Billoy the Cat

[starscape]

Did anyone buy this week's Beano for the return of Billy the Cat?

Chris
www.superherostore.co.uk

Link: Superherostore & Starscape

[Richmond Clements]

No. But I will now.

[Matt Timson]

Ditto.

[petemaskreplica]

oh yes.

[Trout]

Well, I bought a copy yesterday and now I can barely believe I'm about to post comments on a three-page story in the Beano.

The story itself was simple stuff, as you'd expect, and pretty stuffed with cliches, but it is, after all, aimed at pre-school kids.

Interestingly, there's no self-indulgent nostalgia whatsoever. It's a children's comic, so they simply took their character and wrote a story based on him.
There's no comment on when he last appeared or what his backstory is. It's just a simple, adventure story, with a slightly camp hero dressed up as what may or may not be a cat.

Elson's art is quite nice, but with a strong nod in the direction of Sonic The Comic, et al.

He also has an in-joke in there. There's a piece of scenery with a company name on it, mentioning Dave Taylor, the Batman artist.

So, overall, I'm really not recommending the Beano, but if you're an Elson fan it's worth picking up a copy to see his Billy The Cat, for its curiosity value.

It's a six-parter, which started with the issue out the middle of last week.

BTW the Bash Street Kids was bloody hilarious. It had puking aliens in it. :-)

- Trout

[DavidXBrunt]

I think Elson is only drawing the story in the annual Trouty. I read it in W.H.Smugs the other day and the annual tale is unmistakably Elson whilst this tale appears to be by someone else. Certainly the initial report in C.I. suggested that was the case.

And it's only right that you comment on a three page story in the Beano. This is a major thing for British comics (no really!).

For a long time it's been the case that there's kids humour comics or media tie in comics and 2k and Viz. Nothing else and nothing to bridge them.
So lots of kids who'd start out on the Beano then progress to say Valiant have had no-where to go.

With an adventure strip in the best selling comic in Britain maybe the audience will be primed for more reading 2k later in life. Maybe if Billy is sucessful then D.C. Thompson will start another Warlord type title for older kids which would be a very good thing indeed, for British comics in general.

I'm sure P.V.S. could articulate this better than I but it's my thoughts on it, anyway. I'll be buying the rest of the series in the hope that sales rise and the cat stays in the mix. I really think it would be boost for comics in general if it did.

[Trout]

"Maybe if Billy is sucessful then D.C. Thompson will start another Warlord type title for older kids"

Don't hold your breath, :-) It'd be nice, though.

So that wasn't Elson after all? It was so stylised for a kids' comic that it wasn't entirely clear.

Perhaps it was a "house" artist who attended Moniaive, which would explain the reference to Dave Taylor, another Moniaive participant.

I feel as though I ought to be embarrassed for not knowing it wasn't Elson, but, looking at it again, it still may be.

I just cannot tell.

Will make quiet inquiries and possibly come back with a further report.

- Trout

[The Monarch]

I'm possibly showing my ignorance here but who is billy the cat?

[Trout]

He's a odd little superhero.

Young William Grange becomes Billy The Cat (see that clever secret identity there?) with amazing agility and strength.

Remember Zenith? The cousins, Tiger Tom and Tammy, were based on Billy The Cat and his sidekick.

In the latest tale, Billy's investigating suspected sabotage at a film company.

There was a thread on the older stuff before. As ever, my memory's fragmentary.

- Billy the Fish

[The Monarch]

oohh right i see cheers for that

[Oddboy]

It's a six-parter, - that's pretty revolutionary for the Beano isn't it? When I used to read it the most it ever had were 2 parters, and they were VERY scarce, and limited to only Bash St Kids or Dennis.

[DavidXBrunt]

Well, back in the day it used to run adventure serials like this. Billy the Cat, General Jimbo, Black Bob (or was he in the Dandy) and the Iron Fish (the little boy rescued by Nemo in L.o.E.G.II is a reference to this) to name a few.

Trouty, check out the annual. There's a shot of two crooks falling down a tree that couldn't have been by any one else than Elson. It's in comparison with that art that I'm assuming it's someone else on the comic. For all we know it could be Dave Taylor...

[starscape]

Wayne Thompson is the weekly artist.  Seems to have sold out in a few places - good news then!

DCT commissioned a taster issue of the return of Wizard comic (according to DCT artist Dave Windett - http://www.davewindett.co.uk), so who knows.  There's also a bit of a campaign to get some adventure strips in Classics from the Comics or Commando by going to the Feedback form at http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/

Panini seems to be developing a nice range with the Marvel (and soon to be DC) reprints, plus the Spectacular Spider-Man/ Power Rangers/ Action Man etc original strips.  Star Wars comic (Titan) is also doing pretty well, as are others like Jackie Chan & Striker.  So maybe there will be something from them.

Then again there'a always going to be Starscape.  More news before the end of the month!

Chris
www.superherostore.co.uk

Link: Superherostore & Starscape

[Trout]

Ah. Beat me to it.

Still, promising news there.

- Trout

[Wils]

I'll have to check this out as it sounds quite a different strip for the Beano, although I have to admit that the typo in this thread's subject line keeps making me snigger, as if you read it as it is, it makes it sound like he's from Dudley. :)