It's been exactly ten years today since The Dandy was revamped for a new generation of readers. Yes, 27th October 2010 was the day that The Dandy No.3508 arrived in newsagents, replacing its previous Dandy Xtreme format.
Dandy Xtreme had been an attempt to turn the long-running weekly comic into a boys' fortnightly magazine in the style of Egmont's successful Toxic. It didn't really work, and so another major revamp was used to turn The Dandy back into what it did best; being a weekly funny comic full of strips, not "gross" themed features! However, it was always going to be difficult to win back the readers who had left and appeal to the kids of 2010.
The Dandy's sales had been declining for years, and even with the best intentions the Xtreme makeover hadn't helped. Turning it back into a comic was the best idea, but making it look exactly like it had before the Xtreme revamp would have been pointless, because the old "traditional" look is where the sales decline had begun. If it was going to be revamped, it needed a bold contemporary new look and a totally fresh start.
The new-look Dandy that arrived ten years ago was practically a new comic in all but name. New logo, new design throughout, brand new characters and even printed on top quality paper. Old favourites Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat were still there, but had been completely updated by Jamie Smart and Phil Corbett. Other new artists and writers had been commissioned too. This was a radical revamp.
The cover star was now popular TV personality Harry Hill, thanks to popular cartoonist Nigel Parkinson, an artist who had contributed to The Dandy for years. You can read about the background to that over at Nigel's own blog here:
http://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-dandy-go-get-it.html
As for me, I was one of the relative newcomers to the comic. I'd never worked for The Dandy before (apart from a few Fun-Size editions 20 years ago) so I was over the moon to be commissioned to draw two new pages; Kid Cops and Postman Prat. Originally, scripts were supplied to be by freelance writers or the Dandy staff but later I scripted my own. (I was used to writing my own material although I'm happy to work with writers too if the scripts are funny, and the ones for The Dandy were!)
Reactions to the new Dandy were mixed, as you'd expect with any major revamp. Some people struggle with changes, even to comics! However, the vicious abuse that some artists received was uncalled for. Grown men posting hate about artists of children's comics? Quite pathetic really.
Other reactions were more calm and reasoned. Even if they didn't like what they saw, they understood that The Dandy wasn't aimed at 50 year old men. Pleasingly, a lot of people loved the revamp and the positive voices online certainly outnumbered the negative. See this link for more on that:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2010/10/fine-and-dandy-reactions-to-relaunched.html
Sadly even changing The Dandy back into a comic couldn't halt the decline in sales for long. The first issue did well when it was getting media publicity but not so well when it was out of the limelight and shops rapidly decreased their orders. Society is different to how it was when we were younger and this generation of children just haven't developed the habit of buying a comic every week. They can't be blamed for it as it's just how it is. The Beano has always survived because it's always had the advantage of a regular solid base of characters that loyal readers knew would be in the comic every week. The Dandy, like most other comics, always tended to shake up its contents every now and then, which is great for variety but can also upset readers who prefer consistency and familiarity. The changes to The Dandy had come too late to save it, but it was a valiant try.
The Dandy ended on its 75th anniversary in December 2012. Ironically that last issue completely sold out within days and had to go to a second printing to meet demand! Such is life in publishing. It was immediately relaunched as a digital comic but sadly it was somewhat "buggy" and folded after 13 weeks.
Some people blamed the contribitors for the comic's end, forgetting that sales were plunging years before the revamp. They insisted that a more old-school look would have saved it... but that never saved Beezer, Topper, Whizzer and Chips and every other "traditional" comic did it? Fact is, everything has its day, and instead of pointing the finger of blame perhaps we should celebrate that The Dandy lasted for 75 years, making it the second-longest running UK comic in history!
I felt it was a privilege to be part of The Dandy's long history as it was the first comic I had regularly when I was a child. Although The Dandy ended as a weekly comic in 2012 it has continued as a summer special (mostly reprint) and as The Dandy Annual (all new). The Dandy Annual 2021 is in the shops now, with four new double-page Postman Prat stories by me, so make sure you grab a copy and remember the old slogan... Always Keep A Dandy Handy!
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31 comments:
You are right, Lew! The Dandy didn't fail, it just come to a dignified end after 75 years.
And it was dignified! What a great last issue and certainly a labour of love from the talent from DCT.
Yes, I still miss The Dandy :( (and sorry, Beano. In my heart, you can't replace it.). But as they say: All good things come an end".
I am just glad that the summer special and annual still exist.
