Brennan (reprint)
- Blinky is back – again – this supports my prediction that The Dandy are doing a reprint rotor, especially with Dreadlock Holmes returning next week… The story itself wasn’t as funny as the previous one but it was still nice to see Nick Brennan’s work in the modern Dandy. Too bad they chose to use the terrible balloonist for it this time! GOOD
PG 34: Bad Grandad – Andy Fanton
- Finally, it’s Andy Fanton’s Bad Grandad – this strip is easily getting better and better with every week – Michelle has done a good job at adopting Andy’s style of writing. I really liked the panels where Timmy sees Grandad’s reflection on the shiny car body and then the spray from the hose as Grandad is busted – careful Timmy, there’s a hosepipe ban at the moment! Nice to see another cameo of Dave the Squirrel as well, I can’t remember the last time I saw that sneaky squirrel! GOOD
PG 35: Next Week
- Next week sounds promising what with Bully Beef and Chips returning (highlight for spoilers) (and Beryl the Peril and Dreadlock Holmes! shhhh!) - Andy’s new mini-strip Al Kazam also looks promising! My only concern is: Britain’s Uncoolest Teacher – hopefully The Dandy aren’t doing a Beano with Britain’s Funniest Gag and that Poets thing. *shudder*. GOOD
PG 36: Back Cover – Wayne Thompson
- A great wraparound – I loved The Goodies reference! GOOD
NEW! Garth Vader – Steve Beckett
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In terms of ordering, the stories are all very close to one another – but here’s my order from best to worst best purely off of the story – not the artwork.
1. Bananaman
2. Mega-Lo Maniacs
3. Desperate Dan
4. My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie
5. Crash Test Dummy
6. Bad Grandad
7. Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher
8. Guitar Zero
9. Garth Vader
10. Superball
11. Not So Wise Owl
12. Alan the Forgetful Goldfish
13. The Arena of Awesome
14. The Bogies
15. Blundercats
16. Angry Nerds
17. Chronic the Hedgehog
18. Tooth Hurty
19. Blinky
20. Nuke Noodle
21. Noshy Monsters
22. Thor Bum
23. The Incredible Sulk
24. My Sister’s So Dumb
25. Cuddles and Dimples
Desperate Dan – Jamie Smart: 3rd in the poll
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The Dandy – Issue 3581 is on sale right now in selected supermarkets and newsagents for £1.99 – I urge anyone to buy it. Better still why not subscribe?
Well, that’s the end… er… I hope you enjoyed the review or something… please leave any feedback in the comments… I’d really appreciate it…
I’ll be back next week with some classic updates… until then… er… bye?
- Harry Rickard
The Dandy – Issue 3579
There’s something incredibly fantastic about The Dandy as of lately – looks like it’s finally back on its feet after a painful five month period of some of the worst comics I have ever read. But hey, now it’s back in the fight so back to reviewing!
The Dandy - Issue 3579
The latest issue came out today and managed to cheer me up on such a miserable day weather-wise as this one. I must say, I really like this week’s cover image which is simple but sweet. Although I do find the wraparound covers’ novelty is beginning to wear off – especially as it is only ‘Bananaman’ who works in this format. Would much rather see Dan on the back as usual.
So, what’s inside this issue which makes it so good? Well…
Firstly, following the end of ’99 Genius Homework Excuses’ which faced its demise last issue – we’ve gained an extra two mini-strips – ‘My Sister’s So Dumb’ by Karl Dixon and ‘Guitar Zero’ by Alex Matthews – sadly ‘Guitar Zero’ replaces ‘Jibber & Steve’ which is a let-down - would have much rather seen Duncan Scott’s ‘The Adult Code’ or Phil Corbett’s ‘Korky the Cat’. Sighhhh…
Secondly, Blinky’s gone! Darn it – but in return we gain Nick Brennan’s ‘Sneaker’. I think we’re about to face a reprint switch-around which will be interesting – however I do find it a great shame that we now have a high amount of reprint pages. I guess this point is not so good.
Basically, it has its ups and downs but it’s a good issue which is full o’ fun!
The Arena of Awesome - Jamie Smart- Just as funny as always!
