Dandy Events At The National Library Of Scotland

To tie-in with their free Treasures exhibition on The Art And History Of The Dandy which runs until 3 February 2013, the National Library Of Scotland (NLS) are holding two free Dandy related events.

 

The first, on Wednesday 9 January 2013 at 1800 is an Adult's Cartoon Workshop to be run by former Dandy editor Morris Heggie and artists Gordon Tait and Steve White. The NLS website describes it as, " Want to know how 'The Dandy' has made generations laugh over the years? 'The Dandy' creative team of Editor Morris Heggie and artists Gordon Tait and Steve White will be giving a workshop into how to draw, write scripts and produce publications. Bring out your creativity as you are guided through every step. Ideas are welcome – you could create a brand-new Dandy character! So if you’re tough enough for eating cow-pie and shaving with a blowtorch, this is a day you’ll never forget!"

 

The second event is a talk by Morris Heggie on 75 Years Of The Dandy on Tuesday 15 January 2013 also at 1800. The NLS website describes it as " Morris Heggie, Editor of 'The Dandy' and an expert in comic history, will give a never-before-seen presentation on the art and history of 'The Dandy'. Insights into the story of Britain’s longest running comic will open your eyes to how it all happened. There will be a short question-and-answer section where you can find out anything you wanted to know. Make sure to bring along your copy of the final printed 'Dandy', because he will be doing signings."

 

Both events will take place in the National Library of Scotland on Edinburgh's George IV Bridge and are free. Pre-booking is required and this is available on-line via the NLS website or by phoning the NLS on 0131 623 3734.

 

There are more details of the National Library Of Scotland, the Dandy exhibition and the two Dandy events on the NLS website.

Just Dandy TV Documentary On 75 Years Of The Comic

Just Dandy, the 1 hour long documentary on the 75 year history of The Dandy comic, will be screened on BBC1 Scotland at 9.00pm on New Year's Eve. 

Hosted by comic actor Ford Kiernan from BBC Scotland's sitcom Still Game, the programme will include contributions from actors Brian Cox and Bill Patterson, comedian Frank Skinner, and animator Nick Park.

On your right is a promotional image, courtesy of BBC Scotland.

 While Just Dandy is only being broadcast on BBC1 Scotland, and not being networked, it is worth remembering that the rest of the UK receives BBC1 Scotland on Sky Channel 951, FreeSat Channel 960 and Virgin Media Channel 862 and therefore can watch it at the same time as Scotland. It will of course be available to the whole of the UK for 7 days on BBC iPlayer  once it has been broadcast.

There are more details of Just Dandy on the BBC website.

Image from the Scotland/Border edition of the Radio Times (c) Immediate Media Company Ltd

Dandy countdown to electronic makeover continues...

The latest Dandy comic - counting down to the final print edition, on sale at the beginning of December - features a cover from what we're told is the 1967 Dandy annual featuring Korky the Cat. (Thanks to George Shiers for the info)

The issue has some great strips including Terry Bave's Winker Watson, a remake of the classic Corporal Clott by Nigel Auchterlounie and a reprint of the Charlie Grigg Korky strip from the '67 annual.

Over on the official Dandy website the clock continues to count down to the relaunch of the title as a digital edition... Just nine days to go!

It's The Dandy Show! Final print issue to be celebrated at London Mart

With the final print edition of The Dandy comic imminent - a 100-page special that includes a facsimile of the first issue - the London Comic Mart is marking its transition to a digital format on Sunday 2nd December by hosting a special Dandy-themed day to celebrate 75 years of the much loved comic.

Launched on 4th December 1937, The Dandy hits 75 years at the beginning of December – but, sadly, the anniversary will see an end to the print edition. Hopefully, the move to an entirely digital comic will prove a success – DC Thomson have been working on it for months, so fingers crossed!

To celebrate the anniversary and to tie-in with the final print issue of the iconic DC Thomson comic, Showmasters is hosting a special edition of its ABC Show. Held on 2nd December from noon to 4.00pm at the Royal National Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1, the festivities are an addition to the regular London Comic Marts held at the same venue.

In attendance will be such contemporary Dandy artists as Henry Davis, Laura Howell, Gary Northfield, Lew Stringer and others.

Original artwork from The Dandy from the 1930s to the 1960s will be on display, as well as issues of The Dandy from the same period.

Organisers say this is a unique opportunity to meet the people behind The Dandy, hear them talk about their experiences working on the comic and see some of the rarities from the weekly’s history.

In addition, Hunt Emerson - also a Dandy contributor - will be at the event, signing copies of his new book, Dante's Inferno; and author David Ashford will be signing copies of his latest book The Art of Denis McLoughlin, published by exhibitor Book Palace, who will also be showing off the first issue of illustrators , the quarterly publication devoted to the finest European illustration.

Dealers at the event will also be offering comics and memorabilia from across the wide range of British comics in general.

• London Comic Mart, Noon - 4.00pm Sunday 2nd December 2012. For more details visit the Showmasters website here: http://londoncomicmart.co.uk

Crumbs! Artist Steve Beckett creates new humour comic

 

With the move by DC Thomson to online publishing of The Dandy still an item of debate by British comic fans, and with creators such as Jamie Smart suggesting the launch of an all-new creator-driven humour title, Dandy artist Steve Beckett hasn't been letting the grass go - he's only gone and started one.

Steve describes CRUMBS! – The Online Story Paper as "the place to be for brand new daft comics... presented in a fun vintage British comics style, developing and growing over time and will showcase a whole host of new characters.

"The plan is to give Crumbs! comic its own dedicated web site," he says, "once a substantial body of work has been produced."

Right now it's a comic featuring just one artist - Steve - and it's only just begun, but perhaps other creators should drop him a line and suggest combining forces?

