Get Marwood & I

Well, I thought it was funny. We're up to 194 confirmed Dell pence copies at the moment. Here's the latest addition, I Love Lucy Comics #28: It's the only copy I own of the title, but I have images saved of 27 and 29. So as is often the case, they are all lumped together, giving the impression that the pence treatment may have stopped at 29: We shall see John, we shall see. These two aren't new finds, but are new to my collection: Something nice about them isn't there. Hope you like them

Not that anyone seems to care, but here are four new additions to my Archie pence collection courtesy of yesterdays London Comic Fair. First up, a second copy of Katy Keene Comics #53: A little better than my other copy and too good to leave behind. Ordinarily, I'd get the Count to do his "Two! Two Comics of ze Katy Keenenwoodsman Person, ah, ha, ha, ha, hah!" routine but there's only so many times you can be blanked on something before you get the message. "Two! Two expressions of ze blankus exasperatus, ah, ha, ha, ha, hah!" Hmmm. Next up, a proper image of Archie's Joke Book Magazine #47. The previous evidence was a grainy half shot from eBay. Here's the real thing: None of these books are in particularly good shape, but you cant be too picky when researching these obscurities. Often, the tatty copy is the only copy. @Harry Lime? More tat here mate Next up two of Archie's girls. No, not Betty and Veronica. Well, yes, Betty and Veronica. But #53 and 55 is what I meant: Both seen already, but these two are mine. I love the 9d stamp on the #53, just alongside the 9d printed price. And a T&P stamp too - not Miller. Interesting, given my earlier stamp pontifications. So, still on 21 books out of a possible 46. I'd love to find the Katy robot cover in pence. That would be a thing. Maybe one day. Thanks for reading. Well, I say thanks for reading but that would presume somebody had. "Three! Three expressions of....."

Actually, considering your avatar, definitely go with your gut!

A lot of variables here. I'd go with your gut. If CTOWP troubles you enough to post here, you may never be happy with it should you choose that one. The page quality will nag at you. If the 6.5 is still nice looking, I'd go with that. After all, a 9.4 will look better than the 7.0 presumably so you have to cut your cloth. Go for the best looking book you can afford with the page quality you seek. Don't buy a book with an aspect that you are troubled by. You'll come to dislike it, and a purchase like this should never involve that. Unless your intentions are purely financial of course? But I don't think they are. Out of interest, the 6.5 is less presentable how? Are the flaws that dramatic that the book doesn't feel like a 6.5 or is it in the right ball park?

Yes, even without the 'e', Jodie was actually great. Jodie Comer in Killing Eve that is.

Lighten up? Lighten up! (Cranky Colin ) This is life and death man! Sorry, wo-man.

You seem to be in the majority looking at the reviews. Hopefully it improves. Time will tell! Groan.

Great thread @Sqeggs Looks like you had a great time. Almost as many cool books as the London Comic Fair yesterday. Almost

I can't help but think someone's missing here

Too obvious funny caption alert!

Sorry AJD. 'Spoilers' as River used to say, annoyingly. Come back and tell us what you think. Seems the world's media love it. Even the ones that watched it.

George Who?

A line worthy of the man himself. Ken Dodd wasn't that bad as it turned out. Although they missed a trick by not putting him in The Happiness Patrol.

I agree that Capaldi was let down in the first season by the ill judged 'make him unappealing' writing approach. I believe that decision, and the shunting of the show about the schedules impacted the publics perception of him. But at no time (heh heh) was he not the Doctor. Peter Capaldi was born Doctor Who. The embodiment of Doctor Who. He transcended that I'll judged writing direction. I could watch him in the very worst story and still find something to like in his portrayal. He can read the telephone directory and it would sound intelligent / mysterious. Whittaker reads the lines of an intelligent being without conveying their meaning. My Mum could read the Doctors lines - and she'd sound like my Mum reading someone else's lines. Eccleston - great actor. Didn't understand the Doctor. Read the lines. Tennant - owned the lines. Smith - old man in young body. Nailed it. Totally. Sheer ball of engaging energy. Whittaker - reads the lines, acts the zaniness. I'm watching Jodie Whittaker acting, not performing. I say this a lot in life. A group of people came together in a room, tasked with 'reinventing' Doctor Who. If I had them in a room now, I am confident that I would kick them all around it for the shambles they contrived to deliver tonight. A bad painter and decorator gets paint on your sofa. A bad plumber leaves your pipe leaking. A bad chef gives you food poisoning. This episode was put together by people bad at their jobs. At no time did they seem to consider the need for a satisfying story with pace, energy, truth. New Doctor openers are usually poor, concentrating on introduction above story telling. The monster / villain is often forgettable. But this was taking it to a hitherto unchartered level of mediocrity. Did your pulse quicken once? Was the "I'm the Doctor, get off this planet!" line not so worn out now that you cringed when she said it? My nephew makes films. He understands the industry. How programmes are made. He can tell good writing, scripts, acting, staging and the dynamics that contribute to a satisfying experience on film. He was more scathing than me. You look around in your life and tell me how any times you see people in roles they shouldn't be in. Writing cheques their talent can't cash. How did they get that gig, you ask yourself? It will take some pretty extraordinarily good stories, and a steep uplift in acting and characterisation to salvage this tosh. I like Bradley Walsh. Great actor in Law and Order. They managed to make him unreal and dislikable here. No mean feat.

