A second side-splitting collection of The Dandy’s Desperate Dan’s funniest, silliest and most chaotic adventures, brought to life by award-winning creator Jamie Smart, is available now.
Back in 2007, The Dandy began a three year run as a fortnightly title, Dandy Extreme, and the amazingly talented Jamie Smart was among its contributors, and began drawing “Desperate Dan” for the comic, his take enjoyed by many, but meeting undeserved vitriol from some who bemoaned Dan’s new look.
The Dandy was revamped again in 2010, returning to a weekly frequency and Jamie – today, a soaraway comic creator star with globally successful strips such as Bunny vs Monkey and more – continued to deliver his unique take on Dan and his appetite for cow pies with great relish, despite fears, for a while, that the character was to be dropped from the title.
Criticism at the time aside (Lew Stringer noted way back in 2011 that one national newspaper even made up nonsensical claims against the new look), as we previously noted, thanks to Jamie and other contributors such as Wayne Thompson and Andy Fanton, The Dandy enjoying a unique revival of creative craziness.
Sadly, while the reinvention helped the title continue for another two years on the newsstand, it came too late to address The Dandy’s wider declining sales, the title closing as a print edition in 2012, although it continued as a digital comic for six months.
Fortunately, The Dandy continues each year with a new annual and Special editions. Clearly taking advantage of Jamie’s huge and deserved recognition as a groundbreaking and innovative comic creator, last year DC Thomson published The Dandy Presents: Desperate Dan, a 68-page Summer Special collecting some of his funniest, wackiest and silliest comics in a single volume for the first time.
Now, Jamie’s take on Dan’s back again. On offer in Dandy Presents: Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart Volume 2, available from TG Jones stores and bookshops, is another helping of high-energy comic mayhem as the world’s strongest (and silliest!) cowboy returns.
Cactusville is no ordinary Wild West town – it’s a wonderfully bonkers blend of frontier America and everyday Britain, where red pillar boxes stand proudly beside roaming buffalo and chaos is just part of the scenery. And, thanks, to millions-selling comic genius Jamie Smart, Dan’s back and funnier than ever.
Whether you’re already a Desperate Dan fan, or meeting him for the very first time, one thing’s certain: life in Cactusville is never boring!
Dandy Presents: Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart Volume 2 offers a new 68-page collection of Desperate Dan comics by Jamie Smart: daft classic Wild West slapstick with a modern, mischievous twist. A brilliantly bonkers world where everyday life collides with cowboy chaos, it’s a collection for readers of all ages, from long-time fans to new recruits.
Welcome back to Cactusville… where the world’s strongest cowpoke puts the ‘wild’ into Wild West!
Jamie Smart draws comics and books for children and adults alike. He’s drawn an awful lot of Bunny Vs Monkey comics for The Phoenix, and they’re currently being collected into books, along with his comic series Looshkin. He’s also the creator of the illustrated novel series, Flember.
Jamie also makes books for younger readers, like Superhero Bunny League and Pip, Lop, Mip and Bop. He was honoured to draw a Doctor Who picture search book called Where’s The Doctor?, and a number of other titles besides. He also makes how-to-draw videos on his youtube channel, as well as updating his ongoing project Find Chaffy, and working for children’s comic, magazines, and in TV development.
• Dandy Presents: Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart Volume 2 is available from TG Jones stores, and online direct from DC Thomson and AmazonUK (Affiliate Link), and other bookshops | ISBN: 9781917436601
The Legend of Desperate Dan
If you’re a fan of the original Desperate Dan, created by Dudley D. Watkins prior to his hugely entertaining revamp by Jamie Smart, you may just want to try and track down a copy of The Legend of Desperate Dan, published back in 1997 by DC Thomson. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable journey back through the character’s history, comic archivist Doug Brain recently posting some snapshots from the 96-page book. You can pick up copies very cheaply, and it’s a very enjoyable retrospective
Desperate Dan ©️ 2026 DC Thomson
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Collections, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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