themagicrobot

@paqart said They did for a handful of issues in July 1971 but you'd need to read for all the details. The image of the Thor 138 you posted is a price variant. Marvel UK editions are something completely different.

And to complicate things slightly, the price variants (being identical to the cents comics in shape and colour) are not to be confused with British Editions of many titles produced in the 1950s by Miller and Thorpe and Porter and others in Black and White and various page counts prior to restrictions being lifted in 1959 and original DC/Marvel/Charlton/Dell/ACG etc comics being available in the UK. PS: Strato was one of a number of names Thorpe and Porter used for their publications

To drive home Albert's point here is the inside of a 12 cent Kid Colt Outlaw 110. The only difference between the two comics is that one shows 12 cents as the cover price. The other one shows a 9d price on the cover, the month of publication is omitted from the cover and the indicia adds Thorpe and Porter. Note that the indicia showing Thorpe and Porter was something that only lasted for a year or so in the early 1960s. Later Marvel comics would still be available with both price variants but the interiors were identical. PS: A nice example of Marvel chipping here. DCs of the same period don't seem to suffer as badly. PPS: As I don't have my copy of 110 to hand here are the two 111s.

It's nice to see that the Italians producing this comic were fully conversant with Marvel-lore. Note the signpost.

My run of Brave and the Bold begins with No 31 for the simple reason that this comic in poor condition now is £2650.00

I own Showcase 25 - 104 inclusive. But if I want Showcase 24 I'm going to be charged over £150 for one in poor condition. This one is for sale at £325. Most earlier issues of Showcase, especially the Flash ones are going to cost much more than that.

I've never met you so I can't comment on your mental health. A more pertinent question would be "Are You Rich?" If you settle on collecting those series starting at around No 50 you should be able to complete the runs by tomorrow.

@Malacoda said ???? I explained to the AI that ink stamps only appeared on the front covers. And I'd like to clarify for the three other visitors to this tumbleweed thread that you are attributing quotes made by the AI to me.

I'm sure no one would ever consider faking an image.

So the most scary thing is that Openai have my Gravatar image although I never gave them it. I replied to the above with:- Thorpe and Porter placed ink price stamps on the front covers of comics and magazines, never on the back covers The reply was as follows:_ Apologies for the incorrect information provided earlier. You are right, Thorpe and Porter typically placed their ink price stamps on the front covers of comics and magazines, not on the back covers. Thank you for pointing out the error. The ink price stamps were used by Thorpe and Porter to indicate the cost of the comic or magazine in the UK market. These stamps often featured the company's name, "Thorpe & Porter Ltd," along with the price in British currency, such as pence or shillings. The placement of the ink price stamps varied depending on the specific publication and issue. In some cases, the stamp was placed in the upper right or upper left corner of the front cover, while in others, it could be found in the lower section of the cover. The stamp itself was typically a circular or rectangular imprint, designed to be easily visible to potential buyers. Collectors of UK-distributed comics and magazines often pay attention to the presence and placement of these ink price stamps. They can provide valuable information about the publication's origin and distribution history. Additionally, the presence of the stamp can sometimes affect the overall condition and desirability of the comic or magazine, as it may impact the artwork or cover quality. It's important to note that Thorpe and Porter's practice of using ink price stamps on comics and magazines was common during a particular era, primarily from the mid-20th century to the early 1980s. As the comic book industry and distribution methods evolved, the use of ink price stamps became less prevalent. Once again, I apologize for the earlier misinformation and appreciate your correction.

