Malacoda

So you could always subscribe to Lois until July 1968..... (note the line later that says 'No subscriptions accepted without Zip code'). From August 1968, the indicia changed. You still have the line which says Second Class Postage in Sparta, but the lines that detailed the costs have gone and the note that said no subscriptions accepted without zip code has been truncated to just 'no subscriptions'. Then in August 1971, the indicia changes to reflect that the subscription address has changed to New York which is a bit academic as it still says no subscriptions. Then from October 1971 the note that says no subscriptions is gone, so this might be the point at which subscriptions resume. In March 1972, you start getting the address for the subscription dept, so subscriptions are definitely back. The funny part is that if it wasn't for the subscription costs line disappearing, the line that says 'no subscriptions accepted without zip code' being reduced down to just 'no subscriptions' would almost look like a typo (like a line wasn't fully removed). I think it's going to require someone with the actual comics themselves to tell us if there was subscription information inside them.

All good questions, Albert. I have no idea why the indicias are different, though you do find a surprising amount of variations in them (and some cracking info, sometimes). I was trying to discover whether the subscription issues had the product codes when Eric and I stumbled onto this variation. To your point, when they publish the Statements of Ownership, which were specifically for subscription, they are in every copy, so why vary the indicia?

Gorgeous. Makes you wonder why it took them so long to come round to TPB's and deluxe editions. Should've listened to Jack.

Twas not ever thus. You could have subscribed to Lois back at issue 18. Now we just have to find where it meets in the middle. And speaking of meeting in the middle, note the front crease on this one.

That will be fascinating to check and very significant.

As we'd expect So that absolutely looks like a subscription issue. Does it have a crease or look like a subscription issue? Yes, the Post Office Statements of Ownership are there to certify that the owner of that publication has the right to second class mail rates because it's a subscription requested by the customer and therefore not junk mail. Which I guess is because, as you say, the GS issues were not included in the subscription rate. They must have either intended to fix that if the GS change took off or revert back if not. Given how long DC stuck with the GS thing, they must have changed it.

I love you and I've always loved you. The Avengers is 1968 so too old (IND and pre product code, though it was printed at Sparta), but the Spidey is dead on. Ideally what I'm after is any Marvels between July 1971 and May 1976 cover dates that were definitely subscription issues. No specific titles. And the thing we need to check is the indicias (subscription vs newsstand) for any differences, so if you could do a quick photo, scan or whatever is easiest of the indicias of any subscription issues, that would be perfect. Many, many thanks. Also, don't need to be Marvels. DC (same dates) just as good. Might be good to have both (although if Marvel turns out to be different from DC, I will have an aneurism).

Interesting. I've seen those DC indicias that are split down the middle before and wondered why. When you see this, it's almost like they're designed to be folded in two. If you could possibly find one from post July 71, I'd love to know if the subscription issues had the product codes on them. Thanks for this.

I know. Sorry. I am actually building towards a theory of 1971 that explains Marvel's move to World and the DC PV's, so the horizon might draw a little closer. (Then it will get expertly dismantled in a way that will raise even more questions, obviously).

I know, right? Of course, Eric and I discussed how that couldn't possibly be the case, so, of course....it was! Cool emoji combo, btw.

Are you, by any chance, of the opinion that I may have strayed from our main focus, Robot? I did actually look for product codes across a range of magazines & comics looking for product codes on their own or later on bar codes and it's interesting that there is absolutely zero consistency. Comics acquire product codes from July 1971 and bar codes in between 1975 and 1978. (Marvel and DC in June & May 1976). Sports Illustrated, despite also being printed at Sparta, never acquires a product code until it eventually gets a bar code in August 1979. Playboy magazine (or Playbot magazine to you) does not acquire a bar code until May 1986, fully 10 years after its invention. By the way, you know how when you're searching for something like this (the introduction of a change to a cover, not playboy) it takes ages to find the changeover point? Check this out. Some helpful soul posted a pic of the last 2 Playboys before the bar code and the first 2 with it all in one pic. If only every search ended like this. Also, while we're here, I see your Gardener's World and raise you this. Check out Aunt May!! ( Now there's a sentence I never expected to write).

