Dandy | Albion British Comics Database Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Korky cavortings, circa 1939 Typical Korky one-up-cat-ship In 1945, an unusual cover featured a one-off Keyhole Kate page one attraction. Artwork : Allan Morley The same 1945 issue saw Korky relegated to small back-page status. Special thanks to Dave Whit for supplying these unique images Fings ain't wot they used to be: the uber-modern Dandy of 2010 Ray Moore compiled the ultimate facts-and-figures guide regarding story appearances, dates of new and departing strips, etc. A lavishly authoritative work that is heartily reccommended to the true connoisseur of Dandy The Dandy (originally The Dandy Comic until July 1950), launched on December 4th 1937, was one of the longest running comic titles in the world, published by D.C. Thomson & Co, Ltd .

Alongside its sister title, The Beano , it has been a part of the childhood of several generations of British children, and characters such as Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat have become British icons. In the 1980s Dandy absorbed two lower selling titles, Nutty and Hoot . After the millennium its fortunes waned and it underwent several transformations intended to make it appeal more to the new generation of readers. From 2007, it was reduced to fortnightly frequency (something which had previously happened from September 1941 to July 1949, initially due to paper shortages caused by World War II), was retitled Dandy Xtreme, and was marketed as a lifestyle magazine for the under tens. It relaunched once again on Wednesday 27th October 2010, reverting to a more traditional weekly format, but the print edition was finally cancelled in 2012. The Dandy briefly continued online as a digital comic. A history of humour The Dandy's most recent incarnation was barely identifiable with its illustrious counterpart of 40 years ago and more, but considering that comic had run for over 70 years, this was doubtless inevitable.

Highlights and advantages within the radically updated 2010 version included an increased page-count (certainly in comparison to the 1960s version, which had 16 pages, only four of which were in colour) of no less than 32 full-colour pages. Uber-glossy paper stock was another modern upgrade, due partly to the fact that ever-dwindling circulation dictated that it was cheaper for D.C. Thomson to actually outsource the relatively small production runs to outside printing-presses. This move would have been simply unthinkable throughout the 'Glory 50s' period, when comic runs were known to reach the 'Golden Million-plus' mark in some celebrated cases. The upgraded and updated version of Dandy was chiefly notable for a radical shift in form of graphics: for the most part, there was a shift away from more typically-elaborate graphics (which may now be on the way out in terms of contemporary output: only time will tell) to more scaled-down, but experimental artwork that appeared to be more in tune with the 21st century comics approach.

The modern Desperate Dan in particular was a world away from the Watkins model, but this was probably better than continuing to reprint the originals, which seemed positively archaic alongside the material that the modern Dandy was producing. Indeed, even relatively recent entries like Cuddles and Dimples looked a tad dated in comparison to the no-holds-barred, post-modern look of the comic's update. In some respects, the artwork and story approach of the modern Dandy mirrored the output (if not quite so abrasive) of 1980s IPC comic-mag OINK! which featured much ahead-of-its time cartoon graphics and more 'earthy' humour. OINK! was even printed on lustrous paper-stock, another glaring similarity to the modern (2010) Dandy. Modern-day Beano is still, for the most part, true to the spirit of the Fifties and Sixties incarnations. The humour approach has turned a mite radical in what is acceptable within a kids' comic — body fluids and extreme violence like comically severed limbs can be depicted — but the overall tone of Beano is still in place.

However, in the case of Dandy, there was a complete overhaul and total change in direction, with only a few strips in the traditional vein, such as Harry Hill and Postman Prat . Almost everything else was utterly post-modern and fully unlike anything depicted within the comic in the past. In comparison to an issue from the late Sixties, or even late Eighties, the break was radical and uncompromising, to the point where the comic was wholly unrecognizable from its traditional past. Exactly what the contributers of Dandy's more traditional past (Watkins, Charlie Grigg, Eric Roberts, Jimmy Hughes, Bill Holroyd, etc) would have made of the post-modern version is open to question and probably irrelevan. However, in the interests of healthy and productive experimentation, the modern approach was certainly more daring and radical than anything that had gone before within its comic pages. Virtually all of the contemporary 2010 strips were brand-new and also featured the services of new-blood cartoon artists being given a good try-out.

Upon examination of a distant Dandy of forty or more years ago, the main differences from 2010 are in the larger-scale artwork (although some pages had a whopping five rows of panels) and sumptuously detailed frames of the sort that are simply not practical for the majority of today's more compactly-realized comics pages. Thus, although artists of the bygone period like Watkins and Grigg undoubtedly had a lot more space to fill (and consequently significantly more work on their plates) the artistic freedom they were offered in some cases (especially Grigg, whose front-page, large-scale Korky depictions almost always took full advantage of this approach) made for epic-style story depictions, in a way that is impossible for the much more cramped artwork turned out by the Dandy in 2010. Grigg's most impressive work included his 'serial-like' melodramas (the stuff of thrills and wonder) such as Captain Whoosh, The Umbrella Men and The Purple Cloud.