We live in strange times. Everyone is talking about Artifical Intelligence. But all AI does really is nick stuff from the Interweb. Admittedly it can now do this very quickly. When I first had a computer plugged into the phone line it took 5 minutes to download an image, one line at a time. Has AI made @Get Marwood & I and all of us obsolete? Can the AI bots discuss things between themselves and save us the bother? So I have just logged in to Openai and asked the following:- discuss thorpe and porter ink stamps on US published comics distributed in the UK Here is the reply:- Thorpe and Porter was a British company that played a significant role in the distribution of American comics in the United Kingdom during the mid-20th century. They were responsible for importing and distributing a wide range of comics from various American publishers, including Marvel, DC, and others. One notable aspect of Thorpe and Porter's involvement with American comics was their use of ink stamps on the covers of these publications. These ink stamps typically included the company's name, "Thorpe & Porter Ltd," and often appeared in the form of circular or rectangular imprints on the front or back cover of the comic. The purpose of these ink stamps was to mark the comics as distributed by Thorpe and Porter, indicating that they had been officially imported and made available for sale in the UK market. These stamps served as a form of branding and identification, making it clear to consumers that they were purchasing genuine American comics through Thorpe and Porter's distribution network. The ink stamps themselves varied in size, color, and placement depending on the specific issue and publisher. Sometimes the stamps were discreetly placed on the back cover, while other times they were more prominently displayed on the front cover. The stamps could be found on a wide range of comics, spanning different genres and publishers. The presence of these ink stamps has become a notable characteristic for collectors of UK-distributed American comics. Some collectors specifically seek out comics with the Thorpe and Porter ink stamps, as they are considered to be a unique part of the comic's history and provenance. The stamps serve as a tangible reminder of the comics' journey from America to the UK and their distribution through Thorpe and Porter's channels. It's worth noting that Thorpe and Porter's involvement in the distribution of American comics waned over time, and the practice of using ink stamps on the comics gradually diminished. With the evolution of the comic book industry and changes in distribution methods, the use of ink stamps became less common. However, for comics distributed during the period when Thorpe and Porter played a prominent role, the presence of these ink stamps remains a distinctive feature.

So let's say you decide to write a book. Do you just have a favourite subject such as "How to eat fried worms". Do you do any market research? Do you ask yourself will the subject be interesting to readers? How many people could possibly want your book and enable you to attain riches beyond your wildest dreams? Or do you plough on regardless and sell 9 copies and have to return your advance to the publisher? I'm sure this book should sell a maximum of five copies worldwide.

Yes, you learn something new every day at the-distribution-of-us-published-comics-in-the-uk-1959~1982 thread

What about this one cover dated August 1959 but with the possibility that it was received here 6 months to a year later?

I can't look through 227 pages of banter no matter how interesting it may be compared to many (more popular but lesser) threads on these forums. Has this comic been featured before? A February 1959 Charlton with an Irish price stamp. As we know, Ireland added VAT (or was it called Purchase Tax then?) to their prices so they were always a penny or two more expensive than ours, hence the 10d price in those far off days.

Talking of parachutes, Jimmy must have a grip of steel if he can so casually hold on to his "Flashlight-Parachute" with one hand whilst activating his Slip-on-shoe Secret Weapon.

So we have Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, Lois Lane and Lyla Lerrol. Lois has a sister called Lucy Lane. Supergirl's secret identity is Linda Lee. Superman's arch enemy is Lex Luthor. I bet there were more LL Luthors as I recall his father was Lionel Luthor at least in the Smallville TV show. And Last but not Least, Lana Lane?!?

I recently gave myself a good talking to and decided I don't need any more comics. But I suddenly want Superman 141. It seems Lyla Ler Rol was an "actress". Another LL character from the Superman family that I completely missed. Part two is "Superman's Kryptonian Romance". Part three is "The Surprise of Fate" ??!?? I love the flying "Jetsons" car on the first page. I always imagined that was what I'd be using to get to Tesco if I made it to the C21st.

