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Epic Illustrated
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112 posts in this topic

I loved Epic Illustrated. I started buying it when the Last Galactus Story started but then went back and stated buying some back issues. It's too bad anthology titles like this (also Marvel Fanfare, yes I know it was a comic) couldn't sustain itself longer.

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When I stayed at McMiles's place this Summer he introduced me to the Epic mags, which I had never seen before. While going through his mountain of boxes we stumbles on 9 of the final issues and he just gave them to me...that's the kind of guy he is.

 

Back home I really enjoyed them and am now going to see about getting all the rest of the issues.

 

Here's a short vid of the Epic mags I brought back with me

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi again,

I have just find this great offer for the forum members in UK - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EPIC-ILLUSTRATED-VOL-1-34-COMPLETE-SET-FANTASTIC-/150510485505?pt=UK_Books_Comics_Magazines_US_Comics_ET&hash=item230b1fc001

The complete run for 25 GBP (thumbs u . For sure this is a much more cheaper way to obtain the complete series, than buying them one by one.

It is obvious that I am not the seller(I am from Bulgaria), so this is not an ad for my auction ;)

I have just decided to post it here, because of the crazy prices which many of the other members have mentioned in the previous posts. Moreover the seller affirms that the magazines are in excellent condition.

Hope, this helps :headbang:

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That is an excellent deal, especially with the difficulty our UK friends seem to have scoring comics.

 

That`s why I post this information here. Obtaining of my collection costs me at least 3 times more :devil:

 

With UK postage and no increase in bidding - £40 for the lot. That's less than I paid to complete so, yes, a good deal indeed.

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A good story from Epic was “Life Hutch”. A story about a robot in a space shelter malfunctioning and attacking an astronaut seeking shelter there. On Netflix season 2 of Love, Death and Robots they have adapted the story into a 13 minute animated film. Worth checking out.

Edited by Greatwhite
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I am thinking of reaquiring my Epic Illustrated collection. At least the first 10 issues as I remember enjoying Metamorphosis Odyssey and Almuric.

Not sure if this is a magazine worth slabbing. Anyone have any idea what FMV for a #1 9.8 is? There is a BIN on eBay for 1500 but that is an asking price. Anyone have any idea what any recent sales are?

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1 hour ago, Greatwhite said:

I am thinking of reaquiring my Epic Illustrated collection. At least the first 10 issues as I remember enjoying Metamorphosis Odyssey and Almuric.

Not sure if this is a magazine worth slabbing. Anyone have any idea what FMV for a #1 9.8 is? There is a BIN on eBay for 1500 but that is an asking price. Anyone have any idea what any recent sales are?

Too much, brother. A 9.6 sold a couple months ago for $ 130, I'd hold out for something in the $ 300 neighborhood. You could try the WTB section ... you never know. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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Just doing a bit of research on this title and wondering why no direct sales variants?

Marvel mags start to have both newsstand and direct copies from 10/81 cover dated issues (eg. Crazy #79, Bizarre Adventures #28, SSOC #69), somewhat later than regular size comics. But Epic Illustrated only seems to have one variant issue that I can find (not including UK price variants), that being #11 (April 1982 cover date) which has a blank UPC box variant... so that's either a direct sales copy or an error?

Anyone know if this series had different distribution arrangements than other Marvel mags (as far as I'm aware no issues were either direct only or newsstand only) so perhaps the lack of variants was just an oversight that never got corrected?

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You certainly have a point, and I hadn’t given this much thought previously. It occurs to me that in the early ‘80’s when I was buying my monthly comics from Westfield, I don’t think they ever offered Epic. I believe I was buying my copies at Walden Books. It was alway designed to be a more “mainstream” distribution may along the lines of Heavy Metal and National Lampoon, notice the advertising.  As the early ‘80’s marched on and I was in comic shops, I don’t recall ever seeing them there either. I don’t have any evidence to support this, just my recollections. 

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Thanks for your reply. After 40 years and the lack of documented evidence for some of this stuff, peoples recollections of where they bought comics and other anecdotal evidence can be quite useful! Another example of interesting anecdotal evidence is comic shops receiving "diamond" issues pre-June 1979 (ie. what folks call "Whitmans")...