They were a world away from his more down-to-Earth Korky cavortings, so stylistically different from the cat's antics as to come as a surprise that these adventure-dramas were penned from the same nib as that of the Korky cover-artist. Further impressive work from Grigg was evident in his hyper-accomplished Dandy Book entries throughout the Sixties and early Seventies: spectacular two-page spreads consisting of a single large image, often depicting devastation and destruction on an almost cinematic scale. Grigg was artistically adept at alternating between slapstick representation and more moody, illustrative pieces. His work on Dandy during his long tenure is amongst the proudest and most impressive of the publication's considerable back-catalogue. Dudley D Watkins' chief contribution to the comic was, of course, Desperate Dan, and the Dandy is remarkable inasmuch that it was the only one of D.C. Thomson's 'big four' funny papers to opt out of having Watkins' masterly skills grace the coveted front page of the title.

( Beano had Biffo the Bear , Topper had Mickey the Monkey, and Beezer had Ginger, all by Watkins.) Nevertheless, Desperate Dan is often cited as being Watkins' own personal favourite strip amongst his wide and varied output, and there is no denying the sheer stature (in more ways than one) and wide-spread fame engendered by this Western character. His image is immortalized (along with that of Minnie the Minx) in D.C. Thomson's home city of bonnie Dundee, in the form of a looming 'life-sized' bronze statue. Any true comics fan planning a Mecca-like pilgrimage to Dundee simply has to visit this monument, which is located near the city centre. Usually full of frankly eccentric and joyous anarchic mishaps, (due in most part to Dan's well-meaning but destructive super-strength), this strip managed to establish its own fully-rounded and detailed individual fantasy world, even though the actual setting is contradictory and unlike any place on Earth at any period in history.

For example, Dan's home town of Cactusville is clearly inspired and derived from the 1880s-styled old American West, complete with gun-toting local Sheriff, and the local populace dress as was customary within those times. However, we often see (in the definitive Watkins version, at any rate) decidedly British-style pillar boxes, archaic street lamps more akin to Victorian Britain, and also 1930s-styled tramcars of the type commonly seen in Britain in the first half of the 20th century. As this is obviously a fantasy strip, we can forgive these inaccuracies — and, indeed, these supposed flaws actually enhance the strip's surreal qualities. Dan shaves with a blowtorch and devours basin-sized cow-pies (the term 'cow-pie' has an unfortunately different connotation in the USA), complete with throw-away horns and tail extending from the 'delicacy'. Much destruction is wrought upon the local facilities due to Dan's unthinking, impulsive antics, although in no way could he be described as an ill-intentioned 'vandal' in the sense we encounter in UK life today.

Some early strips depicted a mistreatment of animals that is shocking and alarming to some modern eyes. Dan was seen to kill crows in mid-flight, skin a whale for a gargantuan meal, and even head-butt charging wildebeest to death in some of the more extreme cases! Some of the stories branched out into 'continued-next-week' territory, although these tales were more connected items with a common theme rather than more commonly-seen 'cliffhanger' escapades. These scripts included extended appearances from Dan's unruly pet dog (a street-sussed mutt forever getting one over old Dan), Dan's pet ostrich (especially memorable, that one] and an extended odyssey where Dan encounters some of his long-lost relatives, one of whom turns out to be a bear. There were many supporting characters, but the key players were Dan's overbearing Aunt Aggie (the only being on the planet that Dan appears to fear) and his niece and nephew Katie and Danny, who sport jutting the jutting jaw-line that is obviously carried on within the family gene-pool.

Danny and Katie's main reason-to-be was as the impish instigators of elaborate practical jokes, in their attempts to bunk off school, or get one over on old Dan as part of their eternal quest to ridicule him. The final Watkins-drawn Dan strip of 1969 reputedly featured a story involving the bristle-chinned one felling an apple tree. Following Watkins' passing in July of that year, long-time Dandy editor Albert Barnes perhaps wisely felt that there was no-one in existence who was fit to fill the master's shoes, and the slot was filled with reprints of earlier Watkins episodes. (Indeed, ancient Watkins Desperate Dan reprints were still surfacing in the second decade of the 21st century in one form or another.) Early in the Seventies, fairly decent Desperate Dan updates courtesy of the highly-skilled pen of Charlie Grigg were put out and few complained. Indeed, Grigg's Desperate Dan stories of the Dandy Books in particular were epic works that fully utilized large-scale frames, serving up comic shenanigans on par with the Watkins version.

For the most part within the comic, however, it was back to tried-and-trusted Desperate Dan reprints: however, in the outside world, the sphere of comics were evolving and exploring new avenues, and even the somewhat stuffy-and-staid Dandy itself would change, but not until well into the 1980s. For the meantime, though, it was business as usual within the comic, even if a further blow in the shape of the loss of Davey Law (who became ill in 1970) meant that another long-running strip (the colour Corporal Clott of the centre pages) was to lose its illustrious creator. The final issue Another key artist to leave a massive imprint was Bill Holroyd , whose personal brand of unrestrained cartoonery must surely have been familiar to literally millions of readers over an extended period. Very early Dandy contributions from this zestfully boisterous artist included the Highlander high-jinks of Plum MacDuff , and also the magical misfires of the mystical Wuzzy Wiz ("Magic is his biz!"). Although Holroyd's style of drawing barely budged in the decades he worked for D.C.

Thomson, his instantly-recognizable trademark artwork delivered much comical and unpretentious belly-laughs as his often gracelessly hilarious characters went about their unrefined business, in a solidly-hewn, raucous manner that was as typical of Dandy cavortings as any other contribution by any other artist. His panels were crammed with endless comic detail and incident, and if curiously old-fashioned-seeming even at the height of his creative powers, his work was consistently reliable and delivered much of the quality expected from the comic's readership. Holroyd's most memorable creation for the comic was undoubtedly Brassneck , the absurdly hilarious tales of a 'schoolboy' robot who is advanced in technology enough as to act as a free-thinking individual, and who merrily joins in the cricketing and football games of his flesh-and-blood sidekick, Charlie Brand.

