This week's Beano features not one but two mini-strips that I created. Firstly it sees the debut of Celebs on a Sledge! It was a straightforward pitch that I gave to the editors: "Every week, a different celeb hurtles to their fate on a sledge." This week it's the turn of wildlife bloke off the telly, Steve Backshall.
There are six of these strips in the series. They've started with the second one but no matter. It's not as though there's any continuity of plot. It's an idea as simple as Monkey Tennis. It's just Celebs on a Sledge and that's all you need to know. Who's next? Wait and see!
After a few week's absence due to The Beano running some special issues there's also the reappearance of my other mini-strip, Rubbish Robots! There are also six in this series, so four more to come after this second instalment. Will the robots conquer the Earth? We've had worse leaders, so they'd get my vote.
This week's Beano is packed with strips, and all for only £2. Still the cheapest comic on the stands! Here's the cover to look out for, drawn by Nigel Parkinson. Out now from all good newsagents and supermarkets...
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| Cover by Nigel Parkinson |
9 comments:
no offence, and more so cause I've never heard of 'Steve Backshall', but that first image.. I thought 'Alfred E Newman?'
Ha! That's a fair comment, the way I've drawn him. I see what you mean.
I think most of The Beano's age range will have heard of Steve Backshall but even if they haven't hopefully the strip still works.
By the way, Manic Man, Steve is the host of Deadly 60 on CBBC.
^_^ good you haven't taken offense that wasn't meant.
thanks James. I'm kinda.. out of date on modern TV.. mostly when I see it, I just don't have too much interest.. though it's sad that most of my dvd collections feature sooo many dead people.. Even my latest LP (yep, LP), features a lead singer that sadly died to young (33).. though there is some debate as to reason.. seams to been suicide after getting Hepatitis A.
oh well. I think a Host of a kids show is someone that kids would most likely know ^_^ the same way that kids of my age should know Timmy Mallett
No problem manic. I only get offended if critics attack the man, not the work.
Lew, This is the problem with these "minor celebrities" is that they really are not so famous. You think, he works on the BBC so he must be well known by kids, but his show on CBBC only gets viewing figures in the tens of thousands.
As to your caricatures of Steve Backshall, what can I say? You would have been better drawing Desperate Dan with brown hair and stubble and that would have been a better likeness.
(Marko)
Whether or not the kids recognize him isn't really relevant to the gag though. The strip explains that it's someone who thinks he's encountered the weirdest wildlife on the planet, only to meet something totally off the wall. It's designed so it can be understood by anyone, regardless of whether they know who Steve Backshall is.
But re: viewing figures. It wouldn't be the exact same 10,000 or so viewers every week for every series, and he's appeared on other shows too, and in magazines, so more kids would be aware of him than you might think.
I hate celebrities in comic strips. The Beano has plenty of characters it could bring back without putting celebs in it.
I think they just want a balance at present. There's nothing to say it has to remain that way forever.
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