• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Marvel 'L Miller & Co' UK Distribution Variants (May 1960 ~ September 1961)
5 5

189 posts in this topic

Regarding my post a few up, I think I'll see if I can get Overstreet interested in the Miller variants. Obviously CGC aren't intrigued, which is understandable I guess as they are a US based grading company who tend not to obsess over these little 'UK' nuances. But maybe Overstreet will.

I'll keep you posted

20171118_142241.thumb.jpg.264f3fa1f8a121720dfe0ea762eec11a.jpg

 

P.S. Has anyone got Overstreets email address? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, musicmeta said:

Very interesting information on these variants.

Thanks @musicmeta 

It's nice to get a response in the Miller graveyard thread. :smile:

I wish @EwanUK was still around. Like you, he was a discerning chap. Maybe one day....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone :)

First up, I feel I must apologise for Marwood’s outrageous behaviour last week. I only took my eye off of him for 5 minutes and the next thing I know he’s creating havoc everywhere, getting everybody all mock riled up and enjoying themselves in direct contravention of board policy. What a silly sausage!

Suffice to say I had very strong words with him, and I can promise that he won’t be making any more satirical threads for the time being, or at least until after his well deserved 853 penalty points expire anyway.

boys.png.51cbe29e9e418cde2b0d70d9caf899ff.png

As a further penance, I forced him to write “I must not create spoof sales threads with poo in the title” 100 times with a quill pen dipped in the finest Indian ink across the cover of his Amazing Fantasy 15 (well, it works for Stan Lee!) If his rather mournful face was anything to go by, I think this may have done the trick and well and truly learned him his lesson. See, I can do proper English you know.

5a30032a0e27a_Capture(2)_LI.thumb.jpg.87484872bdbe48a980fb2a4586ddf807.jpg  tumblr_n0v295rtqj1qel2lbo4_250.gif.7a54a1ddd8ddaba69dea608e9650044b.gif

 

Having said all that, a subsequent Christmas card from the unruly scapegrace today made me wonder if the pence penny actually dropped after all. “Put it up your pipe at Christmas Withnail” is not exactly indicative of the kind of ongoing repentant cheer I was looking for or indeed counting on. But look, I can’t be mad at the old dog (like sparky) for too long. He may be the quintessential cretin yes, but he does have a good heart and I couldn’t bring myself to deny him his plea to go and play out in the snow. 5a3003342ca9d_DogLikeSparky.gif.201acbe50914ec81321d5845e5f77578.gif

snow1.thumb.jpg.022c32db4ad33ef9bab731cd1f926ae0.jpg

 

We don’t tend to get much snow anymore in Englandville, not like in the old days anyway, so it was a rare treat indeed to go out and muck about in several inches of the old sky powder with himself and our mutual friend Mr Friendly Crow, who popped by to say his customary hello mfc.gif.824a581096f4eb4dd364a7c096d5de79.gif

snow2.jpg.d33d3f63b7adabeefb654e22bd9d5698.jpg

5a30034c55306_snow1(2).jpg.949b4670904ccec98d7793885655d6db.jpg Can you see him?

 

Now, there’s a vicious rumour doing the rounds that this thread is supposed to be about the exploration of the hitherto under the radar L Miller of Hackney variants and not about a pair of role reversed fictional halfwits. Well, as this little beauty confirms, that rumour is in fact not a rumour at all but a cast iron bloomin flippin fact:

5a30031aa7d3f_5710cLM-C.thumb.jpg.3759ee85eef54e4065f80aeaf4cedee8.jpg

Finally we have a Two-Gun Kid with a 10c cover price and a Windy Miller interior 1cCfLwt.gif.6d5915cbe2d0803bde6a2420b88368cc.gif

Its existence makes the Miller chart look like this…

chart.thumb.PNG.1b8db3aef49294442aeebf9ff905eb69.PNG

 

…and brings us ever closer to the ’full picture’ that we’ve been boring threatening you with for the last 800 years (new Jedi film out by the way if you haven’t noticed. We trained them all of course, but all of our friends are in trouble, and there’s no need to go into that now).

On first inspection, our TGK 57’s cover looks to be free of the usual Miller 6d price stamp. But look a little more closely and….

5a30030d92732_5710cLM-C(2).jpg.b8bff6e77771da47f28e81157096a906.jpg

….there it is!