Much of the storylines revolved around the typical outdoor pranks and japery so beloved of the Dandy of this period, and one diversion typical to this strip was the deserved comeuppance of the bullying, brawny teacher Snodgrass, who falls foul in his small-time tyrannical aims to scupper the enjoyable pranks so beloved of Brassneck and Charlie. Further Holroyd gems of this era included the succinctly comic Spunky and his Spider , which emerged in 1969: this was another two-pager which recounted the everyday hokum-like antics encountered by young Spunky Webster, and his most unusual pet: the dog-sized domesticated pet spider, 'Scamper'. Scamper, of course was designed to be appealing to readers and bears absolutely no resemblence to the alienating horrors of a true-life arachnid: indeed, he more resembles a cuddly monkey who just happens to possess eight legs and a pair of twitching antennae.

The scripts were more solidly down-to earth farcical fare, of the 'scrumping apples' and 'tightrope-walking-out-in-the-back-garden' variety, which was clearly the sort of script expected, as they were submitted for Barnes' inspection. Holroyd diversified his absurdist drawings further in 1973 when he unleashed his long-running creation Jack Silver : this epic opus is set on a distant planet, Marsuvia. Without doubt Holroyd's most visually-bizarre entry ever, the sights and sounds of this outrageous otherworld are represented by strange alien animals of every size and shape, and also oddly archaic (yet paradoxically futuristic) technology like Fifties-looking jet spacecraft. All of this is recounted in the weekly tales as experienced by Curly Perkins, who had been brought to Marsuvia courtesy of the big-eared Jack Silver's personal spacecraft.

For a planet of such truly alien exotica, Marsuvia is represented by beings and situations that can only appear within an Earth-bound comic such as Dandy, and the majority of the slapstick depictions are clearly representative of the 'Planet Dandy', right down to the Fifties-styled school cap sported by the strip's titular character. Jack Silver clearly gives the impression of being among Holroyd's personal favourites, as the unbridled exuberance exhibited in this work leaps from the page. Initially in red-and-pink interior colour-scheme, the strip proved a surefire winner with readers, and eventually gainered full-colour centre-page status, which is the incarnation that most readers remember. The end of an era The final issue of The Dandy as a print comic, issue #3610 (a 100 page special including a pull-out replica of the first ever issue), went on sale on 4th December 2012, ending a 75 year run that brought fun and laughter to generations of children, though the comic continued in an online digital format for a further thirteen editions until June 2013.

The Dandy: Comic will be printed for final time on its 75th birthday... before going online | Daily Mail Online comments The final printed issue of the UK’s longest-running children’s comic will be released on its 75th birthday in December, its publishers have said. The Dandy, best known for cartoon character Desperate Dan, is being pulled from shelves following a drop in circulation in recent years. Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson said the comic will still be available online and it has 'exciting plans in the pipeline' to take it in a 'different direction'. Ellis Watson, chief executive of the company’s newspaper and magazine publishing operations, said: 'Dan has certainly not eaten his last cow pie.

Scroll down for video 'Struggled in digital age': The very first The Dandy comic (left) was published on December 4, 1937, and the brand was still going strong nearly ten years later (right), but has suffered a serious slump in modern times Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson said the comic will still be available online and they have 'exciting plans in the pipeline' to take it in a 'different direction' 'All of The Dandy’s characters are just 110 days away from a new lease of life.' The decision comes after DC Thomson announced it was carrying out a review of all of its magazine titles due to 'challenges' being faced by the publishing industry. It was prompted by falling circulation numbers, with only about 8,000 copies of The Dandy being sold a week, down from more than 2million during its peak in the 1950s. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The Dandy, which launched in 1937, has featured characters such as Bananaman, Korky the Cat, Cuddles and Dimples, and Beryl the Peril.

The last edition of the comic will be released at the beginning of December to mark its official 75th anniversary and will include a reprint of the first edition of The Dandy. Mr Watson said: 'On December 4, we’ll publish our 75th anniversary edition - and now that the cat’s out of the bag - I can confirm that this will be our last print edition. Cartoon capers: At its most popular between the 1950s and the 1980s, the adventures of cow pie-eating Desperate Dan (above) and Korky the Cat sold two million copies a week 'It’s what comes online then that will set the tone for the next 75 years and that’s why I’m so livid these plans nearly leaked. 'I’m absolutely livid that we’ve had an internal leak about what’s in the pipeline for one of our most popular titles. 'We’re counting down 110 days until the big 75th anniversary bash and we’re working on some tremendously exciting things. 'I’ve closed down loopholes to ensure much tighter internal security.

'We’ve heard about people trying to find out the plans by hacking into so we’ve taken it all offline and moved into core project offices. We’re in lockdown.' DC Thomson said the Dandy Annual will continue to be printed and the 2013 edition is already on the shelves. A book celebrating the 75th anniversary of The Dandy was launched at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this week and the comic will also feature in exhibitions at the National Library of Scotland and the Cartoon Museum. A series of re-launches has failed to regenerate the comic's sales; right, the Dandy's long-time rival and sister title, The Beano A bronze statue of Desperate Dan stands in Dundee city centre, alongside Minnie the Minx, from The Dandy’s sister title The Beano. A spokesman for the Dundee-based publisher said: ‘There are many challenges within the industry at present, but we’re excited that the digital revolution has also given us an opportunity to innovate and develop.