Steve Beckett is a Grimsby based graphic designer and Illustrator with several years experience of working in a range of print and digital media. He produces vibrant and exciting design and illustration work for a variety of clients, including corporate, small business, business, publishing and charitable organisations. Current and previous clients include record labels, broadcasters, clothing manufacturers, NGO’s, shops, and both the Beano and Dandy comics.

Steve say readers comments and feedback are welcome, so why not pop over to his site and take a look at his work so far. Here's 'Mai Bad' - "The little kid who makes BIG Mistakes!" - a gloriously silly example of his superb work...

 

- Read CRUMBS strips so far

- Visit Steve's web site: http://sjbeckettdesign.wordpress.com

- Follow Steve on Twitter
Crumbs! and art featured above copyright Steve Beckett

 

Panel Borders continues its look at Elephantmen + The Pod Delusion examines The Dandy cancellation

Panel Borders: Taming the Elephantmen

In a companion podcast to last week's episode, Alex Fitch continues his conversation with writer Richard Starkings and artist Ian Churchill about Elephantmen, a sci-fi anthropomorphic comic about animal / human hybrid soldiers coming to terms with life in the big city after being demobbed.
In a Q and A recorded at the Leeds Thought Bubble festival, Autumn 2011, Alex discusses Elephantmen issue #25 and beyond, including the comic's use of guest artists such as Tim Sale and Marian Churchland and the programme of collecting the title into chunky graphic novels.

(This is the last in the current series of Panel Borders, which will return on September 16th, 2012)

online Sunday 26th August at www.panelborders.wordpress.com / http://podcasts.resonancefm.com


The Pod Delusion episode 150!

The Pod Delusion hits 150 episodes this week and as ever, mixes levity and serious issues in this regular counter-culture and alt-politics podcast. This celebratory episode kicks off with a bit of a grim start as we cover the debate of the definition of rape that the media has been having this week, as well as the continuing predicament of Julian Assange.

Then we get a bit more upbeat as we talk about atheism and religion, and Alex Fitch looks into possible reasons behind the cancellation of The Dandy… plus Salim Fadhley and Matthew De Abaitua discuss the Art of Camping!

http://poddelusion.co.uk/blog/2012/08/24/episode-150-24th-august-2012/

Guardian continues British Comics coverage in wake of Dandy news

National newspaper The Guardian is continued its coverage of British comics -- specifically, the future of The Dandy -- throughout last week, with key writer Jacqueline Rayner stepping up to champion the lost world of girls comics like Misty and Tammy and Charlie Brooker savaging those afraid of The Dandy's evolution into a digital-only title. Here's a round up of the coverage.

On Tuesday, artist Jamie Smart, who was an integral part of the comic's re-design and relaunch in 2010, wrote on  Why The Dandy Still Matters, arguing it's essential to keep kids reading comics.

"Comics are where we first learned about pea shooters, mud pies and building forts in trees," he notes. "They're one of the most exciting mediums around, and unrestrained by common sense or manners. Inside the pages of the best comics you will find pure, unbridled anarchy, running rampant through the world, telling hilarious stories with the naughtiest, silliest characters."

Writer Charlie Brooker - who was also one of Oink's youngest contributors back in its day - got hot under the collar about critics of the title's move to digital publication, arguing reports of the Dandy's death are greatly exaggerated. Going all-digital is the best thing that could happen to Britain's longest-running comic, he argued in The Guardian's sister paper, The Observer, yesterday.

"Why is The Dandy going all-digital? Because it's a magazine for children, and today's children don't seem to want magazines any more than I wanted a 1920s whirligig when I was their age," he said. "Kids today have Moshi Monsters and the Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster. Traditional ink on paper looks like medieval tapestry to them. This is the price you pay for technological advancement. On the plus side: fewer cases of rickets."

Meanwhile, acclaimed author Jacqueline Rayner noted that at least Dandy fans were still going to have the chance to read their favourite comic - an opportunity not afforded fans of  Jinty, Tammy, Misty from the golden age of girls' comics. The decline of the Dandy is sad news, her article noted, but let's not forget the plucky young heroines who have already perished in the Great Comics Bloodbath, from Diving Belle to Lisa the Lonely Ballerina

"The news this week that the Dandy's 75th anniversary issue in December would be its last in print must have been a blow to its readers, but at least they had the consolation of knowing it would continue online," she mused. "For some of us, this summer has only reminded us how much we have lost."

Her article prompted a flurry of memories of mainly 1970s and 80s from girls comics fans, including a post from comic artist Sean Phillips who cut his teeth in professional comic work by drawing many of them.


The Guardian also published a round up of Twitter to the news that The Dandy was quitting print, noting it was a decision that has got a few Desperate Dan fans a bit misty eyed. The round up included a note about DC Thomson's Chief Executive Ellie Watson's continued fuming at the alleged 'leak' of the company's plans for title; links to The Dandy's YouTube channel's videos offering how to draw Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat - and the Guardian's Media Editor Dan Sabbagh noting it's not just kids comics in trouble on the news stand. Word magazine closed a few weeks ago, and the men’s magazine market is in big trouble. The dead trees business is not a happy place to be for many publishers.

"Moshi Monsters mag is the best performing magazine," he commented (with reported sales of 223,000).

• Links to earlier news stories about the demise of The Dandy are posted here as part of an ongoing discussion on our forum about the title and its future. Contributors include Dandy artist Nigel Parkinson; Kid Robson, an outspoken critic of The Dandy in its current form, who outlines his vision for the future of British comics; and Dandy, TOXIC and Viz artist Lew Stringer

The Dandy: What Just Happened?

