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"The Dandy has today published its final print edition after 75 years, as the comic goes digital. The Dandy, which features characters such as Desperate Dan and Korky the Kat, was first released in 1937.  At its peak in April 1950, the comic hit 2,035,310 copies a week, but that has since slumped to around 8,000 a week after children&amp;#039;s tastes changed with the rise of the internet and mobile devices.  The comic survived the Second World War, but despite various efforts by publisher DC Thompson to rejuvenate it for the modern age, including celebrity editions featuring famous faces such as the Spice Girls, Cheryl Cole, Jeremy Clarkson and even the Queen, The Dandy could not match the performance of its sister title The Beano, which sells around 38,000 copies per week.  Sir Paul McCartney appears in the final print version of The Dandy, fulfilling a lifelong ambition of the former Beatle.  In 1963, a 21-year-old McCartney was asked by music magazine NME what was his biggest personal aim, and he said to appear in the comic.  Almost 50 years later, McCartney gets his wish and also gives a personal fond farewell to The Dandy in its 100-page spectacular starring 75 of the comic&amp;#039;s greatest characters, and including a pull-out edition of the very first Dandy. Famous characters including Desperate Dan, Bananaman, The Numskulls, Keyhole Kate, Blinky and Brassneck all appear in the first digital issue (issue zero), which can be downloaded now for free. They are joined by various new characters, including superhero Retro-Active.   The Dandy digital is available online (PC &amp;amp; Mac) but will later expand to tablets and smartphones. It is an interactive motion comic, allowing readers to click through the stories panel-by-panel. Each week there will also be interactive games embedded within the stories, including a Bananaman game in the launch issue and a &amp;#039;digital pet&amp;#039; called Dandy Dollop.  Craig Ferguson, the editor of the new Dandy, said: &amp;quot;We all know how popular digital devices have become with children so we&amp;#039;re drawing on our traditional heritage and updating our product to make it relevant for today&amp;#039;s children. &amp;quot;With this weekly digital edition, The Dandy is once again blazing a trail by launching a unique, interactive, motion comic. We&amp;#039;re giving The Dandy a whole new dimension and bringing a new lease of life to our characters.&amp;quot; Following the free launch issue, the digital Dandy will cost \u00A31.99 per issue, or \u00A31.49 for the &amp;quot;standard content package&amp;quot;. A year&amp;#039;s subscription will be available for \u00A385, or a year&amp;#039;s worth of the standard content package will cost \u00A329.99. In addition to the comic, there will be an online joke shop and a Dandy TV Show featuring game reviews, celebrity interviews and the &amp;#039;News at Dan&amp;#039; round-up presented by comedian Chris Cohen.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/media/news/a442697/the-dandy-final-edition-on-sale-comic-goes-digital/>