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So, what’s the content I hear my imaginary blog fans shout…
PG 1: Front Cover – Wayne Thompson
- A nice, simple cover by Wayne of that bumbling bananachump. However, I did find that there was an unwanted stock-art Desperate Dan sharing the cover – why was he necessary. GOOD
PG 2: Jokes – Wayne Thompson (stock-art)
- All I can say is that the picture they use here of Bananaman is my favourite Bananaman illustration ever. AVERAGE
PG 3: What’s Inside? – Jamie Smart
- Yay! More of ‘The Sekret Diary of a Dandy Editor’! This contents series is absolutely adorable and hilarious! “Went to the park and fed chips to the ducks Got chased by ducks and dropped my chips :c” – Oh, Jamie! You really are a genius! GOOD
PG 4: Mega-Lo Maniacs – Jamie Smart
- Probably the weakest one so far but by no means a bad ‘un! Not too much to say about this story except I think it’s blimmin’ fantastic. GOOD
PG 6: The Dandy Presents… Snowfight and the Seven Boyfriends – Nigel Auchterlounie
- Absolutely awful. It’s strange how much Nigel’s strips vary – The Bogies and Jibber & Steve are genius but his other strips like Clive 5 and Davina McCaw were pretty rubbish. Would rather see My Freaky Family back on this page – that strip was fantastic. BAD
PG 7: Shorts #1:
- Crash Test Dummy – Karl Dixon
- Angry Nerds – Will Dawbarn
- Guitar Zero – Alex Matthews NEW!
- Not So Wise Owl – Laura Howell
- A pretty decent mini-strip page really. ‘Crash Test Dummy’ was really good – proving to be a strong series – and easily Karl’s best series! ‘Angry Nerds’ faced another weak time this week with a joke in there somewhere but not a very clear one. ‘Guitar Zero’ was a bit of a let-down sadly – I can see a clear joke but I found it really unfunny. Luckily, ‘Not So Wise Owl’ managed to keep my hopes up by delivering yet another funny story – seeing Laura in The Dandy is great – it’s been over a year in fact! GOOD
PG 8: Bananaman – Wayne Thompson
- I liked the concept of this week’s Bananaman but I’m certain I wasn’t the only one who thought “The Chavengers” was going to be a new story-arc. But according to The Dandy, it is only a one-off. What a let-down! AVERAGE
PG 10: My Own Genie – Jamie Smart (reprint)
- This week’s selected reprint of My Own Genie was quite a special one for me as I have both read it and not read it – at the same time! Y’see, they reprinted this story in the 56 page bumper My Own Genie mini-mag but there was a fail in the printing and it only printed Page 1 – Page 2 then being the first half of the Battle of the Beards - what the! Was it worth the two year wait? Not really, it wasn’t too funny. AVERAGE
PG 12: Blundercats – Steve Beckett
- Another fantastic story and the beginning of a new adventure in search of his dad’s long-lost, crummy, old book. Th story is brilliant and Steve’s artwork is just as polished as usual. A brilliant series – Steve’s best series too. BEST
PG 13: Mr Meecher, the Uncool Teacher – Will Dawbarn
- And Meech is back on track after a bumpy few weeks – hooray! From start to finish – this one sure brought the Meech back to his usual, silly standards – brilliantly done! Congratulations, Will! GOOD
PG 14: The Dandy Subscription Page
- I really like the latest incarnation for the subscription page – really neatly laid out. Unlike the BeanoMAX’s… GOOD
PG 15: Nuke Noodle – Alex Matthews
- Nuke was at his usual high on the funny scale with another page guaranteed to keep you laughing – the twist is so unexpected that I actually laughed! Easily second best to Sherlock Holmes! GOOD
PG 16: Comps!
- They’ve gone Marvel mad! AVERAGE
PG 17: Shorts #2:
- Chronic the Hedgehog – Rick Eades
- My Sister’s So Dumb! – Karl Dixon NEW!