And our customary Miller interior filler is in splendid evidence inside:

5a30031e47b7a_5710cLM-I.thumb.jpg.24972daf92789cd3d74a8f8a9b537821.jpg

 

Well, the post would just be silly if it wasn’t, wouldn’t it. I love you, Two-Gun Kid #57 :x

So much in fact, that I made you a pretty picture for your triple backing boarded double Mylite2'd tomb:

5a300316bbafa_5710cLM-CI.thumb.PNG.230806efe74bd540fe75cbfc71be30ee.PNG

 

Now those in the know of the knowing know all knowledge will know that we point blank refuse in our threads to acknowledge the existence of a variation unless we ourselves have definitive, unquestionable, concrete, iron clad proof of that said variant. Quite right too, as that way madness and confusion lies. That said, we have it on ‘good authority’ that TGK 59 has a Miller filler too. But until that ‘good authority’, exceedingly good though it is, materialises in our grubby undeserving mitts, it will remain cast out as a mere ‘possibility’ and sit in a suitable state of blankness on the Miller chart.

Under normal circumstances the presentation of the latest find would conclude the post but we’re feeling particularly magnanimous today and have decided to treat you all to death with some further pontifications on the exasperational scenario that is the 9d printed price that turns into a 10c printed price with a 6d stamp and Miller indicia which turns into a 9d T&P book. Yes, that one. Those in the know of the knowing know all knowledge will know that Miller solicits his first two Marvel original books with 9d printed prices, a Miller indicia and then inexplicably proceeds to stick a 6d stamp on the cover. He then solicits a 10c printed cover for 12 months, still with a Miller indicia and then the 6d stamp again. And then Thorpe & Porter come barging in all indignant, kick the Millers into touch and take over like the fat corporate bullies they are (or were). Those in the know of the knowing know all knowledge know this. But those in the complete knowledge of the full knowing overall knowledge know further.

They know that Miller also solicited the comics of Bobby Charlton. Yes, you heard us correctly – Bobby Bloomin Charlton! If we look at our misunderstood friend GORGO here, we can see an LM 6d printed price on issue number 2 dated August 1961:

5a3003374b5af_Gorgo2.thumb.jpg.7ca82db6e86f7d8d414f968d0df4f3f4.jpg

 

This price ties in with our 12 month Marvel Miller phase of Sep 60 to Aug 61 where the 10c Miller Marvels took 6d cover stamps. Hop on to issue 7 of GORGO and Miller is showing a printed 9d price on the cover as well as a nicely portrayed rock fight between GORGO and his Mum:

5a30033d9c504_Gorgo7.thumb.jpg.9ae875383c45c4bc63874e28a7950788.jpg

 

So we can see that Miller thought 6d was a reasonable price for a comic book pre Aug 61, and 9d after. T&P of course were greedy corporate blood suckers and took the full 9d from the off. Trust them.

5a30033940741_Gorgo2c.jpg.bb87aac432b3929874d0a71e0f50a675.jpg 5a30033f1e25d_Gorgo7c.jpg.f38985f579247a770dbc5fd50680359f.jpg

 

But this all begs question that even those in the knowing know all knowledge don’t know the answer to. Namely, why start with Marvel 9d printed prices, then change to 10c prices when you could have just asked for 6d printed prices a la Charltons GORGO? Was it T&Ps greed which set the Millers first books at 9d? Did the printers only have a 9d plate when the Englandville deals were struck? (“What’s that Barry, you want me to run a ton of 10c copies, then stop the press and run a few 9d copies, then stop the press again and run a 6d lot? Barry, are you out of your tiny Bod fearing mind?”)

bod.gif.7fa19b39aef1ab79f0bbd2fb7223c184.gif

 

Meanwhile, why is GORGO being shot at by the military? He seems quite a friendly chap to us and looks like he’s just saying hello really. OK, he’s levelled the building, I can see that, but no one is perfect, least of all Marwood who can’t even run a spoof sales thread without needlessly including things which he knows will get it pulled! And, I suppose, GORGO should know better too. A few magic tricks would have sufficed. Building smashing rarely goes down well during an introduction of the third kind. Just ask ET, and that was just a garden shed.

hello.PNG.57e809bbe59b922346068039c70eedd8.PNG

 

Well that’s it for now I’m afraid dear reader. But please, don’t be too down hearted as we’ll be back soon once the respective medications have kicked in / worn off. In the meantime, if you’re a fan of the minutiae of comic variations cloaked to the point of near unreadability in a sea of general unmitigated nonsense, do pop by our other threads for further such ‘entertainment’.

