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

[Get Marwood & I]

Now, look at this picture below here. Has something in my life gone very wrong...

...or very right? 

After all, I could've collected comics that are actually worth something. In money, I mean. That seems to be a key preoccupation with the some, if not the many, in this hobby of ours.

It's bad enough having boxes of Charlton UKPVs in the first instance, but two boxes of duplicates?

Hmmmm 

OK, I've thought about it, and I've decided that this is a good thing. 

[Garystar]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:20 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

...and two five pee Marvel romance titles, which you don't often see, stamped five pee, by Tee and Pee.

 

Yippee.

I used to think these were all ND, so I checked my own collection and found this;

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 1:07 PM, Garystar said:

I used to think these were all ND, so I checked my own collection and found this;

'Love' it! 

[frozentundraguy]

So I'm not the only collector that has some Charlton books.

[frozentundraguy]

I have a few issues of Unusual Tales

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 2:26 PM, frozentundraguy said:

So I'm not the only collector that has some Charlton books.

Miller's there, if you look closely enough...

[frozentundraguy]

On 10/28/2023 at 9:20 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Miller's there, if you look closely enough...

Are you talking about Frank Miller?

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 5:15 PM, frozentundraguy said:

Are you talking about Frank Miller?

No, sorry  

Len Miller. His LM 6d UK distribution stamp is just about visible on his chest.

[frozentundraguy]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:20 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

No, sorry  

Len Miller. His LM 6d UK distribution stamp is just about visible on his chest.

Ok   It would have been very early work for Frank Miller. I researched him after posting.

[Yorick]

On 10/28/2023 at 9:20 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

No, sorry  

Len Miller. His LM 6d UK distribution stamp is just about visible on his chest.

I couldn't see that AT ALL.  It blends with his pectoral perfectly.  Seems like a drawn line.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 7:31 PM, Yorick said:

I couldn't see that AT ALL.  It blends with his pectoral perfectly.  Seems like a drawn line.

I'm blind as a bat as a rule, but for some reason I can see a faint, hidden price stamp a mile away 🤓

   

[Malacoda]

On 10/26/2023 at 3:54 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Just one question at this point: If DC had continued with the UKPV experiment beyond those 5 issues, what would have happened to the mountain of DC returns? If the answer is "a big loss on DC's balance sheet" maybe that persuaded them to maintain the returns model and let the Brits carry on stamping away. 

Good question.  And this is why I think it was more likely an operational test suggested by WCP than something initiated by DC, IND or T&P.  We know that from the start, the thing that T&P wanted was to get their hands on the returns at basically waste paper prices.  We also know that IND had mountains of returns to get rid of, so as long as T&P were able to shift them, happy days for everyone.  

So who stood to gain by DC going over new-print, PV, container-shipped product? WCP. They would increase their print run of DC, swipe the UK order i.e. change it from returns to new, and lower the average cost of shipping by shipping DC and Marvel in the same container, which they now, literally from that very month, had the resources to do (remembering that pool shipping was their big thing). 

One of the key mysteries is why was this test so ridiculously small & short-lived, but if it was WCP pitching their new product to IND or T&P or both,  it would make sense that it was just a tester.  And if neither of them really wanted it because they were both happy with their returns model, that would also explain why it was a one-off.  

Regarding point 2: 

On 10/26/2023 at 3:54 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Malacoda's already stated that Marvel's sell through was far greater and no mountain needed to be shifted.

Absolutely that (according to Carmine Infantino " Marvel had books like Spider-Man coming in at 70, 80, even 85 percent sales. And we had books coming in at 40, 41, 42 percent" ) but also the volume printed. 

For instance, in 1966, the Avengers reported sell through of 64% against a print run of 424k, so there were only 154k copies remaindered across the whole of the US. 

If you then take one of DC's best selling titles, Superman, which had 66% sell through, so actually higher than Avengers,  they were still printing almost 1.1m copies, so there were 371k returns. 

So even when DC had decent sell-through (and it's questionable whether those numbers were true), they still had VASTLY more returns than Marvel.  Apply that to a title with 40% sell-through, and it doesn't bear thinking about. 

 

 

[Malacoda]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:20 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Once again, not much I can do today. I've been stuck with a heavy cold for over a week now.

Here's a few books that I spotted on the Bay, whilst aimlessly scouring this morning.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I love it when you're ill.  

I love this sticker on this Showcase 40, it's really taking no prisoners.  Do we think that Ethel only used the obliterator stamp for price increases and various other methods were deployed for decreases? 

BTW, as you doubtless know, this has Ross Andru art!   

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 8:27 PM, Malacoda said:

Don't take this the wrong way, but I love it when you're ill.  

I love this sticker on this Showcase 40, it's really taking no prisoners.  Do we think that Ethel only used the obliterator stamp for price increases and various other methods were deployed for decreases? 

BTW, as you doubtless know, this has Ross Andru art!   

You can't beat a bit of early Andru can you. I like the 10d behind the sticker too, minus its numbered top bit. 

[Malacoda]

On 10/28/2023 at 8:32 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

You can't beat a bit of early Andru can you

This is awful, but when I first read the first Defenders story (in MWOM) I loved this strange, scratchy, multiple lined artwork.  I thought it was completely revolutionary and intentional. It was only years later I learned Andru was losing his eyesight and Everett, being an artist himself, resented having to tidy up Andru's work as Adams and others routinely did.  

I have to say, I still love it.  It's unlike anything else. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 8:43 PM, Malacoda said:

This is awful, but when I first read the first Defenders story (in MWOM) I loved this strange, scratchy, multiple lined artwork.  I thought it was completely revolutionary and intentional. It was only years later I learned Andru was losing his eyesight and Everett, being an artist himself, resented having to tidy up Andru's work as Adams and others routinely did.  

I have to say, I still love it.  It's unlike anything else. 

I grew up with Andru. We all love the artists we grew up with I suppose. You should pop over to the Andru thread and post that. Spider-Variant Reggie would love to hear it.

[Redshade]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:39 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Now, look at this picture below here. Has something in my life gone very wrong...

 

...or very right? 

After all, I could've collected comics that are actually worth something. In money, I mean. That seems to be a key preoccupation with the some, if not the many, in this hobby of ours.

It's bad enough having boxes of Charlton UKPVs in the first instance, but two boxes of duplicates?

Hmmmm 

OK, I've thought about it, and I've decided that this is a good thing. 

Steve, one cannot be too nerdy in this hobby. Nerdiness is not only a requisite but is down-right mandatory. It's in the job description, along with the anorak and the tatty old shoulder bag. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:04 PM, Redshade said:

Steve, one cannot be too nerdy in this hobby. Nerdiness is not only a requisite but is down-right mandatory. It's in the job description, along with the anorak and the tatty old shoulder bag. 

Have you been looking in my wardrobe Stephen?

[Get Marwood & I]

Actually, I think I dress quite cool for a comic bod. Well, that is if you think Catweazle meets The Crowman is cool. 

[Redshade]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:07 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Have you been looking in my wardrobe Stephen?

Not after last time!