In the immortal words of Warren Schmidt, I hope you're sitting down, Ndugu. These are indicia from Avengers 209 (same month as Eric's Star Wars 49) direct and newsstand, and they're identical but note the line that says "Controlled circulation postage paid at Sparta, Illinois" but Eric's indicia from his subscription issue says "Controlled Circulation postage paid in New York NY and at additional mailing office" So we do seemingly have a difference in the indicias for subscription issues, specifically relating to the postage, as you might expect. I would conclude that the domestic (US) subscriptions were all mailed directly from Sparta but international ones like Eric's were shipped to Marvel and someone there was in charge of printing off the labels and mailing abroad. What's interesting is this not just a different print run for the small number of subscription issues but for the presumably miniscule number of overseas subscriptions. Might not be the case, might be that all the subscription issues have the NY indicia, but I reckon not as we know that the domestic ones were mailed from Sparta previously and the indicias from this very time say very clearly the postage was paid in Sparta. Anyone reckon we've discovered a new variant here today? Best hang onto those, Eric. You might be sitting on a gold mine. (Obviously, this needs some more homework first) .

So basically, I'm trying to find out if the subscription editions were just the newsstand editions or if they had variances, in particular the variance of not having a product code. As we can see from the Rolling Stone issues, World Press were indeed printing subscription issues without the product code and newsstand issues with it. This is extremely interesting. I mean, as long you're me, that is. Obviously.

Side note: Interesting to see that RS not only printed with dual pricing from this point, but they also printed UK editions, with ads for UK concerts and subscription and other addresses altered to the UK ones.

Examples (note that you can easily identify subscription editions of Rolling Stone from the early 70's because the newsprint paper made it impossible to tear the subscription sticker off without tearing it).

My friend, you've asked exactly the right question. Just in case you all think I've completely flipped my lid, this is to do with the product codes, which literally no one in the world but me cares about (......I have actually asked around the world and apparently it's literally just me). If we look at Rolling Stone (which was printed by WCP in Sparta), you can see that the newsstand issues (which appear to be distributed by our old friends IND, so a very good point of comparison), have the product codes added but the subscription issues do not. (Examples to follow). Now, as we know, with Marvel & DC comics, the product codes get added to the newsstand editions in 1971 (there being no direct editions at this point). When the direct editions come along, they do not have the product codes. Later they acquire them, but I think that is more because they acquire the bar codes which have the product codes on them. When the direct editions start, there were virtually no comic shops with the tech to scan codes, but by the 90's it was sufficiently common than even your humble LCS had the tech (and if they didn't, they could still ring it up old style).

But....but...that's an origin issue.

This is really key info, Robot. Many thanks for this. I was hoping you or @Albert Tatlock might have some confirmed subscription issues (or pics of comics with obvious subscription creases) in your collections.

Strangely, this chap has removed the shelf above and is now stacking copies on top of the ones on the second shelf up. Do you think he finds the banana shaped shelf somehow adds to the aesthetic pleasure of the DC universe?

A friend of mine did exactly the same thing with Marvel. I was astounded, given that he gave up collecting 30 years ago, to see a whole shelf of these. But he said the exact same as you. He kept meaning to cancel it, but they looked so great on the shelf, he kept 'forgetting' to cancel.

So UK subscription comics arrived like this too. Did not know that. At one point, Marvel made a big thing of 'now mailed flat' (as opposed to rolled). I had no idea that still meant folded over.

Sweet Jesus. Whoever created that pic of MS 5, IM 55 and Xmen 94 knew what they were doing. That's too upsetting. I think I'll go and watch videos of people shooting kittens to cheer myself up.

You know what's really annoying is that you can actually spot the subscription copies from the silver age because they have that colour-break crease down the front cover. By the 70's they were being mailed flat, so don't have it. OK, Brains Trust, Eric has set the bar high. Does anyone have any Marvel or DC comics post cd July 1971, ideally before cd June 1976, which they know to be subscription copies? Great will be your reward. Many thanks, Pence Chums. (This has nothing to do with pence, I stress, asking for UK subscription issues would be quite a stretch!).