Dandy Comic May Cease Publication After 75 Years
Posted by faintdreams on August 16, 2012
The UK comic Dandy is fondly remembered by many British adults as their first exposure to serialised comics.
Some of the famous and loved characters first seen in the Dandy include: Desperate Dan (eater of impossibly huge Cow Pies), Bananaman, Beryl the Peril, and Korky the Cat.
In early August, DC Thompson, the Dandy’s parent publishing company, announced an end to the paper versions of the Dandy, with long-term plans including focusing on the digital version of the magazine, or perhaps merging it with the Beano – also published by DC Thompson.
Increasing slumps in circulation mean Dandy now sells only 8,000 copies per fortnight. When it was most popular, the Dandy had a circulation of more than 2 million. Anita O’Brien, curator of the Comic Museum in London, told the Telegraph newspaper: ”All print media, newspapers, comics, are facing huge challenges from online media, but also things like [compute] games. Also there is the cost of printing and distribution is a big problem. A lot of larger stores insist on very, very low margins [which] make it less cost-effective. When people are looking for the Beano and the Dandy, it’s difficult to find because not as many outlets [now] stock it. It’s a downward spiral in that sense.”
Artist Gary Northfield (formerly of the Dandy) and comic historian Paul Gravett discussed the future of the Dandy on Sky News:
For those curious to see what the Dandy looks like today, sample strips can be downloaded free from the official website.
Sources: Dandy.com, Beano.com and The Telegraph.co.uk
GS Reporter: Faintdreams
