This weeks Dandy

[Digifiend]

No need to slag you off. If you can get a kid interested and the comics gain an extra reader, then that's great.

Of course, those reprints are from the 1950s, so they might actually be the era you'd remember from your childhood.

[Peter Gray]

Hi Pa
I hope you've seen Lew Stringers blog as well..

Glad you like it.you've got a few years of blog pages to catch up with now..

My next blog post is on Comic booklets you had to collect together over some weeks..
will be live tomorrow at 12 midday..

..........................................................
I wished all the pages were large size inside..
Also I would love the Dandy Ed to do a poster page with lots going on..Nigel did a great one in The Christmas issue with all the different 12 days of Christmas..
Also Lews done some nice one with Super School..

[Jay]

The cover is way too big this week ,i cant bag it up or it wont fit in the box properly with the rest.I hate it what next are they gonna make it hanbag size like they have done with total film& womens mags in the past

I didn't like the extra large cover either. Doesn't fit in my wonderful and rather expensive comic box. They could've had a normal sized cover on the inside to give readers the option of removing the outer-cover.

[Digifiend]

A few of us have posted complaints on Facebook. Their response:

We made the cover bigger so it would stand out more amongst the other bumper bagged titles out there at half-term. We're sorry if you didn't like that, but the normal size would have been swamped.

Also, we could have gone with just a giant covermount, but we thought we'd add some extra pages of Dandy goodness for everyone instead.

After all, no-one buys a comic next week because of how good last week's covermount was. 12 extra pages of groovy comic strips from the UK's top cartoonists, on the other hand, might keep people coming back to us! 100% Funny!

Swamped? Ahem, just like every other week then... the Beano is the only other kids comic that doesn't have bagged cover mounts with EVERY ISSUE! Nobody wants a damaged comic. Good idea in theory, but it seems to have backfired.

[Lew Stringer]

Swamped? Ahem, just like every other week then...

But this isn't like every other week. It's a boom issue that needs to be noticed.

the Beano is the only other kids comic that doesn't have bagged cover mounts with EVERY ISSUE! Nobody wants a damaged comic. Good idea in theory, but it seems to have backfired.

It's too early to say if it's backfired as the issue is still on sale!

The comics looked fine in my corner shop, and were very prominent. Remember that the majority of readers are not collectors so they won't mind if it doesn't fit into a box or not. (Or they could perhaps store it separately in a different box? Or get a bigger box?)

The prominent bigger cover format has been used by Doctor Who Adventures and (if I recall correctly) Toxic in the past and I don't recall any complaints. If it attracts new readers it's worth trying, yes?

[Nigel Auchterlounie]

Lew's right (again)
It's right and good that the Dandy try extra stuff on these boom issues, and I have to say it worked well in my local newsagents. The masthead popped up above the rest nicely. Half the battle is getting seen on the shelves.

As for it not fitting in collection boxes, the vast majority of sales are to those without such boxes. So, er, that.

I got my copy a week before it hit the shelves, and it didn't fit in my Dandy drawer in my A4 file cabinet thing... So I folded the top over!!!

Yes that's right. You didn't misread that last bit. I folded it! And jammed it in there. I think it ripped a bit when I did that. HA HA HA! (evil laugh)

[Lew Stringer]

In 30 years time we'll find out that most collectors stored their new Dandys in a damp shed anyway if the state of some comics on eBay are anything to go by.

[Digifiend]

You should've seen them in my local newsagent. They're on the front shelf, and every single copy had the covers bent out of shape. If it was displayed prominently everywhere, such a measure wouldn't have been required.

[DandyEd]

You should've seen them in my local newsagent. They're on the front shelf, and every single copy had the covers bent out of shape. If it was displayed prominently everywhere, such a measure wouldn't have been required.

Unfortunately, we can't rely on retailers to display our title in such a kind manner, which is why we have to do everything we can to attract people's eyes to our cover. At this time of year, when almost all titles have bagged, multiple-gifted, increased-price issues, it's even more important.

On a plus note, if you find a perfect one, imagine how much it will be worth in fifty years!

Any subscribers able to comment on whether their cover was bent out of shape?

Also, if anyone has any suggestions for how we can boost our appeal on the shelves, I'm happy to listen - some of the comics historians may recall some innovative packaging from the past? No bags - they cost money which could be spent on content, and stop people sampling the pages.

[Spencer]

Hi Craig,

One thing that will really help kids notice The Dandy on the shelves is if the comic is actually on shelves that kids can reach.In my local Asda, every time I go in there, I take The Dandy's from the TOP SHELF and place them prominently at the front of the comics section. It does seem to me that they seem to get sold then.

Also, availability is still a small issue. There are two WHSmith's in Liverpool Street station that both stock loads of comics but have never stocked The Dandy since the relaunch.

The final idea I have to 'get The Dandy noticed' seems obvious to me as a consumer but, oddly, hasn't happened yet..... Advertise in The Beano?

Hope these help

[Lew Stringer]

My free sub copy turned up in the post ok Craig. Top was slightly bent but I easily flattened it back.

I'm surprised people are complaining about the taller covers. Surely this makes it even more collectible because it's unusual?

My local Smiths had a few nicely displayed today, all undamaged. If people are experiencing damaged copies perhaps it's how their distributors have dispatched them?

On a not so great note, buying milk in my corner shop I just witnessed a lad of about 9 trying to convince his Mum to buy him a copy of The Dandy, all to no avail. She'd spent the money on crisps and fags.

[Little Squelchy Thing]

On a not so great note, buying milk in my corner shop I just witnessed a lad of about 9 trying to convince his Mum to buy him a copy of The Dandy, all to no avail. She'd spent the money on crisps and fags.

There we go, problem solved - the next cover-mount should be 20 B&H and some Skips.

[Little Squelchy Thing]

Loved Boo this week lovely funny details and what an ending!
Lets hope Andy get to draw more than one page a week soon he is really good..

Aw, thank you Peter! Very kind words indeed!

[DandyEd]

Spencer,

Thanks for the reply - it's a bit out of my hands, I'm afraid. We can't influence stores on how well they choose to present their products. Maybe a word with the news team? You are their customer, after all. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled in The Beano...

Love the covermount suggestion, Andy! There's a madvert in there somewhere - or maybe not!

Craig

[Little Squelchy Thing]

Haha!

On a serious note, maybe once in a while you should do a special cover, like some film mags do occasionally? SFX's lenticular cover for the return of Doctor Who last year was lovely, really stood out, and was a nice collector's piece in its own right:

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/03/04/latest-issue-194/
Imagine something like that, but with a 3D Dan looming out at you!

Obviously it might be a bit too heavy a cover for the normal weekly, but maybe for a bigger, special issue it might work?