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

[Get Marwood & I]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:53 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Collecting is a very strange hobby. It is basically the purchase of items that will never be used, for to do so would decrease their value. They will be put in plastic, cataloged, and enjoyed from a distance. Yet collectors will pay lots of money for this privilege.

and,

 It is a question with no logical answer. Only the collector knows why they buy the things they buy. I know people who collect only 12” LPs. I also know others who value paper items over anything else. There are some who mostly buy 7” singles. And there’s one Italian friend named ‘Art’ who prides his bootleg collection over all else. I can say I’ve spent more money on a single Genesis LP than almost any other single thing I’ve ever bought. “We are all sick, sick, sick!” Art would rightfully say.

and, 

This is a very simple theory yet it impacts almost every facet of our lives. It says that people will tend to value that which is rarer regardless of quality. An example would be to sell two identical items and put RARE or LIMITED EDITION on one of them. Not only will people be more likely to buy the RARE one (other things being equal) they will also assume the rarer one is better quality.

s that most Genesis fans will never be able to enjoy these items. The irony is that those who keep these recordings from the fans are also spiteful that there are others who keep rare items from them.

and, 

It is for these reasons that some collectors will not share their rare recordings, unless given an “equally rare” recording. It’s like a form of currency. One very rare recording may be worth two semi-rare recordings. But once it is seen, heard, copied, scanned, or photographed it loses its perceived value. Unfortunately, this mentality discourages sharing and encourages selfishness as sharing reduces the rarity.

So lots of people keep rare items in the hopes that they can find someone “worthy” of sharing it with. The result is that most Genesis fans will never be able to enjoy these items. The irony is that those who keep these recordings from the fans are also spiteful that there are others who keep rare items from them.

and

When I began my website many years ago I had to make a decision. I have spent many thousands of dollars on my collection. It involved countless hours of work and research, going to conventions, or reading through Goldmine (which is a huge task). Should I put my scans on a website that anyone with a computer can spend a few seconds and view for free? Should I offer an MP3 of a record that I searched years to find and spent thousands of dollars to buy? For me the only answer was yes, simply because the alternative was unthinkable.

Genesis collecting is not a one-man task. I have been helped by more people than I can count. People send me endless scans, copies, information, rare collectibles, and yes rare recordings. It would be hypocritical to take all that people have given, and then tell others “I won’t share”.

Above from the Genesis Museum website,

http://www.genesismuseum.com/zen.htm

Seems we are not the only ones stricken by this strange affliction, which seems to be curable only by shuffling off this mortal coil.

Lots of interesting thoughts in there, Albert, on the nature of collecting and sharing. I touched on a similar theme in a post here, which took me half a year to find this morning:

https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/501003-book-collecting-seems-harder-today-then-it-was-last-year/?do=findComment&comment=12108770

I actually posted a different response to your post, earlier, and then hid it as I realised I'd made a common mistake.

I suppose if you don't share, and keep everything you learn or discover quiet, did it ever happen? Once you're dead, I mean.

[Kevin.J]

What still surprises me about collecting is how I can be so driven to find a book that I need, search everywhere, compare prices, drive miles, pay a fortune and then after bagging, boarding and putting in a drawer, find I have almost no interest in ever seeing it again as long as the number is ticked on a sheet I am done, complete madness really. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 2/21/2022 at 1:29 PM, Kevin.J said:

What still surprises me about collecting is how I can be so driven to find a book that I need, search everywhere, compare prices, drive miles, pay a fortune and then after bagging, boarding and putting in a drawer, find I have almost no interest in ever seeing it again as long as the number is ticked on a sheet I am done, complete madness really. 

Yes. It's amazing how quickly the 'one' is replaced by the next 'one' once you've finally found it, isn't it. Still, things don't always have to make sense do they. If you enjoy the process, and can afford it, crack on Kev, crack on.  

[Albert Tatlock]

On 2/21/2022 at 9:25 AM, themagicrobot said:

For a minute there you had me quite worried as I thought it was you who collected Genesis records Albert.

