Dandy

The Dandy, launched on December 4th 1937, is one of the longest running comic titles in the world, published by D.C Thomson & Co, Ltd. Alongside its sister title, The Beano, it has been a part of the childhood of several generations of British children, and characters such as Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat have become British icons. In recent years, Dandy's fortunes have waned somewhat and it has undergone several transformations intended to make it appeal more to the new generation of readers. Its current incarnation is titled 'Dandy Xtreme', and is marketed as a lifestyle magazine for the under tens. It relaunched once again on Wednesday 27th October 2010.

DANDY as unleashed today is barely recognizable to it's illustrious counterpart of 40 years ago and more, but considering the comic has ran for over 70 years, this is doubtless inevitable. Highlights and advantages within the radically -updated 2010 version are an increased page-count [certainly in comparison to the 1960s version: which had 16 pages, only four of which were in colour] of no less than 32 full-colour pages: uber-glossy paper stock is another modern upgrade, due partly to the fact that ever-dwindling circulation dictated that it was cheaper for D C Thomson to actually outsource the relatively small production runs to outside printing-presses, a move that would have been simply unthinkable throughout the 'Glory 50s' period, when comic runs were known to reach the 'Golden Million-plus' mark in some celebrated cases.

The upgraded and updated version of DANDY is chiefly notable for a radical shift in form of graphics: for the most part, there is a shift away from more typically-elaborate graphics [which may now be on the 'way out' in terms of contemporary output: only time will tell] to more scaled-down, but experimental artwork that appears to be more intune with 21st-Century comics approach. Desperate Dan in particular is a world away from the Watkins model, but this is probably better than continuing to reprint the originals, which now seem positively archaic alongside the material that DANDY is putting out today; indeed, even relatively recent entries like Cuddles and Dimples look a tad dated in comparison to the no-holds-barred, post-modern look of the comic's update.

In some respects, the artwork and story approach of the modern Dandy mirrors the output [if not quite so abrasive] of 1980s IPC comic-mag OINK! which featured much ahead-of-it's time cartoon graphics and more 'earthy' humour: OINK! was even printed on lustrous paper-stock, another glaring similarity that infuses the present [2010] DANDY.

Modern-day Beano is still for [the most part] true to the spirit of the 50s and 60s incarnations [if the humour approach has turned a mite radical in what is acceptable within a kid's comic; body fluids and extreme violence like comically severed limbs can be depicted, but the overall tone of BEANO is still in place] however, in the case of DANDY, there has been a complete overhaul and total change in direction, with only a few strips in 'traditional' vein[ Harry Hill, Postman Prat] : almost everything else is utterly post-modern and fully unlike anything depicted within the comic in the past: in comparison to an issue from the late 60s, [or even late 80s] the break has been radical and uncompromizing, to the point where the comic is wholly unrecognizable from it's traditional past.

Exactly what the contributers of DANDY'S more traditional past [Watkins, Charlie Grigg, Eric Roberts, Jimmy Hughes, Bill Holroyd, etc] would have made of the post-modern version is open to question and probably irrelevant: however, in the interests of healthy and productive experimentation, this newborn approach is certainly more daring and radical than anything that has gone before within it's comic pages; virtually all of the contemporary 2010 strips are brand-new and also we see the services of new-blood cartoon artists being given a good try-out.