I’m going to punish Marwood further I’ve decided by getting him to clear up all the snow with a tea spoon and a tooth brush. That’ll teach the cretin. And woe betide if I catch him on the phone to Mr Plow…

mrplow.gif.c77a0d8358a1919e7cab09535c86bab0.gif

 

What was his name again? :wink:

Chin-chin! :tink:

 

P.S. Can anybody tell us how to get rid of that damn dog Sparky. Look at him, lurking in the back ground there thinking we can’t see him. Can another FDQE be far off? What a cretin!

tumblr_ou4ivmC7ZW1u8t0pgo1_r1_540.gif.8b897583d321548f8828d81b597d4b1e.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I would like to know is how those devils at Thorpe and Porter supplanted L. Miller and became the official U.K. distributors of all those Silver Age books a few years later, with those big smudged pence stamps and everything.

I sense a Phd thesis coming on...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, goldust40 said:

What I would like to know is how those devils at Thorpe and Porter supplanted L. Miller and became the official U.K. distributors of all those Silver Age books a few years later, with those big smudged pence stamps and everything.

I sense a Phd thesis coming on...

Indeed. If you can bear the tedium, I speculate on that very point several posts back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Foley said:

Happy New Years my friend!

And you my good man, and you. Hope it's rocking and rolling across the Emerald Isle :headbang:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A brief diversion readers*, while we await another Marvel Miller.

Love and Marriage #2 from I.W. Enterprises:

5a78988c9ee7e_LoveandMarriage2LMStamp.thumb.jpg.3d43daa0b2ce542374dbb0167ecc5560.jpg

 

So why post that here, I hear you cry?

5a78987d91720_LoveandMarriage2LMStampcrop.jpg.66d69e34ef4d3c6f6be016726d7fb232.jpg

 

Aha!

The Miller distribution stamp. I was wondering if this meant that Miller had variantised I.W. under our noses too, along with Marvel and Heston. Turns out not, judging by the indicia:

5a78988303818_LoveandMarriage2LMStampindicia.thumb.jpg.9c79273a59e2c67dfe84227b726e651e.jpg

 

Nevermind. Still, nice to know that Miller imported so much more than we realised.

Back to the book, a fairly tame snog attempt is taking place albeit our lady seems less than keen, our paramour missed the target and the chap on the train in the background seems to be thinking "If that were me there'd be a tongues"

Happy days...:x

 

*bit presumptuous!

Love and Marriage #2 LM Stamp cropnosey.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Diverting even further to L&M #11, I wonder who's stamp this was.....hm

5a789ac0d6873_LM11crop.jpg.1e9648b259aa90bdab4ba55803a25557.jpg

 

Silly bloke on the cover went for the blonde I see. Always go for the dark haired girl. I don't know, some people....

5a789abe319f6_LM11.thumb.jpg.11e5b29a20be9b4b72896d817778fb5d.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Marwood & I said:

Nevermind. Still, nice to know that Miller imported so much more than we realised.

And here's another - the Blazing Six Guns!

bsgcrop.jpg.3e45f40274946ed34897a2f41fefd22d.jpg

bsg.thumb.jpg.2d26127e0cead13bdd65318233f78e56.jpg

No Miller spiel on the indicia alas, so just distribution on I.W. it seems. I'll keep looking though. You never know what will turn up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One more for the road!

5a89821aa34f8_TD9crop.jpg.4609aee4da2648532bd433cff76c5adb.jpg

Miller stamp, but no indicia. 

5a898218b9828_TD9.thumb.jpg.c2c276a8ac5134f138d4a9a5af04950b.jpg

I wonder where Old King Cole was? Probably off being merry somewhere I should imagine....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 06/02/2018 at 4:34 PM, Marwood & I said:

bsg.thumb.jpg.2d26127e0cead13bdd65318233f78e56.jpg

No Miller spiel on the indicia alas, so just distribution on I.W. it seems. I'll keep looking though. You never know what will turn up. 

It looks like she is putting a head into a bag, what were these artists thinking?xD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 18/02/2018 at 7:52 PM, tv horror said:

It looks like she is putting a head into a bag, what were these artists thinking?xD

How badly they were being paid, probably hm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still no new Miller indicia first print Marvel finds to report :taptaptap:

So while we wait, what's this?

maxmiller.jpg.aa44b9aa6cfe2370f88061e73aeeab41.jpg

 

Spoiler

 

max.thumb.jpg.037455cec333015cc09d7789fd74c080.jpg  maxmiller2.jpg.89efdda944e37cee456e1aab5d8be424.jpg Geddit? :grin:

No Miller indicia by the way, but we can add Harvey to the list of publishers books they imported it seems....

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
5 5