Always keep a Dandy handy!
And thanks doing this post, Lew. :D
Thanks Sid! A nice little tribute from you too.
It was always strange to me that The Beano was more popular to The Dandy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed and still occasionally enjoy The Beano, but the characters are all so similar - naughty kids, whereas in The Dandy you had so many different kinds of characters and styles, which interested me so much more.
I know what you mean Ben. I always liked The Dandy more, for the reasons you stated, and yet... I think it's the familiarity of the Beano characters that readers enjoy and, their relatability. We could all see our classmates reflected in The Bash Street Kids and Minnie etc, but who could relate to Corporal Clott or Brassneck? Even Smasher and Bully Beef were too violent to relate to.
Not that I'm saying kids *should* relate to comics characters, but that seems to be what the majority prefer. Personally I was the sort of kid who enjoyed the escapism of The Red Wrecker, the slapstick of Big Head and Thick Head and the over the top antics of Desperate Dan but most of my contemporaries always liked The Beano more.
Even in the 1990s when they put more kid characters in The Dandy they were perhaps more bizarre than the ones in The Beano.
Anyway, food for thought. Thanks for commenting!
I've always believed that the 2010-2012 version of the Dandy wasn't to blame for it's demise. It just never recovered from the Xtreme era, which was a mistake. Had it gone straight from the 2004 format to the 2010 style without the three years of Xtreme in between, might it's sales have remained closer to Beano's?
There was one positive to come out of Dandy's demise though - when Dandy ended, some of it's creators and staff (most notably Nigel Auchterlounie, who now writes Dennis and writes and draws Numskulls) moved to Beano, along with Bananaman. Beano only benefited from that influx of new talent.
Could the fact Dennis is so well known outside of comics with his cartoon show have helped Beano too? Either way, even though I wasn't the target audience I did buy the new look Dandy for quite a while and really enjoyed it. The paper quality was great too, which is clearly something adults would notice more than the kids, obviously. Such a shame it never recovered but the final issue was a lovely thing and glad it got to see out its anniversary in style.
Yes, the TV shows and merchandise have definitely helped the Beano in modern times. The Dandy never had a character who connected with the audience quite as well as Dennis. Even so, 75 years for a run of a comic is pretty amazing.
completely agree that, while I'm not 40, Dandy, in it's modern versions as well as old, wasn't aimed at my age. What I saw of Dandy Extreme was.. generic young kids magazine, of which there are tons.
When they relaunched.. I got that issue but.. really didn't appeal to me.. I have a fairly strong dislike of Harry Hill.. I have no real problem with comedian's I don't think are funny but.. when they just seam to be ripping off what older ones do badly.. to a point I would agree with 'TV personality' over comedian. and the new Dandy really pushed Harry Hill.. never seen or heard of any kid that was a big fan of his work, as it was less aimed to them.. not as much as Roy 'Chubby' Brown or anything, but wasn't Basil Brush. So that was weird..
the redesigns on some characters.. while I'm not fully against various styles, even some extreme ones, but.. not just the redesign but the whole style of Bannanaman just.. wasn't recognisable to me.. with Desperate Dan.. well.. can't say I've ever been a BIG fan.. Always felt they never knew what to do with the character.. first parody of western bandit, then hero of the west, then lives and is around modern day England, then lives in a modern day western town.. and mostly just do 'he is a bit dumb and very strong'.. though how dumb varies.. really, I can't say too much on his character cause.. it reminds me of Batman.. there isn't a character apart from whoever is writing at the moment decides (okay, not totally fair to the writers cause it's also editors and stuff but.. well… whatever).
While I think Dandy did have (at various stages) had strong characters which were defined enough to HAVE a solid character, but also loose enough to allow various bits (I guess I would say.. Korky the Cat, Keyhole Kate maybe but then, she wasn't a Dandy original so already built up.. ).., they didn't seam to really roll with them and give them the build up characters like Dennis did have.
of course when Dandy finished in press, they moved to Dandy Online which... well.. information is vary sparse on that and.. oh... I think things like there version of Keyhole Kate is better forgotten (sorry to the writers and artists but.. that wasn't Keyhole Kate).
and it seams a lot of people agreed cause.. they never really got anywhere with the online version just a slightly buggy website.. I think they were already on the ropes, which is why the huge change to extreme, but yeah.. surely didn't help if you just throw away the old readers in hope of new ones.
Keyhole Kate was a Dandy original, Ryan. She first appeared in Dandy No.1 way back in 1937.
