Guardian article: The Dandy Faces Closure

[steven]

End of an insituation.

Could DCT rather sell the comic?

[Digifiend]

Who'd want it if it doesn't sell? Besides, it would harm the retro annual. The annuals still sell well and are continuing. Also, the Dandy editor doubles up as the WWE Kids editor, so a takeover by another company would require a new editing team.

In other news, Jamie Smart got interviewed for Al Jazeera. The video is supposed to be embedded into the page, but for some reason both Chrome and Internet Explorer tried to download it instead. http://www.fumboo.com/blog/the-dandy-tv ... /#comments

[Lew Stringer]

Going by comments online there's one thing this week has proven and that's there's still a lot of affection for The Dandy. The alarming thing is that so many people didn't know it still existed. The good thing is many of them have gone out and bought a copy, and have liked what they've seen. Hopefully they'll stick with it until the end.

My local Tesco usually has a stack of The Dandy. I bought the last copy this afternoon. The Beano, with its Golden Ticket promo, has also done well. (Bought the last but one copy.) I hope this is reflected all across the UK.

[Lord Peter Flint]

My 7yr old son cried his heart out when he heard the news. I tried to reassure him by saying that it would still be online etc and his reaction was "It's not the same! You can't roll it up and put it under your arm and bring it to the garden or read it in bed - and it makes my eyes sore looking at your laptop for too long but I can read a proper comic for ages!" There's no answer to that. I'm very sorry to see it happen and I'm sure I'm not the only parent who's heard similar comments today.

[Lew Stringer]

My 7yr old son cried his heart out when he heard the news. I tried to reassure him by saying that it would still be online etc and his reaction was "It's not the same! You can't roll it up and put it under your arm and bring it to the garden or read it in bed - and it makes my eyes sore looking at your laptop for too long but I can read a proper comic for ages!" There's no answer to that. I'm very sorry to see it happen and I'm sure I'm not the only parent who's heard similar comments today.

Sorry to hear that. That story is more upsetting than the news itself.

I hope your son can be consoled a little by the knowledge that it's going to continue for a few months yet. (Still as a weekly I hope!) Three months seems a long time when you're seven so there will still be plenty for him to read until December. The annual will continue in paper form, although I know that's not the same as a regular comic. (And he'd have to be as strong as Desperate Dan to roll that up.)

[Lord Peter Flint]

Thanks Lew - that's greatly appreciated. We were trying to keep him away from the news but he heard the tail end of a news report on the radio and his ears pricked up (as they do at 7!). We sat him down and filled him in in as simple a way as we could. I'm a lifelong comics fan myself and I remember all too well how I felt when Krazy and Crunch disappeared.
On another note I'd like to say a thank you to you Lew for all the laughs over the years - I'm a great fan of your work and your blog.

[Lew Stringer]

Thanks Lew - that's greatly appreciated. We were trying to keep him away from the news but he heard the tail end of a news report on the radio and his ears pricked up (as they do at 7!). We sat him down and filled him in in as simple a way as we could. I'm a lifelong comics fan myself and I remember all too well how I felt when Krazy and Crunch disappeared.

I still haven't gotten over the original TV21 ending in 1969.

On another note I'd like to say a thank you to you Lew for all the laughs over the years - I'm a great fan of your work and your blog.

Thanks your Lordship.

[steven]

Who'd want it if it doesn't sell? Besides, it would harm the retro annual. The annuals still sell well and are continuing. Also, the Dandy editor doubles up as the WWE Kids editor, so a takeover by another company would require a new editing team.

Yeah, just thought of that

Someone even joked on another forum about Rupert Murdoch buying it

[Rasher]

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.

I noticed the Xtreme (pun intended) lack of apology from Mr Digifiend for his wild and uninformed accusation.

Does Digifiend get sued for this sort of stuff or ComicsUK?

[starscape]

Who'd want it if it doesn't sell? Besides, it would harm the retro annual. The annuals still sell well and are continuing. Also, the Dandy editor doubles up as the WWE Kids editor, so a takeover by another company would require a new editing team.

