R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Discuss or comment on anything relating to Britain's longest running comic. The home of Korky the Cat and Desperate Dan. Has been running since 1937.

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rossmac
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by rossmac »

Well I ordered this issue of Dandy Xtreme (DX) from DCT and it arrived today! On a side note this is the 4th time I've ordered things from them using their free surface mail (to Australia) service and for the 4th time it's arrived within 2 weeks (as opposed to the 10 weeks it's supposed to take! :D )

I can see what everyone is saying about the logo, it really is small- compared to the days when the word DANDY jumped off the shelf at you, you really have to look for it... 'Dandy' is still larger on the address slip that came with it, but that would have been printed in bulk ages ago no doubt... Has there been a new issue since this one (23May09) and what is the logo on that like?

Other than that I actually think the cover is an improvement on the last time I saw the DX. It seems to have found it's own identity and the whole thing just works. Ok, so if it were designed to my tastes you'd have a comic strip on the cover and none of the clutter and text, but for whom it is aimed at, I think it works really well!

As for comic content, it's great that it is all new, and that almost 50% of the comic is strips. You almost get comics every second spread, which is a nice balance. And it's great to see BB and C back and in an all new strip- let's hope this is the beginning of soe other strips returning... would love to see new Smasher, Korky (the C McGhie version from last year was great!), Corporal Clott, Winker Watson and Jocks & Geordies to name a few. All perhaps updated such as BB & C, but with the spirit of the original.

And as for the 'Xtreme' only on the free gift, I think that's just being used as a descriptive term, ie: "Xtreme Table Footy".... Saying "Dandy Xtreme Table Footy" doesn't make much sense if you get what I mean? The game is extreme, not that the game belongs to, or comes free with Dandy Xtreme.

Anyway, that's my few cents worth!

Ross

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Digifiend
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Digifiend »

Yeah, two newer issues, the second of which is out today. It's fortnightly. Both have the tiny logo, sadly, it's the standard now. An advert in this week's Beano also uses the same version of the logo. :( Your comic arrived within 4 weeks, not 2.

rossmac
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by rossmac »

Digifiend wrote:Yeah, two newer issues, the second of which is out today. It's fortnightly. Both have the tiny logo, sadly, it's the standard now. An advert in this week's Beano also uses the same version of the logo. :( Your comic arrived within 4 weeks, not 2.
Ah well, I guess it's still there at least! Although you get the feeling it's just a token stuck there to keep the old fans happy. I didn't order the comic immediately either, it took me a couple of weeks to order it, so I did get it in two weeks from when I ordered it. Quite nice to get it so quick- and it's cheaper than just waiting for it to come out here! :-)

Ross

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SID
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by SID »

At least the logo has stopped shrinking now. :)

Ah well. Off to work. :)
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by stevezodiac »

I was in the newsagent on saturday and there was a woman with a little boy who wanted a comic, i heard her say "Thats too young for you, how about spider man?" Then he picked something else, "thats too old for you how about this one?" She picked up Dandy Extreme and said "I don't know what it is but its got three free gifts." I wanted to tell her it was the Dandy but she bought it anyway. The boy asked if he could play with the gifts outside - she said "When you get in the car." I hope he enjoyed it. DC Thomson please note, the Dandy has now become anonymous.

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SID
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by SID »

But it was bought. :wink:
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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Digifiend
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Digifiend »

stevezodiac wrote:I was in the newsagent on saturday and there was a woman with a little boy who wanted a comic, i heard her say "Thats too young for you, how about spider man?" Then he picked something else, "thats too old for you how about this one?" She picked up Dandy Extreme and said "I don't know what it is but its got three free gifts." I wanted to tell her it was the Dandy but she bought it anyway. The boy asked if he could play with the gifts outside - she said "When you get in the car." I hope he enjoyed it. DC Thomson please note, the Dandy has now become anonymous.
It certainly has, you spelled it wrong. :P Only 2 Es in Xtreme. The latest issue is bagged in a way so it looks like it says Totally Dandy Xtreme (Totally is on the comic itself, the logo must be lower down than on the bag because it's actually part of the Totally Gross: Can You Handle It mock parental advisory logo). :lol:

On a serious note, Desperate Dan and Bananaman are both shown at the top right of the current issue's cover. Surely the mother should've recognised them?

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Spencer »

Firstly, one thing that's been bugging me for ages.. The title is known as a 'Masthead' not a Masterhead.... :x
Thanks, just had to get that off of my chest :D

Secondly, I received a mailing from DC Thomson yesterday with Annuals and Calendars etc which was pretty cool but inside was a leaflet promoting "Subscriptions for Christmas" encouraging people to take out a subscription to a number of their popular titles as a gift for Christmas. Listed were The Beano, WWE Kids, Peoples Friend, My Weekly and the likes but NO Dandy Xtreme....