Desperate Dan was very popular in his heyday. Cactusville's surreal mixture of the Wild West with suburban Britain was part of its charm. I don't think later readers quite got it, or may have been confused with it, which is why they changed it to a completely Western environment.
Ah yes.. of course.. She was in Dandy and THEN appeared in Sparky.. okay, I knew sparky was a much newer comic then Dandy but.. got a bit confused there ^_^
yeah, Dan was very popular but.. it never seamed to sit well with me, and while the changes had a fair bit of time between them, there did seam to be a fair bit over his history.. but really, it just didn't sit well with me cause there didn't seam to be too much to do with the character.. but then, I can't say I've read a large collection of Dan over the years..
An interesting rewrite of history there, but far from the facts. I believe that some critics of the new Dandy also came in for an extreme amount of abuse and vitriol so it wasn't entirely one-sided. Didn't Jamie Smart throw his rattle out of the pram and describe critics as "wretched, scabby vultures" and worse. The online response was more positive than negative? I'd say that's arguable, but it hardly matters. What counts is how readers responded to it, and they didn't like it or it would still be around. No one would argue that something needed to be done to the comic to reverse the slide in sales, but given the result, they clearly did the wrong thing in the wrong way. Well done for your creative re-imagining of events though.
Those particular critics did indeed behave like "wretched scabby, vultures". They didn't just criticise the work of Jamie and others. They made it personal and could dish it out but couldn't take it. Rather odd that you're defending trolls.
"they didn't like it or it would still be around" would therefore account for all the hundreds of other comics that have folded over the decades then? I'm afraid it's not that simple.
I'm not sure how you arrive at the conclusion I'm defending trolls, most of the negative reaction to the Dandy I saw was polite and constructive, whereas Jamie Smart's personal diatribe against those who failed to love his work seemed to be aimed at everyone who commented on the failure of the comic's relaunch. Personally, I'm against anyone who indulges in personal insults whatever side of the fence they're on, but from what I read most of the hate seemed to come from the Dandy supporters.
And yes, you're right, "they didn't like it or it would still be around" would therefore account for all the hundreds of other comics that have folded over the decades. That's how it works. If not enough people like a comic it will fail because it doesn't sell. It really IS that simple. Of course whether people like a comic is not in itself an indication of whether it's any good or not, but in the Dandy's case, it was clearly a hugely inferior product, regardless of which age group it was aimed at.
I don't think it's a case of kids not liking it, instead, they just didn't know what they were missing. The first relaunch issue had lots of copies in the shops, but they didn't advertise it very well, and supplies of future issues quickly dropped, even some supermarkets weren't selling it by the end. Kids can't like it if they can't find it.
And considering it's now a decade later, it's clear that it would've evolved again by now even if it was still running. Beano isn't exactly the same as it was 10 years ago, nor was the Beano of 2010 the same as the Beano of the 90s. Nor should it be. They need to update with the times. Some of the other comics didn't - Buster was mostly reprint by the time it ended, and thus will have still looked like a comic from a decade or more earlier. It didn't evolve, so it died. Dandy had to take the gamble. Had it stayed how it was 20 years ago, it would've gone sooner than 8 years ago.
Exactly, James. The thing that the harshest critics of the later Dandys always ignore is (and I'll put this in upper case so perhaps it'll sink in) THE COMIC WAS IN DANGER OF CANCELLATION BEFORE THE REVAMP. The revamp bought it more time.
I absolutely LOVED the revamp and, more importantly, so did both of my sons who were 8 and 10 at the time so target audience. To see them both laughing out loud at the stories meant, to me anyway, that they were on to something with the revamp. I agree with James that it was curious to NOT see the comic re-launch advertised in The Beano for example. The kids were genuinely upset when the comic folded - almost as much as I was! 🤣
Thanks for commenting, Spencer.
Derek, no, you're incorrect. "most of the hate seemed to come from the Dandy supporters" is, to use your own phrase, "creative re-imagining of events". Again, I really don't know why you're defending the indefensible.
Derek Beatty's comments that trolls were hard done too. LOL!!!
Perhaps he didn't see all the vicious insults hurled at Jamie Smart and Andy Fanton and others, but it was quite aggressive at the time. Some of the constructive criticism, such as comments about the use of a lower case font, were fair enough, but as soon as it became about personal appearance etc then that was a step too far.
