A good day for British comics

The UK's two top comics both have key issues out today. The Beano has a bright new redesign and a smart new logo, while 2000AD celebrates 2000 issues with a bumper issue packed with the cream of comics. 

News of The Beano's relaunch broke last Sunday and now we can see the results. The comic is now simply 'Beano', finally losing "The" from the title, and has undergone a complete redesign. The new logo looks great, and the yellow background really makes it stand out on the crowded shelves. There's been some tweaks to the content too. Pup Parade has gone, along with all the mini-strips. The focus is now squarely on the main characters; Dennis and Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Roger the Dodger, The Bash Street Kids, etc. Every week there'll be an extra-long 8 page story. This week it's Dennis and Gnasher, with Minnie, Bash Street, and others to take their turns in future issues. (Similar to how TV Action did it in the 1970s.) Although I'm disappointed to no longer be a contributor to the comic I fully appreciate that it makes sense to big up the main characters for the relaunch and I wish it well.

(There has also been a big revamp of http://www.beano.com and some new strips appear there.)

I know some people were apprehensive about the revamp but the changes to Beano are mainly cosmetic and the content is still firmly focused on comic strips. The new-look comic is lively, fun, and should please readers young and old. I'm sure kids will love it, - if they can find it. The big test will be its availability to new potential readers and so far I haven't seen newsagents significantly increasing their orders. (Most shops I visited had none.) Either they weren't aware of the relaunch or they didn't care, and that's the big problem facing all publishers today. You can produce a brilliant comic but unless retailers choose to stock it, kids won't even know the comic exists. You can subscribe of course (http://www.beano.com/subscribe) but it would be good to see more newsagents stocking it to attract potential new readers.

2000AD is another comic that's not always easy to find in newsagents now. Luckily, comics speciality shops stock it so that helps. Prog 2000 is a stunning issue. 48 pages, plus a pull-out poster, and the return of some top talent to its pages including Brian Bolland, Kevin O'Neill, Carlos Ezquerra, Dave Gibbons, Mick McMahon, Robin Smith, David Roach, and more. 

Judge Dredd teams up with Johnny Alpha, Nemesis the Warlock returns, and there's the start of a brand new series, Counterfeit Girl, by Peter Milligan and Rufus Dayglo. 

2000AD is the sole survivor of all the new comics that IPC launched in the 1970s. It was expected to fail by some (as had many of IPC's other comics) and it rubbed management up the wrong way, but it not only survived, it thrived, connecting with a fanbase like none of those other comics did. Now owned by Rebellion (who recently purchased the rights to those other old IPC comics) 2000AD still represents the best of British comics, and this landmark issue is a prime example of that. 

Beano No.3854. Published by D.C. Thomson. Out today, £2.50.

2000AD Prog 2000. Published by Rebellion. Out today, £3.99.