Count me out, I steer clear of that genre, especially the pretentious twaddle of Yes. Their Live triple LP is probably on a loop in Hell.

But more power to the elbow of Genesis Museum guy, his heart is in the right place. Someone has to assemble and catalogue the trivia, thankless task though it is.

On this side of the pond he would earn the epithet of 'anorak', but I am not sure if the Yanks would recognise that term.

[Albert Tatlock]

On 2/21/2022 at 10:50 AM, Redshade said:

There's a lot of it about Albert.

My brother collects postage stamps but he doesn't lick 'em and stick 'em and mail 'em.
My cousin collects rare coins but he doesn't run to the corner shop to spend them.

If you buy a comic book, for an enormous sum, and then spend even more on having it sealed inside a slab of plastic, does that not defeat the original purpose of your purchase?

You will not be able to read it again.

Just as well that all the most expensive stuff has been reprinted.

There are record collectors who would quail at the thought of allowing a needle momentarily to touch the very first groove of the vinyl.

[themagicrobot]

Collecting is a very strange hobby. It is basically the purchase of items that will never be used, for to do so would decrease their value.

In April 2020 when I assumed the end of the world was nigh I purchased a sports car on a whim. What with Covid 19, working from home full time,needing to use a different car for "normal" things like transporting family and an elderly relative around, I'm wondering if I could get a giant plastic box from CGC to put the car in. It's going nowhere and sitting outside because the garage is full of boxes of unread comics/books etc. 

[themagicrobot]

I remember reading 

https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/501003-book-collecting-seems-harder-today-then-it-was-last-year/?do=findComment&comment=12108770

at the time and actually typing a list of stuff I wondered may then be on the radar of  @Get Marwood & I

now he's covered the mainstream and beyond in such detail.

I love a good mystery but doubt we will find out any more until he has purchased sufficient amounts at the right price.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 2/21/2022 at 7:28 PM, themagicrobot said:

I remember reading 

https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/501003-book-collecting-seems-harder-today-then-it-was-last-year/?do=findComment&comment=12108770

at the time and actually typing a list of stuff I wondered may then be on the radar of  @Get Marwood & I

now he's covered the mainstream and beyond in such detail.

I love a good mystery but doubt we will find out any more until he has purchased sufficient amounts at the right price.

It's not stuff that will appeal Robot. Too niche. 

[themagicrobot]

Quote

It's not stuff that will appeal Robot. Too niche. 

One man's fish is another man's poisson.

So it's not concerning distributed US published comics in the UK 1959 - 1982 then? 

Probably Knitting Patterns.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:51 AM, themagicrobot said:

One man's fish is another man's poisson.

So it's not concerning distributed US published comics in the UK 1959 - 1982 then? 

Probably Knitting Patterns.

My recent Harvey thread had a UK distribution element. Well, theory. That was one of them. Barely a ripple was made.

As for knitting patterns, I'm not sure why you would jumper to that conclusion....

 

[themagicrobot]

This thread is going off topic again. Don't shout at me. A lifetime ago I actually worked at Bairns-wear. Perhaps you are the only UK Harvey "collector" that looks at the small print let alone looks up Harvey comics in these particular boards. I probably own a mere 4 Harvey comics. I never ever saw them as a kid where I lived in the 1960s and assumed they must have been distributed by Miller, as were the Charltons. Charltons in the 1960s never made it northwards to my neck of the woods until Thorpe and Porter were involved.

One Harvey Giant I own is Baby Huey in Duckland 2 from the early 1960s. It is a Canadian variant so Galactus knows how it ended up in the UK, or into my hands. Did anyone ever satisfactorily explain why Canadian comics cost so much more? I thought half the population there lived within 50 miles of the US border so there wasn't much more transport involved. 

I always wanted one of those Hulk sweatshirts where he's pulling a rope on the front. Did I imagine this or on the back of the shirt you see him from behind. The rope is attached to a small toy duck on wheels. When you were a Spidey completist I'm sure you wore one of these.