British comics haven't had so much media coverage in years, if not decades, in print and on radio and television than in the last few days since The Guardian broke the news that DC Thomson were considering cancelling The Dandy. But just how much of the publicity over The Dandy's print cancellation and rebirth as an e-comic was stage-managed to gain publicity for the title?

Why Tuesday 14 August?
The story began with a piece about the possible closure of the comic on The Guardian website at 8:04pm on Monday 13 August. Having had just over two weeks of solid Olympics coverage across the British media when other stories were squeezed for space and time by the achievements of British athletes and the British public becoming intrigued with sports they had never watched before, Monday 13 August was the day after the closing ceremony in London with news outlets reviewing the ceremony and the games in general.

That meant that the first day of the news cycle that would not have major new Olympics coverage was Tuesday 14 August, the day The Guardian went to print with the story and by which time the rest of the papers and media outlets had picked up on the on-line story as well. As we know, the potential cancellation got massive media coverage on Tuesday.

Why The Guardian?
In September 2009 The Guardian published "free" reprints of DC Thomson comics for their readers to enjoy over the course of a week and, as well as the behind the scenes commercial contacts that this would have provided between the two organisations, The Guardian sent a reporter to write a piece on the comics side of the DC Thomson business.

In addition to this something else happened on Monday 13 August that went unnoticed by most. At 5pm at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the largest literary festival in the world, The Heart And History Of The Dandy talk took place with author Andy Stanton chairing a talk from DC Thomson archivist, and 20 year veteran of The Dandy editor's chair, Morris Heggie ably helped on sketching duties by artist Gordon Tait. The talk was filmed by the camera crew that are currently filming a television documentary about The Dandy for broadcast around the comic's 75th birthday in December.


The BookFest always has a signing session after each talk and The Dandy one was attended not just by Morris and Gordon but also by Craig Graham, the current Dandy editor. They weren't the only DC Thomson staff members in attendance that evening with management in evidence from both the main company and their book publishing subsidiary Waverley Books, who published The Art And History Of The Dandy history book that the talk was based on. The Guardian article went live on the newspaper's website less than two hours after the signing session concluded at the Edinburgh BookFest. Who is the headline sponsor of the Edinburgh International Book Festival this year? Yes, it's The Guardian.

How to keep the publicity going?
As the Tuesday media storm subsided on Wednesday, the next step to keep the publicity going after the initial tease of the possible cancellation was to make an announcement of what was actually going to happen. On Thursday 16 August DC Thomson confirmed via Twitter that the print Dandy will reach its 75th birthday in December before regenerating into an as yet unknown entity, the e-Dandy. After the build-up over the previous couple of days, that announcement was widely reported in print, on the internet and on television. It even made it on to the BBC News at 6pm that evening.

Is there a bigger picture?
Perhaps. Travelling from Cactusville to Beanotown, The Beano is running a major Golden Ticket competition promotion during August with a grand prize of a family trip to the Universal theme park in Florida, hundreds of smaller prizes and, in addition, consolation prizes of a three month free subscription to the electronic version of The Beano for every reader who doesn't win something else.

While not all will take up that offer, and social media has already thrown up a number of persistent complainers who think that such an e-subscription is of no value, with weekly sales of around 38,000, that is a lot of readers that will potentially get the e-Beano during September, October and November. Indeed so many people tried to log in to The Beano website to register their prizes that it crashed under the server load.

Come December when the publicity push about the print Dandy celebrating its anniversary and the e-Dandy launch is in full swing, all those e-Beano subscriptions will run out but the title will be able to feed off that Dandy publicity to try to get those subscribers to pay to continue their e-Beano subscription.

Do we want an e-Dandy rather than a print Dandy?
So what we have all feared for the last year or so is now official, The Dandy went down on our watch, and those of us that grew up with paper comics will mourn its demise whether we read it or not. However e-publishing is here, and here to stay. We may not remember a time without televisions, but today's young readers of the Dandy do not remember a time without i-Phones or i-Pads.

Critics who say that e-comics will not work because children don't own i-Phones or i-Pads have apparently never been in a household that has both children and modern portable technology. The children may not own the devices but they know how to use them and they do use them, often just as much and with more knowledge about their operation than the adults.

In a family home an i-Pad is often treated as a item for all the family just as the then new video recorder was 30 years ago. Indeed as videos helped television watching became a bigger part of children's lives then, DC Thomson were able to get their characters on to television screens. As it made commercial sense for the company to get its characters into the other media that children used in the 1980s, so it makes commercial sense to bring their characters to today's portable electronic devices and, when it comes down to it, a revamp of The Dandy into an e-comic is better than no Dandy at all.

How do we sum this all up?
downthetubes is written by British comics fans for British comics fans and we do our best to promote British comics and their creators wherever they and their work appears, in comics, magazines, newspapers, books, apps or on the internet, whether that work is decades old or brand new. With The Dandy we are about to lose an old friend that we will mourn, but we look forward to seeing its future offspring.

Let's hope that we are not the only ones.

The official Dandy website with its countdown clock to the aniversary changeover is at www.dandy.com.

Dandy and Beano are copyright DC Thomson and Co Ltd.

Doctor Who / The Dandy / Elephantmen in discussion on the radio

Squeezing in a trio of radio appearances on 104.4 FM and elsewhere before Resonance FM runs a three week repeat schedule while the studio is refurbished, Alex Fitch is covering a variety of subjects over the weekend...

Clear Spot: Out of the Whoniverse

In an hour long show looking at the further adventures of companions and minor characters in Doctor Who episodes, Alex Fitch talks to a selection of writers, actors and producers about two audio based spin-offs from a couple of 7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) adventures in particular: The Minister of Chance which continues the story of a character from Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time,
and Counter Measures which explores further alien and paranormal encounters dealt with by the supporting cast of Remembrance of the Daleks.
Actors interviewed in the show include Paul Darrow (Blake's 7), Pamela Salem (Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again) and Doctor Who audio regular John Banks, plus producers and directors Dan Freeman, David Richardson and Ken Bentley.

