Get Marwood & I

On 9/12/2022 at 8:51 PM, OtherEric said:

Yes.  Yes, you do. 🤪

Dagnabit!

On 9/12/2022 at 8:09 PM, Yorick said:

If that were the case, the covers should look quite different (or slightly different).  Instead, the Super Adventures are the same reformatted plates with the exception of the price.  There must have been an international team at DC.  And I can only assume the title changed so that there wouldn't be any chance these foreign books made their way into the US market.

Class made his plates from printed pages (as he mentioned in that Youtube interview).  And we know that 30th Century stopped shipping plates outside the UK because it is so expensive due to the weight.

Get digging and see what you can find out Yorick. Or do I have to do everything around here 

On 9/12/2022 at 7:37 PM, Yorick said:

It makes me wonder why they used the same title "Super Adventure".  Those are two separate printers having to organize the pages for their own needs and also having to adjust the cover price.

Did DC issue the plates to those printers?  Why wouldn't DC simply make smaller adjustments to the magenta and black plates rather than changing the whole top curtain area?  Seems like more work the way they did it, but I'm assuming they didn't want the "World's Finest" title printed outside the US (or perhaps it wasn't allowed outside the US?).

I've got no idea, Yorick! I keep meaning to delve further into what might have been going on, if indeed the knowledge is out there to find, but never quite get around to it. I can't see them using DC plates though. More like an Alan Class situation I would have thought. 

On 9/12/2022 at 9:41 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Funny old to do, isn't it. I wonder if the Jungle Adventures #10 is itself a reprint of an original US book? I'll get searching....

The plot thickens its consistency! 

Further to my earlier Skunky post (get your jokes in now)...

...another one of the coverless Century Publications books is Zor The Mighty #2 which is noted on that online image I found above.

Here is my copy:

The indicia for this one says the book was printed in Canada and published by Century Publications, c1946. No UK distribution reference or cover price this time.

The source for this book is the Canadian (Bell Features) Jungle Adventures #10. I don't have a copy of that, but I did find these images on the Bay:

(thank you eBay seller)

Those internal cover pages look oddly white, don't they.

The coverless UK bound Skunky turned out to be a full reprint of the guts of the US Funland #1. This coverless Zor however seems to be a quite different proposition.

First up, you can see that the indicia on the coverless version has been removed, but is still partially visible, on the guts of the Jungle Adventures #10 splash page:

In a similar vein, the Century Publication circular logo, present on the coverless copy, has been removed from the Jungle Adventures copy, making it look like a second moon:

Here are the GCD notes for both comics:

Taking everything into account, it looks to me like the coverless guts were printed first. Then, copies of those guts had the logo and indicia removed, and a cover then attached. That indicates that the coverless copy was the starting point. The GCD advises that the coverless copy was made available to the UK, but there is no indicia reference this time (as there was with Skunky) and I have yet to see a copy with a UK price. That makes sense though, as the covered copy is priced 10c, presumably for Canadian distribution, and perhaps all the coverless copies I have seen came from a warehouse find. 

Funny old to do, isn't it. I wonder if the Jungle Adventures #10 is itself a reprint of an original US book? I'll get searching....

Next up, the Conquerors!

On 9/10/2022 at 7:58 PM, Yorick said:

Jimmy hat?

I hope some collector out there goes for all those Batman Turban covers.  There are a few...

Suits him though, doesn't it.

There are two versions of SAC #57 - here they are on the GCD, a 6d and an 8d:

I have the 6d copy and have been trying for ages to find a copy of the 8d version to make an in-hand comparison but it's clear from online images that the two books originated from different sources so the 6d can't be a UKPV of the 8d.

According to the indicia on the back page, my 6d copy was printed by Morrison & Gibb Ltd, of Edinburgh, Scotland:

Here's the bloke actually printing it, McTavish, I think his name was.....

...and here's a helicopter view of their estate...

My 6d copy is markedly shorter than the 8d copy, and has a different back cover and internal splash configuration.....

...to the 8d copy which is much taller and which was printed in Sydney according to the AusReprints website:

All good fun 

On 9/8/2022 at 10:34 PM, Yorick said:

Batman used to be such a goof!  Wasn't it enough that he's looking at the crystal ball?  They had to put a turban on him?!

