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

[Get Marwood & I]

@Malacoda Rich, I was re-reading some of the online fanzines the other day. Well, trying to re-read them, as I find it hard going reading from the screen. Anyway, I saved a few screen shots with interesting T&P snippets from the fanzines 'Comic Media News' which I think I recall sending you a link on donkeys years ago now. Maybe another check, with more educated eyes, will help with the overall understanding.

#10, December 1973 (note the 6% average total print run comment):

 

#11, February 1974:

 

#15, September 1974 (an enterprising concern called Gold Star....):

 

#17, November 1974:

 

#21, July 1975:

 

#22, October 1975:

 

This snippet from #24, 1975, is quite cool - an explanation of the dreaded barcode:

Here's the link to the site, if anyone fancies a festive online fanzine nostalgia-fest:

https://sites.google.com/view/fanscene/home

 

[Malacoda]

On 12/26/2022 at 10:06 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

@Malacoda Rich, I was re-reading some of the online fanzines the other day. Well, trying to re-read them, as I find it hard going reading from the screen. Anyway, I saved a few screen shots with interesting T&P snippets from the fanzines 'Comic Media News' which I think I recall sending you a link on donkeys years ago now. Maybe another check, with more educated eyes, will help with the overall understanding.

#10, December 1973 (note the 6% average total print run comment):

 

#11, February 1974:

 

#15, September 1974 (an enterprising concern called Gold Star....):

 

#17, November 1974:

 

#21, July 1975:

 

#22, October 1975:

 

This snippet from #24, 1975, is quite cool - an explanation of the dreaded barcode:

Here's the link to the site, if anyone fancies a festive online fanzine nostalgia-fest:

https://sites.google.com/view/fanscene/home

 

Blimey, this is like all my Christmases came at once.  And on Christmas!  Ta.

 

[Malacoda]

On 12/26/2022 at 10:06 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

which I think I recall sending you a link on donkeys years ago now

Ah, back when I just a boy with a dream and a single question. Little did I know the question was actually a Quest.  

Actual footage of me at the time. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Malacoda

[Malacoda]

On 12/26/2022 at 10:06 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Maybe another check, with more educated eyes, will help with the overall understanding.

Definitely need to get back to these.  I went through the whole of the Panelologist back in the day. Can't remember what else.   Very good call, thank you. 

Incidentally, the 70's hiatuses (I count 79 as a 5th hiatus) was, I believe as much about the oil shock as the paper shortage, although the two are not really separable because oil and oil bi-products are used in everything to do with paper.....logging, transport of raw materials, manufacture of paper itself, transport of paper to Sparta, operation of presses, oils inks & colours, printing, onward distribution, shipping, delivery to Manchester, redistribution throughout the country, returns being sent back.....pretty much everything that happened between the lumberjack cutting down the tree to the newsagent taking our 7p and beyond was impacted by the oil shock.  In the space of a few months, it changed some aspects of international trade forever and changed the economies of entire countries. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/26/2022 at 5:44 PM, Malacoda said:

Definitely need to get back to these.  I went through the whole of the Panelologist back in the day. Can't remember what else.   Very good call, thank you. 

Incidentally, the 70's hiatuses (I count 79 as a 5th hiatus) was, I believe as much about the oil shock as the paper shortage, although the two are not really separable because oil and oil bi-products are used in everything to do with paper.....logging, transport of raw materials, manufacture of paper itself, transport of paper to Sparta, operation of presses, oils inks & colours, printing, onward distribution, shipping, delivery to Manchester, redistribution throughout the country, returns being sent back.....pretty much everything that happened between the lumberjack cutting down the tree to the newsagent taking our 7p and beyond was impacted by the oil shock.  In the space of a few months, it changed some aspects of international trade forever and changed the economies of entire countries. 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

I've not seen this massive 6 stamp before, on eBay currently:

Nor this unusual 8d one, also on the bay today:

Eye eye!

Velly nice 

[themagicrobot]

Never did work out how Santa fits down chimneys. Especially as this chimney contains an aluminium pipe down to a gas fire. My letter to him asking for an AF15 must be stuck in that mountain of undelivered second class envelopes. Knew I should have used my last 1st class stamp.