8pm, Friday 17th August, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcasts after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Jon Briggs Breakfast show: Caption and The Dandy

As part of Jon Briggs' Saturday morning breakfast show which runs from 6am - 9am, Alex Fitch and Robin Etherington will be talking about this year's Caption Festival in Oxford and the sad demise of The Dandy comic in its 75th year. Robin wrote the strips Yore and Tag Team Tastic for The Dandy in 2011 and is a regular contributor to The Phoenix comic, which he'll be discussing in person at Caption on Sunday 19th.

7.50am approx., Saturday 18th August, BBC Oxford 95.2 FM (Oxfordshire) /
streamed at www.bbc.co.uk/bbcoxford /
'listen again' after broadcast at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00wyw49 (until 24/08/12)

Panel Borders: Unleashing the Elephantmen

In the last of the current broadcast series of Panel Borders, which this month has been looking at anthropomorphic or 'funny animal' comics, Alex Fitch talks to writer, editor and letterer Richard Starkings, and Ian Churchill, one of a rotating team of artists on Elephantmen, an American monthly comic (primarily created by Brits) about retired super-soldiers that are half animal, half human hybrids. Mixing the sci-fi / noir ambience of Blade Runner with the anthropomorphic horrors of The Island of Doctor Moreau, the comic has been serialised since 2003 and in this episode, recorded in front of an audience at last year's Bristol Small Press Expo, Alex talks to Richard and Ian about the origins of the title, Richard's move to America as a creator and Ian's own creator owned title, Marineman, which first appeared as a back-up strip in Elephantmen #25.
(The next podcast episode of Panel Borders will be online 26/08/12 and next broadcast on Resonance on 16/09/12)

8pm, Sunday 19th August, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

The Dandy's digital move: media reaction

Desperate Dan
© DC Thomson

The news of The Dandy's move to digital publication has prompted a huge flurry of news stories across various news media outlets.

While most simply parrotted the official announcement made by DC Thomson about their plans (some playing up claims from the company that they have locked down the title's official web site for fear of it being hacked, which frankly, sounds like complete cobblers), some newspapers chose to do a bit more research into the state of the British comic industry, and their stories make for interesting reading.

The Daily Mail not only reported that the title would be going online but also went to the effort of getting a video interview with the Cartoon Museum's Anita O' Brien, who talked about the general malaise for comics on the UK News stand - but also had an chance to promote The Phoenix, reportedly enjoying news stand sales of 9,000 despite limited high street and supermarket distribution

 

The Economist, in a feature titled "Not So Dandy" notes most children's magazines are taking a hit because of the recession. "It seems when parents' incomes are squeezed, less money is spent on them. But the decline in British comics goes back farther than the present downturn. The Beano's circulation was a 'six-figure' number in 2003.

"The reason might have something to do with social media and TV," the magazine suggestes, "which kids spend more of their leisure time attached to these days. TV tie-in magazines like Simpsons Comics, with a circulation of 52,000, are proving more popular than antiquated comics like the Beano. Moshi Monsters, a magazine based on the eponymous social network where youngsters can raise virtual pets, has a circulation of 228,000."

Moreover, the magazine points out, there are more rivals now than there were a decade ago, citing examples such as Doctor Who Adventures magazine (which at its height had a circulation of 155,000), Moshi Monsters and Pokemon World.

"... To their credit, both comics have the same number of pages dedicated to cartoons as they had a decade ago," says the Economist. "They have retained some of the same artists. But the tone is noticeably different. The Dandy talks of farts, toilets, and "doofus" parents, and has two strips whose central characters are chavs and bogeys respectively. But the comic still raises a good chuckle or two. The quality of the cartoons has not declined, in this writer's opinion."

The Financial Times chose to run a more general piece on the problems facing comics publishers on both sides of the Atlantic in": A Serious Turn for Comics"
"Behind The Dandy’s decline... lie broader lessons about the challenges of keeping up with children’s fickle tastes," the newspaper suggests, "the speed at which new digital choices are changing consumer behaviour and the need to manage brands across different platforms."

As rumours about the comic's fate continued, some papers conjectured a transfer for the titrle's main character to rival comic The Beano.  The Daily Record claims today that Dandy favourite Desperate Dan is in transfer talks with Beano, and "looks set to take new direction.

"The end of the printed version of the Dandy means the end of an era for generations of children," the paper notes. "Its loss was summed up last night by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. He said: “I have fond childhood memories of reading the Dandy and it’s a shame future generations won’t be able to enjoy the printed edition.

“But I’m pleased that the publishers have confirmed the Dandy will live on online.”


The last print Dandy will be published on 4th December 4th - an 75th anniversary edition, which will include a facsimile of the very first issue.

"I can confirm that this will be our last print edition," said DC Thomson's Chief Executive Ellis Watson. "It's what comes online then that will set the tone for the next 75 years. Dan has certainly not eaten his last cow pie.

"All of The Dandy's characters are just 110 days away from a new lease of life."

The Dandy Annual will continue to be printed, and that branded products such as mugs will continue to be produced.

The last officially audited circulation for the Dandy was 7,489 weekly sales on average in the last six months of 2011. It is priced at £1.99. DC Thomson launched a Dandy iPhone and iPad app in November last year, priced at £1.49.




 

Dandy to go digital, says DC Thomson

DC Thomson have just tweeted their official statement regarding the fate of The Dandy - and as expected for weeks, it's not good news for fans of the print edition, with the comic ending its physical existence (bar annuals) in December.

