Get Marwood & I

I love hearing personal recollections like these. Alas, recollections are just that and can be a tad unreliable after many decades have passed. If only you'd taken pictures!

Yes. DCs were distributed in the UK as both UK stamped cents copies and UK Price Variants (printed UK prices). Yes, on a Marvel which you said / implied had printed UK prices only. Marvel also had both printed UK Price Variants and UK stamped cents copies distributed in the UK UK distribution only - if you have evidence that Thorpe & Porter distributed UK stamped copies in Bermuda and Jamaica, please share it. In addition to the above, the Charltons you mentioned were distributed in the UK as: UK price stamped cents copies (by multiple distributors at different stages - not just Thorpe & Porter) Printed UK Price Variants Dual pence/cents priced copies I'd say "That's a Thorpe & Porter UK distribution price stamp" and elaborate further if he showed interest / didn't glaze over.

@AwesomeSauceI'd disregard Shadroch's post above, Sauce, if I were you - it's misleading at best. I'm sure he means well though Let me know if you have any questions.

He looks like he's just found a Miller indicia in a non-western 1960's Marvel

I identify as a low functioning garden path. After all, I've been led up it enough times.

That's a UK distribution price stamp, Sauce. You can read a little more about them here:

That's what makes it fun. No matter what patterns you detect, and theories you propose, there will always be a book that bucks the trend and sods it all up

Indeed. Another handy tool when looking on eBay, along with the star stamps and the top edge blue centre line. MJI collectors will understand

@Cpt Kirk Is that staple alignment a DC thing too, Cap?

A recent addition to the price variant pile

It would, yes. There's not much information about it to be found though, it seems. Let's face it, the fact that Miller distributed these books and other stamped US original comics in the first instance seems to have passed everyone by - most reference sites speak only of their reprint activities. Finding some written records, or even collector recollections on the geography of it is going to be hard. I might bag them up with the customised stickers I've made later today. I'll post a picture if I do, of them all laid out.

Blimey, that's a new one on me TM! I just checked two of my old Spidey MJIs at random (134 & 147) and you seem to be spot on with this observation: I love it when you think you know everything about something and then someone comes along with something new. Brilliant!

Keep them closer.

You could use the Tower as a beer mat. After you've read it, I mean. Or maybe before.

Can I pay you in Tower Comics?

I picked a bit up on my Spidey completism travels, but awe4one is definitely the man on these. And Stronguy has clearly studied them well too. @trademarkcomics - here's the link to his site, if you don't already have it: http://www.awe4one.com/NDS-MJ Inserts/Insert webpage.html

Thanks There is no written record or evidence to explain these two aspects that I am aware of Kromak, but I speculate what might have happened in the thread and my journal page. The first two UK Price Variants are Gunsmoke Western #58 and Journey into Mystery #58, both priced 9d and cover dated May 1960: One was solicited and distributed by L Miller, and one by Thorpe & Porter (T&P) - they were two of the leading comic distributors in the UK at the time. They came to a post-embargo arrangement with Marvel, the details of which are unknown, and initially shared the distribution of UK Price Variants as further titles were added. A Miller copy had this unique indicia... ...and a Thorpe & Porter this: From September 1960 cover date, the Miller distribution titles reverted to 10c cover prices but retained their unique UK indicia (and therefore retained variant status). The Thorpe & Porter titles continued as 9d printed covers and ultimately, from October 1961, they took over all Marvel titles. Miller lost the contract somehow and T&P became the 'sole distributor' in the UK for Marvel at that point. The table below shows the Miller titles only, but you can see where T&P took over Gunsmoke Western from issue #66: In respect of your two questions, I think the Miller copies reverted to a 10c printed price (se table above) as Miller may have wanted to undercut T&P by charging 6d to their 9d. 6d was the usual price for a Miller distributed comic at that time as this ad from one of their reprint titles proudly proclaims: Possibly, Marvel did not want to print a 6d printed cover price, or maybe Miller wanted an edge somehow - the option to price as they wanted, using their bespoke Miller price stamps, without alerting T&P. Presumably, T&P and Miller both paid the same flat rate to Marvel for the privilege. The Miller 10c copies went on for a year, so it's unlikely to have been a mistake or omission. Someone must surely have asked for the reinstatement of the 10c price. That's my theory on that, for what it is worth. To your second point, Miller had their own branded stamps. The books tell us that they were a little remiss in using them as I own, and have seen, many copies with and just as many without. So this may just be simple human oversight. Some got stamped, some didn't. Nothing new there, really, for the time. At some point, I plan a new journal entry on L Miler which will chart all the US produced books that they distributed - largely unnoticed - in the UK. They were responsible for the distribution of these Marvels that we are discussing here, but also Harvey, Archie, IW and, of course, Charlton. They were quite prolific, in their time, and it's a shame that they do not have a wider appreciation in the hobby - a hobby that still refers to Thorpe & Porter as the 'sole distributors' of Marvel comics in the UK, on many reference sites. The only place you will hear anything about Miller's role is here, in my research (although Jon McClure references it in his Overstreet work now that I have made him aware they exist).

Good match isn't it - it helps to indicate how comparatively scarce certain issues were, if collectors had the same gaps You're welcome. They're lovely books, and a very satisfying run to collect. I loved how the early cardstock ones felt in hand, like they had their own built in backing board. Good and solid. Here are the tables I put together for the 'slick' and 'coloured' versions (for want of better descriptions) - I'm not sure I ever established whether Spidey #180 existed with cardstock and slick - my copy was slick - or whether the cardstock to slick crossover was at the end of the print run of #179. It's a long time ago now, but there was some aspect that made me think there might be - a cardstock in another title of the same month maybe. Probably erroneous, though. Good luck collecting them all

Yes. Dracula looks less menacing. And he seems to have a cold hooter, too: I suppose he would though wouldn't he, being undead and everything.

Done a bit of digging - should've done that first really, I suppose, and found... No actual pictorial evidence, but it's a start...

....from an old sales thread here:

Cheers - I think it did turn up, that one and may even have been noted in this thread. Not so sure about 149 though.

It's a lovely colourful thing, isn't it. And always good to see the reptilian boys back together....

Not bad Reggie, thanks. Just pottering away on comics as usual. Still can't get that 25/12 picture source. Bloody thing.

I finally found a Miller copy of Gunsmoke Western #64 - hooray! No cover stamp on this copy, which is a shame, but if things go to plan another one will likely be along soon. That always happens. Anyway, I now have a full set of all 26 L Miller UK indicia distribution variants - and, possibly, the only one in the world? Lovely!