- The Adult Code – Duncan Scott
- Korky the Cat – Phil Corbett
- This mini-strip page is dying. Luckily, with Chronic there – it just manages to stay upright. Chronic is genius and it truly is brilliant to see such a top cartoonist finally in the comic. ‘My Sister’s So Dumb’ is basically dumb blonde jokes drawn out – it’s not too original but dumb blonde jokes are among my favourites. ‘The Adult Code’ is pointless. How this strip got accepted is beyond me. Korky irritates me – what Phil has done to him has truly ruined any respect I had for him. He’s made Korky into a pun-filled mess. We never voted for Korky to be a regular – why does he get to feature every week? Either drop the damn cat or get a better artist – preferably Mr. Townsend… AVERAGE
PG 18: The Arena of Awesome – Jamie Smart
- I don’t really know what to say except that this strip was blimmin’ hilarious and that Jamie delivers yet another incredible strip which shows why he is one of my favourite artists/writers. GOOD
PG 20: Madvertisement: Ironing Man – Nik Holmes
- Quite a humorous advert – although personally I’d prefer to see Madverts on a half page with Jibber & Steve. GOOD
PG 21: Kid Cops – Lew Stringer
- Lew Stringer at his best – easily. This story was brilliant as for once, the adults fight back and almost defeat the Kid Cops. A really good ending to the third run in my opinion and I look forward to seeing them back whenever that may be. GOOD
PG 22: Advert: The Bogies App/The Dandy App
- Yawn… BAD
PG 23: Go Ape – Wayne Thompson
- Definitely the best one yet although I do find the series rather tiresome plus I’m not too keen on the clear Hanna-Barbera inspired art-style. GOOD
PG 24: The Bogies – Nigel Auchterlounie
- It seems to be a repeat of the previous B-Team story about the shed but that’s not a bad thing as the story is fantastic and like the first part – made me laugh many times. GOOD
PG 26: Competition: Make Me A Mutant
- Gasp! Where’s the Mailbag gone? Is this why there were no sending details last issue? *dundundun* AVERAGE
PG 27: Shorts #3:
- Alan the Forgetful Goldfish – Paul Palmer
- Iykan Si-Yu – Andy Fanton
- Tooth Hurty – Paul Palmer
- My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie – Dean Rankine
- Easily the strongest mini-strips page as usual. Firstly, there’s Alan the Forgetful Goldfish which has surprisingly so far been really good – almost as good as ‘Dad’s Turn to Cook’. Almost. Iykan Si-Yu is probably at its weakest this week but still a decent story, sadly this being what I believe is his final story – it’s a shame, Andy’s great at mini-strips. Hopefully we’ll see some more of Grampire or Dave soon, eh? Tooth Hurty seems to be a very basic story but so far has been pretty funny – however, I don’t know how long this strip will last until the novelty wears off. My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie has been unexpectedly fantastic – this week’s story being no exception – a very funny story which I hope will get a second series! GOOD
PG 28: Sneaker – Nick Brennan (reprint)
- Did I ever mention that I hated Sneaker? No? Well, now you know that I hated Sneaker. A really boring story – I certainly won’t be contacting The Dandy any sooner to say I want to see him back… BAD
PG 29: Desperate Dan – Jamie Smart
- A fantastic strip that i can find no faults in. Although I’d really like to see Dan expand to two pages for a bit. GOOD
PG 30: Cuddles and Dimples – Nigel Parkinson (reprint)
- Damn it. BAD
PG 33: Noshy Monsters – Wayne Thompson
- A really exciting cliffhanger and some really good artwork – Noshy Monsters has been unexpectedly amazing so far! GOOD
PG 34: Bad Grandad – Andy Fanton
- Bad Grandad is starting to seem funnier and is becoming far more enjoyable. I actually forget that Michelle writes it – at least, I think she does – right, Fanton? Andy’s artwork is also really starting to improve – especially when compared to his early George VS. Dragon strips! GOOD
PG 35: Next Week!
- Win some LEGO Star Wars toys! Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart! Gran Theft Auto by Stu Munro – madvert possibly? NEW! Superball by Nigel Auchterlounie! NEW! The Incredible Sulk – Steve Beckett! NEW! Thor Bum – Paul Palmer! GOOD
PG 36: Back Cover – Wayne Thompson
- Not too much to say except some great artwork by Wayne! GOOD
Kid Cops - Lew Stringer - Is the end nigh?
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If I had to order the strips from best to worst, here’s my order!
1. Blundercats
2. Nuke Noodle
3. The Bogies
4. Kid Cops
5. My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie
6. Mega-Lo Maniacs
7. Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher
8. Noshy Monsters
9. Bad Grandad
10. The Arena of Awesome
11. Crash Test Dummy
12. Not So Wise Owl
13. Chronic the Hedgehog
14. Alan the Forgetful Goldfish
15. Desperate Dan
16. Go Ape
17. Iykan Si-Yu
18. Angry Nerds
19. Guitar Zero
20. Bananaman
21. My Own Genie
22. Tooth Hurty
23. My Sister’s So Dumb
24. The Dandy Presents… Snowfight and the Seven Boyfriends
25. Cuddles and Dimples
26. Sneaker
27. Korky the Cat
28. The Adult Code
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Be sure to grab yourself a copy of the latest issue of The Dandy which is on sale now in most stores for only £1.99 – 36 pages of laughs and brilliant art! Until next time – see ya peeps!
