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

[themagicrobot]

I can't honestly remember the title and issue number of the comic with the missing corner. I thought it was in my "to read" heap but it must have returned to a box. (Comics and stuff here do have a tendency to de-materialise when I find the house has been "tidied up in case of visitors").

The unknown comic with the missing corner was a pence Marvel western with terrible chipping on the leading edge. Confetti appeared when it emerged from its bag!!

And most of the comics I pulled out of a box to read today didn't get read. I just flicked through them. The two I actually did read were the two you missed. John Spencer (Fantasy Stories) and ACG (Herbie).

[Malacoda]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:42 PM, themagicrobot said:

I can't honestly remember the title and issue number of the comic with the missing corner. I thought it was in my "to read" heap but it must have returned to a box. (Comics and stuff here do have a tendency to de-materialise when I find the house has been "tidied up in case of visitors").

The unknown comic with the missing corner was a pence Marvel western with terrible chipping on the leading edge. Confetti appeared when it emerged from its bag!!

Ah yes.  My FF1 has a note saying 'never take this out again'.  Quite whether it actually still constitutes a copy of FF1 is being hotly debated between the CGC who claim it is and the British Library who claim it's more a papyrus.  Apparently it's in slightly worse condition than the Magna Carta. 

[themagicrobot]

But at least you have a FF1 which to me is the Holy Grail and ought to be far more valuable than the frankly rubbish AF15 which has only half the comic devoted to Spidey and has a back up story.

Edited August 9, 2022 by themagicrobot

[Malacoda]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:54 PM, themagicrobot said:

The two I actually did read were the two you missed. John Spencer (Fantasy Stories) and ACG (Herbie).

This sounds like every conversation with my gf, where she points at a 100 pieces of clothing and tells me to chuck some out, whereupon the 2 items I pick are the literally the only 2 she thinks should stay. My dress sense was recently reclassified from a disaster to an actual emergency. 

[Malacoda]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:01 PM, themagicrobot said:

But at least you have a FF1 which to me is the Holy Grail and ought to be far more valuable than the frankly rubbish AF15 which has only half the comic devoted to Spidey and has a back up story.

Yes, it's weird that AF 15 and Hulk 1 both massively outstrip FF1 when FF1 is the first and the start of the SA MU.  I assume it's because they went nuts in the 70's when the TV shows were on and then again when the movies hit, whereas the FF has never really had that boost.   

[themagicrobot]

Perhaps repeating myself but the first BRAND NEW OFF THE SPINNER Marvel comic I ever owned was FF Annual 3. With its cast of thousands (everyone apart from Millie the Model) it remains my favourite if I could only take one comic to a desert island.

[Malacoda]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:32 PM, themagicrobot said:

Perhaps repeating myself but the first BRAND NEW OFF THE SPINNER Marvel comic I ever owned was FF Annual 3. With its cast of thousands (everyone apart from Millie the Model) it remains my favourite if I could only take one comic to a desert island.

Mmmmm.  I read this for the first time in the reprints in MWOM and still remember being blown away by it.  For some reason, I always remember this (fondly) as the Enchantress dropping a piano on Hawkeye, but it was actually a safe! 

Weird impact on MWOM - for some reason - I assume space due to the annual's higher page count   - while they were reprinting this in MOWM #92 & #93, instead of DD #15 which would have been slated to be reprinted over these 2 issues, they reprinted the first story out of Subby #54 and the origin of Cap from TOS #63, but this was obviously a last minute decision based on realising that they had too many pages.  However, when they went back to printing DD in MWOW #94, they re-printed the originally slated issue (#16) and completely omitted #15 from the run.  

You probably didn't want to know that. 

 

[Malacoda]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:32 PM, themagicrobot said:

everyone apart from Millie the Model

Are you sure?  I heard she had an invitation.... 

[themagicrobot]

Now you've gone and done it. I'll be spending Maybe Tomorrow Maybe Tonight listening to the Wild and Exciting Earth and Fire.

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by themagicrobot

[Malacoda]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:17 PM, themagicrobot said:

Now you've gone and done it. I'll be spending Maybe Tomorrow Maybe Tonight listening to the Wild and Exciting Earth and Fire.

Derek Smalls on bass there 

[themagicrobot]

Old Music. Old comics. Memories. 

 

[themagicrobot]

You'll never see a Thorpe and Porter stamp on this particular DC comic (because it was published in 2011).

And didn't the price only go up from 10 cents to 12 cents in 1962??

Edited August 10, 2022 by themagicrobot

[Malacoda]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:53 PM, themagicrobot said:

And didn't the price only go up from 10 cents to 12 cents in 1962??

 

Cover date March 1962

[themagicrobot]

80 page Giants were indeed 25 cents for quite a while. Bought this the other day. This 80 page Giants was $9.99. The surprising thing for me is that they are still publishing (bonkers) comics in the 80 page Giant format.

PS: I was quite upset when here in the UK comics increased in price from 10d (10 pence) to 1/- (one Shilling/12 pence). I could no longer get 3 new comics for my Half Crown pocket money. (To explain for people in the States there were 12 pennies to a Shilling so there were 30 pennies available with a Two Shillings and Sixpence 2/6 also called a Half Crown coin).

 

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by themagicrobot

[Yorick]

On 8/11/2022 at 1:01 AM, themagicrobot said:

To explain for people in the States there were 12 pennies to a Shilling so there were 30 pennies available with a Two Shillings and Sixpence 2/6 also called a Half Crown coin

I need to buy one of those 80 pagers.  Fun cover...

Your explanation above is confusing.  1 shilling = 12 pence.  2 shillings = 30 pence.    Does 3 shillings equal 45 pence?

[Albert Tatlock]

On 8/11/2022 at 5:24 PM, Yorick said:

2 shillings = 30 pence.

2 shillings (2/- on price labels) = 24 pennies.

2 shillings and sixpence (2/6 on price labels) = 30 pennies = half a crown.

There were coins for half a penny, 1 penny, 3 pence, sixpence, 1 shilling, 2 shillings and half a crown.

There was also a crown coin (5 shillings), which was not in general circulation, only appearing infrequently as commemorative issues.

Above that there were banknotes of 10 shillings, 1 pound, 5 pounds and 10 pounds, and later, as inflation bit, 20 pounds..

However, even the smallest of these notes never got into my grubby mitt when I started buying comic books.

[Albert Tatlock]

A penny from 1860 below.

These could still turn up in change until decimalisation in 1971.

[Yorick]

At least you guys use metric, right?  Over here we've some crazy measurement system. 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 8/11/2022 at 5:46 PM, Yorick said:

At least you guys use metric, right?  Over here we've some crazy measurement system

I'm off to the pub up the road, half a mile away, for a couple of pints.

I'll ask if anyone there has heard of metric.

[themagicrobot]

Yes we still use miles for distance and mph for speed. But our gallons of fuel are different amounts to yours. You couldn't make it up.

Quote

Over here we've some crazy measurement system. 

I always thought that 1 Potrzebie = the thickness of a Mad Magazine to be quite logical?!?

Edited August 11, 2022 by themagicrobot