Upon examination of a distant DANDY of forty or more years ago, the main differences from today are in the larger-scale artwork [although some pages had a whopping five rows of panels] and sumptuously-detailed frames of the sort that are simply not practical for the majority of today's more compactly-realized comics pages. Thus, although artists of the bygone period like Watkins and Grigg undoubtedly had a lot more space to fill [and consequently significantly more work on their plates] the artistic freedom they were offered in some cases [especially Grigg, whose front-page, large-scale Korky depictions almost always took full advantage of this approach] made for epic-style story depictions, in a way that is impossible for the much more cramped artwork turned out by the DANDY today. Grigg's most impressive work included his 'serial-like' melodramas [the stuff of thrills and wonder] such as CAPTAIN WHOOSH, the UMBRELLA MEN, and the PURPLE CLOUD: a world away from his more down-to-Earth Korky cavortings, so stylistically different from the cat's antics as to come as a surprize that these adventure-dramas were penned from the same nib as the Korky cover-artist. Further impressive work from GRIGG was evident in his hyper-accomplished DANDY BOOK entries throughout the Sixties and early Seventies: spectacular two-page spreads consisting of a single large image, often depicting devastation and destruction on an almost cinematic scale. Grigg was artistically adept at alternating between slapstick representation and more moody, illustrative pieces: his work on DANDY during his long tenure is amongst the proudest and most impressive of the publication's considerable back-catalogue.

Dudley D Watkin's chief contribution to the comic was, of course, Desperate Dan, and the Dandy is remarkable inasmuch that it was the only one of Thomson's 'big four' funny papers to opt out of having his masterly skills grace the coveted front page of the title. [Beano had BIFFO, Topper had MICKEY the MONKEY, and Beezer had GINGER, all by DDW]. Nevertheless, Dan is often cited as being Watkin's own personal favourite strip amongst his wide and varied output, and there is no denying the sheer stature [in more ways than one] and wide-spread fame engendered by this Western character, and indeed his image is immortalized [along with Minnie the Minx] in D C Thomson's home-city of bonnie Dundee, in the form of a looming 'life-sized' bronze statue. Any true comics-fan planning a Mecca-like pilgrimage to Dundee simply has to make a visitation to this statuatory site, which is located near the city centre.

Usually full of frankly eccentric and joyous anarchic mishaps, [due in most part to Dan's well-meaning but destructive super-strength], this strip managed to establish it's own fully-rounded- and- realized individual fantasy world, if the actual setting is contradictory and unlike any place on Earth at any period in history. For example, Dan's home town of Cactusville is clearly inspired and derived from the 1880s-styled old American West, complete with gun-toting local Sheriff, and the local populace dress as was customary within those times. However, we often see [in the definitive Watkins version, at any rate] decidedly British-styled postal pillar-boxes, archaic street-lamps more akin to Victorian Britain, and also 1930s-styled tramcars of the type commonly seen on this side of the Atlantic in the first half of the 20th Century. As this is obviously a fantasy strip, we can forgive these inaccuracies [and indeed, these supposed flaws actually enhance the strip's surreal qualities]. Central-figure Dan shaves with a blowtorch, devours basin-sized cow-pies [the term 'cow-pie' has an unfortunately different connotation in the US], complete with throw-away horns and tail extending from the 'delicacy'.

Much short work and destruction is made of the local facilities due to Dan's unthinking, impulsive antics, although in no way could he be described as an ill-intentioned 'vandal' in the sense we encounter in UK life today. Some early strips reflected a mistreatment of animals that is shocking and alarming to some modern eyes [Dan was seen to kill crows in mid-flight, skin a whale for a gargantuan meal, and even headbutt charging Wilderbeest to death in some of the more extreme cases!] Some of the stories branched out into 'continued-next-week' territory, although these tales were more connected items with a common theme rather than more commonly-seen 'cliffhanger' escapedes. These scripts included extended appearances from Dan's unruly pet dog [a street-sussed mutt forever getting one over old Dan], Dan's pet ostrich [especially memorable, that one] and an extended odyssey where Dan encounters some of his long-lost relatives [one of them even turns out to be a bear!]

