The Distribution of US Published Comics in the UK (1959~1982) 15 15

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:14 PM, themagicrobot said:

I thought I must be in the wrong thread until I saw that we are now blathering?!? Brief review? Ha!

It was originally tightly focussed on the topic, then it went mental and Marwood cunningly retconned it so it now looks like the blather was always intentional.  Also, Magneto is now Marwood's dad (not really a surprise),  Albert was not killed by Zemo, and I now have a troublingly hot cousin who also survived from my homeworld. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:48 PM, Malacoda said:

Also, Magneto is now Marwood's dad (not really a surprise)

"ALL THE POWER OF ELECTRICITY IS MINE!"

 

 

 

That was Electro wasn't it.

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:07 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

"ALL THE POWER OF ELECTRICITY IS MINE!"

 

 

 

That was Electro wasn't it.

Yes. You have the power to magnetically control all metal. Which is strange as most metals are not magnetic. But that's you for you. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:22 PM, Malacoda said:

Yes. You have the power to magnetically control all metal. Which is strange as most metals are not magnetic. But that's you for you. 

I've often been referred to as the magnet to which sh sticks, yes 

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 2:13 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Here we are selflessly engaged in pursuing knowledge for its own sake, a high and noble endeavour

Cunningly using this as a segue to drag us back on topic..... Albert (or anyone, please, but I suspect Albert is going to be the Yoda on this one) can you please tell me what you remember about the 1964 dock strike and the start of the 1964/5 Marvel hiatus?  I'm groping towards an understanding which, like 66, has not got anything to do with the dock strike. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:40 PM, Malacoda said:

Cunningly using this as a segue to drag us back on topic..... Albert (or anyone, please, but I suspect Albert is going to be the Yoda on this one) can you please tell me what you remember about the 1964 dock strike and the start of the 1964/5 Marvel hiatus?  I'm groping towards an understanding which, like 66, has not got anything to do with the dock strike. 

It's very hard to find any actual confirmation that a strike actually took place in 1964.

This Pathe News reel refers to meetings to discuss a strike:

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA2QYSVUOBF5J8MUU77JC71JID2-UK-LONDON-DOCKERS-MEETING-DISCUSSES-STRIKE/query/DOCKERS+STRIKE

But I can't find any videos on Youtube or elsewhere confirming that one ever took place - whereas there are many videos for other strike dates.

And, unless I missed it, nothing written online either, even in books like this:

http://www.billhunterweb.org.uk/books/TKWTF.pdf

Maybe it never happened....

[Get Marwood & I]

https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/22/archives/british-dock-strikes-settled.html

LONDON, Jan. 21 (Reuters) —Strikes in Britain involving about 11,000 dock workers and affecting more than 100 ships were settled today. About 9,000 workers at Liverpool and Birkenhead returned to work after a one‐day strike over an overtime dispute. At Glasgow, 2,000 dockers decided to resume work tomorrow to aI1ow discussions on mechanization to take place with the employers.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/18/archives/british-dock-strike-near.html

SOUTHAMPTON, England, Aug. 17 (Reuters)—The huge trans ‐ Atlantic shipping docks here are expected to be tied up by a strike of 700 railroad workers scheduled for midnight Sunday. The National Union of Railroadmen has challenged the giant Transport and General Workers union over promotions of dock foremen.

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:58 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

It's very hard to find any actual confirmation that a strike actually took place in 1964.

This Pathe News reel refers to meetings to discuss a strike:

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA2QYSVUOBF5J8MUU77JC71JID2-UK-LONDON-DOCKERS-MEETING-DISCUSSES-STRIKE/query/DOCKERS+STRIKE

But I can't find any videos on Youtube or elsewhere confirming that one ever took place - whereas there are many videos for other strike dates.

And, unless I missed it, nothing written online either, even in books like this:

http://www.billhunterweb.org.uk/books/TKWTF.pdf

Maybe it never happened....

There was most definitely industrial action of some kind, but reading around, it seems like there was industrial action involving the docks (including ancillary and support services which also paralysed the docks) at one place or another in virtually every year from 1946 to 1972. (1945, 1954,1964,1967,1969,1970,1972,1984,1989 & 1995 are the ones that come up the most). They came out in support of the miners in 1984. 