[Albert Tatlock]

On 2/22/2022 at 6:37 PM, themagicrobot said:

I always wanted one of those Hulk sweatshirts where he's pulling a rope on the front. Did I imagine this or on the back of the shirt you see him from behind. The rope is attached to a small toy duck on wheels.

No, you were not imagining it.

One could have been yours at the time for a couple of quid, but sit down before you see the asking price now.

But this is a toy rabbit on wheels, the hunt is now on for the rare variant with your duck, good luck finding it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363037920355?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=363037920355&targetid=1279057023042&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9046643&poi=&campaignid=14727339348&mkgroupid=127909237815&rlsatarget=pla-1279057023042&abcId=9300672&merchantid=9369614&gclid=CjwKCAiAsNKQBhAPEiwAB-I5zexXn6krWOGHI6n7oM3Ipg8xiqcqlS-z5Cp97O0Njk_xsEKUYiP02RoClWUQAvD_BwE

[Albert Tatlock]

On 2/21/2022 at 11:49 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

I suppose if you don't share, and keep everything you learn or discover quiet, did it ever happen? Once you're dead, I mean.

Don't worry, it will all come to light when your next of kin bundle up your worldly goods and convert it into something useful. To them, that is.

A researcher of the future may discover how far ahead of your time you were. Too late for you, but just in time for his Ph D thesis.

[Malacoda]

On 2/21/2022 at 1:29 PM, Kevin.J said:

What still surprises me about collecting is how I can be so driven to find a book that I need, search everywhere, compare prices, drive miles, pay a fortune and then after bagging, boarding and putting in a drawer, find I have almost no interest in ever seeing it again as long as the number is ticked on a sheet I am done, complete madness really. 

Agree about this in terms of newer comics that I have collected for sheer completism. Will probably never be read. Not because I specifically intend not to read them, but because if it's a choice between Thomas/Buscema for the fifth time or Rob Liefeld for the first time, you know where we're going. 

HOWEVER....

this absolutely does not apply to my silver & bronze treasures. They are sealed away, and I definitely don't dig them out for a bit of bathtime reading, but when I do get them out or re-sort them, I am like Scrooge McDuck on a giant pile of cash. I saw pictures of, for example, JIM 83 or TOS 39 thousands of times before I ever owned them, so when I'm (carefully) flipping through the pile and light on one of those, I literally shudder.  There is a moment of, well, not exactly disbelief that I own it, but....well, no, actually disbelief that I actually own it is exactly what's going on.  To see that cover suddenly before my eyes and in my hands is a pride of ownership that I couldn't explain, except to another comic collector. But even then, it would have to be someone who collected comics from a young age, because bonding to something so utterly out of reach when you're that young is a unique experience.  When you see something you want with all your heart but know absolutely that you will never have it, you see the limits of your life and the utter hopelessness of your aspirations at a stroke.  And then, when, as an adult you finally own it, the rush of joy is one only a child who wanted something for 30 years could understand.  It suddenly seems like anything is possible again. Most of adult life is a series of betrayals of your young self, but this is a glorious exception.  

Edited February 23, 2022 by Malacoda

[Malacoda]

On 2/21/2022 at 10:50 AM, Redshade said:

There's a lot of it about Albert.

My brother collects postage stamps but he doesn't lick 'em and stick 'em and mail 'em.
My cousin collects rare coins but he doesn't run to the corner shop to spend them.

My aunt collects Victorian chamberpots but the less said about that the better.
I'll get me coat.

It's the moment where someone actually decides to collect Victorian chamberpots that you have to marvel at. What makes someone take the plunge, so to speak. 

[Malacoda]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:53 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

So lots of people keep rare items in the hopes that they can find someone “worthy” of sharing it with. The result is that most Genesis fans will never be able to enjoy these items. The irony is that those who keep these recordings from the fans are also spiteful that there are others who keep rare items from them.

