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

[Albert Tatlock]

On 6/25/2023 at 2:34 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Jeptha Judge of Israel, would you look at this!

How many bloody years have we been looking for this? 

I was ruffling through the boxes at the fair today, went past it, thought "hang on", went back and BOOM! as Mr T would say. Brilliant.

Now, it's a 1 stamp of course, which means it was a 'latecomer'. An 8 or 9 would've been even more beautiful but you can't have everything can you. So we now know that it was distributed in the UK back in the day. I wonder what lucky sod unwittingly bought it. It might be the only one!

Here is the updated 'earliest known' DC table - still the same 3 titles with no stamped issues:

Superman is now complete - no missing stamped issues in the first four T&P cycles:

And here is where she sits on the One Show:

Not a bad shipment, was it.

Marvellous 

 

This was definitely lesser spotted back in the day.

I picked one up eventually in New York and sold it to Alan Austin, who was still searching for it.

That would have been unstamped, though.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 9/12/2023 at 6:34 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

This was definitely lesser spotted back in the day.

I picked one up eventually in New York and sold it to Alan Austin, who was still searching for it.

That would have been unstamped, though.

Whoo-hoo!

[Get Marwood & I]

On 9/12/2023 at 6:34 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

This was definitely lesser spotted back in the day.

It's quite impressive how long we've had to wait to see stamped copies of some of these in scope books, isn't it. Good at hiding, aren't they 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 9/12/2023 at 7:10 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

It's quite impressive how long we've had to wait to see stamped copies of some of these in scope books, isn't it. Good at hiding, aren't they

I thought I would never see a stamped copy of this, as I spent literally years scouring second-hand outlets in search of one.

Challengers #11 and #12 were elusive, too. For a long, long time my earliest was # 13, but I knew that # 11 and # 12 were in circulation as I had seen them in the hands of rivals.

It is a Number 6, so presumably it sauntered at its own sweet pace across the land of the free and the home of the brave, finally joining its brethren on the dockside about six months behind schedule.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 9/12/2023 at 8:44 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

It is a Number 6, so presumably it sauntered at its own sweet pace across the land of the free and the home of the brave, finally joining its brethren on the dockside about six months behind schedule.

It will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!

Well, maybe stamped. And numbered. And I filed it. Indexed it too, actually....

OK, the Prisoner thing didn't work. 

[Get Marwood & I]

Thanks again @Albert Tatlock 

Challengers are now complete for the first four T&P stamp cycles. That gaggle of 'first' sixes gets bigger and bigger as the issues slowly roll in. But then they could just be late second cycle books, as we've discussed many times. Either way, the first in scope Challenger issue by cover date exists. 

 

I'm taking a break now boys. Play nicely, and be seeing you 

[Redshade]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:26 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Thanks again @Albert Tatlock 

Challengers are now complete for the first four T&P stamp cycles. That gaggle of 'first' sixes gets bigger and bigger as the issues slowly roll in. But then they could just be late second cycle books, as we've discussed many times. Either way, the first in scope Challenger issue by cover date exists. 

 

I'm taking a break now boys. Play nicely, and be seeing you 

Forgive my ignorance here Steve, but there's something I've been meaning to ask for years but haven't in case I revealed myself to be the doddery old fool that I undoubtedly am.
Are these wonderful tables of yours meant to be opened and read in full, and how does one effect this? I can see in the lower image "Action Comics" down to "Challengers of the Unknown" but no further.

 

[Yorick]

On 9/13/2023 at 9:44 AM, Redshade said:

Are these wonderful tables of yours meant to be opened and read in full, and how does one effect this? I can see in the lower image "Action Comics" down to "Challengers of the Unknown" but no further.

It's not you.  Pasting a spreadsheet into these threads is terrible, so he had to screen-capture the portion of the table for sharing here as a jpg. 

[Redshade]

On 9/13/2023 at 5:59 PM, Yorick said:

It's not you.  Pasting a spreadsheet into these threads is terrible, so he had to screen-capture the portion of the table for sharing here as a jpg. 