The first few issues of the relaunched version sold very well, causing some of the contributors to hail it as a success. Within a very short time, those extra readers decided they didn't like it, along with some of the longer term readers. Sales fell, so orders from shops and supermarkets fell, not the other way round. The comic may have faced cancellation before the relaunch, but it could've limped along for a while yet. The relaunch may actually have hastened its demise, though obviously that's arguable.
I've already clearly said I disapproved of insulting comments from either side of the discussion so I don't understand why you're fixed on the idea I'm defending trolls when I'm doing no such thing. Perhaps I didn't see all the uglier criticisms, but of the ones I did see it was Dandy supporters who were rude, insulting, and hostile. I'm not saying some of the other side weren't, but I didn't see those. I read somewhere that a Dandy critic was told he should get aids or cancer or something, never heard that said about a Dandy supporter. That's not creative re-imagining, that's simply a fact.
Anyway, I can see people here have already made up their minds so I'll bow out as I'm not interested in an argument. One thing I do know is that the attempt to save the Dandy failed, yet its supporters blame that on everything but the comic and its contributors being unable to deliver on their rescue strategy.
Well that's a shame. Your non-publication of my last comment suggests you're determined to portray me as a supporter of trolls when I decry both sides equally if they descend to insulting one another. And the fact you suppress the truth of some Dandy supporters being more vicious in their abuse in order to manipulate your readers' perceptions of the facts does you no favours. I'm saddened to see you behave in such a dishonest way. Like my previous comment this will not be published but both of us know you ignore anything that shows you to be wrong even if none of your other readers do.
I have published all your comments, Derek, but I almost didn't because some of them contain untruths that you're determined to stick by, such as calling me dishonest. Yes, that nasty "cancer" comment made to one critic was sickening and totally uncalled for. It was made by an anonymous source as I recall, so no knowing whether that person was a Dandy reader or not! Even assuming thety were, it doesn't cancel out all the attacks from the other side.
Dandy supporters "rude, insulting, and hostile"? I think you'll find that most were RETALIATING to nasty comments. They didn't pick the fight. If critics can't be civil, why should those they're targeting put up with it?
"Both of us know you ignore anything that shows you to be wrong". Derek, I've never heard of you before and you've never posted on my blogs, so how would you know if I've chosen not to allow comments through that show me to be wrong? Hmm?
Don't bother replying. You've had your five minutes of fame. I can see right through you. Did from the outset, but wanted to give you a chance to drop yourself in it, as you did.
TBH I wouldn't have even given him the airtime for those comments Lew with his fake profile and belligerent attitude he's a bloody troll himself. Haven't you learned by now?
Evidently not.
What makes you think his or her profile is fake? They were polite but just have a different take from you on the Dandy. They condemned rudeness on both sides while you tried to promote the bizarre idea they were defending trolls. The only belligerent attitude I see isn't theirs, whoever it might be or whoever you think it is. You're back to conspiracy theories now. Someone makes a point and you start misrepresenting things to have a jab at imaginary enemies. Why do you insist on suggesting that someone is out to get you and that you're a target for trolls? You're simply not important enough. Time to give it a break. Or maybe you're just inventing all this controversy to get more visitors to your blog. Over twenty comments on this thread, hardly any on the posts either side of it. Let it go Lew, it's getting boring.
It really is.
And here we go again. The irony of him using another fake alias to make the same points and then tell me to "Let it go" has obviously escaped him. His comments will no longer be published.
Furthermore, to waste their time trying to troll a blog in the midst of a pandemic is a disgrace. GET A LIFE, moron.
Sigh, there's always one. And most likely the same one, eh?
I just wanted to respond to Manic Man's Harry Hill comments. I personally really like his comedy and at the time his TV Burp show was a hit Saturday tea-time series which kids absolutely loved. In fact, families loved it and a huge part of his fanbase has always been kids, since his barmy, out-there humour is always kid friendly. I was initially sceptical of them bringing in a celebrity to be a regular character, but as a fan of TV Burp myself he seemed to fit in perfectly with the looney and hilarious artwork of the new comic.
Yeah, whether one liked Harry Hill or not I thought the strips were great. Good surreal stuff. Thanks for your comment Phil.
What is wrong with that guy? It's so blatant that only the troll HIMSELF would be so irate about people having a go at him. Only the troll HIMSELF would know all the details of any exchanges. Only the troll HIMSELF would be so persistent. Bin his comments Lew. He's a sad case.
P.S. Dandy still rules!
I'd rather keep them up there for a laugh. He sent another comment but I'm not publishing it.
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