‘We’re confident that future generations will continue to enjoy our much-loved products and characters.’ Despite outlasting other once-popular comics, including The Beezer and The Topper, a series of recent relaunches have failed to regenerate The Dandy’s sales. In 2007, it was rebranded as Dandy Xtreme, a fortnightly version of the comic, and in 2010 its creators introduced celebrity-themed strips starring well-known figures such as Simon Cowell and Jeremy Clarkson. But sales continued to fall, dropping by 50 per cent between 2010 and 2011. Britain’s most popular comic The Beano has also struggled in recent years. According to the most recent figures, its circulation was only 38,000 at end of 2011. Anita O’Brien, curator of the Cartoon Museum in London, said comics have struggled to keep up in the digital age. She said: ‘Kids have other things to spend their time and money on these days like playing computer games and things like that.

‘We do workshops and lots of kids want to create their own stories and do enjoy reading them, but there are definitely challenges.’ VIDEO: The classic comic has seen a dramatic drop in readers... The Dandy (Comic Book) - TV Tropes Comic Book You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Timeline Desperate Dan himself. The Dandy was a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom , running several different stories and characters. Published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd . The first issue was printed in 1937, making it the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino. The first issue, under the name The Dandy Comic, was published on 4 December 1937. It was published weekly until September 6th 1941, when wartime paper shortages forced it to switch to fortnightly, alternating with The Beano. It returned to its weekly schedule on 30 July 1949. From 17 July 1950, the magazine changed its name to just The Dandy.

After issue 3282 (October 16th 2004) The Dandy underwent a radical format change, reflecting a more television-oriented style, and now printed on glossy magazine paper instead of newsprint. In August 2007 (issue 3426), The Dandy had another update, becoming the fortnightly comic Dandy Xtreme . It cost £2.75 (with some issues costing up to 2.99 depending on how many gifts there were). It then reverted back to its original comics form, albeit retaining the more glossy paper, in November 2010 and cost £1.99 a week. The print version of the comic ceased publication on its 75th anniversary in December 2012; an online version lasted just 13 issues before the comic ended for good in July 2013. However the The Dandy Annual will continue to be published for the forseeable future.

Conversely, there were Comic Book Adaptations of Our Gang (1937-47) and Potsworth & Company (1993-94) Art Evolution : The comic has incorporated more variation in the art styles of various strips in recent years, most noticeably using simple, super-cartoony art by people like Jamie Smart, which leads to some characters looking like Super-Deformed versions of their earlier selves. Desperate ◊ ◊ , for example. Hell, since the comic is such a Long Runner with so many characters (Korky, Dan, Keyhole Kate) dating right back to the beginning, it's inevitable that this is evident everywhere. Artifact Title : Desperate Dan was originally a desperado. His name has lost some meaning since then. Big Eater : Hungry Horace, Tom Tum, Plum Mac Duff , Greedy Pigg... that's at least four characters who have this as their entire gimmick. There's also Desperate Dan, who shows this in his love for massive Cow Pies note A Cow Pie is, apparently, an entire cow inside a pie, with the horns and tail sticking out.

In fact, in both this comic and The Beano , almost all of the characters seem to crave large meals (often referred to as a "slap up feed" ). Traditionally, such a "slap up feed" (often depicted as a massive pile of mashed potatoes with sausages sticking out of it, but sweets, pies and cakes are also popular) was the usual reward at the end of a strip if the characters won whatever contest or outsmarted whichever opponent appeared in the plot that week, and it still crops up today. There's a fascinating historical context to this: World War II happened early in the development of these comics, when rationing and hardship meant that the idea of being able to gorge on large meals or piles of sweets actually was something for the children reading the comics to dream of. Boisterous Bruiser : Desperate Dan. In his early days he was something of a Jerkass , but he's quietened down over the years Blatant Lies : The 2013 summer special was called The Last Ever Dandy Summer Special, it's release coming six months after the weekly comic's demise. However, The Dandy Summer Special 2014 would later appear. Last Ever?

I don't think so! Canon Discontinuity : In December 2012, they launched a digital Dandy to replace the closed down print comic. It rebooted at the end of March 2013 because the original attempt had been littered with technical bugs, such as stories stretching beyond the frame making them un-navigable, and loading problems. Some stories were shuffled around in the re-released issues, for example, the Desperate Dan story originally in issue 1 is now in issue 2, because issue 1 used a new one. Cerebus Syndrome : Inverted : early on, it featured short stories (usually illustrated) as well as comics, and these tended to be serious and dramatic rather than humorous. They vanished over time to be replaced by Gag Series , but the new digital version promises to bring the drama back with a resurrection of ancient superhero character Mister X and a Nancy Drew -inspired take on Keyhole Kate. Cool and Unusual Punishment : New favorite Kid Cops always ends in one of these. Cool Pet : Dan has an elephant at one point, and a fierce cat that may have been a baby leopard. Just for the hell of it.

