Readers decide if comic relaunch is fine and Dandy

The new-look Dandy was relaunched today. Daniel Wainwright takes a look.

Desperate Dan relegated to the back page, a character called Postman Prat and a Bananaman who looks like he's swapped healthy fruit for banoffee pie it's the Dandy but not as we know it.

The children's comic which has been a staple part of any wholesome British childhood since 1937 has been given a facelift.

But the new artwork looks like something out of American cartoon Spongebob Squarepants all blocky and, to be honest, rather like a junior Viz.

Everyone's favourite stubble chinned cowboy Desperate Dan is still wearing his trademark Stetson but is now the last feature in the comic.

He has not been on the front since 2005. Today's newly-launched issue 3,508 starts with a comic strip about TV comedian Harry Hill.

Most upsetting for grandparents trying to get youngsters on the straight and narrow will be Postman Prat - hardly a great endorsement of the Royal Mail or of encouraging children to respect public servants.

But they might well enjoy poking fun at celebrities with features such as What's in Cheryl Hair Today? and jokes about the high waistband of Simon Cowell's trousers.

One might also be highly amused at the strip featuring the Queen, who seems to have a little trouble with gas,.

With little digs at Noel Edmonds, who keeps posing variations on the same question this week he is a waiter and asks "meal or no meal?" there are enough gentle chuckles to keep the adults entertained once the youngsters have finished with it.

Editor-in-chief Craig Graham said: "The Dandy has constantly evolved over its 73-year history. It is great to have Harry Hill join the team. With a renewed focus on comedy characters.

"As he writes the strip himself, I'm not always exactly sure what's going to be appearing each week so I'm as eager as everyone else to find out. Readers can be reassured they'll still find lots of our much loved characters like Desperate Dan and Bananaman inside.

"But, it was important for us to reinvigorate The Dandy and so there's lots of new, exciting stuff to attract and delight a new generation of readers. For the first time the comic is also putting readers in control. Readers will decide which characters stay and who will be relegated to The Dandy cartoon crypt to make way for new stars."

There are 18 new characters in the comic, which has dropped the cover price from £2.50 to £1.50, so publisher DC Thomson needs to know whether Desperate Dan, Bananaman and Korky the Cat are still the children's favourites.