- Harry Rickard
Images found on Lew Stringer’s blog and The Dandy’s Facebook page – thank you for supplying them.
The Dandy – Issue 3578
The Dandy - Issue 3578 - FINALLY!
Three weeks ago, Issue 3577 came out and now finally after ages of that comic sitting on the shelves of stores up and down the country collecting dust – Issue 3578 has knocked it out of its place and it’s back to the weekly format for the next couple of weeks! Phew!
But was the three week wait worth it? I’d say it certainly was! What a great issue of The Dandy!
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So, what exactly makes this issue so great? Well, firstly…
NEW STORIES! With 99 Genius Homework Excuses finally ending this week means that two new strips have to fill in the missing spots. These being Tooth Hurty which is a new mini-strip drawn by Paul Palmer and Chronic the Hedgehog drawn by new artist (and a favourite of mine), Rick Eades! Hurrah!
But the surprises don’t end there – in fact, there’s something even more surprising! The return of Nick Brennan’s Blinky! (sadly reprints but oh well!) – Blinky triumphantly returns in a two-pager full of the laughs and gags which we’ve missed during this Blinky-less era and manages to be the only other reprint within the comic with Cuddles and Dimples and Beryl both facing the boot to make way for The Dandy Apprentice! Ooh!
Chronic the Hedgehog - Rick Eades NEW! (and brilliant)!
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Anyway, now I’m just keeping you waiting, bring on the content!
PG 1: Front Cover – Wayne Thompson
- Wayne once again provides us with a brilliant cover image but this time without Bananaman! Eh? That’s right, Blight and Gloom get the cover this week with a silly ploy that’s bound to have results on the back cover! My only criticism is that as much as I like the Bananaman covers – I’d much rather see some new stories getting the cover. Perhaps Nuke Noodle or Mr Meecher for the lengthy time in the comic? GOOD
PG 2: Jokes – Rick Eades (stock-art)
- Moving on swiftly… BAD
PG 3: What’s Inside? – Jamie Smart
- First puzzles and now contents pages – Jamie manages to have me in stitches with the latest of the adorable ‘Sekret (sic.) Diary of a Dandy Editor’ – I hope this is to become a regular on the contents page for a bit as this is a really good idea and gets you already laughing before you’ve even began – who can’t love diary entries like “Today I brought a PIG into the office to BOOST MORALE.” – pure genius. GOOD
PG 4: Mega-Lo Maniacs – Jamie Smart
- Firstly, I must say how much I love Gurf – what a brilliant idiot for a character – and yet still full of EVIL! I really like the idea of Mega-Lo Maniacs getting a different monster each time as you get to learn a bit more about them. Plus the humour is exquisite. Once again, just fantastic. GOOD
PG 6: The Dandy Presents… Winnie and the Poo – Nigel Auchterlounie
- Could a comic strip be any more vulgar than this? No. I think this one takes the biscuit. The story may have been quite funny with a dark yet humorous ending. I still dislike the grossness of the story which lowers my tastes for it. AVERAGE
PG 7: Shorts #1:
- 99 Genius Homework Excuses (No. 99) – Karl Dixon
- Angry Nerds – Will Dawbarn
- Crash Test Dummy – Karl Dixon
- Jibber & Steve – Nigel Auchterlounie
- Mixed opinions on this page. Firstly, what a relief to see the final of the Homework Excuses – it means more variety in mini-strips and maybe funnier stories too. Angry Nerds faced a tough week in my eyes after a promising start however Will’s artwork on the nerds themselves stays at its high standards. Crash Test Dummy was very funny this week but sadly doesn’t look too appealing for the ugly speech bubbles. I swear there are two types of speech bubbles and sadly Crash Test Dummy drew the short straw – however, the story remains a good read and shouldn’t be lowered for something that was not Karl’s fault. Jibber & Steve wasn’t as god as usual this week however still seemed decent enough for me to enjoy. AVERAGE
PG 8: Madvertisement: Boy Louts – Nigel Auchterlounie
- There is such thing as taking a good idea too far. And sadly this is one of those cases. What I do wonder is whether this Madvert is actually a Madvert now and instead a regular page. I hope it’s not. BAD
PG 9: Bananaman – Wayne Thompson
