30 Mar
2011

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    22 Comments

Bye-Bye, Boo

IT’S Dandy day again, and this week’s issue brings with it sad news, as Boo! reaches the end of its eight-week run. Awwww!

However, hopefully Boo is sent off with some style, as this week’s strip features ZOMBIES. And a DISCO. Specifically, a ZOMBIE DISCO. Also, as you may notice above, I’ve also taken the liberty of killing off a long-running Dandy favourite. He’s dead now, it’s canon. Haha!

I’m going to miss doing Boo!, I’ve enjoyed drawing his silly, supernatural shenanigans, and he seems to have proved pretty popular with readers, which is nice! Hopefully he’ll return one day – let the Dandy know if you’d like him back on their Facebook or Twitter pages, or drop the editor an email at editor@dandy.com, and maybe the goofy ghoul will be resurrected in the future…

Also in this week’s issue is the penultimate episode of Harry and His Hippo, which sees THIS happen:

Also, Bully Beef returns, because frankly I like Bully Beef and his stupid, stupid hair.

Next week is the last round in the ‘Strictly Come Laughing’ contest – don’t forget to go and vote for Harry and his Hippo on the Dandy’s website, and maybe he’ll return too!

But it’s not all endings and near-endings in this week’s issue, oh no! Korky the Cat artist Phil Corbett brings back another Dandy veteran this week, as Freddy the Fearless Fly returns, following his brief cameo in Boo last week. Hooray!

Furthermore, if you peruse the ‘Next Week’ page, you’ll see a glimpse of the new comic strip Justin Beaver, which starts next week, and is written and drawn by my actual, real-life friend of seventeen years, Mr. Stu Munro.

EXCITING TIMES!

Also, if you scroll back up and take another look at that Boo panel, there may – MAY! – be a hint as to what my next strip shall be… curiouser and curiouser…

That’s The Dandy, issue 3528, out NOW for only £1.50. BUYYYYYYY IIIIIIT!

- Fanton.

29 Mar
2011

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    4 Comments

Memorable Memorabilia

GUESS WHERE I’ve been, chums? No, not there. No, nor there. No, definitely not THERE. Look, I’ll just tell you, you’re RUBBISH at guessing.

Myself and Amanda Vlahakis (aka Truly Ace Design) ventured to the Memorabilia convention at Birmingham’s NEC on Saturday, to thrill to a day of movie, TV and comic nerdery! (Though I was doing most of the geeking out, I should point out!)

Anyhoo, here are some snaps of the day in question – BEHOLD!

Stormtroopers kept a keen eye on proceedings. This child was arrested and later hurled into the sarlacc pit for losing his ticket. Harsh, but fair.

Further show security was provided by ol' Stoney Face himself, Judge Dredd, seen here arresting a perp for being just TOO geeky.

Batman and the Joker hanging out together, probably talking about which episode of 'Allo 'Allo was their favourite.

When there's something strange, in the NEC, who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! This guy's proton pack was awesome, it had flashing lights on it and EVERYTHING.

Great Scott! It's the DeLorean! Sadly, I didn't get a chance to hijack it and go off on a crazy romp through time. Maybe next time!

There was an awesome Evil Knievel display too - I half-expected to see Daredevil Dad from The Dandy there. But he wasn't. As he's not real.

Now there's a familiar Face! It's Dirk Benedict, aka Face from the A-Team!

Russell Tovey from 'Being Human'. His ears were smaller in real life.

I also got to meet up with a couple of cartoonists, which was ace as working in comics can be a terribly isolated experience, so it’s nice to finally meet others in the same line of work!

Firstly I met Timothy Winchester, the chap behind the excellent People I Know webcomic. He was a very friendly and funny guy, and I wound up buying some of his comics and these dead sweet badges:

Look at the cute badges! Awwwwww!

Next, I met up with Laura Howell, the awesome artist behind the excellent Meebo and Zuky in The Beano, and who has just made her Viz debut in the latest issue out NOW. I’ve known Laura for a while now, from when she ran the excellent Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain site, and I was working on the Carrotty Kid pilot for the studio. I’d never met her in real-life though – until Saturday! HOORAY!

Laura Howell and I doing what we cartoonists do all the time - making silly faces.

Laura was super-lovely and kind, giving me a bunch of her excellent small-press comics for FREE  and doing this FABULOUS Carrotty Kid sketch for me:

Laura's CK sketch. REVEL IN ITS AWESOMENESS.

I drew a sketch in return, but as I was unprepared I had to do it in biro. Here I am drawing said sketch!

So, there you go! It was a great day of weird and wonderful madness, excellent people and beer in plastic cups. I’d love to attend more convention-type things – maybe I’ll even get a table one year and do the whole signing thang? WHO KNOWS?

- Fanton

(All pictures taken by Amanda, due to me having nothing but a rubbish camera phone. Gawd bless her!)

22 Mar
2011

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    20 Comments

Dandy Goes Bananas

KA-POW!

Ol’ Blue Bonce himself, Bananaman, graces the cover of this week’s Dandy, possibly the first time the fruit-based hero has adorned a comic’s front cover since his 1980s Nutty heyday. I could be wrong, though. And probably am.

Still, it’s great to the see the Big Blue Blunder as this week’s cover-star, drawn by his current artist, the ever-aces Wayne Thompson. Ka-pow INDEED!

And what’s inside this week’s issue, I hear you cry (or that might just be the VOICES in my HEAD).

Well, The Dandy’s ‘Strictly Come Laughing’ contest enters week four, and in my Harry and his Hippo, Hippo is having trouble with birds. As in the winged variety, not that he’s having women trouble. I don’t think he’s currently dating, to be honest. I’m waffling now, just look at this little preview picture instead:

This week’s Hippo also features the first cabbage cameo, for all those wondering where Hippo’s favourite foodstuff has got to. HOORAY!

As ever, if you enjoy Hippo-based hilarity, then do vote for him on the Strictly Come Laughing poll, and then maybe he’ll return once this short run finishes. There’s a couple of bugs in the poll at the moment, mind (Robot on the Run, a strip not even in the *ahem* running, is currently leading the pack, somehow!) but hopefully they’ll be fixed soon.

Elsewhere, that silly, silly spook Boo! is in trouble with the Inspectre, for being all rubbish and that. BEHOLD!

It’s not looking good for that gormless ghoul. This strip also features an appearance from another old Dandy character (following the return of Bully Beef and Chips in last week’s Harry and his Hippo), a character who  - by a complete coincidence – seems to be returning in his OWN strip next week! Who is it? You’ll have to buy the comic to find out, you skinflint.

As well as all that, there’s more Yore! by the Etherington Brothers, Otter mayhem with Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart and LITERALLY lots more besides!

So, that’s The Dandy issue 3527 – out on March 23rd at all good stockists, for a wallet-pleasing £1.50.

YOU’D BE BANANAS TO MISS IT!

Hahahahahahaha!

Oh dear.

- Fanton.