The Digital Dandy, which took the place of the cancelled physical weekly comic, has apparently concluded its run. Confirmed by cartoonist Wilbur Dawbarn a few moments ago, it appears that last week’s edition will be the last one shipping.
The Dandy was one of the longest-running comics of all time, having been started up in 1937 (only Detective Comics and Il Giornalino have run longer). It ran until last year, a weekly anthology of all-ages storylines featuring memorable characters including Ivy the Terrible and Desperate Dan.
The Digital version of the comic had problems from the start, having to be rebooted shortly into the run due to behind-the-scenes difficulties. Today, Dawbarn (a frequent contributor to the series) wrote on Twitter that his editors informed him that the project has now ended:
Sad to say the bold experiment that was the digital Dandy is over. Last week’s was the last one.
— Wilbur Dawbarn (@wilburdawbarn) July 3, 2013
It appears that this won’t be the very final end for the Dandy, though – the annuals will still soldier on, every Christmas. More news as I get hold of it.
This is genuinely terrible. The pre-cancellation print Dandy was a brilliant comic, full of some of the best British cartooning. The digital Dandy was, amazingly, even better, with a mix of modern and classic styles, energetic, fun storytelling, and a broader range of genres, including a schoolgirl detective and an oddly successful attempt at an American-style superhero strip. The art was brilliant, the gags great, and even the rickety interactivity was fun.
This is a sad goddamn day for British comics.
//\Oo/\\
Wha-what???
Comments are closed.