- I didn’t really see the joke behind Bananaman this week and I feel the one page is restricting the action. What I don’t understand is why Bananaman is a one-pager but still gets the front and back covers – Bananaman should simply be two pages every week – maybe even three and replace those dull Madverts. Unless Stu returns soon with actual funny Madverts – I don’t see a point of having them. AVERAGE
PG 10: My Own Genie – Jamie Smart (reprints)
- “This pig looks like my cat except my cat isn’t pink or a pig…” – could humour be any better than that? My Own Genie fits in nicely with the current line-up I think. In fact, I actually forgot about it being a reprint thinking that Blinky was the only reprint in this week’s issue! My Own Genie is good every week – no doubt about it. And this week was no exception with the story being just as laugh-out-loud funny as the rest of them. What I do want to see is the series end for a bit though and maybe do a second run of My Own Genie later as I’m certain I’m not the only one who wants to a certain Prime Minister, a certain space cadet or a certain loveable, green blob back – eh? GOOD
PG 12: Blundercats – Steve Beckett
- Blunder! Blunder! Blunder! Blundercats Ho! – I’m sure I’m not the only one absolutely loving Steve’s new series – already I feel like I’ve found a favourite! I particularly enjoyed the previous two what with the cliffhanger and all – plus the “Last Time” panel at the top of the strip has a brilliant image to go with it which actually seems fairly scary! I also really like the epilogues that go with the story with Mummy Ha-Ha’s latest ploys being announced – it makes me want to read the next adventure! GOOD
PG 13: Mr Meecher, the Uncool Teacher – Will Dawbarn
- What’s happened to Meech? He’s slowly slipping behind now – maybe he’s been going for a bit too long? All I can say is what a great shame. This week’s was an improvement on the Coolio story-arc with some great gags in between such as the piece of string, Tristan-Trevor confusion and the contact with more adults – however the strip lacked what I’d find a funny ending and while Will’s art may be getting better every week – sadly the storylines are somewhat lacking *something*. Apologies, Will. AVERAGE
PG 14: The Dandy Subscription Page
- Ooh! Nice makeover! GOOD
PG 15: Nuke Noodle – Alexander Matthews
- Nuke Noodle meets Dr Jekyll! That can only mean one thing – sheer stupidity (and in a good way)! Plus blinkin’ flip – look at that title picture! It looks blimmin’ incredible! Gah, Alexander! Why didn’t you show this talent before – you’re flippin’ amazing at art! :O GOOD
PG 16: Comps!
- More Kre-O… Grr… AVERAGE
PG 17: Shorts #2:
- Chronic the Hedgehog – Rick Eades NEW!
- Not So Wise Owl – Laura Howell
- The Adult Code – Duncan Scott
- Korky the Cat – Phil Corbett
- This shorts page suffers exactly the same problem as on Page 7 only in reverse! Chronic is brilliant – I knew Rick wouldn’t let me down – I mean, have you even seen his actual webcomic comic? How can artwork look say neat and brilliant? Not So Wise Owl is off to a grand start with some great humour and a brilliant bus scene – it’s nice to see a mini-strip that doesn’t lack amazing detail! The Adult Code should really just end now and so should Korky – at least, until they can find a better artist for him. *cough*Jay Towsend*cough* GOOD (purely for Chronic and Not So Wise Owl)
PG 18: The Arena of Awesome – Jamie Smart
- It’s lovely to see this strip back – I mean, what other comic strip would allow such ridiculous versus matches between a professional Mexican wrestler and a balloon? This strip is fantastic as always and is certainly no exception to the continuing brilliance of the series. GOOD
PG 20: Noshy Monsters – Wayne Thompson
- I really did misjudge this strip when I first saw it – I thought it’d be very average and boy was I wrong! Noshy Monsters is surprisingly a very good comic series and stands out for its continuing storyline at the moment with Billy’s firt day at school with those two starving monsters! GOOD
PG 21: Kid Cops – Lew Stringer
- Kid Cops really does take the mickey out of the ridiculous political correctness which is creeping its way into all our childhood memories… Lew’s artwork plus the brilliant scripts which I do believe he writes himself are a perfect combination and work to make this strip one I will always fondly remember. GOOD
PG 22: Advert: The Bogies App/The Dandy App
