Guardian article: The Dandy Faces Closure

[Gilly]

Now I have looked at the website I am angry, when they said online I thought they meant the Dandy in it's current form as an online comic you can buy not a website that just has old strips on it. This is a disgusting end for Britain's longest running comic!

[presterjohn]

It's sad news when any business folds or radically alters itself beyond recognition. Like many I was always a Beano man (boy) but bought the Dandy when some spare pocket money could be found. I feel the business model for comics in general has to change radically for any of them to survive over the next few years. I think Weekly issues and even monthly issues are not the best fit for the modern buyer.

I have felt for a long time that publishing larger quarterly editions, holiday specials and more annuals is the way forward. You need to be able to buy from sites such as Amazon far more easily too. People can't see where the value is in a throwaway comic now that they are £2.00, not when they only paid a few pennies for comics back when they were children, but they would think little of paying £5.00 for a holiday special to give to the kids to shut them up for a while especially if it looked worth keeping (i.e. square bound or something).

[Digifiend]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/au ... sfeed=true

And some comments:
As The Dandy faces the axe, we remember some of the best comics - Daily Record
Farewell to the Dandy, from a lifelong fan - Telegraph
Analysis: Innovation created the Dandy and it may also help to save it - Scotsman
Time for The Dandy and Desperate Dan to ride off into the sunset - Telegraph

[el293_comics]

Such a real shame! The dandy is the best comic ever! So many great stories in there that I don't want to see the end of! Desperate Dan, the banana bunch, beryl the peril and bad grandad to name but a few. I've been getting the dandy for 9 years now and will continue until the very last issue in December! R.I.P dandy, even if it does continue online it won't be the same as the print edition :'(

[Lew Stringer]

I have felt for a long time that publishing larger quarterly editions, holiday specials and more annuals is the way forward. You need to be able to buy from sites such as Amazon far more easily too. People can't see where the value is in a throwaway comic now that they are £2.00, not when they only paid a few pennies for comics back when they were children, but they would think little of paying £5.00 for a holiday special to give to the kids to shut them up for a while especially if it looked worth keeping (i.e. square bound or something).

As children's books are still popular I'd personally like to see Dandy and Beano characters appear in their own books. Not annuals, but low priced children's paperbacks like those Gum Girl comic books (http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/ ... is-go.html) . New material obviously, designed just for that format, not reworked reprints.

[-MikeD-]

I remember mentioning the book idea in a thread last year...I thought the idea of a graphic novel length Desperate Dan would work, if slickly written and drawn, and I'm sure there are creatives out there willing to draw it for peanuts and with no risiduals...

[AndyB]

They tried that with Beano Superstars, but it closed in the end. I thought they were well written, though.

[Tin Can Tommy]

They tried that with Beano Superstars, but it closed in the end. I thought they were well written, though.

They weren't really books though. They didnt sell them like books are sold. They had issue numbers and they replaced the old issues on the shelves with newer ones. With a book/graphic novel based on Dandy characters it should be left up for sale indefinitely like other books.

It could work but you'd need a good quality book to be able to sell in the crowded Children's books market.

[Raven]

The statement from the chief executive made me laugh out loud.

“I’ve closed down loopholes to ensure much tighter internal security. We’ve heard about people trying to find out the plans by hacking into http://www.dandy.com so we’ve taken it all offline and moved in to core project offices. We’re in lockdown.

This just sounds completely made up.

What is "and moved in to core project offices" supposed to mean? Is it some kind of Birtspeak? Have they changed offices?!

[Digifiend]

The statement from the chief executive made me laugh out loud.

“I’ve closed down loopholes to ensure much tighter internal security. We’ve heard about people trying to find out the plans by hacking into http://www.dandy.com so we’ve taken it all offline and moved in to core project offices. We’re in lockdown.

This just sounds completely made up.

If they can hack phones, they can hack websites. It's not that hard to believe. That's right, the Guardian got their story by hacking. At least, DCT are accusing them of it.

[Raven]

If they can hack phones, they can hack websites. It's not that hard to believe. That's right, the Guardian got their story by hacking. At least, DCT are accusing them of it.

But how would people find out about the staff's future plans for the Dandy characters after the print comic ends by hacking the present (till today) website?

[Digifiend]

Pages that weren't linked to on the current site? URL could've just been beta, test or even a random string after the .com/ bit. Also, it may have been password protected. Whatever it was, it was something they weren't meant to see. And by the way, that replacement countdown page didn't spring out of nowhere, they will have been testing it.

[dandy mad]

Why would anyone want to hack the rubbish that was the Dandy's website? Can't see the Guardian hacking it tbh and the exec from DCT is just trying to justify killing the Dandy off and not doing a very good job of it either

[PaulTwist]

That's right, the Guardian got their story by hacking. At least, DCT are accusing them of it.

No they didn't. And no they're not.

[AndyB]

Absolutely - I don't think there is any suggestion that the Guardian got their information by any illegal means, but rather that there have also been hacking attempts. I would guess that someone leaked to the Guardian that it was going to happen, they checked out a few facts, and published what they could prove plus what their source reported as "reported".

I think the lockdown is intended to stop anyone outside the project finding out the progress by keeping it behind (possibly chinese) walls.