Guardian article: The Dandy Faces Closure

[dandy mad]

Could it be a cunning ruse to generate a lot of media frenzy as its the Dandy's 75th because DCT has a bit of a record for doing this sort of thing......

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Announcing a possible closure is a good and shrewd marketing tactic: if the comic sticks around for the 75th [and many of us hope so] birthday bash, sales should be healthy compared to recent months.

Reminds me of when the Jam announced they were splitting in 1982: they went out with a No 1 single after all the publicity value [a bit like what is happening with this comic].


It's the fact it's the 75th [and not the 74th or 76th] anniversary that makes it desirable: I'll also snap up any last issue if it does transpire.

I'd prefer the DANDY going out with a bang, and not a whimper, like SPARKY and others did.


I haven't bought the comic in recent times as my taste is for older style artwork.* I have sometimes spoke up in defence of it's brave stance over the last 2 years, even if the style was not my cup of tea.

*[The same reason I've never watched an episode of the SIMPSONS]

[Gilly]

You mean sort of like when Dan was leaving The Dandy for the Spice Girls when he struck oil right before the 60th Birthday.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Yes I did buy that issue, Gilly-----

[dandy mad]

Announcing a possible closure is a good and shrewd marketing tactic: if the comic sticks around for the 75th [and many of us hope so] birthday bash, sales should be healthy compared to recent months.

Reminds me of when the Jam announced they were splitting in 1982: they went out with a No 1 single after all the publicity value [a bit like what is happening with this comic].


It's the fact it's the 75th [and not the 74th or 76th] anniversary that makes it desirable: I'll also snap up any last issue if it does transpire.

I'd prefer the DANDY going out with a bang, and not a whimper, like SPARKY and others did.


I haven't bought the comic in recent times as my taste is for older style artwork.* I have sometimes spoke up in defence of it's brave stance over the last 2 years, even if the style was not my cup of tea.

*[The same reason I've never watched an episode of the SIMPSONS]

I've not bought it for over a decade now as I mainly go for the 50s/60s stuff and more recently those rare gems the wartime annuals and if DCT decide to give the Dandy the chop I hope it's final edition will be one to remember

[Digifiend]

Ugh, Digital Spy, it's Thomson and 1937, not Thompson and 1967!
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/news/ ... osure.html
Keep an eye on the comments. The general consensus seems to be disappointment but no surprise.

[Raven]

Jamie Smart on his own blog:

http://www.fumboo.com/category/blog/

[Digifiend]

Phil Corbett has his say: http://philcorbett.blogspot.co.uk/2012/ ... dandy.html
Fleece Station: http://thefleecestation.wordpress.com/2 ... the-dandy/
Neill Cameron: http://neillcameron.blogspot.co.uk/2012 ... dandy.html
ProCartoonists: http://procartoonists.org/desperate-dan ... ard-times/

EDIT: Is there life for comics after the Dandy? http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/shortcu ... intcmp=239
Depressing reading, the titles they mention are what I call licensed tat.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, the editorial department is doing a sterling job but the marketing department is letting them down big time. The Dandy website is poor. You're right, it won't survive online.

[starscape]

A comic that is difficult to find is naturally going to have readership problems.

It had distribution when it was relaunched. Then dropped when it wasn't selling. It's probably contributing to the eventual death but not the big decline.

[stevezodiac]

My suggestion, some months back, was to put Desperate Dan's name as the masthead as he seems to be more well known than the comic itself - eg Desperate Dan's Dandy with the Dandy in much smaller writing. It would help if Dan could be drawn by Ken Harrison as I cannot bear Jamie Smart's style - it goes with my being middle aged I expect but why do people like Smart's style?

I think Auto Trader magazine recently changed to online publication only so perhaps, with everyone having smartphones and pads, it is inevitable that, eventually, paper copies will disappear for all publications - great rolls of paper being transported to printing presses will one day seem archaic.

HMV are in trouble because fewer people are buying cds and dvds so it seems hard copies of a lot of things are dying out.

[Phoenix]

Two complaints about me, two deletions in two days by the same administrator, followed by a Board warning. This must be some sort of record. I've decided not to hang around for more of the same, caused largely by misinterpretation of what I say, so I've decided that as of now, I'm going to take an extended holiday. I might be gone a long time. It will depend entirely on how much I enjoy myself. I'm not a spoilsport so I'll leave you the bat, ball and wickets. Do carry on with the game.

[big bad bri]

i noticed i had a reply to your post phoenix deleted as well & there was nothing bad in it ,but im not bothered i'll just keep on posting but this country has gone downhill & we are not allowed to voice opinions any more, and this site may well soon go the way of the dandy soon

[Digifiend]

Eh? Am I missing something here?

EDIT: Fanton's blog - http://www.andyfanton.com/2012/08/disparate-dan

EDIT2: The Scottish Sun's article, as featured in today (Wednesday)'s paper.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepag ... Dandy.html
It's different to the one from the English paper apparently, which has been updated with a comment from Steve Bright (the Beryl the Peril artist is also one of the Sun's cartoonists).
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... doubt.html

EDIT3: BBC media links -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-t ... l-19260671
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19260638

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I've looked at a lot of the media comments regarding the possible closure and there is a lot of healthy interest from much well-known quarters.

If the DANDY ends up online at least it will still be 'live' and not just sets of reprints. [I assume there will still be a 'future nostalgia' market for books of old strips] .

Most people probably don't like the idea of comics online but we will just maybe have to get used to the idea---who knows, it might even become 'normal' before too long.

Clicking onto a weekly comic isn't quite the same, but much else in life [applying for jobs/e-mails instead of writing letters] has gone the same route.