The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by
D. C. Thomson & Co. LtdD. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, is a publishing company based in Dundee, Scotland, best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Sunday Post, Oor Wullie, The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy and Commando comics...
. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after
Detective ComicsDetective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
(cover dated March 1937) and
Il GiornalinoIl Giornalino was an Italian comics magazine published by the Catholic publisher Edizioni San Paolo of Alba, founded in 1924.During its history, the magazine published the Italian translation of numerous American and European comics series, such as Looney Tunes, The Smurfs, Lucky Luke, Popeye,...
(cover dated 1 October 1924). From August 2007 until October 2010, it was rebranded as
Dandy Xtreme.
History
The first issue, under the name
The Dandy Comic, was published on 4 December 1937. It was published weekly until 6 September 1941, when wartime paper shortages forced it to switch to fortnightly, alternating with
The BeanoThe Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
. It returned to its weekly schedule on 30 July 1949. From 17 July 1950, the magazine changed its name to just
The Dandy.
Though later issues became all comic strips, early issues had many text strips, with some illustrations. In 1940, this meant 12 pages of comic strips and 8 pages of text stories. Text stories at two pages each were Jimmy's Pocket Grandpa, British Boys and Girls Go West, There's a Curse on the King and Swallowed by a Whale!.
After issue 3282 (dated 16 October 2004)
The Dandy underwent a radical format overhaul. The comic changed format and content, reflecting a more television-oriented style, now printed on glossy
magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
paper instead of
newsprintNewsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
. The price was raised from 70p to £1.20 (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 (
"Jak"Jak Hurley and Todd Nolan are two fictional comic strip characters from the UK comic The Dandy who rose to popularity as the comic's main strip after its re-launch in 2004...
and "Dreadlock Holmes").
In August 2007 (issue 3426),
The Dandy had another update, becoming the fortnightly comic-magazine hybrid
Dandy Xtreme, priced at £2.50. Unlike previous incarnations,
Dandy characters didn't necessarily grace the cover every issue; instead, celebrities and other cartoon characters were featured. The first
Dandy Xtreme had
Bart SimpsonBartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
on the cover.
From 27 October 2010 (issue 3508) The Dandy returned as a weekly comic and dropped 'Xtreme' from its title. The contents received a major overhaul, with all the comic strips from the Xtreme era except for
Desperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
,
BananamanBananaman is a British comic book fictional character. He originally appeared in Nutty as the backpage strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.-Original strip:...
and
The BogiesThe Bogies is a comic strip in The Dandy and Turbo Extreme . It features bunches of nasal mucas and their adventures. Many of the characters names are twists on some famous person or character from pop culture. These characters will often act like celebrities but in a gross manner. It originally...
being dropped. Bananaman was also taken over by a new artist, Wayne Thompson, although Korky the Cat, who appeared in the comic's first issue in 1937, made a return drawn by Phil Corbett. Many new Celebrity spoofs such as Cheryl's Mole became a feature, but other new strips included Pre Skool Prime Minister and George V Dragon, drawn by
Jamie SmartJamie Smart is a British comic artist and writer, most famous for his ten-issue comic series, Bear. He has also had his comic My Own Genie published in the popular children's magazine The Dandy....
and
Andy FantonAndy Fanton is a British comic artist and writer, who had his George Vs. Dragon comic strip published in Britain's long running children's comic The Dandy from October 2010 onwards....
. The Christmas special was a cracking 76 pages long, featuring a pantomime, more celebrix, a 12-page Harry Hill strip, more free gifts, and the return of some characters.
More recent new strips are Punslinger, Dad's Turn To Cook, My Freaky Family, Animals Eat The Funniest Things, Star T.Rex and
Brian DamageBrian Keats , known by his stage name Brian Damage, was an American punk rock drummer mostly known by his participation in the horror punk band Misfits.-Career:...
.
Editors
The original editor was Albert Barnes. According to
The Legend of Desperate Dan (published 1997), Dan's famous chin was modelled on Barnes. He stayed in the role until 1982, when he was succeeded by Dave Torrie. His replacement was Morris Heggie, who left the editorship in 2006 to become the DC Thomson archivist – Beano editor Euan Kerr was promoted at the same time. The current editor is Craig Graham.
