The Dandy Annual name changed to The Dandy Book in 1952 and continued, the year changing for each subsequent annual, until the release of the 2003 book in 2002 when it was renamed "The Dandy Annual". Despite the comic's relaunch as Dandy Xtreme in 2007, the annual was still known as "The Dandy Annual". This is likely because the annuals of the time were mostly made up of "Dandy Comix", due to the topical nature of the magazine's "Xtreme" content. In unison with the comic at the time, the front cover usually featured Korky the Cat. After Desperate Dan took over the front
The Unexpected was "Johnny Peril" which ran from issues #106–117. For issues #111–on, the titular protagonist was billed as an "adventurer of the weird". Johnny Peril would again appear in issues #200 and 205–213. Johnny Peril's roots, prior to his first appearance, came in the one-off story "Just a Story" in All-American Comics' "Comic Cavalcade" #15 (July 1946), by writer–artist Howard Purcell. With issue #22 (Sept. 1947), the anthological "Just a Story" series gained newspaper-reporter character Johnny Peril, who often acted as witness or narrator rather than as an integral part of the narrative. With this issue, the series title became "Johnny