- Technical Adverts!! AVERAGE
PG 23: Go Ape – Wayne Thompson
- I’m still not too sure on my opinion of Go Ape – I can see the clear Hanna-Barbera inspiration but for some reason I really dislike the stories. Slapstick comedy is better off in the arms of Meebo and Zuky in my personal opinion. AVERAGE
PG 24: The Bogies – Nigel Auchterlounie
- This strip becoming two pages was a sight for sore eyes and the comic certainly feels even funnier now at two pages permanently. Dr. Goo has always been one of my favourites of The Bogies as well as Harry Snotter and Splatman and many others and this strip doesn’t fail to deliver many laughs, gags and the fantastic Auchterlounie comedy we’re all familiar with and love. GOOD
PG 26: Mailbag
- Three pages of The Bogies this week! Wait, hang on – that’s just fan-art? Blimey! Well done, Nina Vacic for a brilliant story of The Bogies. Just a shame it couldn’t have been blown up bigger – it was a great read and probably the best Dandy fan-art I’ve seen on that page! However I can’t help but notice the Mailbag is missing something – that’s right, details! There’s nothing showing how to send in your fan-art! Whoops! GOOD
PG 27: Shorts #3:
- Iykan Si-Yu – Andy Fanton
- Tooth Hurty – Paul Palmer NEW!
- My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie – Dean Rankine
- Alan the Forgetful Goldfish – Paul Palmer
- Easily the best mini-strip page in the issue I think. With the page kicking off with the hilarious Iykan Si-Yu where Andy manages to deliver yet another hilarious story in three panels. Tooth Hurty probably has the silliest name for a strip but the joke itself is decent and Paul’s artwork is ever is brilliant. My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie is once again very strong and has surprisingly been a very good mini-strip and I hope to see more of Dean Rankine in the future! Alan the Forgetful Goldfish was sadly simply a knock-knock joke which was a shame but still managed to be somewhat funny and continues its surprisingly funny run. The novelty hasn’t worn off yet! I’m impressed! GOOD
PG 28: Could YOU be the next Dandy Apprentice? – Nik Holmes
- Well, could you? As much as I want to enter – I am not happy with the rules as I’d much rather enter a comic-strip I have already created rather than drawing it on their template. AVERAGE
PG 31: Desperate Dan – Jamie Smart
- Dan is possibly in his greatest era yet delivering many laughs every week. Also, nice to see the indians saying ‘um’ – it annoyed me when Little Plum went politically correct and dropped the ‘ums’. GOOD
PG 32: Blinky – Nick Brennan (reprints) HE’S BACK!*
- “He’s back! He’s a hit! He’s Blinky! The short-sighted nit!” – well, I’m already impressed. I must admit, the fact that they are reprints really doesn’t bother me one bit because firstly, these reprints have been masked really well – unlike Beryl and Cuddles and Dimples, these actually look almost new – plus the speech bubbles look great – they’ve got the good balloonist for this one! It’s actually really nice to see Blinky back – I was really fond of him and unlike the terrible toddlers – he actually made me laugh and this week’s nutty story reminded me of how much of a brilliant character he really was. I hope he’s to stay! GOOD
PG 34: Bad Grandad – Andy Fanton
- Andy’s always been one of my favourite artists purely for his humour and detail. Just look at the stuff in Grandad’s room – The Dandy #1, a Rolling Stones poster and what’s that – why it’s a pizza box from War ‘n’ Pizza! Nicely done, Fants! GOOD
PG 35: Next Week!
- Woof in Mega-Lo Maniacs! Nuke Noodle meets Neill Armstrong! The B-Team are back! NEW! My Sister’s so Dumb by Karl Dixon! NEW! Guitar Zero by Alexander Matthews! Roll on next week! GOOD
PG 36: Back Cover – Wayne Thompson
- The continued gag from the front – I won’t tell you what it is though! You have to buy it to find out! GOOD
* – Notice how when they state a character before the revamp is back – they actually mean is having re-run which hopefully none of you would remember… e.g. Cuddles and Dimples, Blinky, Beryl the Peril, Space Raoul, My Own Genie – and I bet Ollie Fliptrick will soon be joining them…
Winnie and the Poo - Nigel Auchterlounie - a little too vulgar perhaps?
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So how would a rate the stories in order from best to worst, well, you lucky people – you can find out below!
