DS Forums

 
 

Dandy comic selling just 7000 copies a week


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 20-09-2011, 12:32
floopy123
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,843

... disappointing ABC figures for The Dandy, which, as we previously reported, is now selling around 7,448 copies a week.

Commenting on the sales figures, a spokesperson for DC Thomson, who publish The Dandy described them as "disappointing.

"There is no getting away from that," they acknowledged, but pointed to success elsewhere for their comics titles.

“The Dandy is the one blot on an otherwise quite successful period for us," the spokesperson added. "We will be taking steps to address that, but we are not looking at radical surgery.”
http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.c...and-where.html

I guess it's hard for comics to appeal to kids when they've got the internet, iphones, social networking, looting, mugging to do etc.

The Dandy has been in publication for 74 years so it would be a great pity if it were forced to shut down.
floopy123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 20-09-2011, 16:29
tingramretro
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Shotley, Suffolk
Posts: 10,824
Thing is, Dandy's sales have been falling slowly but steadily since about the mid 1950's, mostly because while The Beano reinvented itself around that time and became more modern, The Dandy did not. I suspect all these revamps have started about forty years too late to do any good.
tingramretro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-09-2011, 17:47
Loracan1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 360
http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.c...and-where.html

I guess it's hard for comics to appeal to kids when they've got the internet, iphones, social networking, looting, mugging to do etc.
...and when the comic in question just isn't that good. Though to be fair, only tried a couple of issues. The Beano, on the other hand, is still pretty good.
Loracan1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-09-2011, 21:24
JAS84
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Hull, UK
Posts: 7,363
I posted this info a month ago, Down the Tubes is playing catch up.
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1520307

They're having a last throw of the dice, by making a few more tweaks, but if the situation doesn't improve, it'll probably be part of a merged The Beano and Dandy next year. I do hope it least makes it to December 2012 though, because of the 75th anniversary.
JAS84 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-09-2011, 01:23
John Malkovich
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 331
The last time I checked The Dandy, it was full of celebrity drawings of Harry Hill, Gordon Ramsay and Jedward etc. It was really quite horrific.

I think the way forward for the comic would be to make it naughty and more for adults, which would mean giving it an age rating, not that it would stop kids from being it.
John Malkovich is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-09-2011, 03:13
Phoenix Lazarus
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 13,888

I think the way forward for the comic would be to make it naughty and more for adults, which would mean giving it an age rating, not that it would stop kids from being it.
Reminds me of that episode of the Goodies, set in the twenty-first century, and Bill says, 'Remember, when we were kids. We had Beano and Dandy. Now we've got Porno and Randy!"
Phoenix Lazarus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-09-2011, 10:47
JAS84
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Hull, UK
Posts: 7,363
The last time I checked The Dandy, it was full of celebrity drawings of Harry Hill, Gordon Ramsay and Jedward etc. It was really quite horrific.

I think the way forward for the comic would be to make it naughty and more for adults, which would mean giving it an age rating, not that it would stop kids from being it.
There's plenty of original material too, it's not all celebs (although Harry Hill is the lead strip). Long runners Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, and Bananaman are all still there. New characters include Mr Meecher the Uncool Teacher, Postman Prat, Nuke Noodle (a time travelling wrestler), and George vs Dragon. They run them on a rotation basis.
JAS84 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-09-2011, 11:36
whedon247
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 17,297
they still publish beano and dandy? i need to check it out!

rodger the dodger!!!!!
whedon247 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-09-2011, 13:26
cy_bones
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 1,659
...Long runners Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, and Bananaman are all still there...
Dan & Korky are not quite the same though...
cy_bones is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 22-09-2011, 19:13
frost
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,764
Long runners Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, and Bananaman are all still there.
The Bananaman is drawn terribly these days.

The Dandy is pretty crap, the Beano, while it has its ups and downs in terms of quality, is much better.


Dan & Korky are not quite the same though...
This is the only time I have ever liked Desperate Dan.
frost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-09-2011, 01:01
VoodooChic
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: I am MALE
Posts: 8,261
The artwork is terrible, looks like it's drawn by kids - I think they're trying to be down wit da kidz.
VoodooChic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-09-2011, 08:03
tingramretro
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Shotley, Suffolk
Posts: 10,824
they still publish beano and dandy? i need to check it out!
And this is why comic sales are so terrible: nobody knows comics still exist unless they are specifically looking for them! In the case of many titles, including Dandy, distribution is terrible. And where they are distributed, the shops often clearly don't prioritize them highly so they will not be prominently displayed and in some cases can't even be seen because all comic titles are lumped together in a space too small for them; I've even seen comics 'displayed' upside down!
tingramretro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-09-2011, 08:31
Royce
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 126
They need to make an iPad edition!

