Desperate Dan – the barrel-chested, lantern-jawed mighty man – appeared in the very first issue of The Dandy, dated 4 December, 1937 (the same decade as that other comic character capable of great physical feats, Superman, first appeared in the States).

He's another great subject for the screenprinter, with bold features and a huge chest to carry a splash of colour.

The strip was drawn by the legendary artist Dudley D. Watkins until his death in 1969. Although The Dandy Annuals featured new strips from other artists from then on, the comic continued reprinting Watkins strips until 1983, when Ken H. Harrison took over. The following year Dan was promoted to the front cover of The Dandy, replacing Korky the Cat.

Click picture for close up view