Anyway he brought me 3 comics and a Litre of something strong to get me through the next few days.

The WF161 has a round white sticker over where the original stamp would have been and a T&P price stamped on the sticker. Never seen that before. There is another on the Bay with a clear 2/6 stamp. Can’t make out what mine says. The comic would have initially sold for 1/6 surely.

 

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/28/2022 at 3:05 PM, themagicrobot said:

The WF161 has a round white sticker over where the original stamp would have been and a T&P price stamped on the sticker. Never seen that before.

Nice 

I've seen stamped stickers on quite a few Tower comics - here's my old NoMan:

On 12/28/2022 at 3:05 PM, themagicrobot said:

There is another on the Bay with a clear 2/6 stamp. Can’t make out what mine says. The comic would have initially sold for 1/6 surely.

Either / or!

[Malacoda]

@themagicrobot @Get Marwood & I  Interesting. So the ones with the stickers are both GS issues but 5 months apart....though with DC distribution, they could have rocked up in the same month. 

[Malacoda]

On 12/28/2022 at 2:04 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

I've not seen this massive 6 stamp before, on eBay currently:

Nor this unusual 8d one, also on the bay today:

Eye eye!

Velly nice 

That 8D stamp is showing some serious marksmanship. 

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/28/2022 at 5:24 PM, Malacoda said:

That 8D stamp is showing some serious marksmanship. 

 

 

It looks like Spidey's doing a magic trick with a massive pool ball and some webbing 

     

[Albert Tatlock]

On 12/18/2022 at 12:03 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

I'd love to see that, Albert 

Anything to oblige, old chap.

From an article by Steve Holland in issue 39 of The Illustrated Comic Journal (Spring/Summer 2002).

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Albert Tatlock
scan added.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:03 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Anything to oblige, old chap.

I thought you'd forgotten me. Thanks Albert. That Holland fella knew his stuff, didn't he 

[Get Marwood & I]

From the same seller as the 8d stamp I posted yesterday, another fine example of an early Spidey UKPV with a late 10d / obliterator stamp combination:

[Albert Tatlock]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:10 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

I thought you'd forgotten me. Thanks Albert. That Holland fella knew his stuff, didn't he 

Certainly did.

Not bad, laying out tuppence to get a bob, or even a tanner which is what the street hawkers would ask you for.

 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:12 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

From the same seller as the 8d stamp I posted yesterday, another fine example of an early Spidey UKPV with a late obliterator stamp:

The 10 obviously refers to the condition, 10.0 Gem Mint.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:13 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Certainly did.

Not bad, laying out tuppence to get a bob, or even a tanner which is what the street hawkers would ask you for.

 

Indeed. Bob's your uncle to a blind man's dog.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:14 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

The 10 obviously refers to the condition, 10.0 Gem Mint.

I'm not sure Albert, I think it's been trimmed......

 

 

 

Did I say trimmed? I meant to say 'driven over in a tractor'. 

 

Meanwhile, three in a line:

One more for connect four!

[Malacoda]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:16 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Meanwhile, three in a line:

Wow. Those are well before the first hiatus, but are PV's so can't be US returns. That means they're either ones that went down the back of the sofa in the US or at Oadby and never met Ethel until the next year or they were returns from UK newsagents that made the weary trudge back to Oadby and rather than put them back out at a discount, they decided that, quite the opposite, they could get the extra penny if they sent them to the right area.   

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:11 PM, Malacoda said:

Wow. Those are well before the first hiatus, but are PV's so can't be US returns. That means they're either ones that went down the back of the sofa in the US or at Oadby and never met Ethel until the next year or they were returns from UK newsagents that made the weary trudge back to Oadby and rather than put them back out at a discount, they decided that, quite the opposite, they could get the extra penny if they sent them to the right area.   

I posted about them a while back Rich. #18 should be the first ASM to be stamped 'properly' - by design I mean - but I've gathered quite a few stamped copies of the preceding issues now, so they found their way into the mix somehow. I think my TGK #60 is still holding the record for earliest T&P stamped Marvel by cover date though.