See, I rank the Combs set behind the original Dawson, and here's why:
The whole theme on which the set is designed is the needlepoint sampler, you know, the Home Sweet Home thing that people have hanging up in their foyers. And I've NEVER seen one of those on a blue background, the whole thing is usually done in natural (and neutral) colors, like what you see on the Dawson set. The Combs set is bright and cheery, yes, but the blue detracts from that sampler theme, and the gameboard borders on the garish, especially with those annoying faux-light dots on the unused slats on the board.
So, Dawson man here.