Comics Merger : Merged with Hoot and Nutty (original home of Bananaman ). Deconstructive Parody : Early Hitler satire, Addie and Hermie. Early Installment Weirdness : Cuddles and Dimples were originally neighbours before they were changed into brothers. Expy : The Smasher looks really suspiciously similar to Dennis the Menace from supposed rival comic The Beano , even though his personality is different. Depending on who you ask, Hector Spectre is either an expy or a Spiritual Successor to an earlier character called Edd Chumley, who appeared in a strip called Meet Edd: He's A Ghost in The Beezer and Topper . Both strips involved headless ghosts in Elizabethan get-up with rural dialects and accompanied by a grey cat, both drawn by David Mostyn. The main difference was that Hector haunted a stately home, whereas Edd's home was said to be long since demolished. It's likely that a different main character was created as Edd looked very much like a male version of Molly. Friend to All Children : Desperate Dan is always solving the neighbourhood kids' problems in ridiculous, over-the-top ways.

Funny Animal : Korky the Cat is a classic example. ◊ . For a time, he lived next door to an annoying man named Mr Dagget, whose entire shtick was that he thought he was an ordinary cat who did ordinary cat things. All evidence to the contrary, of course, but this meant that events conspired to have Korky tangled in string or holding a pigeon, only for Dagget to walk in. Generation Xerox : Dan's family tend to be rather hale and hearty, as well as having an Uncanny Family Resemblance . This gets exceptionally disturbing when you meet Desperate Gran . Gentle Giant : Desperate Dan. Also Characterization Marches On - in the early strip, he was a desperado (as his name implies) and willing to use violence. Nowadays, he's a much better-natured guy (although you do NOT want to make him mad ). The new Dandy has also seen more than one Affectionate Parody of some British Series , such as Deal or No Deal and Dragon's Den . No Fourth Wall : As with The Beano , characters from The Dandy have been known to have a chat now and then with their writers and artists.

In one Dandy Book, Dan's greatest enemies Dangerous Dan McGrew and Cactusman managed to hold the editor of The Dandy hostage, so that they would always win. Naturally, they didn't succeed and Dan managed to pull a few strings with the editor of The Beano . The last page of Dan's story showed the two baddies on the cover of the latest issue of The Beano , reduced to picking daisies , where a certain spiky-haired youth observed them from a distance... Power-Up Food : Aunt Aggie's cow pies do fall under this category somewhat. Played straight with Bananaman, who's normally a weedy schoolboy called Eric Wimp until he eats a banana and transforms. Race Lift : In the digital comic's story Retro Active, Kat has dark skin. She's actually a successor to Billy the Cat 's former sidekick Katie, who is white. Rage Against the Author : Korky's strip in the final issue involves him going up to "The Dandy editor" (represented in this strip by a ginger cat) and asking why he never appears in the comic anymore, although it's really more of a whine than a rage.

Also features a hilarious parody of We're Still Relevant, Dammit! when Korky is told he can only be a star again if he becomes "cool" with the addition of a robot arm, laser eye, face tattoo and skateboard. The Rival : Since The '80s , Desperate Dan and Bananaman have had an on-again, off-again (i.e. whenver the writer for either strip can't think of anything and needs to spin a story out for a few weeks) rivalry to see who's the Dandy's Strongest Man . Robot Maid : The premise of the Tin Lizzie strip, which appeared in the 1950s. Spoiled Brat : Molly. Who has doormat parents. Stubborn Hair : Desperate Dan is always depicted with very tough stubble which in extremis he can use to file or grind metal. He has to shave with a blowtorch and a sharpened spade when he needs to tidy up. Suddenly Voiced : Desperate Dan in the digital title. Surprisingly NOT Bananaman , even though he once had a TV series.

Take That : The Beano and The Dandy have a friendly rivalry which often involves taking popshots at each other (e.g. characters being threatened with the possibility of getting sent to the other comic). Ugly Guy, Hot Wife : Cuddles and Dimples' parents after their 2004 redesign. We All Live in America : Desperate Dan is technically American, but the comic comes from a very British perspective. World's Strongest Man : Desperate Dan. One memorable strip (reproduced in the Beano and Dandy 50 Golden Years book) shows various exotic strongmen from countries all over the world competing, each of them lifting up huge weights, other people or even an elephant...only to reveal that Dan has tunnelled up from beneath and is holding up the podium, all the strongmen and everything they're lifting as well! Xylophones for Walking Bones : Eddie Potter had a strip where the titular character holds Pop Idol style talent show auditions at his school, which is populated by macabre creatures including werewolves and living skeletons. One of the acts involves a group of skeletons using their own bones as musical instruments. :: Indexes :: Did You Know?

- Beano, Dandy and Other D C Thomson Comics Did You Know? - Beano, Dandy and Other Comics Desperate Dan Background The Dundee-based publishing company D C Thomson is best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph and The Sunday Post newspapers. Its success made it one of the "Three Js", the traditional summary of Dundee industry ('jam, jute and journalism'). While its newspapers form a major part of its business it has long been associated with producing popular comic books for youngsters. D. C. Thomson's first boys' story paper was with Adventure in 1921. The success of this paper led to five further publications, The Rover and The Wizard in 1922, The Vanguard in 1924, The Skipper in 1930 and The Hotspur in 1933. Although The Vanguard folded in 1926, the others were a great triumph and became known as "The Big Five".

