The Dandy Annual
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The Dandy Annual is the current name of the book that has been published every year since 1938, to tie in with the children's comic The Dandy. As of 2006 there have been 69 editions, with another (The Dandy Annual 2008) to follow in 2007. The annuals are traditionally published in the autumn, in time for Christmas, and since 1965 (with the release of The Dandy Book 1966) they have had the date of the following year on the cover. Before then no date was given.
From 1939 to 1951 the annuals were called 'The Dandy Monster Comic'. The name changed to 'The Dandy Book' from the following year. This name continued, the year changing for each different annual, until the release of the 2003 book in 2002 when it was renamed 'Annual'.
In unison with the comic at the time, the cover usually featured Korky the Cat. After Desperate Dan took over the front page in 1984, the annual cover reflected this by featuring both Korky and Dan until the 1991 book - the first ever Dandy Annual not to feature Korky on the front in any way. He has made several appearances since then, despite the main focus shifting to Dan, although he has not appeared since the 2003 book.
In 2006, The original 1939 Monster Comic was re-printed as a facsimile edition in a collectors' slipcase.