Dandy comic strips
Over its near seventy five year run hundreds of different comic strips have appeared in
The Dandy. A number of strips in the comic have run for a very long time. The longest running strips being
Desperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
and
Korky the CatKorky the Cat is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 when Keyhole Kate was on the...
who both started in the comic's first issue. Following mergers with both
NuttyNutty was a British comic that ran for 292 issues from 16 February 1980 to 14 September 1985, when it merged with The Dandy. Published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, Nutty was an attempt to create a more lively and chaotic comic compared to many on sale at the time. Its strips included:* Bananaman as...
and
Hoot, the Dandy inherited a number of their strips most notably
BananamanBananaman is a British comic book fictional character. He originally appeared in Nutty as the backpage strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.-Original strip:...
from Nutty and Cuddles from Hoot who teamed up with a Dandy character to form a new strip entitled
Cuddles and DimplesCuddles and Dimples are fictional characters in the UK comic The Dandy. The stories are based around two toddler brothers who like to cause double the trouble whether they go, much to the dismay of their parents, who in the earlier strips, were referred to as Daddums and Mumsie...
both of the aforementioned strips have been quite long running having been in the Dandy since the 1980s and both having appeared on the front cover of
The Dandy and the comics from which they originated. After the closure of
The Beezer and
The Topper, the Dandy inherited some of their strips as well such as
Beryl the PerilBeryl the Peril is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for Issue 1 of The Topper comic published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black and red apparel, and devilishly tormented her parents and other members of her community...
, Puss n Boots (who had been in
Sparky before being moved to
The Topper) and
Owen GoalOwen Goal was a fictional character from the British comic The Dandy. It centres around a schoolboy who plays for a school football team. The comic strip is one page long and features Owen's interaction with his overweight, lazy and incompetent coach...
(who appeared in the other comics under a different time).
In its near seventy five year run the comic has had a number of different cover stars (comic strips which appeared on the front cover) firstly
Korky the CatKorky the Cat is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 when Keyhole Kate was on the...
, who was on the cover from 1937-1984.
Desperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
, long since the comic's most popular character, then took over the cover, a position he retained until 1999 when he was replaced as cover star by
Cuddles and DimplesCuddles and Dimples are fictional characters in the UK comic The Dandy. The stories are based around two toddler brothers who like to cause double the trouble whether they go, much to the dismay of their parents, who in the earlier strips, were referred to as Daddums and Mumsie...
. However, they weren't on the cover for very long as Desperate Dan had been restored to the cover by the end of 2000. The comic revealed that Cuddles and Dimples were thrown off the cover for 'being too naughty', though in reality the comic's readers wanted Dan to return as the cover strip. In 2004, following a major revamp, Desperate Dan was replaced on the front cover by
JakJak Hurley and Todd Nolan are two fictional comic strip characters from the UK comic The Dandy who rose to popularity as the comic's main strip after its re-launch in 2004...
a character created for the cover, slightly based on an older strip with the same name, although other characters, including Dan, also made occasional cover appearances. During the Dandy Xtreme era the comic had no cover star, with covers often given over to celebrities or current trends, but after the comic returned to its weekly, all-comic format in October 2010, the popular British comedian
Harry HillHarry Hill , is a Perrier Award–winning English comedian, author and television presenter. A former medical doctor , Hill began his career in comedy with the popular radio show Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.-Personal life:Hill was born in Woking,...
took over the cover spot.
There are frequent
fictional crossoverA fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
s between
Dandy characters, with most of the characters living in the fictional Dandytown. Many of the comic strips in
The Beano are drawn by the same artists, and crossovers between the two comics also occur occasionally. Quite often, one comic will make a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the other (e.g., a character meeting an elderly lady, and stating that she's "older than the jokes in
The Beano"). In the strips, it is expressed that the two towns are rivals with each other and before
The Dandy did a drastic format change they had an embassy in Beanotown which many of the town's citizens attempted to overrun, but failed (the embassy had no existence in
The Beano). This rivalry inspired the spin-off computer game
Beanotown RacingBeanotown Racing is a PC Game and has The Beano and a few Dandy characters. It was released in 2003.There are ten characters :...
, in which various characters from both comics could be raced around points in Beanotown, including the Embassy. The game was given a large amount of advance publicity in the comics, with story lines often revolving how the characters each acquired his/her vehicle.
The comic strips that are in the comic now are:
Little CelebsLittle Celebs is story that features in The Dandy, the idea of the story is that it shows famous celebrities when they were younger. Little Celebs was introduced to the Dandy in issue 3508 , the first being Little Simon, the series is drawn by Nigel Parkinson.So far these have been all the...
