The Dandy moves online with interactive motion and gameplay

Britain’s longest running comic The Dandy moves online today with an in-house design by publisher DC Thomson which features interactive motion and gameplay.

This week's online edition
The Dandy’s homepage

The new comic’s design has been led by head of digital development David Bain who says, ‘The “Digital Dandy” will pave the way in a new era for comic books in the UK, utilising the latest technological advancements and bringing the much-loved comic to a new generation of fans with technology that will work across different platforms.’

DC Thomson has worked with game development and youth research consultancy Dubit and game and app developers Guerilla Tea.

Bain who joined DC Thomson in 2010 says that the entire online redesign of the comic has been a twelve week project taken on by four designers, four developers, two animators and two digital content producers.

‘This is definitely the way forward for us and if it’s successful we could look at doing the same with the Beano and bringing back older comics online in the new year,’ says Bain.

This week's online edition
The new online Dandy

Basic animation and gameplay is triggered by gestures from the reader who will interact through browsers – and soon tablets and smart phones.

Readers can click through at their own pace, interacting with a ‘panel-by-panel’ format which allows The Dandy to ‘stay close to its comic roots’ according to the publisher.

This week's online edition
A brief history of Desperate Dan

Games will be embedded within the stories and the launch issue includes a Bananaman game and a Dandy Dollop – a digital pet which readers can feed, dance and play with.

Readers will also be able to access additional content including a joke shop and Dandy TV where game reviews, celebrity interviews and a News at Dan round-up presented by comedian and presenter Chris Cohen are available.

This week's online edition
This week’s online edition

The online comic will be £1.99 per weekly issue, although the free ‘Issue Zero’ launches today as the last printed edition hits news stands, marking The Dandy’s 75th anniversary.

Dan gets to grips with the tablet edition
Dan gets to grips with the tablet edition

First printed on 4 December 1937 it reached a peak sale of 2,035,310 copies in 1950 and went full colour in September 1993.

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