Next issue of the Beano sees the conclusion to the Big Eggo strips I've been doing for the past six months. It's been an honour to revive the Beano's oldest character and I hope readers have enjoyed it. Above is a teaser ad I've designed for my own use.
It's a proper ending too, and I've treated it like a mini-epic, with highs and lows and a showdown in a remote location. Humour strips don't usually get proper conclusions so I'm really pleased with this one. Please don't post any spoilers or photos of it on the Internet until the issue goes off sale! Thanks.
Don't miss the Beano No.3950, on sale Wednesday 29th August!
Issue No.3936 of the Beano is in the shops today. (Does anyone out there have every issue?) Another 36 pages of all-new material featuring the long-running Beano stars. You can see a taste of the contents here:
https://www.beano.com/posts/inside-beano-no-3936
It also includes another Big Eggo strip by me.
Beano No.3936, available from newsagents and supermarkets across the UK!
Beano No.3932 is in the shops today, and comes bagged with gifts. The contents of the comic feature the usual fun-stars and there's another new Big Eggo strip by me. Here's a preview...
What's this? Has Big Eggo finally found his egg? Has Terry Tuff captured him at last? Find out in Beano No.3932, out now!
More Beano info here:
https://www.beano.com/categories/comic-strips
He was the very first Beano character that readers saw when The Beano No.1 arrived in July 1938 with the funny ostrich as the cover strip. He remained the cover star for ten years until Biffo the Bear replaced him in 1948, and now Big Eggo makes a comeback in Beano No.3295, on sale this coming Wednesday.
The creator and original artist of Big Eggo was Reg Carter (1886 to 1949) and now it's my honour to become the new writer and artist of the strip. The editors at D.C. Thomson contacted me a few months ago to produce a new series of Big Eggo mini-strips that will appear inside the Beano from this week.
The brief I was given was that Big Eggo has escaped from Beanotown Zoo to search for his egg, but he is pursued by Terry Tuff, a hunter who wants to capture the ostrich and return him to the zoo. Due to the new series only having three or four panels per strip, some weeks will focus on Big Eggo looking for his egg, whilst other weeks will see him eluding Terry Tuff's daft traps. He'll also be interacting with other Beano stars from time to time.
A few years ago I suggested to the Beano that Big Eggo could make a comeback so it's a pleasure and a privilege to have the opportunity to create new stories featuring such a classic character. Why has the strip been revived after so many years? Well, this year is the Beano's 80th anniversary, so I'd guess that D.C. Thomson felt it was only right to bring back their earliest character.
Look out for the first Big Eggo in the new series in Beano No.3295, on sale Wednesday 7th March.
It's The Beano's 77th birthday this week and it's still going strong! Issue 1 was published on Tuesday 26th July 1938. There's the cover above drawn by Reg Carter; a photograph of the actual comic in great condition, taken from the phil-comics Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/phil-comics-auctions/156116677784593
I thought I'd have a crack at drawing Big Eggo myself, so here he is. The Beano's first cover star is long gone now but perhaps he'll return one day. who knows?
Never Be Without A Beano! On sale every Wednesday.
