Desperate Dan

Desperate Dan
Comic strip character(s) from The Dandy
Publication information
Stars inDesperate Dan
Creator(s)Dudley D. Watkins
Other contributorsPeter Davidson
Ken H. Harrison
Tom Williams
David Parkins
Trevor Metcalfe
Anthony Caluori
John Geering
Steve Bright
Jamie Smart
Current/last artistDavid Parkins
First appearanceIssue 1
(4 December 1937)
Last appearanceFinal issue in 2013
Also appeared inThe Dandy Annual
Current statusWas ongoing in the comic until the comic's online demise
ScheduleWeekly
Spin-offsDesperate Dawg
Danny and Katey (c.1970 – c.1989)
Aunt Aggie
Main Character
NameDan
Alias(es)Desperate Dan
FamilyAunt Aggie
Danny (nephew)
Katey (niece)
Characters
Regular charactersAunt Aggie, Dawg, Little Bear, Danny, Katey, Sheriff, The Mayor, Zeke, Hoss, Dangerous Dan
Crossover charactersA famous cameo from The Beano's Dennis the Menace

Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the now-defunct Scottish comic magazine The Dandy. He made his appearance in the first issue which was dated 4 December 1937 and became the magazine's mascot. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. The pillow of his (reinforced) bed is filled with building rubble and his beard is so tough he shaves with a blowtorch.

The character was created by Dudley D. Watkins, originally as an outlaw or ‘desperado’ (hence his name), but evolved into a more sympathetic type, using his strength to help the underdog. After Watkins’ death in 1969, the cartoons were drawn by many other artists, principally Ken H. Harrison, though the Watkins canon was often recycled. When the Dandy became digital-only in 2012, the Desperate Dan strips were drawn by David Parkins.

There is a statue of Dan in Dundee, Scotland, where his publishers, D. C. Thomson & Co. are based.