I used to love the Dandy but growing up it didn`t hold my attention as well as so many other things did, especially U.S comics which I still buy from time to time.
Royce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-09-2011, 22:17
Phoenix Lazarus
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 13,888
There used to be a cat that hung round our area who looked just like Korky the Kat, black, with exactly the same symmetrical facial markings, white belly, and white forepaws, and the same big green eyes. The resemblance was absolutely uncanny.
Phoenix Lazarus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 09:19
tingramretro
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Shotley, Suffolk
Posts: 10,824
The artwork is terrible, looks like it's drawn by kids - I think they're trying to be down wit da kidz.
Erm, that's because that's who it's aimed at. You knew that, right?
tingramretro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 09:20
tingramretro
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Shotley, Suffolk
Posts: 10,824
There used to be a cat that hung round our area who looked just like Korky the Kat, black, with exactly the same symmetrical facial markings, white belly, and white forepaws, and the same big green eyes. The resemblance was absolutely uncanny.
You mean it was also humanoid?
tingramretro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 11:11
VoodooChic
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: I am MALE
Posts: 8,261
Erm, that's because that's who it's aimed at. You knew that, right?
It was much better when I was a kid and before - now it looks like it's drawn by monkeys
VoodooChic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 12:22
tingramretro
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Shotley, Suffolk
Posts: 10,824
It was much better when I was a kid and before - now it looks like it's drawn by monkeys
Yes, but it's drawn in a style intended to appeal to today's kids, the same sort of style as is used in other kids' titles and indeed in many modern animated series'. Look at stuff that's currently popular on the Cartoon Network: it doesn't look like the cartoons we had as kids, it's much simpler, more exagerrated. That's what kids like, now. If Dandy was drawn in the same style as it was twenty years ago, sales would not increase-they'd drop still further! Because the only people buying it would be nostalgiac adults!
tingramretro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 14:29
frost
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,764
That's what kids like, now.
If it's selling barely 7000 now, then no, it isnt what kids like.
frost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 14:46
Phoenix Lazarus
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 13,888
You mean it was also humanoid?
No, the only difference was, it didn't stand on its back legs and talk. Just as well, really, because all it would have said is, 'Give me food!' as it was always hustling for something to eat.
Phoenix Lazarus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-09-2011, 17:53
Martin Phillp
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: London
Posts: 20,280
Maybe it's time for The Dandy to give up targeting kids and aim for the nostalgia market?

Even when I was a kid, it was hard to find and even had the comic reserved by the local newsagent as he wouldn't order a copy for the shelf. Otherwise I'd have to go to WHSmiths.
Martin Phillp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-09-2011, 10:03
tingramretro
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Shotley, Suffolk
Posts: 10,824
Maybe it's time for The Dandy to give up targeting kids and aim for the nostalgia market?

Even when I was a kid, it was hard to find and even had the comic reserved by the local newsagent as he wouldn't order a copy for the shelf. Otherwise I'd have to go to WHSmiths.
Classics from the Comics was aimed at the nostalgia market. It failed, because the market wasn't big enough to support it.
tingramretro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-09-2011, 18:24
JAS84
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Hull, UK
Posts: 7,363
Yeah, it's axing was because they switched to outsourced printing, which requires larger print runs. Hence Classics and the Fun-Size comics were dropped. I just wish they'd given them enough notice so that they didn't advertise a non-existent next issue. If Dandy's sales get much worse, they'll suffer a similar fate. They need to do something. Question is, what?

Royce, good idea mentioning the iPad. Commando does an online version, DCT should spread this to their other titles.
JAS84 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-09-2011, 20:13
CheeseyDude1337
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,876
Isn't this because nowhere sells it?
CheeseyDude1337 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-09-2011, 21:06
motsy
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Here in body, not in mind
Posts: 7,057
What I want to know is why they find it nessecary to give free gifts with every issue. DC Thompson have dropped loads of comics through the years WWW.Toonhound.com are a good source.
motsy is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply



Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 16:55.