Yeah, just thought of that

Someone even joked on another forum about Rupert Murdoch buying it

It does sell though. 8,000 copies an issue, I believe. That's a decent amount for many indie companies. Trouble is, it finds itself in the same situation as Fleetway and 2000AD. Too small sales for a large company to trouble itself with but a decent amount for a fledgling company as Titan were, hence why the early graphic novels were published by Titan.

Unfortunately, I don't expect Dandy to be amenable to any idea of licensing or selling for a reasonable price.

[Digifiend]

Who'd want it if it doesn't sell? Besides, it would harm the retro annual. The annuals still sell well and are continuing. Also, the Dandy editor doubles up as the WWE Kids editor, so a takeover by another company would require a new editing team.

Yeah, just thought of that

Someone even joked on another forum about Rupert Murdoch buying it

I think he's trying to get out of the print media business. There's a very good reason why he's splitting the publishing division of News Corp from the TV/film division (hint: News of the World). That joker was quite ignorant of the ongoing phone hacking saga it seems.

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.

I noticed the Xtreme (pun intended) lack of apology from Mr Digifiend for his wild and uninformed accusation.

Does Digifiend get sued for this sort of stuff or ComicsUK?

Uninformed? I pretty much quoted the statement. They mentioned hacking in that statement. The Guardian broke the news. Put two and two together...

[PaulTwist]

Put two and two together...

...and get five.

I really don't understand your dislike of The Guardian, Digi. It's one of the most respected, least-sensationalist newspapers. They BROKE the hacking scandal, for flip's sake! And I would imagine Guardian journalists have more pressing, urgent things to do than to try to hack into a comic's website... Surely it's more likely the paper received a tip-off from someone at DC Thomson?

Anyway. Back on topic: Absolutely gutted about The Dandy closing. Gutted for the writers, artists and editorial staff who will lose work. Gutted for the kids who love the comic, such as Lord Peter Flint's 7-year-old. And gutted for myself - I've bought more copies of the Dandy in my 30s than I ever bought as a child, simply because, post-Xtreme, it's been a wonderfully-produced treat for all ages, clearly produced with love, care and passion. It was funny, irreverent, still aimed at kids but grown-up friendly... It was the sort of kids' comic I would've LOVED as a kid. And the world of childrens' comics is a much poorer place without it.

It was a noble, valiant effort - one last post-Xtreme stab to produce something that sold on QUALITY and COMIC STRIPS rather than bagged plastic tat and patronising yoof-speak. That it failed is truly saddening. Maybe DC Thomson's marketing dept could've done more - I remember at the time of launch that cross-promotion in The Beano was non-existent, ridiculously. But maybe - maybe this ISN'T what kids want. And 75 years is a good innings. RIP The Dandy (print edition).

[Raven]

Surely it's more likely the paper received a tip-off from someone at DC Thomson?

Hence Ellis Watson saying " I'm absolutely livid that we've had an internal leak ..."

[big bad bri]

Such sad news but know we konw why bananaman went over to the beano now.Why on earth did dandy not stick with the same formula beano has managed to for all these years because that still style still looks retro enough with the same characters nicely drawn so they still look like they did when we were kids ,minnie,roger,dennis, BSK etc,unlike the unrecognisable styles of dan ,bananaman,korky etc.perhaps one last revamp could be done with classic characters we all recognise with a complete overhaul of majority of artists with ones that can ghost the original styles.i ant see it lasting on ipads etc either because nothing will beat the smell ,feel,etc & as much as i would love t supprt the move i cant even if i could ever afford an ipad i will just have t read back issues now.

[Lew Stringer]

Such sad news but know we konw why bananaman went over to the beano now.

I think the decision to put Bananaman reprints in The Beano was simply to capitalize on a good, well established character. (And perhaps to reflect the current popularity of superhero movies.) It made sense to put him in both comics. The decision was made before any of this blew up.

Why on earth did dandy not stick with the same formula beano has managed to for all these years

Because sales were already falling even back when it was a more traditional style comic, so changes were worth trying. The lineup of The Dandy hasn't been as rigid as The Beano's for decades. Desperate Dan has been the only constant really.