When Comics Were Good…

4th August 2010 2 Comments


A few weeks ago I found these amongst the mountain of my toys in the garage. Yes, the Get Along Gang from the early 1980’s. If I remember correctly, these were gifts stuck to the front of the Get Along Gang comic. Those were the days weren’t they? A quality product stuck to the front of your comic a few times a year and George Michael in Jackie magazine. I also uncovered Smash Hits with all the words to Kylie and Jason’s classic track ‘especially for you‘. It was these comics and magazines which really encouraged me to read and learn about popular culture. They even encouraged me to look after my things properly, I still have Look- in magazine with ET on the front and my 3D glasses that were attached. I used to love looking at the fashions and imagining what I might wear when I got to fourteen or even eighteen. In fact, I still love looking at these comics whenever they resurface.

I don’t mean to moan again, but toddler boy has taken a real interest in obtaining comics recently. We have obliged on a few occasions, but nanny has positively indulged. Thus we have Beano, Doctor Who, Friends, Thomas, Spiderman, Ben 10 and all manner of toddler aimed but frankly rubbish comics. What has happened to kids comics? Every two weeks you appear to get a toy which falls apart within seconds resulting in tears and quite honestly there is nothing of value inside. You get adverts, inappropriate stories or posters with scary images and then at the end a nod to the intended age group in the form of a page of pictures drawn by readers. I have yet find a child who is more interested in the comic than the piece of plastic tat on the cover. That says it all really. Within a very short time the comic and the toy end up in the bin. Craft supplies would have been a better use of the money.

Now I know why old people always talk about the past being better, because, quite frankly it was.

Claire Walsh

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2 Comments

  • Juicytots 4th August 2010 at 7:33 pm

    Its aimed at slightly older kids but NGkids is really good, my 9yo son has been getting it for the last two years (birthday pressie was a subscription) and he has read them all cover to cover and kept them &amp; re-read them. Think thye are aimed at Age 6+.<br />Agree that most comics are utter tat though &amp; so expensive you could buy a book for the price of two comics.

  • Mark 5th August 2010 at 7:26 am

    Agree – most modern comics are rubbish. Interesting too that most are aimed at exploiting &#39;pester power&#39; and parent&#39;s willingness to pay for a moment,s peace. There are very few comics aimed at 8-10 year olds and even fewer for teens.<br /><br />There is quite a big market in nostalgia comics with reprint books of the best of Jackie and others

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