Thank you for the reassurance and explanation Yorick.

[Albert Tatlock]

On 8/16/2023 at 5:40 AM, OtherEric said:

Had to post this here, there are some pence variants in the mix.  More than I can pay for the collection, but I've got to admit I would love the provenance on these:

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/freddie-mercury-a-world-of-his-own-crazy-little-things-2/comic-books-the-fantastic-four-x-men-and-booster?locale=en

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/freddie-mercury-a-world-of-his-own-crazy-little-things-2/comic-books-the-fantastic-four-x-men-and-booster

GBP 10795.

Whereas this went for only GBP 2200 plus premium, say 3k.

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/bamfords/catalogue-id-bamfor10916/lot-5ceee489-bf65-4803-a87a-b0690160131f

Far be it from me to suggest that the Freddie Mercury fan has got his priorities wrong, I hope he enjoys thumbing through them.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Albert Tatlock
correct typo

[Malacoda]

"Here, let me just stamp that for you"

"No thanks, I'll take it how it is"

"Are you sure? You won't be able to bring it back."

"Oh go on then.  What's the harm?"

 

 

 

[Kevin.J]

On 9/18/2023 at 2:13 PM, Malacoda said:

"Here, let me just stamp that for you"

"No thanks, I'll take it how it is"

"Are you sure? You won't be able to bring it back."

"Oh go on then.  What's the harm?"

 

 

 

[goldsilverap]

Does the UK published comics have any value?

[themagicrobot]

Quote

Does the UK published comics have any value?

?????????? Can you be more specific. All comics have some value, be it small or great depending on dozens of factors, whichever country they were published in. Note that the comics displayed above such as the Tales of Suspense and Brave and the Bold were NOT published in the UK. They are US comics  that were sent to the UK. In the case of the TOS if it isn't yet then one in a reasonable grade really ought to be worth more than a similar grade cents version due to its rarity/smaller print run. This comic below WAS published in the UK and is currently for sale at £2000.

Some UK comics have a value of 5p and some such as Beano No 1 change hands for ££thousands as perhaps as few as 30 still exist 

 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:01 AM, Kevin.J said:

Good job it was only worth 1/6. Could have been worse.

[Yorick]

On 9/18/2023 at 4:27 PM, goldsilverap said:

Does the UK published comics have any value?

There's a series named Triumph that reprinted Superman material in his early years.  Those can be worth a bit.

I collect specific issues from Lion which has some Three Musketeers stories illustrated by Arturo Del Castillo.

The first Judge Dredd is probably worth some money.  First Miracleman ("Marvelman"), V for Vendetta, ....

[themagicrobot]

I have a Wham! number one from 1964 which is absolutely priceless to me as it was the first comic I ever “collected”.

By that I mean it was the first ever comic I kept/saved/preserved for the next 59 years. 
Prior to Wham! number one I, like everyone else I knew, swapped/traded comics with friends neighbours and relatives simply because you wanted to be able to read far more different copies each week than you could afford to buy.

And you had to hide it under the bed because if you left it lying around downstairs your parents would add it to the pile of newspapers that would later be screwed up and used to light the fire.

[Malacoda]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:27 AM, goldsilverap said:

Does the UK published comics have any value?

When series start, they generally have free gifts with the first issues.  Nice conditioned copies that still have the free gift can go for startlingly amounts.  Someone's punting issue 2 of 2000AD for £,7000 at the moment.  

Edited September 20, 2023 by Malacoda

[Yorick]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:44 AM, themagicrobot said:

"Whoopee Mask".  How did I miss that?

[themagicrobot]

D C Thompson may well have invented the concept of "free gifts" in comics. In the 1930s they were usually little booklets. That Whoopee Mask in the first Beano might have been the first time  something more interesting was included. My favourite was the green cardboard frog free inside Smash number 2. These were fun too.

PS: When they produced the most recent facsimile of Beano number 1 in 2018 (to celebrate 80 years of continuous publication) they removed Peanut, the guy standing to the left of the logo. Modern life is rubbish innit. Earlier facsimiles were more faithful to the original.