Brit Corner 2 - Memories...Dark They Weren't

[JohnBull]

Just some random memories of early comic based experiences from a UK fan who’ll turn 40 next year.

 

Whatever happened to Dark They Were And Golden Eyed ? Obviously it closed down, but did the guy who owned it stay in comics at all or drop out of the scene ? I remember the shop quite well, particularly the second location which seemed a fairly large size. The upstairs section contained SF books, whilst the comics were kept downstairs. I also remember reading a reprinted article about the shop from some sort of local newspaper that surfaced in a fanzine in the late 70’s, so they must have had a reasonable impact on the area. My other recollection concerning it was always being overcharged on my little bundle of comics that I picked out. Being a fairly shy sort at the time, I’d assume that I’d added them up wrong when I brought them to the counter. When I got them outside I’d discover the truth, but never had the balls to go back. The place seemed to be run by long haired hippy types and little did I dream that within 5 years or so, I would metamorphose into their ranks.

 

When I attended Comicon 79 (I think) in London, I happened to bag front row seats with my mate for the auction. There had been the odd UK show previously, but that year was special because it contained a big name American guest, Tom Orzechowski (spelling) ! This was genuinely a big deal, because no US guest had come previously. Up until then, we’d had to make do with homegrown names like Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, but that year we had a real star to admire. I don’t remember Tom being on a panel, but he was sitting on the stage when the auction was conducted by Mike Conroy. My mate was on my right, but the guy on the left was a stranger who proceeded to start bidding, and winning, most of the items in the auction. Everytime he won something, he’d make a note in a little book as to what it cost. I made some comment to him about his being a big collector and he told me he was the buyer for Dark They Were. He ended up with most things fairly unchallenged, but he did indulge in 2 fierce bidding battles, with Tom, for copies of FF 5 + 6. These were fairly high grade issues which ended up going for about £10-£12 each !

 

Another regular attendee at the time was Dez Skinn, who at the time was in big hair, big glasses and big jacket mode. After the auction had done the comics, it moved on to the more interesting business of original art. Now, it is very hard for me to relate how abysmal the pieces on offer were, but if you can imagine a series of sketches from a D-list artist convention, you’d get the general idea. In fairness, there were probably pieces from people like John Bolton thrown in, but by and large it was fairly dross. Every specimen would be paraded around the room, but before long, it would find it’s way to Tom up front, who would then justify his Big Name status by staring studiously at the piece before emitting some sort of “Ahhh” sound. Dez presumably had his eyes on some of the pieces and he got increasingly upset by Tom’s monopolisation, before eventually complaining “Who’s that guy up there ? He keeps getting to see them and I don’t” or words to that effect.

 

The first comic mart I attended was around 1976. I don’t recall the venue, Camden maybe, but I do recall walking in and seeing a punter holding an impromptu auction of a Spiderman 1 just inside the door. It looked to be completely beat up, but he did get £15 for it. Several years after that I would still go to marts with about a fiver in my back pocket (having saved up my pocket money for weeks), but I would manage to walk away with maybe two dozen issues, so £15 seemed a fortune to me. In those later years, new Non Distributed issues were priced up at 5 pence less than whatever the cents cover price was at the time. Funnily enough, the back issues I was buying then – late 60’s and early 70’s Marvel’s in mid grade – cost little more than the new ND’s. Unfortunately, I ended up walking out with far too many issues of Nova and Ms Marvel.

 

I could go on, but do any other UK fans have anything to contribute ? I missed the Roundhouse do in 75, so I’d be particularly interested to hear anything about that.

 

[goldust40]

Sorry I've taken forever to respond to this post. I turned 40 this year, so my experience would be similar. Actually, to be fair, you seemed to have attended a lot more seminal events in London in the 1970s than I ever did.

 

London in 1974/75 (when I just started collecting) was not exactly overrun with comic shops. For any American reading this, this was the situation:

 

For the avid comic fan, there were very few choices - you had Popular Book Centres, which were grim, antideluvian bolt-holes which bought and sold magazines (mostly porn) and some comics. They'd usually buy stuff in at Howard Rogofsky levels. The other thing they did was to deface the comic either with a large rhomboid stamp and/or a felt tip mark. Check the cover to Flex Mentallo #2 for an accurate representation.

 

Apart from this there was Alan Austin's shop in (pre-trendy, very drab) Islington, North London. Alan has a special place in English collector's hearts as the editor of the first British price guide (for American comics). Sadly his shop ("Heroes") was a total disaster (I only went there once, and spent a grand total of 15p) and folded quickly.

