[4] The final printed edition was issued on 4 December 2012, the comic's 75th anniversary,[5] after sales slumped to 8,000 a week.

It was published weekly until 6 September 1941, when wartime paper shortages forced it to change to fortnightly, alternating with The Beano.

Text stories at two pages each were "Jimmy's Pocket Grandpa", "British Boys and Girls Go West", "There's a Curse on the King" and "Swallowed by a Whale!"

[6] The comic changed format and content, reflecting a more television-oriented style, now printed on glossy magazine paper instead of gravure.

The contents received a major overhaul, and all the comic strips from the Xtreme era except for Desperate Dan, Bananaman and The Bogies were dropped.

Bananaman was also taken over by a new artist, Wayne Thompson, and Korky the Cat, who appeared in the comic's first issue in 1937, made a return drawn by Phil Corbett.

Many new celebrity spoofs such as Cheryl's Mole became a feature, but other new strips included Pre-Skool Prime Minister and George vs Dragon, drawn by Jamie Smart and Andy Fanton.

The 76-page Christmas special featured a pantomime, a 12-page Harry Hill strip, free gifts, and the return of some characters.

More recent new strips are "Punslinger", "Dad's Turn To Cook", "My Freaky Family", "Animals Eat The Funniest Things", "Star T.Rex" and "Brian Damage".

On 19 March 2012 the Royal Mail launched a special stamp collection to celebrate Britain's rich comic book history, which included The Dandy among many others.

However, The Dandy continued online and in the Dandy App, with long-running characters like "Desperate Dan", "Bananaman", "Blinky", "Sneaker" and "Hyde & Shriek" making the transition to digital alongside a re-imagined version of "Keyhole Kate" – transformed from nosey parker into a schoolgirl sleuth – a new take on former "Beezer" characters "The Numskulls", and a superhero team consisting of revamped versions of former D.C. Thomson action stars – including The Dandy's (and the U.K.'s) first ever superhero, "The Amazing Mr X" – in adventure serial "Retro-Active".

DC Thomson decided to axe the comic as it didn't ultimately attract the publicity and customers that the company initially wanted.

Quite often, one comic would make a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the other (e.g. a character meeting an elderly lady and stating that she's "older than the jokes in The Beano").

The game was given a great deal of advance publicity in the comics, with story lines often revolving around how each of the characters acquired his or her vehicle.

[10][11] The connection is also marked by bronze statues of Desperate Dan and The Beano character Minnie the Minx installed in the city's High Street in 2001.

Designed by Tony Morrow, the Desperate Dan statue, which also features his dog Dawg, is the most photographed of 120 pieces of public art in the city.