Here's the full statement, and a "countdown clock" is already part of the comic's official web site:

A lot of people have tweeted us regarding news reports surrounding the future of The Dandy. A statement follows:

DC Thomson is continuing to develop its magazines operation & portfolio to create an efficient business model that will build on the strength of our existing brands and products. There are many challenges within the industry at present, but we’re excited that the digital revolution has also given us an opportunity to innovate and develop.

We’re celebrating the fact that The Dandy has been in print for 75 years and we’re doing a lot of planning to ensure that our brands and characters can live on in other platforms for future generations to enjoy. We will release a special edition of The Dandy to mark its 75th anniversary on 4th December 2012. This issue will be the last printed and will include a reprint of issue #1.

There’s still a healthy appetite for The Dandy so we’re making it relevant for a new generation. There are exciting plans in the pipeline to take the title in a different direction & ensure that the next 75 years are just as popular.

We’re counting down 110 days until the 75th anniversary bash & we’re working on some tremendously exciting things for The Dandy's future. What comes online then that will set the tone for the future.

We’re excited that the digital revolution has given us an opportunity to innovate and develop and we’re confident that future generations will continue to enjoy The Dandy.

So... it's the end of The Dandy as we know it -- but it does look as though it's beginning of The Dandy as it will be, aimed squarely at an e-reading audience. A sad day for British Comics – but also, perhaps, the start of something as innovative as The Dandy was back when it began in 1937...

Dundee Comics Prize competition returns with superhero theme

In 1944 The Dandy introduced a home-grown British superhero – The Amazing Mr X, who appeared in 14 instalments between 1944 and 1945.

Drawn by DC Thomson staff artist Jack Glass, the The Amazing Mr X made a brief reappearance in The Dandy annual in 1962, drawn by Dudley D. Watkins -- but since then, he has been all but forgotten.

Now the University of Dundee, in partnership with DC Thomson, is giving comic creators the opportunity to bring the character back to life, re-interpreting the character for the 21^st century!

The challenge to recreate one of Britain's first superheroes (DC Thomson actually created other characters that could be regarded as superheroes earlier than Mr X) is the focus of the Second Annual Dundee Comics Prize.

Entries should consist of a two - three page origin story and a cover image featuring your interpretation of this classic British superhero.

The first prize is £500, plus publication of the story in The Sunday Post and in the Dundee University publication Anthology, which showcases new work by up-and-coming comics creators. There will also be two runner-up prizes of £250 each.

The deadline for completed submissions is 1st October 2012. The work will be judged by a panel consisting of comic professionals and scholars, with the announcement being made at the Dundee Comic Day on 28th October 2012.

Winners and runner-ups will be invited to attend. There will also be an exhibition of artwork from the competition at Comic Day.

Mr X was the alter ego for private enquiry agent Len Manners who dons "a queer costume, black skin-tight trousers and white jersey" and uses amazing strength that he can "summon at will" to fight crime.

Former Dandy editor Morris Heggie has described Mr. X as "The closest we've ever had to a super hero". However, he also admits that "His arch nemeses weren't glamorous.... He would chase people who stole lead from roofs and other small time crooks."

The character is actually one of several ill-fated superhero characters we're told DC Thomson has considered reviving in the past. These also include the mysterious Captain Hornet, The Comet, Captain Q, Danger Man, the Flaming Avenger (who appeared in Rover back in 1933), King Kobra (drawn by Ron Smith, he appeared in Hotspur back in 1976), Tarzan imitator Morgyn the Mighty, Red Star Robinson, the Scarlet Hawk (who fought crime from a secret base in Dorset) the Supercats (first appearing in girls comic Spellbound), Spring-Heeled Jack and Zogg the Wizard.

The company even had its own version of Supergirl, although we suspect a certain very large US comics company might have a few things to say if they tried to re-publish her...

Image © DC Thomson

The aim of the Dundee Comics Prize is to nurture talent in comics, and to help new creators gain recognition. Anyone can enter the competition, and the submission can be in any style, in black or white or colour, but the work must be finished to a high standard (lettered, inked, etc), and it must be a complete story. The work must be original, the creators must own the copyright, and it must not have been published already, or currently offered for publication elsewhere. When submitting work good quality scans are requested in the first instance, although original artwork may be requested at a later stage (although will remain the property of the creators).

The prize is awarded to the creator or team who produce the work. If the work is collaborative the members of the team will share the prize money equally. All winners (including runners-up) will be asked to provide a short account of how the comic was created, along with any relevant photos and sketches. These will be used on the website and in the exhibition and publications to demonstrate how the winning entries came about.

Artwork will also be required on a short loan for the purposes of an exhibition. The decision of the judging panel is final, and DC Thomson reserves control over what is published, how it is presented, and in what format, in their publications.

• There's a feature on The Amazing Mr X in the the Art and History of The Dandy book

• Further information about The Amazing Mr X is available at http://www.v14.co.uk/misterx/ and via two pages from The Amazing Mr X:

• The Amazing Mr X, Page 1
• The Amazing Mr X, Page 2

• Please also read the Rules and Guidelines for the prize.  A flyer about the prize is available for printing and display.

• All queries and submissions should be sent to Dr Chris Murray, University of Dundee, at dundeecomicsprize@gmail.com

Related Information

• Winners of the Dundee Comics Prize 2011

(With thanks to Jeremy Briggs for the heads up on this item)

Is it all over for The Dandy?

Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart, who comments on the title's possible demise on his blog here

National newspaper The Guardian has reported that DC Thomson may be considering an end to The Dandy, with its sales slipping away despite numerous attempts to save the title in the face of changing tastes, distribution issues and competition from other media.

