Newsflash! The Dandy goes... Xtreme!

[MikeC]

Incidentally, I thought this was a forum where people could express contrary views without people reverting to name calling as on many other sites. But while you're at it and trying to prove yourself so solidly down wiv da kidz, wasn't 'muppet' last a fashionable insult for somebody say, about, 25 years ago - when The Muppet Show might still have been running? "Mike out" is a little tragic, too, incidentally.

Actually, i was referring back to a comment earlier in the thread and it wasn't meant to be a personal insult.

And i wasn't trying to prove anything either - there are no kidz here, after all, so getting down with them wasn't going to work - and muppet was never an insult when the show was on tv - that came much later.

And it was meant to be ironic, not tragic

I can't be bothered with the po-faced attitude a lot of people have on here, that's all. Not that you do - in general.

Come to think of it, no-one makes me come here...

Mike out - for good.

[Raven]

Actually, i was referring back to a comment earlier in the thread and it wasn't meant to be a personal insult.

Well, this is a long, ten page thread so sorry if I missed or misunderstood something, but your response seemed fairly hostile. If it helps I'd just returned back to edit and erase those comments you quote as I've no intention of getting involved in any flame wars, however minor!

But the Comics UK forums generally seem a friendly and welcoming place full of helpful and enthusiastic people who really love the medium to me, not po-faced. If you were specifically thinking people are being grumpy old fogeys just for disagreeing with the new Dandy direction, I don't think that's right.

[colcool007]

MOD HEAD ON.

If Mike C said something that was taken out of context, then I'm sure that it wasn't intentional. We are all here because we enjoy our comics whether we are 8 or 80!

To clear up a few mistaken impressions, there are at least 2 under-16 fans on this board and they have been with the site since the old style forum.

While we all yearn for the comic styles of our youth, be that 1940's or 1990's style, the clock is never going to be turned back EVER!

Dandy has taken a hard look at their sales and their relevancy to today's kids and are trying to address the fact that the comic has remained relatively static in its' format since the 50's so an overhaul is not exactly a surprise, probably long overdue IMHO (Mr Ed come on in and advise me if I have got this piece wrong. )

The past is a foreign country and Life On Mars should have proved that to those of us that lived in the 1970's as I had forgotten some of the knuckle-dragging attitudes that still prevailed then.

As to po-faced attitudes, yes, we can all be guilty of that despite trying to keep it all light-hearted. I don't expect everybody to love everyone else or to send each other flowers (Heartbreak Ridge) but at least try to respect the fact that we will all view things in a different light.

MOD HEAD OFF

[Raven]

While we all yearn for the comic styles of our youth, be that 1940's or 1990's style, the clock is never going to be turned back EVER!

Dandy has taken a hard look at their sales and their relevancy to today's kids and are trying to address the fact that the comic has remained relatively static in its' format since the 50's so an overhaul is not exactly a surprise, probably long overdue IMHO

Nobody's actually disagreeing with you there or implying any differently on that matter, you know! It's the style,quality, content of the format that I think we're debating and disagreeing on. DCT's overhauls probably came way too late, no question.

[colcool007]

While we all yearn for the comic styles of our youth, be that 1940's or 1990's style, the clock is never going to be turned back EVER!

Dandy has taken a hard look at their sales and their relevancy to today's kids and are trying to address the fact that the comic has remained relatively static in its' format since the 50's so an overhaul is not exactly a surprise, probably long overdue IMHO

Nobody's actually disagreeing with you there or implying any differently on that matter, you know! It's the style,quality, content of the format that I think we're debating and disagreeing on. DCT's overhauls probably came way too late, no question.

While quality is something that we can judge, we can only judge it in relation to our tastes. The same goes for style and content. If this had been published only 10 years ago, the media would have had a national campaign going to force DCT to revert back to the old format. But we don't know what data DCT uncovered during their focus groups and discussions with kids who in the end are the core readership of the Dandy. Oops. Pompous mode is on!

Honestly, I think that if the Dandy has to change to keep going then it should change. While I may not like the content changes or the format, the Dandy is at the end of the day a commercially produced product and the bottom line is profit. If it's not making a profit, it's consigned to history. I will close with a quote from page 2 of this thread from one of our younger members.

Bought it.
Read it.
Loved it.

[Raven]

That's great for Conor, colcool007, but, as you well know, the response of one reader is nothing more than the response of one single reader. Again, nobody's against the updating, but the specific choices that have been made. I think focus groups can be very misleading indeed.


Ultimately we must all simply wait for the sales figures to see whether Dandy has connected with young readers like its more successful counterparts. It'll be very interesting.

Incidentally, I wonder if anybody else noticed that that Dandy PR spiel about busy lifestyles etc. has ended up in the new Private Eye's Pseuds Corner feature!

[PaulTwist]

Incidentally, I wonder if anybody else noticed that that Dandy PR spiel about busy lifestyles etc. has ended up in the new Private Eye's Pseuds Corner feature!

Ha! That's fantastic.

I think that, were I 20 years younger, I'd probably like quite a lot about the new Dandy, and I can imagine that my 8-year-old god-daughter would be amused by the references too poo and farts (maybe I should give her my copy of #1 to gauge her reaction?). The only thing that grates is trying to speak to "da kidz" in "yoofspeak". Adults trying to speak like children never, ever reads well, and just comes across as patronising, "dudez".

