Dandy Comic To Print Last Issue In December

The Dandy, Britain's longest-running children's magazine, will print its last edition on December 4, publisher DC Thomson has said.

The comic, which sold two million copies at its peak, has seen falling sales in recent times. Circulation now stands at just 8,000 copies per edition.

The last print edition will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the comic and will include a reprint of the first comic from 1937.

But the Dundee-based publisher emphasised that fans will not have to say goodbye to Dandy's best-known characters, such as Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat and Banana Man.

Instead their future lies online, said Ellis Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Publishing for DC Thomson.

"Dan has certainly not eaten his last cow pie. All of The Dandy's characters are just 110 days away from a new lease of life," she said.

The company has been trying to overcome the challenges posed by the digital revolution in recent years but a series of relaunches have failed to halt the drop in sales.

The Dandy annual will continue to be printed and the 2013 issue is already in production.