A way to stop the bad sales

[MikeC]

I checked back - what about Katy and Chris, then? Were they surplus when the freelancers started working for them? How many people does it take to make a comic, in that case?

Also, Craig Graham works on another magazine, it's in his email signature. It's a WWE magazine.

[AndyB]

Hey, I can only draw conclusions from a couple of facts I'd forgotten about Katy and Chris, to my shame... I assume they're working on other projects then?

With freelancers... let's see... one typical Dandy. How many artists do their own scripts, how many freelance writers... you could have well over a dozen different contributors in a normal Dandy?

[swirlythingy]

they seem to mention a different freelancer every week.

Or the same freelancer in different weeks! I did wonder whether they were running out of ideas when "Lew Pull-my-finger Stringer" followed on from "Loopy Lew String-vest-er". I don't even think Steve Beckett's had his moment in the limelight yet...

[Digifiend]

I checked back - what about Katy and Chris, then? Were they surplus when the freelancers started working for them? How many people does it take to make a comic, in that case?

Also, Craig Graham works on another magazine, it's in his email signature. It's a WWE magazine.

Can't say I'm surprised that Craig is also the WWE Kids editor, because Mike Stirling edits both Beano and BeanoMAX (as did Alan Digby after Euan Kerr's retirement). Seems as if they like to have editors do two titles now. At least in the juvenile department anyway. I wonder how many staff work on the Beano?

[comicsgalore]

I would rather we would be talking about ways to boost the sales, rather than people in the staff. Ok?

[Digifiend]

Got any ideas then?

[comicsgalore]

Wow you replied fast. Why not have a comic strip continued on YouTube? That'd be good!

[comicsgalore]

How sad would you be if the dandy ended? But let's not be pessimistic here, eh?

[Gilly]

Maybe if the Beano 36 page revamp works then the Dandy should follow suit.

Also I don't think the changing prices of the two comics has helped sales much because it could put parents off buying their kids a copy when they keep bumping the price up. A more consistent price would help so they know how much The Dandy is going to be every week.

[Digifiend]

I agree. The price shouldn't be guesswork, it should be the same 50 weeks of the year (allowing for an extended Christmas issue which is on sale for two weeks). But as you know, they now charge for covermounts. Probably has to do with the need for extra shelf space in the shops.

The Dandy has tried the 36 page format before. The 2004 revamp saw the page count rise from 32 to 44. In early 2006, it went back down to 36, which lasted until the Xtreme era.

[stevezodiac]

I wonder if we'll soon see "Great News folks, the Beano and Dandy are joining together to bring you all your favourite chums in one big comic!" Perhaps the Dandy will become an eight page section in the middle of the Beano.

[comicsgalore]

No way.

[stevezodiac]

I hope not too. I'm lucky that on the way to the comic fair or HMV Oxford Street I usually see an old Routemaster bus as there are still a few running on two selected routes. I see the Dandy as a similar British icon that must be preserved.

[AndyB]

I think that DCT will fight to keep the Dandy alive as long as possible. I can't see it being allowed to die for a few years yet - and I hope that in a few years it has turned the corner as it deserves.

[Raven]

I think that DCT will fight to keep the Dandy alive as long as possible. I can't see it being allowed to die for a few years yet - and I hope that in a few years it has turned the corner as it deserves.

But Andy, if sales continue to drop over the next six months as they have over the previous six months - by another 7,000 - it will be down to zero readers. If anything even close to that happens, the comic just couldn't continue, so the prospect of giving it a few more *years* is very optimistic. Is there any reason to believe sales will stop dropping or start going up again?