Fans have already rallied online with a #SavetheDandy campaign on Twitter, urging comic readers to get out and buy the comic. Commenting on its 75-plus year history, comic creator Neill Cameron, a contributor to The Phoenix, urged support and others quickly took up the cause.

A full official statement on the title's future has yet to be made - the editors of both The Beano and The Dandy are on holiday this week - but The Guardian notes the 75-year old comic's circulation has declined as children have grown out of the habit of reading weekly comics, with their free time given over instead to watching TV and more recently playing video games and surfing the internet.

Various artists on the title have begun to comment on the possible demise of the title, including Jamie Smart, who was a key part of the title's most recent revamp in 2010. That saw the arrival of a Harry Hill comic strip (drawn by Nigel Parkinson) and many changes to the look of the title in an impressive effort to both appeal to potential new readers and continue to appeal to existing ones.

The relaunch was backed by a decision to print around a quarter of a million copies of the revamp issue, in-store dump bins to highlight it on shelves among the many other more magazine-oriented childrens' titles and other promotion. Sadly, for whatever reason, actual sales of the title were not reflected by these herculean efforts to breathe new life into the title, and slowly dropped back to the declining figures The Dandy was selling at pre-revamp.

The Dandy has outlasted DC Thomson's other titles such as the Beezer and the Topper by 20 years or more, but circulation decline has continued and by the second half of 2011, circulation had dipped below 8,000, according to the most recent official figures.

Despite the potentially bad news, creators who have worked on the title are adamant the brave decision to transform its look in 2010 was something worth trying in the face of declining sales.

"When The Dandy relaunched a couple of years ago, what it did was phenomenal," notes Jamie Smart. "It had previously tried to go a bit more ‘magaziney’, but now it was turning full circle and defiantly stating no, we are a comic, and we are proud of it.

"The last two years of The Dandy have been an absolute triumph for British comics," he argues, "a confident love of sillyness, slapstick and mess. A great wave of ridiculous characters and stories, an unashamed love of all things absurd.

"It also ushered in a host of new artists, fresh talent, being given their first break in the industry. It wanted to try new ideas, new things, giving us free reign to be as silly as we wanted. It was a playground.

"... To see this news emerging, it’s pretty crushing," he adds, urging comic fans to get out and buy the comic. "It’s no exaggeration to say The Dandy is a British institution, and a pillar for British comics. It has been essential to our culture. As the artists involved towards what may be its final days, we are incredibly proud and honoured to work on such a comic, to be given the opportunity to entertain children.

"We believe we have delivered real quality comics, and that The Dandy has been a shining light in what is a shrinking industry."

The Dandy first went on sale in 1937 costing 2p, with a free whistle and now costs £1.99. If it was priced on a par with a bar of chocolate - a common frame of price comparison used by publishers in the past - then a cover price of 65 or 70p might help, but quite aside from editorial, print and paper costs, distributors today tend to demand and favour higher-priced titles on their shelves in order to maximise their profits, rather than support a pricing change which might benefit potential consumers and publishers.


A spokeswoman for DC Thomson told The Guardian that the closure of the print title was being considered as part of a review of the company's magazine business, but indicated that characters such as Desperate Dan would continue to exist online. (This is something former editor Morris Heggie seemed to be hinting at in comments he made in an interview about the future of comics earlier this month).

The Guardian also notes characters such as Desperate Dan could also continue in print by switching to DC Thomson's sister title The Beano, although if cancellation is on the cards in the very near future, we'd argue that an old-style comics merger is unlikely given that title's recent revamp.

"We are carrying out a review of our magazines business to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing publishing industry," the spokeswoman told the Guardian.

"There are many challenges within the industry at present, but we're excited that the digital revolution has also given us an opportunity to innovate and develop. We're confident that future generations will continue to enjoy our much-loved products and characters."

• The Cartoon Museum in London is preparing an exhibition celebrating The Dandy's 75th anniversary, which will open in October.

In Review: The Art and History of The Dandy

By Morris Heggie

Publisher: Waverley Books

Out: 6th August 2012

ISBN-13: 978-1849342414

The Book: A chronicle of 75 years of the world's longest-running comic, The Art and History of The Dandy is a beautiful gift book and treasury of everything that has made The Dandy so anarchic and special.

The Review: With such a rich history, documenting the story of the world's longest-running comic, even with access to DC Thomson's archives, must have been no easy task - but for me, a casual Dandy reader, former editor Morris Heggie pulls off this herculean task with aplomb.

The Dandy is a record breaker: in 1999 it became the world's longest running comic and this reasonably-priced hardback book comes packed with stories of how its characters -- Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, Beryl the Peril, Keyhole Kate, Brassneck, Winker Watson and many more -- came to be, along with profiles of its numerous creators from its origins to its troubled present.

For those who don't know, The Dandy, DC Thomson's first weekly comic, hit the streets on 3rd December, 1937, six months before its sister comic The Beano. The intent - stymied by the Second World War, whose paper rationing could so easily have put paid to the comics and indeed, meant a fellow title, Magic Comic, was short-lived - was to create a 'Big Five' of humour titles. This would, original editor Alfred Barnes believed, echo the success of DC Thomson's 'Big Five' of adventure comics - Adventure, The Rover, The Wizard, The Skipper and The Hotspur.

Ledgers of the comic's sales (which I've been lucky enough to have seen during one visit to the DC Thomson offices) document the title's early success, quickly out-selling adventure titles as Britain battled its way out of economic depression and prepared for War.

Telling the story of the comic chronlogically, breaking down its history into eight sections from its origins and huge success to its difficult present, beset by competition from many quarters, The Art and History of the Dandy is a glorious read, albeit tinged with the sad truth that its glory days are, perhaps long behind it.

