Sadly, five years ago this week was when the final issue of The Dandy appeared, rounding off its record-breaking 75 year run with a huge bumper issue. The comic had reinvented itself a few times over its last few years, but nothing could halt the fall in sales that had plagued every other traditional comic. What was remarkable is that it hung on for so long, in a fickle marketplace where many comics have fallen within their first year. The irony is that final issue was so sought-after that it had to go to a second printing.
Why did The Dandy eventually fold, while The Beano keeps on going? I think it was down to the content. Every week since the mid-1950s, The Beano has retained a core line-up of kid characters such as Dennis the Menace, Roger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx and The Bash Street Kids that readers can relate to, and parents (and grandparents) can recognise. Apart from Desperate Dan, The Dandy tended to change its content from time to time, never quite establishing the same recognition factor for its characters.
It was a privilege to be one of the contributors to The Dandy during its final two years, when it had rebooted itself as a modern style comic as a change from the disastrous Dandy Xtreme magazine/comic hybrid it had become. Despite a handful of cranky critics going over the top with their condemnation of the new-look Dandy, it was well received by many children it was aimed at. However, ever-declining distribution in shops and a young new readership unaccustomed to the habit of buying weekly comics were part of the problem. At least it went out on a high, with what must be the best final issue of a British comic ever seen; a bumper issue packed with revivals of old characters and selected reprints, and a story ending with the cast of characters singing Hey Jude, accompanied by Paul McCartney (with Paul's blessing).
That wasn't entirely the end though. The Dandy tried an online version for a few weeks, but it was beset with technical problems and quietly faded away. However, The Dandy Annual continues to be published every year, full of new material and no reprints. There's also a Dandy Summer Special every year (although that is all-reprint), so the title is far from dead yet.
Happy 80th anniversary to The Dandy! It was the first comic I read regularly (from 1964 onwards) and remained a firm favourite of mine for decades after. It was an honour to have been part of its legacy.
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