Hooray for Harry!     (14.11.10)
  

   Many of you will be well aware that DC Thomson's classic comic
   weekly The Dandy was given a big, brash makeover, three weeks
   ago. It's now thrown off its magazine stylings, and those cheap
   free gifts that plastered its cover, and instead has gone back to
   its roots to embrace a whole new raft of fun strips and characters.
   It's just another step along the comic's continual evolution, but
   this time there really is a lot riding on it, because sales of the
   title have been in decline and many folks had speculated on
   it maybe even disappearing altogether...

   So issue # 3508 brought together Jamie Smart's "Desperate Dan",
   and "Pre-skool Prime Minister", Andy Fanton's madcap medieval
   "George Vs Dragon", Lew Stringer drawing and writing "Kid Cops"
   and illustrating the super-daffy "Postman Prat", Alexander
   Matthews' "Robot on the Run", Wayne Thomson's wacky take
   on "Bananaman" and a whole lot more. But top of the heap, or
   indeed, king of the hill, we had Nigel Parkinson and Harry Hill
   combining for an all-new, 100% officially bonkers "Harry Hill"
   comic strip. And dapper Harry took over the cover, too, and
   he's stayed there for the last three weeks, so he really is the
   face of the comic now. And you know what? He's quite brilliant!

   "Harry Hill" the comic strip is a great tickling read. It's chock full
   of left turns and right turns, witty asides and ridiculous commentary
   from his make-believe TV Land of dreams. If you're a fan of Mr Hill,
   you're in for a treat. Even the little Knitted Character gets a look-in.

    

   Of course, there's a tradition for having famous personalities
   starring in our weekly comics. Lew Stringer reminds us that
   the very first issue of "The Dandy" featured an "Our Gang" strip.
   And this here Fleetway fan can steer you in the timely direction
   of "The Goodies" (40 years young this month), they had their
   own star strip in "Cor!!" in 1973, that went down very well.

   But you know, this reader is more specifically reminded of
   another Fleetway strip star, because Harry Hill is Cheeky,
   reincarnated, don't you think? He too had three, four and
   eventually many more meandering pages of nonsense
   each week that tickled your tonsils. And he was hugely popular.
   You'll recall, he started out in the pages of Krazy comic, before
   being given his own self-titled weekly. Might the same thing
   happen to Harry...? Well, we hope not, because he's just the
   entree to a mirthful main course that you really shouldn't miss.
   It's great to see a weekly comic embracing the world of the
   fun strip so enthusiastically again....

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