Shame they didn't put one on Robin, then I could've done my D ick Turban joke 

On 9/9/2022 at 11:37 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

 'If there was a majority 6d printed Canadian copy'

Not possible after1858 when the Canadian dollar was introduced.

However, our antipodean brethren continued with shillings and pence until as late as 1966, only the blink of an eye before we abolished them.

 

What a wally I am 

Told you I didn't know anything about Gold! 

I actually had Australia in my head when I rattled that thought off. Thanks for the correction, Albert.

On 9/9/2022 at 9:53 PM, OtherEric said:

If you're just going to toss it instead! 

Yeah, right. Do I look stupid!

On 9/9/2022 at 9:47 PM, OtherEric said:

You remind me, however unintentionally, of the worst cartoon Chuck Jones ever worked on, and I make you suffer as well...

You, you...you rotter.

To get things back on track, I'm going to have to toss my lucky coin:

Oh, that's 'Coyne', isn't it. 

I just looked it up, Eric.

Stop wondering 

On 9/8/2022 at 7:43 PM, Yorick said:

I think this picture is the best comparison in proving it was not the same print run.  Those plate lines at the bottom edge of your Canadian copy (right) are a dead giveaway!

Yes, they are aren't they. 

On 9/8/2022 at 7:43 PM, Yorick said:

(Why can't I quote someone in the journals like I can in the chat forum?  )  

With the journals, you can't quote the opening entry, only the subsequent posts. It's something I was hoping CGC might look at one day, but I've given up on that now.

On 9/8/2022 at 7:43 PM, Yorick said:

Can you please review the Superman book in your masthead....  please?  What is it?  Adventure Double Double?

It's this Yorick:

Spoiler alert, it's not a UK Price Variant of this 8d copy:

But alas, poor Yorick, that's a story for another day....

(Thanks for reading and commenting though )

On 2/18/2022 at 10:56 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

October 20c titles where no 15c Variant is expected due to there being no preceding issues in the 15c Variant date window:

• Baby Huey, the Baby Giant (#98) - #97 is dated October 1971
• Casper and Spooky (#1) – First issue
• Casper and Wendy (#1) – First issue
• Little Lotta Foodland #29 - #28 is dated October 1971
• Richie Rich Bank Book #1 – First issue
• Richie Rich Jackpots #1 – First issue
• Spooky Haunted House (#1) – First issue

Well this'll learn me - a new 15c variant, and for a title that I'd previously assessed as unlikely to bear 15 cent fruit!

Baby Huey #98 - hooray! 

Who'd've thunk it 

Here she be, next to the 20 cee:

Found in England again, and it's a previously UK distributed title, just to further cement my UK related existence theory.

We have 33 confirmed issues across 14 titles now:

I've been looking again at the indicia situation with the September cover dated books and I think it is a near certainty that the two missing #54s will show up at some point as 15cvs. I also think the July dated Richie Rich Riches #1 will surface too, given the presence of the variant indicia on the 11th page of the regular 25c version. I've put a clearer table together to illustrate that point which I'll post soon.

I'm not as sure on some of the missing April-June books at this point as there are still some regular issue indicias that I need to check and some of them aren't that easy to come across in the UK. I have a parcel on the way from MCS which should help 

The appearance of Baby Huey is unexpected, given the absence of any previous issues in the 15cv window, and it raises the prospect of some of the others appearing.  Never say never again!

I found another 15c variant - our 32nd - the July 1972 cover dated Playful Little Audrey #102 (my regular 25c copy to the right):

The picture isn't the best - it's from a bulk listing on eBay Australia which is priced far too high to warrant my buying. I'll wait for another copy.

If I have my dates right, that completes the three issues for the title and, as the chart below shows, all our July 1972 books are now in:

As I think I said in an earlier post, it has turned out to be much harder to find copies than I initially expected it might be. I look for them daily but copies have pretty much dried up since I seemingly cleaned the usual UK sources out and the most copies I have seen of any one issue since I started is three.

I'll get around to updating the other documents I created at some point - the source table will have its second 'found in Australia' entry if my memory serves and the indicia type tab of my capture spreadsheet will serve as the best clue as to whether the gaps in the above summary tab are likely to turn up or not. It'll make sense when you see it! Probably....