Supporting charcters were a-many, but the key players were Dan's overbearing Aunt Aggie [the only being on the planet that Dan appears to fear] and his niece and nephew Katie and Danny, who sport jutting jawlines that is obviously carried on within the family gene-pool. Danny and Katie's main reason-to-be was as the impish instigators of elaborate practical-jokes, in their attempts to bunk off school, or get one over on old Dan, in their eternal quest to ridicule him. The final Watkins-drawn Dan strip of 1969 reputedly featured a story involving the bristle-chinned one felling an apple tree. Following Watkin's passing in July of that year, long-time DANDY Editor Albert Barnes perhaps wisely felt there was no-one in existance who was fit to fill the Masters shoes, and Dudley Watkins reprints of the wayward Westerner continued unabated: [indeed, ancient Watkins DAN reprints were still surfacing in the second decade of the 21st Century in one form or another!] although, fairly early in the 70s, fairly decent DAN updates courtesy of the highly-skilled pen of Charlie Grigg were put out and few complained. Indeed, Grigg's DAN stories of the DANDY BOOKS in particular were epic works that fully utilized large-scale frames, serving up comic shenanigans on par with the Watkins version. For the most part within the comic, however, it was back to tried-and-trusted DAN reprints: however, in the outside world, the sphere of comics were evolving and exploring new avenues, and even the somewhat stuffy-and-staid DANDY itself would change, but not until well into the 1980s. For the meantime, though, it was 'business as usual' within the comic, even if the further blow in the shape of the loss of Davey Law [who became ill in 1970] meant that another long-running strip [the colour CORPORAL CLOTT of the centre pages] was to lose it's illustrious creator.

Another key artist to leave a massive imprint was Bill Holroyd, whose personal brand of unrestrained cartoonery must surely have been familiar to literally millions of readers over an extended period. Although his style of drawing barely budged in the decades he worked for Thomson, his instantly-recognizable trademark artwork delivered much comical and unpretentious belly-laughs as his often gracelessly hilarious characters went about their unrefined business, in a solidly-hewn, raucous manner that was as typical of DANDY cavortings as any other contribution by any other artist. His panels were crammed with endless comic-detail and incident, and if curiously old-fashioned-seeming even at the height of his creative powers, his work was consistently reliable and delivered much of the expected quality from the comic's readership. Holroyd's most memorable creation for the comic was undoubtedly Brassneck, the absurdly hilarious tales of a 'schoolboy' robot who is advanced in technology enough as to act as a free-thinking individual, and who merrily joins in the cricketing and football games of his flesh-and-blood sidekick, Charlie Brand. Much of the storylines revolved around the typical outdoor pranks and japery so beloved of DANDY of this period, and one diversion typical to this strip was the deserved come-uppance of the bullying, brawny teacher Snodgrass, who falls foul in his small-time tyrannical aims to scupper the enjoyable pranks so beloved of Brassneck and Charlie.

Comic strips

 * Harry Hill's Real-Life Adventures in TV Land
 * Desperate Dan
 * George vs Dragon
 * Robot on the Run
 * Postman Prat
 * Kid Cops
 * Bogies
 * Korky the Cat
 * Bananaman
 * Clive 5
 * The Mighty Bork
 * Pre-Skool Prime Minister
 * Shao Lin Punks
 * Jibber & Steve
 * Factoids.com
 * Pepperoni Pig
 * Little
 * Keyhole Kate
 * Dinah Mo
 * Jak and Todd
 * Marvo the Wonder Chicken
 * Bully Beef and Chips
 * Winker Watson
 * Molly
 * Beryl the Peril
 * Owen Goal
 * Corporal Clott
 * Whacko!
 * Robin Hood's Schooldays
 * Puss n Boots
 * Ham and Egghead
 * Big Head and Thick Head
 * Spunky and his Spider
 * Greedy Pigg
 * Desperate Dawg
 * Monkey Bizness
 * PC Big Ears
 * The Smasher
 * The Tricks of Screwy Driver
 * Bodger the Bookworm
 * The Babes and the Bullies
 * The Jocks and the Geordies
 * Claude Hopper

Adventure stories

 * Black Bob
 * The Comet
 * Willie's Whizzer Broom
 * Jack Silver
 * The Purple Cloud
 * Island of Monsters
 * Captain Whoosh
 * The Umbrella Men

Official websites

 * http://www.dandy.com
 * http://twitter.com/DandyComic
 * http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dandy/121479097908918