And yet, while the title's past success - in the 1950s, it was the world's largest-selling comic with a circulation of around two million copies a week - is without question, there are some who do challenge more recent attempts to breathe new life into the title, the comic's older fans perhaps forgetting it is aimed at children, not 40-something fans with rose-tinted memories of childhood. Indeed. The Art and History of The Dandy tells the story not just of the comic, but how changing society, frowning on some aspects of its very nature, have affected and changed the style of its storytelling, with characters such as Bully Beef considered politically incorrect today, despite the fact that the vile character regularly got his comeuppance.

Sales of The Dandy may be a pale shadow of past years, and the most recent total revamp - documented in this book - has not been entirely welcomed by some. But the creators involved have held true to The Dandy's original ethos, summed up by its first editor, the late Albert Barnes: 'There is never any real violence, only the cartoon kind to be found in Tom and Jerry where the victim always springs back unharmed. It gives children a chance to cock a harmless snook at authority, and sublimate their desires to kick against the traces.'

(Barnes was also behind Desperate Dan, who became The Dandy's biggest star).

Whatever the future of The Dandy - and indeed other non-licensed, original and long-running titles such as The Beano, Commando and 2000AD - The Art and History of The Dandy is a hugely enjoyable read, albeit strong on the earlier history of the title but perhaps less revealing on its current state. If you grew up reading the comic, or are a fan of British comics, Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, Bananaman (and many other great creations by the likes of Dudley Watkins, Ken Reid, Steve Bright et al) this title definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Sub-titled 75 Years of Biffs, Bangs and Bana Skins, The Art of The Dandy offers an amazing trip down memory lane for fans of The Dandy. Sumptuously illustrated (with some great behind-the-scenes imagery and cheeky notes), I really enjoyed reading this and I think many of our readers will, too.

- Morris Heggie will be appearing at the Edinburgh Book Festival on 13th August at the Scottish Power Studio Theatre. Join Mr Gum writer and comic book fan Andy Stanton as he introduces Morris and artist Gordon Tait. More info here

 

Morris Heggie talks digital future for Beano, Dandy?

Phil Shrimpton, Beano and Dandy collector - as featured by BBC News

Phil-Comics Auctions (www.phil-comics.com) is the brainchild of Brighton-based Phil Shrimpton who has a large collection of Beano and Dandy comics and started trading them through the website.

The site was recently given a plug by BBC News, with Phil talking enthusiastically about the DC Thomson titles past and present.

Intriguingly, former Dandy editor Morris Heggie also talked positively about the title's digital push, but his comments suggest the company may, sadly, be considering a time when there is no longer a paper edition of the comics. He seemed upbeat about this possibility, however.

"You mustn't look to the future and think, 'Oh it's dreadful, there won't be a paper version," he said, "you look to the future and think, 'Oh this is going to be so exciting, we can do so many things, using what we've learned over the years about artwork and funny storylines'."

Since its launch in 2001, phil-comics auctions has built an enviable eBay trading reputation in vintage British comics, annuals, artwork and related items.

Changing times: Morris Heggie told the BBC the digital editions of The Beano and The Dandy
gave DC Thomson to the opportunity to employ what it knows about making comics in the online world

To satisfy his customers’ demands, Phil says he constantly seeks single items and entire collections to offer at auction.

In August 2006, following discussions with DC Thomson, they proudly launched The Beano & Dandy Collectors' Club, dedicated to vintage Beano and Dandy comics, annuals and related items.

Although the club has now closed, they have provided PDF links to all of the newsletters.

• Visit the site at:  www.phil-comics.com

The Dark Newt Rises - in The Dandy!

Watch out, folks - there's a new superhero in town... well in The Dandy, anyway, as Lew Stringer brings the Dark Newt to the weekly comic next week.

"This is the first time I've solely created a character for The Dandy," says Lew. How other popular strips, Kid Cops and Postman Prat were created by the editors and passed to the longtime comic creator to develop.

The name and premise is, of course, a spoof on the classic Batman saga The Dark Knight but Lew says the story goes off on its own direction. "Good job too, as there are a couple of other Batman spoofs in that issue by other artists," he reveals. "Anyone would think we were all influenced by some movie or something..."

"I'm very proud to have created a new strip for one of my lifelong favourite comics in The Dandy's 75 anniversary year," he says, "but I'm also a bit apprehensive about the reaction.

"I'm hoping readers like it. I certainly enjoyed writing and drawing it."

The Dark Newt will initially run in the comic for six weeks. Let's hope it goes down well.

• Check out Lew's blog for some pre-production art on the strip. The Dark Newt starts in The Dandy 3590 next Wednesday (18th July). More about The Dandy online at: www.dandy.com

75 years of The Dandy exhibition

To tie-in with the 75th anniversary of the Dandy, the Cartoon Museum will be holding an exhibition of all all things Dandy related this autumn. Opening on 24th October the museum promises a fun exhibition for all the family and for readers young and old.

More details can be found on the museum website (http://www.cartoonmuseum.org/)

British Comics Stamps Launch this week

Wild-west hero Desperate Dan, who first appeared in December 1937 is the star of The Dandy stamp, released this week. The world’s strongest man, he shaves with a blow torch ands eats cow pies complete with the horns.

Stand by for First Class fun and frolics as Britain's Royal Mail pays homage to the great British comic on ten new stamps launched this week.

As we previously reported, The Comics Collection, commemorating Britain’s rich comic book heritage, features ten iconic comic book front covers that we have all come to know and love from our childhood as 1st Class stamps. From The Dandy, The Beano, Eagle, The Topper and Tiger, through to Bunty, Buster, Valiant, Twinkle and 2000AD, there’s something for all comic fans in this set of stamps.

The stamps - which we'll show off one by one over the next few days - showcase some of the much-loved characters from these comics alongside their respective front covers on the stamps themselves.