Hope this doesn't reflect any plans for it to not be around in a year's time...

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Lew Stringer »

Spencer wrote: Secondly, I received a mailing from DC Thomson yesterday with Annuals and Calendars etc which was pretty cool but inside was a leaflet promoting "Subscriptions for Christmas" encouraging people to take out a subscription to a number of their popular titles as a gift for Christmas. Listed were The Beano, WWE Kids, Peoples Friend, My Weekly and the likes but NO Dandy Xtreme....

Hope this doesn't reflect any plans for it to not be around in a year's time...
Subscriptions to Dandy Xtreme are still available on the website: £50 for a full year -

http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/subscription ... roductID=9

Lew

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Old Freddy
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Old Freddy »

wicked-stepladder wrote: Where the Beano (and Toxic) succeed is in their use of familiar characters across the features pages. It holds the whole thing together nicely. A features page from the Dandy Xtreme could be taken from anywhere - there's nothing there to make it distinctive. Use the characters on the cover (alongside TV/film stuff if that's what they are wanting to do) and use them on the features pages. Stick a cow pie by the Dandy logo. Use the characters on the free gifts rather than plastering "Xtreme" all over them. And commission original, character related, artwork for the features pages.

The design of the features pages appears poor when compared to something like the Beano, Toxic or Beano Max. I can't help but think it often looks like a complete mess that took all of five minutes to slap down on the page. Given they now get two weeks to work on the thing, it's pretty poor. The pages go against basic design principles - many different uses of fonts (sometimes ones that are not particular easy to read) and no consistant format. What's happening with the Dandy web site? There is nothing on there to keep you coming back and it is often out of date.

At last count, Dandy Xtreme featured more pages than Toxic. And yet Toxic feels like it has more in. Toxic makes good use of its pages, hiding little things away for readers to look at. The Beano too does this - putting jokes underneath strips and the like - why not the Dandy Xtreme?
I agree. I don't like the way that they make little reference to the characters. I think they should add the dandy characters on some of the pages (even, if they're reviewing a new game, one of the characters could say what they think of it too, but that's just a thought) so that the readers can familiarise themselves with the characters and strips. The strips shouldn't just be little extras that the magazine makes out no-one is supposed to care about. Perhaps if they made more reference to it being the actualn dandy, people might realise the dandy is still going, and they'll buy it, and the sales may increase slightly, but that's just my thoughts, and they won't happen and they won't help.
Last update to http://comiccentral.jimdo.com: 7/4/2011

Sammy Shrink, Korky, Dennis and the Dandy all updated
Beryl the Peril Page Added
Navigation altered

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Digifiend
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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Digifiend »

Spencer wrote:Firstly, one thing that's been bugging me for ages.. The title is known as a 'Masthead' not a Masterhead.... :x
Thanks, just had to get that off of my chest :D

Secondly, I received a mailing from DC Thomson yesterday with Annuals and Calendars etc which was pretty cool but inside was a leaflet promoting "Subscriptions for Christmas" encouraging people to take out a subscription to a number of their popular titles as a gift for Christmas. Listed were The Beano, WWE Kids, Peoples Friend, My Weekly and the likes but NO Dandy Xtreme....

Hope this doesn't reflect any plans for it to not be around in a year's time...
The annual isn't called Xtreme. The current one is called The Dandy Annual 2010. :) Why you couldn't find the comic listed is a mystery, as Lew already said, it's still available.

Good point about the thread title, never noticed that, could a mod correct it please?

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Spencer »

Hi Digi, well aware of the title of the annual thanks!

The leaflet was for subscriptions for their publications ie. their comics and magazines, and all their popular titles were on the 4-page leaflet but Dandy Xtreme (the fortnightly comic/magazine) was not listed. You'd think they'd wanna push it as much as possible on a mail-out wouldn't you? Still, at least online still advertising the subscription, gives me greater hope! :xfingers:

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by Digifiend »

Ah, the mention of Annuals and Calendars threw me. :oops:

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by SID »

BeanoKev70 wrote:Well you need a magnifying glass to see the Dandy on the current issue of The Dandy Xtreme. What are we looking at here, The New monthly Xtreme Magazine shortly?

So in the end, the majority of us were wrong.

Xtreme Masterhead - R. I. P. :cheers:
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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Re: R.I.P The Dandy Masterhead....

Post by kevf »

Not wanting to be picky, but isn't it Masthead?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masthead_%28publishing%29

Kev F

PS: But let's not start a masthead debate... mast'debate... mass - forget it, that doesn't work.
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