{"id":31212,"date":"2024-12-25T09:01:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T09:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=31212"},"modified":"2024-12-25T10:51:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-25T10:51:26","slug":"the-dandy-book-1978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/12\/25\/the-dandy-book-1978\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dandy Book 1978"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Eric Roberts<\/strong>, Bill Holroyd<\/strong>, Hugh Morren<\/strong>, Jimmy Hughes<\/strong>, George Martin<\/strong>, Jack Prout<\/strong>, Charles Grigg<\/strong>, Ron Spencer<\/strong>, Ken H. Harrison<\/strong>, & many & various (DC Thomson & Co, Ltd.)<\/p>\n

ISBN: 978-0-85116-043-6 (HB) ASIN ? : ?B004WY70VW<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

For generations of British (and – Tharg help us! – former colonial) fans, Christmas means The Beano Book<\/strong>, The Broons<\/strong>, Oor Wullie<\/strong> and making every December 25th<\/sup> magical. There used to be many more DC Thomson titles, but the years have gradually winnowed them away. Thankfully, time means nothing here, so this year I\u2019m concentrating on another Thomson Christmas cracker that made me the man wot I am. As usual my knowledge of the creators involved is woefully inadequate but I\u2019m going to hazard a few guesses anyway, in the hope that someone with better knowledge will correct me whenever I err.<\/p>\n

The Dandy<\/strong> comic predated The Beano<\/strong> by eight months, utterly revolutionising the way children\u2019s publications looked and – most importantly – how they were read. Over decades it produced a bevy of household names that delighted millions, with end of year celebrations being bumper bonanzas of the weekly stars in magnificent hardback annuals.<\/p>\n

Premiering on December 4th<\/sup> December 1937, The Dandy<\/strong> broke the mould of its hidebound British predecessors by utilising word balloons and captions rather than narrative blocks of text under sequential picture frames. A colossal success, it was followed on July 30th<\/sup>\u00a01938 by The Beano<\/strong>. Together they revolutionised children\u2019s publications. Dandy<\/strong> was the third longest running comic in the world (behind Italy\u2019s Il Giornalino<\/strong> – launched in 1924 – and Detective Comics<\/strong> in March 1937). Over decades the \u201cterrible twins\u201d spawned countless cartoon stars of unforgettable and beloved household names who delighted generations of avid and devoted readers\u2026<\/p>\n

The Christmas Annuals were traditionally produced in the wonderful \u201chalf-colour\u201d British publishers used to keep costs down whilst bringing a little spark into our drab and gloomy young lives. The process involved printing sections with only two (of potentially 4) plates, such as blue\/Cyan and red\/Magenta as seen in this majority of this tome. The versatility and palette range provided was astounding. Even now the technique screams \u201cHolidays\u201d to me and my contemporaries, and this volume uses the technique to stunning effect.<\/p>\n

As you can see, the fun-filled action begins on the covers and continues on the reverse, with front-&-back covers occupied by superstar Korky the Cat<\/strong> (Charlie Grigg) setting the tone with a sequence of splendid seasonal sight gags that begins with a suitably destructive Desperate Dan<\/strong> frontispiece spread – which concludes on the inner back pages at the end, all limned by Grigg.<\/p>\n

Framed in blue and red, Korky\u2019s playing foosball on the Introduction pages as D.C. Thomson confirm again how adept they were at combining anarchic, clownish comedy with solid fantasy\/adventure tales. Peter\u2019s Pocket Grandpa<\/em> (Ron Spencer) sees the pint-sized pensioner creating chaos after using a roller skate and unwilling mutt as his chariot after which Jimmy Hughes\u2019 feuding fools The Jocks and the Geordies<\/em> renew their small nationalistic war in a duel of soap box carts.<\/p>\n

In a quick switch to blue & black and all the tones between, cowboy superman Desperate Dan\u2019s Christmas morning is spent trying to free his nephew Danny<\/em> and niece Katey<\/em>\u2019s football from arboreal bondage. It should have been quick work but they told him it was a lost cat not mislaid toy and he applied due caution if not reason…<\/p>\n

The daftness drifts into sublimely entertaining drama as Black Bob the Dandy Wonder Dog <\/em>– presumably by veteran Jack Prout – sees shepherd Andrew Glenn<\/em> and his canine companion solve the mystery of a persistent – and violent – hole excavator over four thrilling chapters prior to Korky renewing his decades-old conflict with gamekeepers and fishing wardens before Bill Holroyd switches us to blue and red while detailing how alien schoolboy Jack Silver<\/em> – still visiting Earth from fantastic planet Marsuvia – joins human pal Curley Perkins<\/em> in battling an apelike giant thieving bazzoon employed by supervillain Captain Zapp<\/em>.<\/p>\n