I'm at a slight disadvantage, in that although I was around at the time, I was in the UK, so have no memories of the USA market or what items could be found in what type of shops, or much knowledge of the distribution channels over there. I never even knew until recently that directs and newsstands had different on sale dates!

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I had never noticed this on Epic, but you're right... all my copies have barcodes.

What I HAD noticed is that Marvel Super Special only has one issue with a direct edition as well.  Rampaging Hulk is all barcodes.  I'm only seeing a couple very late issues of Crazy with direct editions.

Bizarre adventures and Savage Sword of Conan seem to go all out on Direct & Newsstand, unlike the others.

 

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I've not yet gone through Marvel Super Special, but Hulk magazine I wouldn't expect direct issues on as it finished before direct variant mags began. I'm working my way through EVERYTHING slowly, chronologically by year and then alphabetically in each year... trying to put all the changes in the context of when they were published and working out any anomalies!

It's coming back to me now about Epic Illustrated, that we did see a more mainstream distribution in the UK as well, I have a feeling it might have been sold in WH Smith which is our main chain of book and stationary stores which otherwise didn't sell a huge amount of comics. I only bought one issue at the time though, #2... I do remember the kids at school being very excited by its appearance locally... Starlin art with bare boobs! Wow! We had heard of this new magazine coming out but didn't expect to see it in the local shops.

Interesting if comic shops did NOT have it, as surely they would have wanted it. Would it actually have been refused if they asked to order it?

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Marvel seemed to have a deliberate policy with Epic to get it mainstream. I used to find it regular as clockwork in NSS newsagent (ie a large chain newsagent,) in the next town, not in my own town. Number 2 was the first UK distributed copy, I had to go to Fantasy Unlimited in Islington in late 1980 to get my number 1 with its dollar only price. Numbers 2 to 9 were printed up in UK price only at 75p then from 10 onwards you got dual pricing. When it went up to a whole pound from number 11 they rather charmingly put the UK price as "1£" (later "1£ UK") and it wasn't until number 20 that they got it right at "£1 UK".

Incidentally, number 1s were produced with just 2 staples which helps account for why so many are in poor shape. It's quite a weight of magazine to pick up and with the slick stock the middle can slip out from between your fingers! The switch to 3 staples from issue 2 helped keep it in shape. There were many more number 1's printed than other issue (including a whole bunch of advance promo copies,) but typically print runs were circa 300,000 with almost half being shown on the statement as 'returns from newsagents' so there is a potential mountain of warehouse stock Epic mags all out there somewhere! (Statement of ownership/distribution referred to there was in number 10. There's another in number 23.) 

Edited by LowGradeBronze
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Does the statement of distribution offer any clues to direct market distribution? My copies (if I have them) of #10/23 are well buried at the moment so can't look. I think the statements don't offer any breakdown of the two other than "returns" obviously being from the newsstands if I understand them correctly?

Edited by PeteUK
second thoughts
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On 8/6/2021 at 1:35 AM, PeteUK said:

I've not yet gone through Marvel Super Special, but Hulk magazine I wouldn't expect direct issues on as it finished before direct variant mags began. I'm working my way through EVERYTHING slowly, chronologically by year and then alphabetically in each year... trying to put all the changes in the context of when they were published and working out any anomalies!

It's coming back to me now about Epic Illustrated, that we did see a more mainstream distribution in the UK as well, I have a feeling it might have been sold in WH Smith which is our main chain of book and stationary stores which otherwise didn't sell a huge amount of comics. I only bought one issue at the time though, #2... I do remember the kids at school being very excited by its appearance locally... Starlin art with bare boobs! Wow! We had heard of this new magazine coming out but didn't expect to see it in the local shops.

Interesting if comic shops did NOT have it, as surely they would have wanted it. Would it actually have been refused if they asked to order it?

My recollection is that they were not sold in comic book stores,  but they were sold in places like Tower Records, The Warehouse records stores. 

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