I have Miller stamped examples for ten out of the twelve titles mentioned in the advert below now (the back cover of the Miller UK title War #5, dated 1961)

Only Dick and Dag missing!

Still no new Harvey 15c variants though....

On 6/8/2022 at 3:16 PM, Qalyar said:

Interesting! Apparently Streamline reprinted more than just comics.

Olive Baxter is a pseudonym for British author Helen Eastwood, who also published under her own name and as Fay Ramsay. She was best known as a romance novelist, but also dabbled in mystery/thrillers. She was a prolific writer, publishing dozens of books in a career that spanned four decades: from Cinderella's Sister in 1934 to A Letter for Veronica in 1974 (and perhaps books before and after those as well, as there's not a comprehensive list that I'm aware of).

For much of her career, the vast majority of her books were initially published as hardcovers by London publisher Wright & Brown (later on, she moved to Robert Hale). WorldCat confirms this one was no exception -- the first printing of Reluctant Hero is a 1949 Wright & Brown book that was almost certainly a hardcover novel. I assume this Streamline paperback is a late '50s or possible early '60s reprint.

No idea whether the cover art here reproduces art from the original dust jacket or whether it's a Streamline creation. Unfortunately, the Olive Baxter hardcovers are fairly scarce now, and I've had no luck tracking down an image of the original. If you're so inclined, the British Library in London appears to have a copy (as does Oxford and the NLS), although no idea if it has the original dust jacket.

Marvellous!

We have a new challenge: First person to find an image of the original book.....

Afternoon 

I haven't forgotten about this thread, if anyone was wondering, and still have a good number of issues to work through when I get some free time.

In the meantime, I spotted this pulp while scouring online for more Pictorial Romances and found it very reminiscent of the early Streamline versions:

Sure enough, it's one of theirs:

Curtain Road 

Olive Baxter sounds quintessentially English, doesn't she. The author of "Journey into Danger" and "etc." would you believe.

The "etc." made me smile, suggesting somewhat that they couldn't really be bothered.

"Yeah, you know - Olive Baxter. Her that done that book. And them other ones" 

Anyway, it's something to read later. I'll report back on Olive's story telling proficiency later.....

On 5/18/2022 at 7:03 PM, Yorick said:

I've some National Bookstore (Philippines) books with similar recycling.  Looking at the cover, one might say, "it's just a price variant".  I have no idea how to differentiate the same titled/numbered books with altered interiors on GCD.

Indeed. Alan Class recycled his covers often but each use at least had a different consecutive issue number. I'd like to see the NBS books you mentioned - maybe post them in the Philippines thread if you get time. 

OK, curiosity got the better of me and I made offers on the two 'Redskin' books, which were accepted. Pat delivered them today 

To start, here are the scans of front and back:

The shilling copy is a 52 page squarebound book, the 6d copy a 28 page saddle-stitched book:

The indicias are as follows:

Both copies are printed by Dyson Bros. in Peterborough.

The opening stories and content differ:

• One Shilling Copy:
  • Buffalo Bill
  • Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (text story with photos)
  • Jungle Facts
  • The Iroquois Trail
  • The Wild Stallion (text story)
  • The Northwest Push
• 6d Copy:
  • Chief Roman Nose
  • The Wild Stallion (text story)
  • Magic Arrow
  • Buffalo Bill - Super Sleuth (text story)
  • Joe Meek The Oregon Wildcat
  • Wyatt Earp and The Clanton Gang (text story with photo)

The only story both share is The Wild Stallion.

I'll have a go at matching some of the stories to original content another time, but the learning point here is that Streamline weren't averse to recycling the same title for two different books. Perhaps this is why we have two romance 'My Love Story' books, one 6d and a squarebound shilling priced copy (albeit with different covers)?

And is there a Redskin #1 I wonder?

All good fun. 

I had a quick check to see if 'on sale' or arrival dates might help identify the cut off point for the May 1974 price variants. That has helped me in other areas of research but this time drew a blank. I plotted the Library of Congress 'on sale' dates from Mike's, and they line up as follows:

As you can see, there is no obvious order of printing that informs a likely error / cut off point, with the variants and 'erroneous' books being scattered over the production weeks.

