Kicking off with cover art by Nigel Parkinson, this year's book marks the 80th anniversary of The Dandy, first published in December 1937. Admittedly the weekly comic finished five years ago on its 75th anniversary, but the annual continues, so it seems appropriate for a celebration.
Perhaps to avoid mentioning that the weekly is no longer with us, The Dandy Annual chooses instead to celebrate 80 years of Cactusville, Desperate Dan's home town. In this respect, the book features a 33 page story written by Nigel Auchterlounie, featuring a thread that links through several strips drawn by various artists!
That multi-page epic takes place at the back of the book, and before then there are loads of self-contained strips featuring the Dandy stars. There's been a bit of a change around of artists this year, so we get Winker Watson drawn by Alan Ryan...
...Bully Beef and Chips drawn by Laura Howell...
...The Smasher by Wilbur Dawburn...
...plus Korky the Cat by Hunt Emerson, Fiddle O'Diddle by Nick Brennan, and more.
Some strips retain the same artists as previous years, and Cuddles and Dimples wouldn't be the same if Nigel Parkinson wasn't drawing it...
I've contributed several pages to the book, with new strips of Kid Cops, Postman Prat, and Keyhole Kate...
The Dandy Annual 2018 has a healthy page count of 112 pages, although it looks very thin due to lighter, glossier, paper stock. The reproduction of the strips is excellent though, with sharp art and colours.
Although it's sad that the weekly isn't around these days, it's great to know that the annual keeps going, with all-new content every year. (I'm actually writing/drawing pages for the 2019 annual at the moment!) Long may it survive!
The Dandy Annual 2018, published by D.C. Thomson. 112 pages. R.R.P. £7.99.
Available to buy now from online sellers such as Speedyhen and Amazon, and in the shops soon.
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