Ozzie and Barney a comic hit with the kids
Written by Administrator Saturday, 25 July 2009 15:25
SWFC NewsWednesdayite.com got hold of a copy and despite instantly being taken back to our younger Beano and Dandy days, we thought the fairest review would come from the comic's audience - some young Owls.
It's hard to describe the excitement on display when handing our young Sheffield Wednesday fans the surprise present of the new Ozzie and Barney comic - it's worth the £2.00 cover price in itself to see the surprise and delight on the kids' faces.
Our reviewers, Callum (aged 6), Kieron (aged 7) and Amy (aged 9) immediately sat around the comic - initially admiring the cover.
"Ozzie's scored a goal, look!" was Callum's immediate observation, whilst Kieron found amusement in the opposition players on the picture "And it's against Sheffield United!" Amy noticed Ozzie and Barney's kit: "They are wearing the new kit. It's got the hospital logo on it." Indeed, such is the level of detail on the artwork, the little touches like the sponsorship logos and crowd shot in the background really stand out.
We give the kids some time to have a read through, which they enthusiastically did - taking it in turns to read each of the comic strips in there and occasionally asking the adults to read certain parts for them.
In all, there are 16 individual comic strips in the magazine, which is the same size and quality of any comic you'd get in your local newsagent. Some of the strips are generic, such as 'On the bench' and futuristic 'Team Europa 2501', but the real excitement comes in the tailored pieces that feature the familiar icons, such as Ozzie and Barney themselves.
"Look, look, LOOK!" shouted Amy turning to the 'Player Profile' page. "It's Tommy!" A certain Mr. Spurr is Amy's favourite player, you see; and there he is, with all the details the kids really need to know about their idols - such as what their favourite jam is (Spurr's is apricot, by the way) and whether they prefer pizza or fish and chips.
T
he best was still to come on the next page, however - the 'A day to remember' feature. "I went to see this match" proclaimed Kieron, reading that the piece was about the Sheffield Wednesday Vs. Sheffield United match at Bramall Lane last February. The star of this strip though was the man himself - Tommy Spurr.
"It's Tommy's goal!" said Callum as Amy got even more excited, "Tommy's in the cartoon! It's him! That's right good!". The kids were in awe that they could see their blue-and-white idols in a cartoon, whilst us 'older' ones in the room (also quite impressed with the players being captured in the strip) were equally amused by the depictions of the United players - such as a brilliantly egg-headed Paddy Kenny in goal.
Other impressive features in the comic are full-page posters of players (Amy claimed Frank Simek, whilst Callum and Kieron are still arguing about over the Akpo Sodje poster), puzzles and even a 'Skills School' page, which shows how to do some of the moves the Owls perform on the pitch. Adults will even be impressed with some of the attention to detail, such as including The Children's Hospital into the Ozzie and Barney strip and the anti-bullying piece.
All in all, the comic is impressive and well made - but what did the kids have to say about it after reading?
What's your favourite bit of the comic?
Amy: "Tommy Spurr, it's right good that he got his own cartoon"
Callum: "Ozzie and Barney were right funny"
Kieron: "I liked all of it"
Did you enjoy reading it?
Callum: "Yes. I really liked it"
Amy: "It's funny and all of the cartoons are good"
Kieron: "Yeah, when is the next one out?"
Would you want the next one when it comes out?
Amy: "Yes. Especially if Tommy is in it again"
Kieron: "Yes, I want it now!"
Callum: "Yes. Are there going to be more players in the next one? It's right good"
So, I think we can conclude that the kids really enjoyed it. We were all certainly surprised by the quality of the comic and the fact it is so tailored to the club. We predict that 'Ozzie and Barney' will be a hit with all the young Owls out there!
'Ozzie and Barney' issue one will be officially launched by the mascots themselves at the Open Day tomorrow and is available for sale at the Megastore for the cover price of £2.00.
Hi Clive the comic is brilliant, good artwork and story lines, great for all soccer clubs to come on board with their own adtition.
Suggestion....
At some stage you could include a3 poster or larger of say the front page, or a soccer player, could be a collecters dream, the kids could do swops. like thay did years ago with playing cards.
Good luck Eric
