Here's a quick preview of The Dandy that will be on sale from Wednesday. With a festive cover by Nigel Parkinson the issue begins the run up to Christmas with The Dandy Advent Calendar across the centre pages by Nigel Auchterlounie (who also has a brand new series beginning this issue; My Freaky Family.)
And just what is Postman Prat up to?
Be prepared that this week the price has risen to £1.99 (after being the lower price of £1.50 for a year). Unavoidable sign of the times unfortunately, but bear in mind it used to be £2.50 just over a year ago and it cushions the blow a bit. Better still, it's far cheaper if you subscribe at 15 issues for just £15. (Then you'll get your Dandy in advance, like I did.)
Update: It didn't take long for some to start complaining on various forums about the price increase. Dandy-bashing (and Beano-bashing) seems to be a popular sport amongst some comic fans. Well, I say comic fans. I get the impression that Dandy and Beano are the only titles some of them follow, judging by how they seem oblivious to the fact that budget cuts and price increases are affecting many titles.
They also complain about the reduction in originated pages in Dandy and Beano. (Perhaps they haven't noticed that practically every Marvel and DC comic - dozens of titles - have also lost two pages of strip content recently, and that Marvel raised their prices from $2.99 to $3.99.) Folks, look beyond Dandy and Beano. Look beyond comics. There's a recession on and it's not getting easier.
As I've said on various comic forums (and which has pretty much been ignored by the critics) each British comic is allocated its own budget. Sadly, these days, that budget can't always stretch to fill every page with new strips. So editors have to spread it out. Some weeks the comics will feature more new stuff than others. A reduction in new material one week might simply mean more is being allocated for an upcoming issue (eg: the Christmas issue). I think fans should respect the editors for doing a juggling act, not crucifying them for not spending money they don't have. No one likes the situation, but the scrutiny and sneering of some "fans" towards children's comics does no one any good and just creates a growing, unpleasant pessimism on the forums.
And let's not forget that reprints and "filler" (feature) material are not a recent development in British comics. Far from it! For just one example, 40 years ago The Dandy was running three pages of reprint every week, when it just had 20 pages. The IPC comics were often much worse, with reprints being a frequent way to pad out their weeklies. A better awareness of history might calm the outrage of critics somewhat.
Does anyone have a time machine I could borrow? I want to go back to 1890 to moan to Alfred Harmsworth about the number of reprints in Comic Cuts No.1. It'll be the death of the comic industry that one.
20 comments:
I see the knives are already out on a certain forum, calling this latest price rise a rip off....
Well, despite the times myself and others have explained the economics of publishing to certain people on that board they're still taking no notice.
Perhaps they should subscribe, but then they'd have less to complain about. God forbid. ;-)
While some at the ComicsUK forum complain about the price increase, there seems to be good news for Australian readers of the Dandy (and the Beano as well)
Up until recently, I had been doing previews for both the Beano and the Dandy on my comics archive website (see link in my name), and when I started the price was A$5.50.
Earlier this morning, I visited the Gordon and Gotch Australia website, and found that they now sell for A$3.50
The optimist in me thinks that it might have been the result of my weekly previews. I sure hope so. :)
I would certainly recommend subscribing to anyone having trouble finding the Beano and the Dandy.
Are you sure it's not just a price increase fot the Christmas Special? And is this the last comic until after christmas or will there be a few more?
This isn't the Christmas edition. There are a few more to go yet.
It sure looks like the Christmas issue to me!
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...........
It isn't the Christmas edition.
The Christmas edition will probably be £3.99, if not even more. £1.99 is too cheap for a Christmas issue.
I just hope that the price increase means they stop charging extra for gifts.
Price doesn't affect me anyway - I'm subscribed! It could also be to do with more pages and different paper quality? Although, to be honest, I prefer how the paper has already been this last year :)
thebeano is still 1.50 so maybe dandy will go down next week i hope so 1.99 is a ripoff cheers brian
Uncensored independent criticism is the only way to keep the staff on their toes. The latest case in point being the outrageous blunder on page 25 of this week's edition. See the Beyblade review? They've written a Harry Potter review in there by mistake! Who are they going to blame for this huge error? Lord Voldemort?
Seriously, I paid an extra 49p for this? Why should anyone subscribe to such inexcusable shoddiness?
Good grief! It's one tiny, TINY production error in a 36 page comic. Do people who scrutinize The Dandy for such imperfections never make mistakes in their jobs?
Talk about a glass half empty attitude!
Lew, as you know certain people will continue to have their little hissy fits about Dandy no matter what you say. The internet loves to bitch. It's how they get even with the world for whatever injustices they think have been done to them. Don't sink to their level or you'll end up like those mad old buggrs who use their blogs for venting.
Well, there's certainly a lot of THOSE blogs about. :-)
I shouldn't really bother about the nit-pickers but I have noticed that their attitudes tend to influence others, and we're starting to see more and more attention given to misplaced page numbers or quantity of adverts than to discussing the artwork or stories.
It seems to me that such tedious scrutiny only creates more pessimism about comics and diverts from what should be the main focus of art and story.
Responding to every bit of misinformation, presumption and plain stupidity on those boards and blogs would be a full time occupation and even then they'd take no notice. Let them make fools of themselves Lew. Everyone needs a hobby.
Banging on about my favourite subject, this week's issue was my first digital copy and it cost me a lot less than £1.99.
So I'm happy at least !
Wait. Is it the Christmas issue this week? Could have sworn I saw one today.
Can anyone verify this was the Christmas issue? Thanks.
So was this the Christmas issue!? Nobody answered me!!
I replied to you above, on the 22nd November 2011!
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