Dandy Relaunch next month

[BeanoKev70]

The Dandy is being relaunched next month, no details as yet but confirmed by Thomson's......Hopefully it will be more traditional......

[MikeC]

Who confirmed it, Kev? I spoke to the editor himself last week and he didn't mention anything, just that they like to try new things all the time, and they wanted to try some new strips/artists.
Mike

[Spencer]

I hope it reverts to a 'weekly' with a proper relaunch (a little bit of advertising at least in other DCT publications would be a start!)

I think with the new strip from Andy Fanton (discussed on the 'Changes Afoot' thread); the fact that NP will not be doing Cuddles and Dimples anymore (see his own blog for that sad news); and the hint on their own website that we will see characters on the cover soon, lends credence to the relaunch idea.

Can anyone else shed any further light ?

A weekly 'rival' to The Beano again, with more comic strips) would be my ideal scenario (and would please my youngest too who thinks it unfair that his brother gets a Beano every week!)

[STARBOY]

Maybe they will "merge" it with "Classics" and add a few reprints to it and make ita half new and half reprint comic.

[Spencer]

Looks like Marvo the Wonder Chicken will certainly be in the re-launched comic...

See Nigel Parkinson's blog here "Great News Chums!"...

http://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspot.com/

[chrissmillie]

If I was at DCT, I'd be looking at ways of making the Dandy cheaper than the Beano. Lower quality paper, maybe slightly smaller size. It's always going to lose out to the Beano in a like-for-like contest, so making it a budget version may make sales pick up.

[MikeC]

Double their costs and half the cover price, you mean? Unlikely...

Seems to be a lot of fuss built on nothing, if you ask me. Nigel Parkinson may have stopped drawing C & D to do something new, but that will be because they have enough Cuddles and Dimples to reprint now and he can move on to something fresh. We don't even know when Andy Fanton's strip is going to appear, so everything in this thread is powered by Kev's first post. But the editor didn't say anything of that sort to me last week when I phoned...
Not saying I'm right or know any better, but a bit of cold hard analysis shows that a: fortnightlies don't go weekly when sales are falling, b: prices go up to please retailers when sales are falling and c: original material costs money, which is in short supply when sales are falling.

On the other hand, it's fun to dream!

[chrissmillie]

Double their costs and half the cover price, you mean? Unlikely...

I don't see where I've said. Quite the opposite. Reduce costs in order to reduce the cover price.

[Digifiend]

Looks like Marvo the Wonder Chicken will certainly be in the re-launched comic...

See Nigel Parkinson's blog here "Great News Chums!"...

http://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspot.com/

Of course he will, his new cartoon series hasn't turned up on TV yet (despite being announced at the same time as last year's Dennis and Gnasher series). They won't drop Marvo until that cartoon has aired.

[BeanoKev70]

Right I don't want to get anyone in trouble but I rang DCT today to find out some archive info. I said to the chap on the phone "is it true Classics is being cancelled next month" he replied "yes, in these difficult times something had to go and unfortunatly Classics was the one its a shame", I then said "I suppose the Dandy will be next" his reply was "No no its being relaunched next month, don't know any details as they are keeping it close to their chests, but don't worry its safe", I said " lets hope it goes back to a more traditional comic as I hated the Xtreme format", he said "we'll see next month"......

[felneymike]

As long as it's not yet being merged with Beezer, Topper and Magic on that great newsagents counter in the sky we should be thankful!

[MikeC]

If I was at DCT, I'd be looking at ways of making the Dandy cheaper than the Beano. Lower quality paper, maybe slightly smaller size. It's always going to lose out to the Beano in a like-for-like contest, so making it a budget version may make sales pick up.

SOrry, I didn't mean to pick up on just your post, more a composite of the other ideas. My point does stand, though - retailers don't want products to cut prices, they want as big a cut as possiblr from every sale, hence the increasing prices of magazines. If you do big volumes, fair enough, but Dandy doesn't.

Sounds like a change is gonna come, though, Kev! Maybe the ed was playing his cards close to his chest, as you say!

[Digifiend]

Maybe I'm interpreting this wrongly, but Nigel's blog seems to indicate that the "great news" is less than great.

If it was merging with Beano or BeanoMAX, then Andy Fanton wouldn't have said he was about to contribute to the Dandy... it's not going to the comics graveyard just yet.

However, Nigel has lost some money, if Cuddles and Dimples is either switching to reprints or getting dropped.

[NP]

Or...
and there's me thinking my blog post was too transparent! Seems I made it clear as mud!

[Digifiend]

If they did that, I assume that adventure strips, text stories, and anything from The Beano would be excluded.