This comic has done some travelling and passed through a number of hands. Cover dated February 1963 it has an "arrival stamp" dated 26th December 1962. It seems they worked on Boxing day in the States then. Here it would have been a holiday. Was the date stamp put there at a warehouse or at the retailer? Would just one copy of a stack of comics tied up with string get the date stamp? And despite the "exciting" cover it seems this comic didn't sell in the States and when circa March 1963 came around was removed from the retailer and by means unknown found its way to Thorpe and Porter in the UK. There either Gladys or Ethel gave it a nice 9d stamp and sent it, along with other DCs (and possibly Marvels) to a UK newsagent. Here it was finally purchased "as new", maybe five months after the comic had originally printed. I wonder whereabouts in (possibly) London that newsagents was located. Brixton? Peckham? Clapham? Walworth? Whoever purchased the comic new, at some point in the 1960s took it to a second-hand book shop located at Camberwell Church Street. He (despite it being a Lois Lane comic I suspect it would be a he) would no doubt have arrived with a few comics at the Popular Book Centre. He would either leave with half the number of comics he arrived with (but different) or he would have paid something. Here Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane received two more ink stamps on its cover. Someone else purchased this comic from the shop and as recently as May 2023 it was sold yet again on eBay. How many hands has this comic passed through? Where has it been? Who has owned it? P. Riley at some point. What tales could it tell of the last 60 years? Man landing on the moon. The adoption of computers and mobile phones by the whole population. The rise and fall of Thorpe and Porter!! Who purchased this 60 year old comic in May 2023? Yours truly mainly due to curiosity concerning the cover. I knew Lana Lang. I knew Lori Lemaris. But who on earth was Lyla? It seems she was Lyla Lerrol (sometimes with a Kryptonian surname Ler Rol). The bonkers story concerns the third wedding anniversary of Lois and Superman. Lois (with the help of Superbaby) breaks into his safe and discovers he has held on to pictures of previous girlfriends. Superman had met and dated Lyla when he had travelled through time to visit Krypton before it was destroyed. That is another bonkers story I must track down. Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane 39 has everything you could want in a DC comic of that period. Three bonkers stories. A letter from Paul Gambaccini, the Statement of Ownership circulation figures (490,000), ads for early 80 page Annuals and even an ad for Comicpacs.

If you have one particular favourite character it is perhaps interesting to pick up a few different European titles that feature him or her. I wonder why they often don't keep the original names of the characters though? In Sweden they called Batman Laderlappen for quite a while. Editoriale Corno in Italy called Daredevil l'incredibile Devil. That seems odd as they also published l'Incredibile Hulk comics??? PS: In this particular Italian version of Daredevil they recoloured the early issues so his costume was always red and never yellow.

And as this thread is about "foreign" comics it may be worth mentioning that UK comics were shipped to many other countries every week. See at the bottom of this Buster comic. Sometimes even more countries were listed.

Not quite 20 years. The Marvel UK monthly "Pocket Books" or "Digests" were circa 1980/1981. It seems that in 1981 from No 16 X-Men and all the other titles (there may have been at least 8 digests per month) such as Chiller, Titans, Conan, Spider-man, FF, Star Heroes and a Romance one, and no doubt also the regular weeklies too, added an Irish price to the covers. Some of these digests for no obvious reason were twice the price with twice as many pages. PS: It is interesting to note that Ireland always charged VAT on books and periodicals whilst the UK never did and they remain VAT exempt here to this day.

No UK PVs but for a period in the 1980s the UK Spider-Man comic aimed at a younger reader. It had backup features like Fraggle Rock. I would be surprised if this run with a similar logo didn't contain any Spidey stories.

I wonder what that 0.0000000000000000000098% difference of opinion comprises of?

One person's reprint is another person's first chance to see. As with TV or Oldies Radio stations content just goes round and round. My first exposure to Golden Age DC was the (very welcome to me) reprints in the 80 page giants. Marvel Tales in the 1970s gave many people the first chance to complete a full run of Amazing Spider-Man stories when tracking down all the originals would have been too expensive/difficult pre Interweb. In the UK many people were first exposed to early 1960s Marvel product when it appeared in Marvel UK books and was already a decade old. Also in the UK many of our weekly comics were full of reprints although we didn't realise it at the time. The likes of DC Thompson's "Victor" perhaps recycled everything on a five year cycle interspersed with the odd new stories. I read somewhere that the company believed they could only hold a kid's attention for two or three years max so most issues were new to most readers. The concept of someone (like me) buying/reading Batman and Superman every month for 50 years hadn't been considered.