,
Harry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV LandHarry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV Land is one of the comic strips in The Dandy. It started in October 2010, when the Dandy was revamped. It features TV comedian Harry Hill and his sidekick, Knitted Character, and often spoofs celebrities...
, Postman Prat,
BananamanBananaman is a British comic book fictional character. He originally appeared in Nutty as the backpage strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.-Original strip:...
, 99 Genius Homework Excuses, Go Compare!, Punslinger, Dad's Turn To Cook, Mr Meecher, the Uncool Teacher, My Freaky Family,
My Own GenieMy Own Genie is a popular comic strip in the long-running British comic The Dandy, first seen in issue # 3314 on 4 June 2005. It is drawn by artist Jamie Smart, the creator of Bear . It is about a schoolgirl named Lula who gets her own Genie, called Brian, after she accidentally releases him from a...
, Rocky's Horror Show, Are You Ready For The Question, Noel?, Count Slugula,
Korky the CatKorky the Cat is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 when Keyhole Kate was on the...
,
The BogiesThe Bogies is a comic strip in The Dandy and Turbo Extreme . It features bunches of nasal mucas and their adventures. Many of the characters names are twists on some famous person or character from pop culture. These characters will often act like celebrities but in a gross manner. It originally...
, Nuke Noodle, Snoop Dawg, Animals Eat The Funniest Things, Star T.Rex, Pepperoni Pig, Space Raoul, George vs Dragon and
Desperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
.
The only strips that have been in every issue since the revamp are
Harry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV LandHarry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV Land is one of the comic strips in The Dandy. It started in October 2010, when the Dandy was revamped. It features TV comedian Harry Hill and his sidekick, Knitted Character, and often spoofs celebrities...
,
Desperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
,
The BogiesThe Bogies is a comic strip in The Dandy and Turbo Extreme . It features bunches of nasal mucas and their adventures. Many of the characters names are twists on some famous person or character from pop culture. These characters will often act like celebrities but in a gross manner. It originally...
and
BananamanBananaman is a British comic book fictional character. He originally appeared in Nutty as the backpage strip in Issue 1, dated 16 February 1980 drawn by John Geering.-Original strip:...
.
The Dandy has never quite used as many reprints as
The BeanoThe Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
has. Exceptions include Dirty Dick and Screwy Driver (1970s), Snip 'n' Snap (1999, 2007),
The NuttersThe Nutters was a two-page comic strip in the UK comic Cracker. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 18 January 1975. Percy Potters, railway man at Nether Wallop train station, had a family of squirrels lodging in his garden. Annoyed by this, he forever tried to get rid of them, but never succeeded....
, Piggles and Ali's Baba (2004), Blubba and the Bear and
SmasherSmasher is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Smasher first appeared in X-Men #107 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum....
(2007), The Banana Bunch,
Fiddle O DiddleFiddle O Diddle was a comic strip in The Dandy about a mischievous leprechaun who liked to diddle people, especially the gypsy Muldoon. Muldoon was penniless and clothesless, and Diddle thrived off the gypsy's attempts to get his gold...
,
Korky The CatKorky the Cat is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 when Keyhole Kate was on the...
and
Molly"Molly" may refer to:* Molly , a female given name* Mollies or Poecilia, a family of fish* Molly Smitten-Downes, singer/songwriter of pop/dance/folk* Molly , a Swedish band mixing ska and Irish folk music...
(2010),
My Own GenieMy Own Genie is a popular comic strip in the long-running British comic The Dandy, first seen in issue # 3314 on 4 June 2005. It is drawn by artist Jamie Smart, the creator of Bear . It is about a schoolgirl named Lula who gets her own Genie, called Brian, after she accidentally releases him from a...
and Space Raoul (2011).
See also
- The Dandy Annual
The Dandy Annual is the current name of the book that has been published every year since 1938, to tie in with the children's comic The Dandy. there have been 74 editions, with another presumably to follow in 2012. The annuals are traditionally published in August, in time for Christmas, and...
- The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
- The Magic Comic
The Magic Comic was the ill fated third comic to The Beano and The Dandy. It was aimed at a younger audience, with more emphasis on picture stories. The first issue was published on 22 July 1939. The comic ran for only 80 issues until 25 January 1941...
- List of DC Thomson publications
- List of magazines published in Scotland
- British comics
External links