I tried reading Hansard, because I figured a major dock disruption would have to have been an issue in Parliament, and indeed it was debated, but absolutely everything focusses on exports out of the docks, nothing on imports.  When the dockers struck in 1967, it started having an impact by day two.  In 1964, you can't find any trace of it impacting anything. So whatever happened, it was the strike which left the least trace of any dock strike in the 2nd half of the 20th century...at least in this country itself.  If it was a strike amongst workers specifically concerned with exports, it would explain why only that was debated and why there is so little trace of it in the UK press.  Also, the balance of payments crisis was the absolute key issue during the 60's, so an export crunch would mean it was a massive issue politically and macro-economically, but had no impact on the price of baked beans. 

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 8:03 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/22/archives/british-dock-strikes-settled.html

LONDON, Jan. 21 (Reuters) —Strikes in Britain involving about 11,000 dock workers and affecting more than 100 ships were settled today. About 9,000 workers at Liverpool and Birkenhead returned to work after a one‐day strike over an overtime dispute. At Glasgow, 2,000 dockers decided to resume work tomorrow to aI1ow discussions on mechanization to take place with the employers.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/18/archives/british-dock-strike-near.html

SOUTHAMPTON, England, Aug. 17 (Reuters)—The huge trans ‐ Atlantic shipping docks here are expected to be tied up by a strike of 700 railroad workers scheduled for midnight Sunday. The National Union of Railroadmen has challenged the giant Transport and General Workers union over promotions of dock foremen.

Yup. Note how the only info you can find on it is in the NY Times, not in any British media, which supports the idea that it affected exports, not imports.  Also these reports are from January and August, but also note the geography and the issues - Liverpool striking over overtime, Glasgow striking over mechanisation and Southampton is a strike of railway workers over the promotions of dock foreman.  There were strikes all over the shop - some only for a day - over a range of issues. 

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:58 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Ihttp://www.billhunterweb.org.uk/books/TKWTF.pdf

 

This looks pretty interesting.  Great finds, Steve ,thanks. I promise this will end with us poring (and possibly pawing, but definitely not pouring) over inkstamped covers before it's over ! 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:40 PM, Malacoda said:

can you please tell me what you remember about the 1964 dock strike

I don't remember a dock strike from 1964, although strikes were rife throughout the 1960s.

When the Marvels failed to appear in late 1966, we (the bunch of collectors in my neck of the woods) jumped to the conclusion that a strike was to blame, but that no longer holds water. The DCs still got through, after all.

The same batch of Marvels were also missing in Ireland, I will dig out Tony Roche's take on it soon, although I think he has misremembered it as happening in '65 rather than '66.

[Get Marwood & I]

It looks like dock strikes were never a reason for any of the key Marvel UKPV gaps, a myth has perpetuated up until now - agreed?

[Albert Tatlock]

again from Tony Roche.............

I remember the artist, Jim Fitzpatrick, telling me in 1969 that the first issue of Marvel’s The Silver Surfer, a double-size issue written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Buscema, had not appeared in Ireland; by that stage, US collectors were snapping up first issues, so there may well have been no surplus copies to send to Ireland. And there was that ‘lights out’ period in late 1965 when all of the Marvels disappeared from the racks (the DCs may have continued). They returned after a number of months, but by that stage I was taking no more chances and had subscribed to all ten titles

[Albert Tatlock]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:15 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

It looks like dock strikes were never a reason for any of the key Marvel UKPV gaps, a myth has perpetuated up until now - agreed?

Must be right.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:17 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Must be right.

Over to Rich then, for the real reason... 

Rich! Get on with it.

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:18 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Over to Rich then, for the real reason... 

Rich! Get on with it.

Working on it. Just amassing my evidence. Do you want the long version with all the back up, or just the headlines? 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:23 PM, Malacoda said:

Working on it. Just amassing my evidence. Do you want the long version with all the back up, or just the headlines? 

The Rich version 

[Get Marwood & I]

I'm logging off now, so catch up tomorrow. We don't do too bad here, do we, us three.

I outline what exists, and by implication what doesn't.

Rich tells us why it doesn't.

And Albert owns everything that does....

 

 

I want to be Albert! 

 

Night boys 

[Malacoda]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:26 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

I'm logging off now, so catch up tomorrow. We don't do too bad here, do we, us three.

I outline what exists, and by implication what doesn't.

Rich tells us why it doesn't.

And Albert owns everything that does....

 

 

I want to be Albert! 

 

Night boys 

Good call.  I could do with the board to myself so I can post a few in a row.  It will take a couple of hours to do this.  

Nighty night 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:26 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

And Albert owns everything that does....

If only!