Dandy and Beano Summer Specials 2023

This week we're returning to an age old ritual routed in boyhood where the arrival of summer punctuated by Sports Day and the School Holidays meant we needed a little extra fun reading for when we were out playing for what seemed likes ages in July and August and to get through any rainy days while on our own Hols where going out wasn't going work.

Most of us had the Beano in its regular form and often had annuals for Christmas so the idea of a glossy special for the summer where all our favourite characters like us were on holidays having adventures appealed.

The Beano is the one regular comic that survived the wave of closures of the nineteen nineties and early part of this century and so the sixty eight page special with stickers returns with a common story theme of a Gnasher that's appears supersized, dwarfing the children although in reality it is they who have been shrunk in size.

Can they escape that fate?

The Dandy was one of those unlucky comics that went in paper form in 2012 but we do get a Summer Special ever since the 2013 edition proved very popular.

There have been a few comic strips started in recent years and a little more inclusivity than was the case but it mixes some reprints from the past with the new

This year the “Dandytown Scouts” strip drawn by Mychailo Kazybrid and inked by Bambos Georgiou has been added.

They attend their Scouts sessions on Friday evenings, are and do work on gaining their badges, having adventures and having fun while doing so.

Mychailo created the design for these characters and the characters feature can see on the cover. 

There should also be a couple of strips starring these characters in the Dandy Annual this year to keep that fresh and appealing to all ages.

These should be available from W H Smith -  the dandy itself  only from WH Smiths-  and can be ordered via Amazon.uk.

Unlike previous years they don't appear to be available from D C Thompson's own web sites and indeed the whole thing around if and when they might is rather messy.

Given the rush to get them out while normally there's more of a build up for the May 17th publication suggests the ball was dropped a little and they're playing catch up.

However that happened, normal childhood rituals are restored this year.