The stamp issue also marks the 75th birthday of The Dandy, Britain’s longest, and the world’s third longest-running comic behind the American comic book Detective Comics (first edition in early 1937) and the Italian comic magazine Il Giornalino (first edition in 1924).

During its heyday of the 1950s, sales of The Dandy reached over two million copies a week and The Beano, which quickly raced to a weekly peak of well over a million copies, now remains the UK’s number one selling weekly comic. This popularity led to the launch of the Dennis the Menace Fan Club in the 1970s which had more than a million members and, due to changing times, has been relaunched as Beano VIP, an online only club.

Despite the decline in the popularity of print comics, with an average sale of 38,333 copies The Beano remains the UK’s number-one-selling weekly comic with Dennis and Gnasher also starring in their own successful animated series, shown in the UK on the CBBC Channel. (Sadly, current readership/circulation for The Dandy is just 7,489).

This collection is sure to bring back memories and evoke excitement amongst comic fans both young and old; some of the titles featured being first published in the 1930’s, while the “Galaxy’s Greatest Comic” 2000AD is still in publication, having far exceeded the sell-by date of its title!

DC Thomson first launched The Dandy as a weekly comic in December 1937, featuring the rollicking adventures of Desperate Dan. The Beano followed just over six months later, with an explosion of titles to suit every child introduced after World War II including Eagle and Twinkle, both also featuring within this stamp issue.

A copy of the first issue of The Dandy was sold for £20,350 on 7th September 2004 and is the current highest price paid for a British comic.

Characters as distinctive as Desperate Dan, Dennis the Menace, Roy of the Rovers, Beryl the Peril and Buster are still as recognisable today as they were on the day they were released, icons of our time, and culturally relevant as ever.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “For over a century, Britain’s uniquely eccentric comics have brought cheer to generations of readers. More importantly it has presented us with a cast of characters that, like the memories of those comics themselves, remain with us throughout our lives.

”The Dandy, celebrating its 75th birthday this year, and The Beano, which will do likewise next year, are almost British institutions and it feels appropriate to celebrate these comics and their characters on a set of very special stamps.”

• Stamps and stamp products are available at all Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/personal/comic-stamps-and-collectibles, the Royal Mail eBay shop: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Royal-Mail-Stamp-Collections and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

 

Post Office celebrates British Comics

Britain's Post Office is celebrating what it's defined as "75 Years of British Comics" with a special issue of stamps featuring the covers of various much-loved comics, including 2000AD and The Beano.

Set to be released on 20th March 2012, the offer also includes two First Fay Covers featuring Boys Own and Girls Own - with a special 'Eagle' postmark.

The stamps comprise The Dandy (featuring Desperate Dan), The Beano (Dennis the Menace), Eagle (Dan Dare), Topper (Beryl the Peril), Tiger (Roy of the Rovers), Bunty (The Four Marys), Buster (Buster), Valiant (The Steel Claw), Twinkle (Twinkle), and 2000AD (Judge Dredd).

The stanps serve to indicate not just comics still going strong but just how many are no longer around, but it's great to see the Post Office promoting our industry in this way, even if British comics have been published for much longer than 75 years.

This release follows on the heels of  commeorative issues such as one celebrating the work of author Roald Dahl on 10th January and Classic Locomotives on 8th February.

• There's more details about the release on the British First Day Covers web site here: www.bfdc.co.uk/2012/comics

• The full Special Stamp Programme for 2012 is as follows:

5t January - Olympic and Paralympic Definitives
10th January - Roald Dahl

2nd February - House of Windsor
6th February - Diamond Jubilee Definitives
23rd February - Britons of Distinction

8th March - Classic Locomotives of Scotland
20th March - Comics

10th April - A-Z of Britain Part 2

15th May - Great British Fashion
31st May - Diamond Jubilee

19th June - Charles Dickens

27th July - Welcome to the London 2012 Olympic Games

29th August - Welcome to the London 2012 Paralympic Games

27th September - Memories of the London 2012

16th October - Dinosaurs
30th October - Space Science

6th November - Christmas

• For more on British Stamps visit the British Postal Museum and Archive

Art © Royal Mail

In Review: The Beano and Dandy Apps

(Cross-posted with permission from Bring Back Bunty): The Beano and The Dandy have recently become available as iPad/iPhone apps (see news story) and these have the potential to be a great format for children’s comics -- so we just had to check them out.

We downloaded them both through the Newsstand on an iPad and as you'd expect, the comics looked great. The format displays the strips really well, the navigation is simple and each comic is very easy to access through an iTunes account.

The two apps are virtually identical but we weren't entirely sure of the pricing system; The Beano is clearly priced at £1.49 per issue but a couple of issues of The Dandy are priced at 69p with the rest at £1.49 – there are also a few free copies of each available to get you started.

I handed them over to my 9-year-old daughter and here's what she had to say:

"They were slightly hard to read. I had to zoom in and the zoom sometimes is hard to move around.

"I would say it wasn’t as good as it could have been. It’s not as good as actually reading and holding a comic!" 

Overall, the digital versions are handy to have but we had hoped there would be some reduction for the digital issues compared to the paper ones. In newsagents, The Beano costs £1.50 and The Dandy £1.99 (prices accurate 7th December 2011) so there is very little difference. Pricing the iPad versions at just one penny (or 50p) less than the paper comic doesn’t seem enough of a saving, or a reason to buy, the digital version over the real in-your-hand, under-the-bed, read-anywhere, traditional paper version.

We think it’s brilliant that such great comics are available to buy online, but ultimately as Niamh says, it’s “not as good as actually reading and holding a comic!”

• Check out The Beano app on iTunes here
 
• Check out The Dandy app here