The company also introduced popular picture strips into its Sunday Post newspaper with such characters as "Oor Wullie" (with his catch phrases of "Jings", "Crivvens", "Braw" and "Help ma Boab") and "The Broons". Then came the "Dandy" (Britain's longest running comic) and the "Beano" (still a major seller). Statues have been erected in Dundee to celebrate Desperate Dan and his dog and Minnie the Minx which were spawned by these publications and in March 2012, the Royal Mail issued a set of postage stamps to mark the 75th anniversary of the first edition of the "Dandy" later in 2012. The stamps incorporated illustrations from other famous of the D C Thomson comics such as Bunty, Twinkle, and Topper (see below), as well as a few other rival comics (such as Eagle, 2000AD, Tiger and Valiant) that have come and, in some cases, gone.

The Royal Mail publicity for the stamps commented "The Dandy, celebrating its 75th birthday this year, and The Beano, which will do likewise next year, are almost British institutions and it feels appropriate to celebrate these comics and their characters." Dandy The first issue of the Dandy was printed in December 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic. There have been over 3,500 issues (during World War II, The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink rationing). The longest running strips were Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat who both started in the comic's first issue. Desperate Dan's lantern jaw is said to be based on the comic's early editor Albert Barnes. There is an online site for Dandy . Beano The Beano was first published on 30 July 1938. The Beano's main characters over the years have been Dennis the Menace (who didn't appear until 1951), Minnie the Minx, Bash Street Kids, Roger, the Dodger and Lord Snooty.

In the 1950s sales of the Beano topped 2 million a week, distributed across the UK and although the number of copies has fallen from their peak, the Beano remains the UK's biggest selling comic. There have been over 3,500 issues. The Beano takes its name from the English word beano which can be loosely interpreted as "a good time" (a "bean feast" was an annual feast given to workmen by their employers in 19th century England). There is an online site for Beano . Bunty Bunty was aimed at young girls and was first published in January 1958 and lasted until 2001 after 2,249 issues. It featured characters such as the Four Marys, Second-Hand Sue, Moira the Swimming Marvel, Moira Kent (an aspiring ballerina) and Lorna Drake. It also included letters pages, competitions, featured readers, puzzle pages, promotions, next-week previews or advertisements. The back page, initially featured a cut-out doll and paper clothes, which eventually gave way to a wall-poster.

"The Four Marys" was the longest story the comic ran, appearing from its creation in 1958 to its end in 2001, centred around four young teenagers who lived in a girls-only boarding school. When the strip started, public boarding schools were common, but as time went on, they became less accessible to Bunty's general audience. Twinkle Twinkle was aimed at young girls and was introduced by Twinkle herself and featured comic strips, dress-up dolls, a Twinkle Club letters page, and puzzles. Among the most popular comic strips were Nurse Nancy, Jenny Wren, Witch Winkle, Polly's Magic Paintbox, Goldilocks and her Three Bears, My Baby Brother, The Three Pennys, Patsy Panda, Patty Pickle, Sally Sweet, Molly and her Dollies and Dandy Lion. It was published from January 1968 to 1999 (1612 issues). Topper Topper was launched in 1953, with a larger than normal paper size.

Although Mickey the Monkey was on the cover of the first issue, it was Beryl the Peril (a female counterpart of Dennis the Menace in the Beano) who became the main character in this comic. During its lifetime (from 1953 to 1990), it absorbed comics such as Buzz and Sparky and reduced in size to the more normal A4 dimensions. In 1990 it merged with the Beezer to form "The Beezer and Topper" ("two comics in one!") which continued to 1993. Other Popular Comics I still remember the excitement leading up to the launch of the Eagle comic in April 1950. The first edition of 900,000 copies was a sell-out thanks to heavy advertising beforehand. Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future was soon a firm favourite. Published by the Hulton Press, it had 20 pages, many in full colour and initially was printed on better quality paper than its rivals at the time. The detailed cut-out drawings in the centre pages illustrated how anything from a jet engine to an aircraft carrier was designed and worked.

And there were fun cartoons too, with Captain Pugwash a firm favourite who later came back from the dead in a UK TV series. Sales reached a million at its peak but it fell into decline in the 1960s and merged with the Lion in 1969. The Eagle flew again on its own in 1969 but only survived for another 11 years. 2000AD, published by IPC Magazines, styled itself as "The Galaxy's Greatest Comic" and was launched in 1977 and is still being published after more than 1,750 issues later. to benefit from an interest in science fiction after the Star Wars films increased interest in the genre. Initially is had a series of Dan Dare adventures (see above in the section on Eagle etc) but it was a zero-tolerance future-cop Judge Dredd that became the star. The comic is still popular and is available not only on the news-stand but in digital form as well. Use the "Back" button on your browser or click here to return to the Index of "Did You Know?" Where else would you like to go in Scotland?

Links Pages The Dandy | UK Comics Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Dandy's very first issue. Cover of the January 28 2006 issue of The Dandy, following the 2004 revamp. Original guise Edit Having experimented with including short comic strips in their story papers, and successfully launched the "Fun Section" of the Sunday Post in 1936, DC Thomson launched their first weekly comic, The Dandy, in December 1937, inaugurating what is generally seen as the "golden age" of British comics. Although it followed the customary format of British comics of the day, combining humor strips, adventure strips and prose stories, The Dandy abandoned the customary, and usually redundant, text narration that accompanied most British comic strips at that time, and told stories largely in pictures and dialogue. Its social politics were more contemporary than its rivals, reflecting the inequalities of 1930s society. [1] Overseen by managing editor R. D. Low , The Dandy was edited from its launch by Albert Barnes , who held the position until his retirement in 1982.

