THE CHRISTMAS BEANO REVIEW...

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

I've been putting this post off for a while now, mostly

because I know the reaction it'll provoke in certain quarters,

but also because (believe it or not) I derive no enjoyment from

being 'negative', but I can postpone comment no longer.  So what

am I talking about?  The BEANO Christmas issue, of course.  I
can imagine what some people will say in response to my honest
observations;  things like  "It's a comic for kids, not adults,
so it isn't intended for old farts like you!" 

And it's certainly true (as well as patently obvious) that

the comic is increasingly aimed at younger kids these days,

moreso than it used to be.  But here's a fact:  I didn't begin col-

lecting the Christmas issue of The Beano until I was 20 years of
age, and have bought it every year for the last 38 years.  (I don't
think I've missed any, but if I have, it'll only be one or two of
the more modern ones.)  I've  always enjoyed the Christmas
Beano, even 'though it wasn't designed (as I'm so often
reminded) for people of  'my age'.

So why could I enjoy earlier editions but not the more
contemporary ones?  I'm not even sure I know, but I'll have a
stab at identifying what I see as the problem.  To start with, too
many 'filler' pages taking up too much space, for no other reason
than to pad out the issue and create the impression that it has far
more content than it actually does.  36 pages, 15 of which are a
combination of fillers, ads, and activity pages, with double-
page spreads whose content would be more suited, in
my humble estimation, to a single page.

I've no complaint about the quality of the art as such,
although, again, two pages seem to be required to contain
images that could easily be fitted into one.  To me, the comic
gives the distinct impression that 18 pages of content (including
filler, activity, and readers' letters pages) have been needlessly
spread over 36, and that there's less actual reading in it than
in previous decades.  So what's wrong with The Beano?
It just doesn't seem like The Beano anymore.

So, £4.50 for a polybagged periodical including cheap
tat worth about 50p (if), and without the snow on the logo
that tradition demands for a Christmas issue, I found this of-
fering overpriced and, overall, disappointing.  It'll doubtless
keep younger kids amused for a short while, but not for as
long as I (as an adult) was amused by this once 'must-
have' iconic comic in 'days of yore'.

Feel free to air your views on the matter.

For 'Beano Boss' page, read 'unnecessary filler page' 

Posted in: Cartoons