1. The Bogies
2. Mega-Lo Maniacs
3. Blundercats
4. Chronic the Hedgehog
5. Nuke Noodle
6. Blinky
7. Not So Wise Owl
8. Iykan Si-Yu
9. The Arena of Awesome
10. Blundercats
11. Crash Test Dummy
12. Desperate Dan
13. Kid Cops
14. Bad Grandad
15. My Own Genie
16. Jibber & Steve
17. My Mum’s a Brain-Eating Zombie
18. Noshy Monsters
19. Mr. Meecher, the Uncool Teacher
20. Alan the Forgetful Goldfish
21. The Dandy Presents… Winnie and the Poo
22. Angry Nerds
23. Bananaman
24. Go Ape
25. 99 Genius Homework Excuses
26. Korky the Cat
27. The Adult Code
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The Arena of Awesome - Jamie Smart - WRESTLER VS. BALLOON!
Be sure to grab yourself a copy of the latest issue of The Dandy which is on sale now in most stores for only £1.99 – 36 pages of laughs and brilliant art! Until next time – see ya peeps!
- Harry Rickard
Rest in peace Anne and Wilfred Rickard <3
I have some devastating personal news. My dad’s mum and dad both passed away over the past two days. My nan was dying – we knew she was – she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. We knew her life wasn’t going to be lasting much longer. So we tried to make it special.
Nan passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer after it eventually got to her lungs. It wasn’t too much of a shock – but it still shook us hard. For the first time in my life, I knelt down by the end of my bed and prayed to her – to talk to her for that final time. And tonight, it looks like I’ll be doing the same.
Grandpa had been going strong up until the recent tragedy. A 90 year-old man with a big heart. Despite having dementia and forgetting us at times – he never stopped loving us. Grandpa was described as an ox – a strong fighter who’d keep going as long as Nan was beside him.
I used to love coming to see them – I remember when Grandpa would play the harmonica and lighten the entire room with his jolly tunes. Then Nan would get me to dance with her and I’d go red with embarrassment. The memories are so clear.
Grandpa once said “When Anne is gone – I’ll be going too.” – and so he did. Earlier today, Grandpa went into a massive stroke and collapsed. He knew he was going. He wanted to go. Without Nan, his life wasn’t worth living. They kept each other going through thick and thin.
The news came about an hour or so ago. Grandpa had gone peacefully. Longing to see his perfect wife again.
I can picture them. Up above the clouds, walking; side by side, hand in hand. Watching over us, proud of us, watching us carry on with their lives in our memories. There they’d stay, side by side, hand in hand – watching over us, watching us grow up and making them proud.
I’ve messed up many times during my life so far. But I’ll do them proud. I’ll do well in school. I’ll do well in life. I’ll grow up, get a good job and live my dream life with my own family beside me. All for them. All to show how much they meant to me. All to show how much I loved them both.
I can’t reverse time but what I can do is put the good memories on replay in my mind. Remember them both before the tragedies. Remember them smiling. Remember them being happy together – side by side, hand in hand.
Rest in peace, Nana and Grandpa. You will never be forgotten. I love you both so much. xxx ♥ ♥ ♥
APRIL FOOLS!
Sorry guys, the news of The Wizzo ending? It wasn’t actually true – complete lies! Well, except for GCSEs being more important than the comic. That is true – remember that any young people venturing into the world of self-comics!
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So, what have we had to do to trick the people we did?
I originally planned the entire thing yesterday and wrote up the news post. I then informed a number of Wizzo artists who were online – Faye White then posted about it. Hannes Smit decided to go along with the prank and edited the website to make a convincing end to the comic. Well done to anyone who spotted http://wizzocomic.com/fools.html in the address bar – we were hoping no-one would notice! George Shiers then helped out be retweeting, sharing and posting all about the comic. I edited a few pages of The Wizzo on the internet and *wallop!* we were ready to sit back and watch the excitement begin!
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It might be best to make it clear that no, the Wizzo Comic is NOT ending and that the comic will hopefully continue for some time yet! Of course, GCSEs may get in the way but this project has become to big to just end! Heck, we’ve only just started!
Issue 5 will be out very soon we’re excited to say – and as for Issue 4? Well, that’s pretty much finished! Hooray! We’ve ordered a few more copies of Issue 3 and then we’ll be bringing out the next issue! It’s all very exciting!
But anyway, more of that on a later date, eh?
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Apologies!
- Harry Rickard