[2] Its cover star was " Korky the Cat ", drawn by Jimmy Crighton . The other opening strips included " Desperate Dan ", drawn by Dudley D. Watkins , and " Hungry Horace ", drawn by Allan Morley . During the war, paper shortages pushed it into a fortnightly schedule, released on alternating weeks with The Beano . [3] Other well-known strips include " Black Bob " (1944-82), originally drawn by Jack Prout ; " Winker Watson " (1961-2007), originally drawn by Eric Roberts , and " Bully Beef and Chips " (1967-2010), originally drawn by Jimmy Hughes . David Torrie took over as editor in 1982. [2] "Desperate Dan" replaced "Korky the Cat" on the cover in 1984. [4] It absorbed Nutty in 1985, bringing characters like " Bananaman " then Hoot in 1986, whose star " Cuddles " was combined with The Dandy's " Dimples " into a new strip, " Cuddles and Dimples ".

" Beryl the Peril ", formerly of The Topper , was co-opted into The Dandy in 1993. For a period in 1999 " Cuddles & Dimples " replaced Desperate Dan as the cover star. A later format saw Dan's strip appearing on the front, while an image another character from the comic alongside - for example, issue 3216 had " Ollie Fliptrick " dominating the cover, while issue 3220 used " Blinky ". 21st century redesigns begin... Edit In 2004 the comic was given an overhaul, [5] with a trendy new look influenced by the likes of Cartoon Network and anime. There was no longer a fixed cover star: already by this time Desperate Dan was occasionally shifted off the cover spot by the likes of Cuddles and Dimples and Bananaman , [6] but now he would also compete for prime place with low-trousered sprog Jak , who generally emerged as the comic's face during this period.

Cover of the March 27 2010 issue of The Dandy Xtreme, depicting characters from the DreamWorks animated film How to Train your Dragon. The Dandy Xtreme Edit In 2007 it was rebranded as the comic-cum-magazine The Dandy Xtreme [7] . This change occured with issue 3426; the chief distinction between The Dandy and The Dandy Xtreme (aside from the shift from weekly to fortnightly publication) is that the Xtreme version had a greater emphasis on magazine-style features such as video game coverage, competitions and guides to making fake poo. [8] This approach was particularly apparent early on in Xtreme's existence: in the first issue the comics were relegated to a 16-page pull-out, the remaining 20 pages of the publication being a kids' magazine. [9] This format was dropped later, with comics and mag features being interspersed throughout the whole thing. New strips introduced during the Xtreme period include " The Bogies ", based on a collectable toy, and " Doctor Loo ".

The approach to cover stars also changed when the comic became Xtreme: the first issue featured not Desperate Dan , Korky the Cat or even Jak as the centrepiece on the front, but Bart Simpson, as the issue covered The Simpsons Movie. Later issues have picked the likes of Lara Croft, Sonic the Hedgehog and Anakin Skywalker as their cover stars. Just plain Dandy again Edit Issue 3508, the first of the post-Xtreme era. In October 2010, with issue 3508, the Xtreme name and magazine format were discarded, and the publication became a weekly comic again. The strips were given an overhaul: "Desperate Dan", now drawn by Jamie Smart , "Korky the Cat", "Bananaman" and "The Bogies" all remained in one form or another (with "Doctor Loo" returning a few weeks later) but were joined by a wealth of new strips.

" Harry Hill's Real-Life Adventures in TV Land " became the flagship title with its central character - a cartoon version of the comedian Harry Hill - serving as cover star (although, again, this was something of a revolving spot - some weeks saw Desperate Dan or Bananaman replace him) This new Dandy paid tribute to its heritage, however, with decades-old strips " Harry and his Hippo " and Sparky 's " Thingummy Blob " later being brought out of retirement and Greedy Pigg and Bully Beef returning for cameo appearances. The digital Dandy Edit The last revamp did not improve sales, which were stuck around the 8,000 a week mark, and at the end of 2012, on its 75th anniversary, The Dandy was cancelled as a print publication, and relaunched in a new online format, combining limited animation with a traditional panels-and-balloons format. This incarnation of the comic features the established cast - including Desperate Dan, Bananaman, Blinky and Brassneck - along with some new spins on lesser-used characters.

The Numskulls were imported from The Beano, with Jamie Smart providing art; Keyhole Kate was reinvented as a schoolgirl detective; and "Retro Active" repackaged old superhero characters such as The Amazing Mr. X . At the time of writing the digital Dandy is on hiatus and its future is unclear. Although it was reported cancelled, [10] DC Thomson issued a statement that it is not necessarily gone for good. [11] In addition, Dandy annuals are set to continue for the forseeable future. Features BBC NEWS | UK | Dandy comic sold for record price Dandy comic sold for record price The auctioneers had expected between ï¿½7,000 and ï¿½9,000 A rare edition of The Dandy comic book has been sold for a record ï¿½20,350 according to the auctioneers who handled the sale. An anonymous collector from Essex bought the first edition Dandy, the free gift it originally came with and a flyer advertising its release. It is the highest price paid for a British comic at auction.