I have to say that that often applies to sharing information and knowledge as well. That's why this thread is such a joy.  I can voice an opinion entirely devoid of merit, secure in the knowledge that my betters will pile in and correct me.  Seriously, it is a joy. I understand why people who are writing books and such want to keep their research to themselves, but if you know in your heart of hearts that you're never going to write the book and if you did only 16 people would read it, then you might as well just tell those 16 people what they want to know.  And that's why this is such a tremendous thread.  I know for a stone cold fact that there's info on here you can't find anywhere else on T'internet, so big love to everyone. 

[Kevin.J]

On 2/23/2022 at 3:31 AM, Malacoda said:

Agree about this in terms of newer comics that I have collected for sheer completism. Will probably never be read. Not because I specifically intend not to read them, but because if it's a choice between Thomas/Buscema for the fifth time or Rob Liefeld for the first time, you know where we're going. 

HOWEVER....

this absolutely does not apply to my silver & bronze treasures. They are sealed away, and I definitely don't dig them out for a bit of bathtime reading, but when I do get them out or re-sort them, I am like Scrooge McDuck on a giant pile of cash. I saw pictures of, for example, JIM 83 or TOS 39 thousands of times before I ever owned them, so when I'm (carefully) flipping through the pile and light on one of those, I literally shudder.  There is a moment of, well, not exactly disbelief that I own it, but....well, no, actually disbelief that I actually own it is exactly what's going on.  To see that cover suddenly before my eyes and in my hands is a pride of ownership that I couldn't explain, except to another comic collector. But even then, it would have to be someone who collected comics from a young age, because bonding to something so utterly out of reach when you're that young is a unique experience.  When you see something you want with all your heart but know absolutely that you will never have it, you see the limits of your life and the utter hopelessness of your aspirations at a stroke.  And then, when, as an adult you finally own it, the rush of joy is one only a child who wanted something for 30 years could understand.  It suddenly seems like anything is possible again. Most of adult life is a series of betrayals of your young self, but this is a glorious exception.  

I do know what you mean, I have lots of books in long boxes waiting to be sorted into my cabinets ( I will never do this ) when looking for a certain book to scan for these threads, I was surprised at how seeing some books affected me, seeing them for the first time in years, I mean I knew I had them but knowing and seeing are two different things  

The only things I read these days are GA/AA books as I get them ( which isn't very often )

However lately I have a major urge to find and read my old Treasury Editions, I loved this format when I was a kid, @batmiesta just put up #4 Conan Treasury for sale, that is one of the best reads ever for me, I need to go digging 

[Garystar]

On 2/22/2022 at 6:37 PM, themagicrobot said:

I always wanted one of those Hulk sweatshirts where he's pulling a rope on the front. Did I imagine this or on the back of the shirt you see him from behind. The rope is attached to a small toy duck on wheels. 

Here’s mine, been stuck in a cupboard for around 6 years since I bought it trying to figure out how I can display it. The image Albert showed had the sleeves cut off. 

To bring it round to UK comics, if you got a letter published in Smash comic you could have been lucky enough to receive the Hulk sweatshirt;

[Malacoda]

On 2/23/2022 at 9:44 AM, Kevin.J said:

However lately I have a major urge to find and read my old Treasury Editions, I loved this format when I was a kid, @batmiesta just put up #4 Conan Treasury for sale, that is one of the best reads ever for me, I need to go digging 

Yup, Treasuries are somehow in their own world of desirability. They are much more special than TPB's, because they are more luxurious, just so much bigger to the point of being unwieldy.  I can remember reading Thor Treasury 10 when I was 9 years old and really getting that Kirby's artwork lent itself to that format. The only thing I could compare it to at the time was seeing a film on a cinema screen rather than on TV, but I think that comparison still holds up. 

BTW, I recently bought Treasury bags & boards for the first time and finally put all my Treasuries away securely. I heartily recommend this for anyone who hasn't done it. They look really great bagged and boarded.  

Edited February 23, 2022 by Malacoda

[themagicrobot]

You are correct Albert. it was a rabbit and not a duck. Just found the original ad in Amazing Spider-Man 38.