From there we revert to the cheeky comfort of simpler times as Dirty Dick<\/em> – by the incredibly engaging Eric Roberts (no, not the actor) – finds our perennially besmudged and befouled boy profiting from turning a tip into a sports ground whilst George Martin\u2019s mighty pooch\/sheriff Desperate Dawg<\/em> benefits from a brief diet and Holroyd\u2019s young DIY enthusiast disastrously modify grandad\u2019 pipe in The Tricks of Screwy Driver<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Back in blue, it all goes typically wrong in Bully Beef and Chips<\/em> (Hughes) when the bullied boy builds a yeti before the second Black Bob instalment carries us away into the big bad dirty city before The Smasher<\/em> enters the picture. A brawny lad hewn from the same mould as Dennis the Menace<\/strong>, in the first of his vignettes (drawn by Hugh Morren or perhaps David Gudgeon?) he attempts to score boxing match tickets go awfully awry, just as Desperate Dan resurfaces in a bad odour over poor quality eggs and Martin\u2019s Izzy Skint – He Always Is!<\/em> finds the youthful entrepreneur failing spectacularly to secure an archery kit of his own…<\/p>\n

Korky the Cat clashes with old enemies the house mice whilst the snack-deprived students of Martin\u2019s arch nosh-stealer Greedy Pigg<\/em> (ever-attempting to confiscate and scoff his pupils\u2019 treats) score a singular triumph.<\/p>\n

Prolific Eric Roberts always played a huge part in making these annuals work and next up his signature star – schoolboy grifter Winker Watson<\/em> – scores for the Third Form lads of Greytowers School not only a forbidden trampoline but also an illicit pet dog, despite the worst efforts of form master Mr. Creep<\/em>. As usual Winker\u2019s a cunning scheme – worthy of Mission Impossible<\/strong> or Leverage<\/strong> – makes the teacher the butt of a joke and star of the show but does so with spectacular slapstick panache\u2026<\/p>\n

Desperate Dawg<\/em> goes camping and spars with assorted wildlife in advance of the third Black Bob chapter (where the wonder dog is captured by crooks) before Holroyd – or perhaps Steve Bright – conjures up confusion and excitement for schoolboy Charley Brand<\/em> and robotic pal Brassneck<\/em> when the pals mistakenly bring home an escaped convict rather than the visiting uncle they had never met…<\/p>\n

Another spate between The Jocks and the Geordies at a camping site leads to civic minded good Samaritan Desperate Dan turning vigilante to capture gunslinging bank bandits after which Ken H. Harrison\u2019s Rah-Rah Randall<\/em> plays hooky in stolen boots and Peter\u2019s Pocket Grandpa discovers the disadvantage of his height when beekeeping…<\/p>\n

In a non-existent (if not wholly imagined on my part) homage to the rise of Punk, there\u2019s a concatenation if not concentration of violent young offenders next as The Smasher indulges in indoor\/domestic mountain climbing and Bully Beef and Chips clash over water, whilst scuff supreme Dirty Dick goes dousing – for trash – before Black Bob part 4 brings the mystery to a solid conclusion.<\/p>\n

Desperate Dawg<\/em> effectively but accidentally captures renegades and The Tricks of Screwy Driver bring poachers to justice even as Greedy Pigg settles his own nefarious hash, although an incensed teacher intervenes in the final mismatched battle between Bully Beef and Chips, before The Smasher\u2019s attempts to share his violent skillset leads to injury all around…<\/p>\n

One last Korky yarn, involving cannon and football training, bring us to an ad for more Dandy delights to close this year\u2019s treasury of wonders (via that aforementioned Desperate Dan frontispiece… back-ispiece? spread). Stuffed with glorious gag-pages and bursting with classic all ages\u2019 adventure, this remains a tremendously fun read and even in the absence of the legendary creators such as Dudley Watkins, Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid, there\u2019s still so much merriment on offer I can\u2019t believe this book is over 45 years old. If ever anything needs to be reissued as commemorative collections it\u2019s D.C. Thomson annuals such as this one.<\/p>\n

The only thing better would be curated archive reissues and digital editions\u2026
\n\u00a9 D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd, 1977.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Eric Roberts, Bill Holroyd, Hugh Morren, Jimmy Hughes, George Martin, Jack Prout, Charles Grigg, Ron Spencer, Ken H. Harrison, & many & various (DC Thomson & Co, Ltd.) ISBN: 978-0-85116-043-6 (HB) ASIN ? : ?B004WY70VW This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. For generations of British (and – Tharg help us! … <\/p>\n

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