I prefer to use actual dates on the comics themselves, as they tend to differ to the Library of Congress dates by some margin and are arguably more accurate, but there aren't enough examples to make an assessment on. Mike has two date sources on his site for Richie Rich #126 incidentally, if you check:

Funnily enough, my RR#126 copy has a date - one week after the LOC / house ad date:

I checked the dates in the comic ads inside the comics for the May 1974 issues myself, and as you can see, they are all over the place, changing from ad to ad:

Here are some other examples of our May 74 books that I found:

Cool, aren't they 

May 1974 Cover Dated Harvey Comics

While we wait for more 15 cent variants to surface here’s a post about May 1974 cover dated Harvey comics.

There are eleven of them, in total. Here they are on Mike's Comic Newsstand:

During this month, Harvey decided to increase the prices of some of their titles from 20 to 25 cents. As the four examples that follow show, they don’t appear to have made a very good job of it.

First up, we have Richie Rich #126. On every single copy that I have seen, there is an original 20c price sitting under what we can only assume was an overprinted 25c price, applied once the printers realised – or were advised of - the mistake:

The 25c price is even a bit wonky there, you’ll see, just to accentuate the mistake.

Here's a visual summary that I put together for Richie #126, because I like them:

Sad Sack #238 makes the transfer from 20 to 25 cents a little more successfully, which is odd given how clumsy he was. No 20c price visible this time, but he still manages to use a particularly odd oversized font, also wonky, and with a slashed c:

It then settles down to the ‘regular’ Harvey 25c font style that we are used to seeing.

So far so clumsy 

When we get to Richie Rich Money World #11, something wonderful happens – a price variant is born! Hooray! 

It’s clear that the printers were running along with the usual 20c cover price until someone pointed out that the issue was supposed to be 25c now. Why they didn’t overprint the 20c ones (as they did with Richie Rich #126) is anyone’s guess. I have a copy of the 20c variant and have compared it to my 25c ‘regular’ copy – there are no other differences. Just that cover price slip up.

And then we come to Richie Rich Millions #65 and our second 20c price variant appears. Double Hooray!

The odd thing this time is that the book clearly wasn’t in scope for a price change as the issues either side were 25c.

Similar to our Sad Sack #238, the font on the 20c variant is not in the style we are used to seeing. Why wouldn’t it be the same as the preceding issue I wonder? Wrong book, wrong price, wrong font! I own copies of both priced issues and, again, the cover price is the only difference between the two. Same page count, same indicia (Harvey didn’t add prices to their indicias for some reason, incidentally).

The remaining seven May 1974 issues all appear in order and haven’t yielded anything unusual – so far. Given that some of them involve prices changes however, it’s possible that some more price variants may be out there waiting to be found. Or it may just be that the two variants that I have captured here are the only ones – who knows. It’s likely that the instruction came to the printers mid way through the May issue production run, and some got through and others didn’t. We know that happens from my other research strands, and I’ll be looking out for date stamps in future to see if I can pin point the changeover / production sequence.

As far as scarcity goes, I’ve been looking for them for a bit now, and have yet to see a second example of either variant – there are bound to be more examples, but they do appear uncommon at this stage.

So there we go - a lovely little error strewn month, resulting in at least two new price variants. I say new, as I have not seen any mention of them anywhere else.

Comics are great, aren’t they.

Here’s one last observation – guess what month the Harvey Canadian 35c variants ended?

April 1974.

It was all going on in ‘74, wasn’t it 

I managed to pick up a 15c copy of Richie #114 finally, so now have the full set:

I wonder how many people on the planet would be able to replicate that photo 

On 5/11/2022 at 8:48 PM, Qalyar said:

• Not all of Star's romance books were first publications; it's possible that Popular Teen-Agers #14 may have itself been a Fox reprint book that simply hasn't been identified because the antecedent is so rare.

I was wondering that myself. The way the title page is in that book almost suggests a reprint, and that there may be an original out there somewhere.

The title looks added on to me:

I noticed that this Streamline Pictorial Western has two cover prices in circulation - a 6d copy and a shilling one (with differing back covers, too):

I wonder if any of our Romance copies will turn up that way?

Perhaps True Love, unusually priced at one shilling, will have a 6d copy out there:

That Star book is sticking out a bit.