And sorry again to bang on. I've just watched the new Dr Who and it's put me in a bad mood

I've bumped this three times by posting Scott, and even with your message banners everywhere you've only got 5 votes. Doesn't that tell you how little people think of the new journals? Could the reason for the lack of votes be that you're asking the wrong question? I wonder how many votes "do you want us to bring back the old journals" would get...

ASM annual #2

You rotter See below No. I can't even begin to describe the unmitigated horror I've just watched. Devoid of humour, pacing, danger, excitement. Appalling ---script. Unbelievable characters reacting in ways that fail to ring true. No story. A 'monster' without any significance. Shoe horned in moments where we are meant to magically empathise with an unbelievable companion we've known for 3 minutes. Not one single meaningful nod to history. Inexplicably, no titles. But don't worry, they'll come at the end when she enters the Tardis - we all want to see the Tardis right - dons the costume, turns to the camera and announces triumphantly, "I am the Doctor! In comes the new theme and credits - cue massive adrenalin rush. No, they didn't do that. We get the new theme with the end credits and with, inexplicably, a list of actors names who will be in future episodes. While you're trying to gauge whether you like the new theme or not. Jodie is a fine actor. Great in Broadchurch. But she is not a 'Doctor' actor. Speaking lines randomly very fast doesn't make you a Doctor. Early days of course but I did not detect one scintilla of the Doctor in her portrayal. No gravitas. No presence. No mystery. Compare this to Capaldi's exit story. I can't find the words to articulate the difference in class on every level between that and this. I have loved the Doctor for over 40 years. He. Is. Dead. I wanted to hate it, if I'm honest, but suspected I'd love it. Or at least be excited to see what will come. But I hated it. I am a 50 year old rational long term fan. And I hated it. Because it wasn't Doctor Who. What it was, was terrible. It wasn't even bad Doctor Who. It was appalling something else. It may as well have been a particularly badly executed episode of Casualty with an alien in it. Total, utter, unmitigated rubbish. A character who I have loved for so long has been sacrificed on the alter of political correctness, and presented by amateurs without flair or intelligence. And everyone will say it's 'great, new refreshing'. Capaldi was 'getting stale' I read. I hate the world and all these cretins who can't make a programme that entertains with all that they have at their disposal. I did like her outfit though. Shame that the only clue that we were looking at the Doctor was in the outfit, not the actor. In context, I'm gutted.

Ok, here we go

You live and learn Bob. It was a reasonable thing to do, take a chance. We've all done it and it's part of the learning process. Now you know what to look for next time. A posting tip for you - when you reply to a specific person, use the 'quote' button function. That way the person you're replying to is made aware you have posted and the flow of the thread makes sense to other readers. Good luck

Stunning colours, lovely clean back cover but structurally I'm in the 7.5 to 8.0 range. One of those books that looks so much better than the sum of its flaws. I'd be happy to own it.

There are a few knowledgeable UK dealers I can ask. I'll post here if I find anything out. I've been asking all my contacts about the T&P stamp numbering and only one has advanced a theory which makes sense. It's amazing that no one has a definitive answer - some of these chaps are the most knowledgeable comic people in the UK yet almost all of them have echoed the same sentiment - "No, we don't know either". I need to pull some examples together to support the theory which is from my favourite UK comic dealer, a splendid chap who happens to share a name with one of the two remaining living Beatles. Be back soon