[Raven]

Incidentally, I wonder if anybody else noticed that that Dandy PR spiel about busy lifestyles etc. has ended up in the new Private Eye's Pseuds Corner feature!

Ha! That's fantastic.

I think that, were I 20 years younger, I'd probably like quite a lot about the new Dandy, and I can imagine that my 8-year-old god-daughter would be amused by the references too poo and farts (maybe I should give her my copy of #1 to gauge her reaction?). The only thing that grates is trying to speak to "da kidz" in "yoofspeak". Adults trying to speak like children never, ever reads well, and just comes across as patronising, "dudez".

Thing is, kids often do find fart type humour funny - though it's probably most popular with kids not too far removed from the potty training years; about 5-6 years old, maybe - to an extent, but it's only really funny in context. If a headmaster farted while reading out a solemn speech the entire school would be in hysterics, absolutely - but when repeated endlessly it becomes the norm and can quickly wear thin.

Resorting to cheap gross outs is generally a sign of desperation rather than inspiration in any medium, and in children's media also sometimes hints at an 'it'll do - it's only kids after all' approach which can be as patronising as the 'yoofspeak' you mention.

There are definitely things about the visual look and style of the new Xtreme that are good.

But these comics are going out to a generation of kids who are raised on and get their humour from sharp, witty shows like The Simpsons and Futurama - it's probably harder to make them laugh with a comic than ever before because their standards for humour are far higher.

[PaulTwist]

Fair point. It all depends on context, as you say. Oink! had its fair share of toilet humour but had the wit and intelligence to back it up. If Oink! was The Young Ones then The Dandy is the third series of Little Britain, I suppose.

[Raven]

Fair point. It all depends on context, as you say. Oink! had its fair share of toilet humour but had the wit and intelligence to back it up. If Oink! was The Young Ones then The Dandy is the third series of Little Britain, I suppose.

Yes, Oink was packed with ideas and much more inspired overall. Worth noting that it seemed to come from creative individuals let loose and doing their 'thang' to the bemusement of their publishers, rather than from the results of focus groups and market researchers!

[PaulTwist]

Fair point. It all depends on context, as you say. Oink! had its fair share of toilet humour but had the wit and intelligence to back it up. If Oink! was The Young Ones then The Dandy is the third series of Little Britain, I suppose.

Yes, Oink was packed with ideas and much more inspired overall. Worth noting that it seemed to come from creative individuals let loose and doing their 'thang' to the bemusement of their publishers, rather than from the results of focus groups and market researchers!

I'm sure I've mentioned this before on the board but The Dandy Xtreme really is the Itchy, Scratchy & Poochie episode of the Simpsons done in real life, isn't it?

I'm really in two minds about it - I certainly agree that The Dandy needs to evolve and I accept (and even embrace) the idea that toilet humour should be part of its new format, and some of the new strips and the Desperate Dan reprints are welcome, I just think it could be more than it is.

That said, I'm far from its target audience and I probably buy 2 issues a year at most, so I doubt my concerns will be troubling DC Thomson too much!

[ajsmith]

I thought the 2004 relaunch was pretty well done, all things considered. It was an attempt to carve out a new style for the Dandy that would appeal more to the kids of today while retainng it's integrity and individuality as an original comic.
This 2nd relaunch of 2007, however, does seem like a desperate attempt to stay afloat by copying Toxic's style wholesale. The capitulation to the magazine format and the reliance on outside media giants like the Simpsons and Wrestling to shift copies is what I find particularly sad, if inevitable. It does just seem, at least from the outside, like a faceless copy of every other bagged pre pubescent boys mag on the shelfs and it seems like a short term stab at survival that can't do the comic any favours in the long run.

Incidentally, hardly all children find fart gags and gross out stuff amusing, I certainly didn't as an 8 year old. (find them funnier now!)

[Raven]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before on the board but The Dandy Xtreme really is the Itchy, Scratchy & Poochie episode of the Simpsons done in real life, isn't it?

And pre-Poochie, do you remember when marketing principles inspired Hanna Barbera to revamp Yogi Bear to suit 90s sensibilities with Yo Yogi, a series presenting Yogi and the gang as cool preteens hanging around Jellystone Mall? (Magilla Gorilla guested as rapper Magilla Ice at one point!) It turned out to be a bit of a ratings disaster.

[Lew Stringer]

Fair point. It all depends on context, as you say. Oink! had its fair share of toilet humour but had the wit and intelligence to back it up. If Oink! was The Young Ones then The Dandy is the third series of Little Britain, I suppose.

Yes, Oink was packed with ideas and much more inspired overall. Worth noting that it seemed to come from creative individuals let loose and doing their 'thang' to the bemusement of their publishers, rather than from the results of focus groups and market researchers!

As you may know, Oink! was packaged outside of IPC by a bunch of guys in Manchester who were all cartoonists and writers in their own right. It was a great comic to work for and we freelancers were indeed "let loose" to do our own thing.

Kids loved it. Establishment hated it. Establishment won. Moved away from the other comics by WH Smith with issue 8 for unspecified reasons (but no doubt due to its irreverent humour) it then struggled to gain sales. (As kids couldn't find it!)

Personally I blame the Freemasons.

Lew

[Brendan McGuire]

I'm fifty and I still find farts funny pherrt Oops!