 

Dark They Were And Golden Eyed was the seminal, and, (as far as I'm aware) the ONLY specialist comic shop in central London at this time. I only ever went there once, amazingly, and although there was a vibe (of sorts) it was a ramshackle place. It's importance comes from the fact that all the big movers and shakers in comic retail had, originally, something to do with this shop. When it petered out, many of it's staff moved onto Forbidden Planet/Titan Distribution. Said move was timed perfectly with the birth of the Direct Market, and a certain Mr. Landau ( FP caporegime) has maintained a stranglehold on it ever since as a consequence of this serendipity (and his acumen, to be fair).

 

I never met Dez Skinn in his hippie phase, although he's shown me pictures. Bloody hell! Dez was a womble! To be fair Dez deserves much credit - he worked at IPC (Dr. Who), and then of course there was Warrior (Marvelman/Miracleman) and of course, Comics International.

 

As for the 1975 Roundhouse Marvel Mart (a high watermark in the first wave of British comic fandom, with Stan Lee in his pomp) - I missed it and have no excuses. I only lived 10 minutes from the venue. Bugger.

 

Apart from these dusty old (non) memories all that remains are the Westminster shows from the early '80s, where one could find your favourite Marvels. But only PENCE copies. A (very thin) Paul Hudson attended these shows, just before he opened up a miniscule shop in the Aldwych - FP's only competition until 1986. And Paul being a survivor, he's still with us, even though the shop (Comic Showcase) has moved three times. No back issues, though.

 

And finally, does ANYONE remember Reedmore Books? They were situated next to Finchley Road and Frognal British Rail Station, in an extremely sad little building that has since been wisely demolished. It was there (and a market stall in Camden Market next to Dingwalls) that my comic habit burgeoned and developed into the 24 hour obssesion it is today.

 

This shop, if you can call it that, was a tawdry rabbit warren encrusted in soot, with comics piled high (no bags or boards in those days) in no particular order, on the floor, shelves, trestle tables, you name it. It was a horrible, wretched ehole run by two extremely surly blokes who probably made more money from the (yes, again) porno mags they were selling than the comics, which they new nothing about.

 

In those days most newsagents had a decent selection of three month old Marvels and DCs, but this was the place where I bought most of my comics. Despite the grime and the lack of access prevalent in this Jurassic era, I'm still here, almost thirty years later.

[JohnBull]

Now that I get the feeling someone has actually read this, I'll do a further installment later covering Comicon's 80-82 and marts of this time. At the moment though, let me just say that I vividly remember Reedmore books, the first comic shop I ever went into ! I didn't think it was demolished though, I thought it was turned into a pub (it was the left hand part of the crescent wasn't it ?). Great shop - bought loads of very early 60's DC's for 30p a pop. I lost them ages ago and started rebuying them in recent years for £30 a pop. Ahh well.

[goldust40]

Now that I get the feeling someone has actually read this, I'll do a further installment later covering Comicon's 80-82 and marts of this time. At the moment though, let me just say that I vividly remember Reedmore books, the first comic shop I ever went into ! I didn't think it was demolished though, I thought it was turned into a pub (it was the left hand part of the crescent wasn't it ?). Great shop - bought loads of very early 60's DC's for 30p a pop. I lost them ages ago and started rebuying them in recent years for £30 a pop. Ahh well.

 

Incredible. Maybe I saw you in that good old hellhole in the mid '70s. I admit my memories focussed on the staff, but as for cheap Silver and Bronze (well at the time they would've been called recent and modern) - yep, there were deals, although most of the comics had the price written on the back, in pencil admittedly. The shop certainly had stuff (nearly all of it was back issues) but the moment the serious dealer in charge of the business departed, things rapidly went downhill.

 

As for the building in question being turned into a pub, you're thinking of O'Henery's, which is a bit further up the Finchley Road. The Alcove crescent area of which Reedmore was a part was knocked down, but only very recently. The area has moved a bit upmarket ( a lot of buildings on that stretch were demolished to make way for the O2 centre), so that bit had to go. And you were right, it was on the left hand bit of the cres.

 

My strongest memory is of the acrid smell of all that old newsprint as you walked in the door. Bloody great. But as for bargains, I did better with Paul Hudson at Comic Showcase, when he actually bothered with back issues. I've still got all the comics I bought from 1974 - 1984 ( which was the point when I stopped collecting, for 7 years - a stupid mistake, in retrospect). There's some good stuff (even a few high grade cents copies of '60s Marvels) amongst the Implosion era DCs (Richard Dragon, Beowulf or Lady Cop, anyone?)

 

Let's hear about those early '80s Comicons. I never went to them........... (yeah, I know, why not?)