The same collector also set the previous record by spending ï¿½12,100 for a copy of the first edition of Beano. It looks like it was placed in the newsstand yesterday Malcolm Phillips Auctioneer The Dandy was first published on 4 December 1937 by DC Thompson, which also publishes Beano. The first book featured the debut of Korky the Cat, who along with Desperate Dan and Keyhole Kate, became a favourite character to millions of children across Britain. Malcolm Phillips, managing director of Comic Book Postal Auctions, which handled the sale, said the comic sold on Tuesday night was extremely rare and in excellent condition. "It looks like it was placed in the newsstand yesterday," he said. The Whistler Only 10 copies of the comic's first edition are known to exist, but the free gift - a metal whistler - sold in the auction is the only one to have survived. "The whistler still works. I know because I've whistled on it myself," Mr Phillips said. The company had expected the comic to fetch between ï¿½7,000 and ï¿½9,000.

Mr Phillips said: "There were 10 serious bidders, most of whom starting dropping out when the price reached ï¿½15,000." He said the buyer wished to remain anonymous. "He's now got one of the best collections in the country, but he'd like not to have too much publicity." Both free gifts are said to still work after nearly 70 years A copy of the second edition of The Dandy, published a week later with a free jumping frog toy, sold at the same auction for almost ï¿½4,000. Dandy became officially recognised as the world's longest running comic in 1999, with the publication of its 3,007th issue. "Generations of kids have laughed, smirked and roared with laughter at ... these comics," Mr Phillips said. "[Because of this sale] the bar is now much higher for British comics' valuation. It's slowly putting British comics on the world map." Dandy There are no items in your shopping cart. Dandy Dandy Comic The Dandy is a British children's comic published by D. C. Thomson & Co.

Ltd of Dundee, which was first issued on 3 December (dated 4 December) 1937, and is currently the longest running comic in the world, which it became as of issue 3007 (dated 10 July 1999). This beat the previous record holder, Comic Cuts, which ran for 3006 issues between 17 May 1890 - 12 September 1953. The original editor was Albert Barnes- legend has it that Desperate Dan's chin was based on Albert's own chin. He was succeeded by Dave Torrie in 1980, before Dave went to edit The Beezer when he was in turn succeeded by current editor Maurice Heggie. There have been several long-running strips over the years. The longest running strip in The Dandy is Desperate Dan who has been in all issues since the first one in 1937, bar a brief period in 1997 where he 'left' The Dandy, only to return for the comic's 60th anniversary issue in that year.

Korky the Cat also featured in the first issue, and despite being quietly dropped in January 2005, he returned in November and still makes regular appearances in The Dandy today. Nutty merged with The Dandy in 1985, followed by Hoot in 1986. An 8 foot bronze statue of Desperate Dan stands in the centre of his birthplace - Dundee. A first issue of The Dandy, complete with free gift, sold for a record ï¿½20,350 on 7 September 2004; the highest price ever paid for a British comic at an auction As from issue 3282 (dated 16 October 2004) in an attempt to boost sales, The Dandy underwent a radical format overhaul. The comic was turned towards a more television-oriented style, now printed on glossy magazine paper instead of newsprint. The price was raised from 70p to ï¿½1.20 (99p for the first two weeks), a new comic strip called Office Hours appeared, and two supposedly new ones also started, though were actually revivals from a few years earlier.

The first was Dreadlock Holmes, billed as The Dandy's first ethnic character (though this wasn't true either- Barney the Wonder Winger was the first back in the early-mid 1990s) and the second was Jak. The pictures were also increased in size. Originally, Korky the Cat occupied the front cover, but Desperate Dan took over in 1984. Cuddles and Dimples also occupied the front page between 1999 - 2000, when Dan reclaimed his spot on the cover (most likely due to public demand). With the advent of the 2004 relaunch there is no longer a comic strip on the cover, just a picture (usually of Jak). Even through these image changes Desperate Dan and Korky have remained in the comic. To find a particular magazine please Send Magazine Request or call 020 7439 8525 10-7pm (UK time) Dandy owner DC Thomson to end comic's printed edition - BBC News BBC News Dandy owner DC Thomson to end comic's printed edition 16 August 2012 Read more about sharing.

Close share panel Image caption DC Thomson said the final print edition would not mark the end of characters like Desperate Dan The publisher of one of the world's longest-running children's comics, The Dandy, has confirmed plans to stop printing the title. DC Thomson said printing would end with a special edition released on the comic's 75th anniversary on 4 December. Rather like the News of the World, the print edition is set to go out with a flourish. By Douglas FraserBusiness and economy editor, Scotland Hello! OK! More! (Or less) However, the Dundee-based company insisted it would not be the end of The Dandy or its characters. It said it had "exciting" online plans after sales slumped to 8,000 a week from a high of two million in the 50s. The Dandy, which launched in 1937, has featured characters such as Bananaman, Korky the Cat, Cuddles and Dimples, and Beryl the Peril, along with Desperate Dan. As well as issuing a special edition for the final print run, the comic will also include a reprint of the first edition of The Dandy.

DC Thomson's Ellis Watson said the company wanted to ensure the comic would be popular with future generations. Image caption The Dandy is set to disappear from the shelves by the end of the year Mr Watson explained: "We're counting down 110 days until the big 75th anniversary bash and we're working on some tremendously exciting things. "Dan has certainly not eaten his last cow pie. All of The Dandy's characters are just 110 days away from a new lease of life." A book celebrating the 75th anniversary of The Dandy was launched at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this week and the comic will also feature in exhibitions at the National Library of Scotland and the Cartoon Museum. A bronze statue of Desperate Dan stands in Dundee city centre, alongside Minnie the Minx, from The Dandy's sister title The Beano.

Question: Which cat featured in the Dandy comic?
Answer: Korky the Cat.