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

[Malacoda]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:18 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

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.  

Right. Is that TGK 60 a 9d PV re-stamped to 10d, or a cents copy stamped at 9d or a cents copy stamped at 10d? Apologies, I'm sure you've posted before, but experience tells me that searching the thread for a title with a number in it pulls back everything under the sun. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:41 PM, Malacoda said:

Right. Is that TGK 60 a 9d PV re-stamped to 10d, or a cents copy stamped at 9d or a cents copy stamped at 10d? Apologies, I'm sure you've posted before, but experience tells me that searching the thread for a title with a number in it pulls back everything under the sun. 

UKPV, 9d obliterated, repriced to 10d.....

[Yorick]

On 12/29/2022 at 11:51 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

UKPV, 9d obliterated, repriced to 10d.....

Something looks funky with the issue number.  Like it's hand-written instead of typeset.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:53 PM, Yorick said:

Something looks funky with the issue number.  Like it's hand-written instead of typeset.

That's a legendary story in it's own right. Many still think only the UKPV had a handwritten issue number (by Stan, they say) but it's the same on the cents copy too.  

 

[Malacoda]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:56 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

That's a legendary story in it's own right. Many still think only the UKPV had a handwritten issue number (by Stan, they say) but it's the same on the cents copy too.  

 

 

I think it's transitional - it's the first appearance of the white box with the issue number and month.  Before this they were colour blended (often not quite perfectly) into the header and afterwards they were more neatly done boxes. I think this is the proto-box.  These boxes started appearing on Marvels in May 62 (I believe) when TGK was on hiatus, so maybe when he rode back into town, they had to quickly manually update his template because he'd been on his holidays when the others got done. 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Malacoda

[Albert Tatlock]

On 12/20/2022 at 3:44 PM, Garystar said:

Off topic but antiques roadshow bbc1 8pm 29 December is advertised as having a piece on Jonathan Ross’s toy and comic collection. 

Big letdown.

Not a UKPV in sight, I thought they were going to segue into Rod Stewart playing with his train set.

Fiona Bruce wears her years well, though. Watch out, Tina Turner, you have competition.

[Malacoda]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:56 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

That's a legendary story in it's own right. Many still think only the UKPV had a handwritten issue number (by Stan, they say)

Stories about stuff actually being done on the hoof by Stan himself are almost certainly true. From 57 onwards, Stan was the sole employee and used to paste all the storyboards together and do all the production work with the occasional help of Stan Goldberg (the Millie artist). This TGK is maybe a little late - there would have to have been some hands on deck by 1962 as the numbers increased from 8 per month to anywhere up to 12 starting in October 1960

[yrag9591]

Here’s a Flash 108 from 30th Century Comics’ website, with a nice price stamp. I can’t remember if this is one you need.

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 12/31/2022 at 11:08 PM, yrag9591 said:

Here’s a Flash 108 from 30th Century Comics’ website, with a nice price stamp. I can’t remember if this is one you need.

 

[yrag9591]

So the Flash 108 is now the oldest stamped DC?

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/1/2023 at 11:04 AM, yrag9591 said:

So the Flash 108 is now the oldest stamped DC?

It's the only T&P stamped DC that I'm aware of with a September 1959 cover date Gary (August/September 59 indicia according to the GCD). My starting point for eligibility is currently October, based on the known examples so far:

That doesn't mean it's the earliest known UK arrival of course, because it could have arrived 'late' in a later shipment. I can't make out the stamp number to be able to place it on my tracking table, so I may hold on to see if another copy materialises with a clearer number before I add it to the docs:

@Albert Tatlock Albert, have you got one of these? Or five, knowing you?  

Zooming in, it could be a one, I suppose? If it was a bit cheaper I might buy it as 30th C's images have low resolution. Maybe their New Year's resolution should be to use a higher resolution.

Anyway, mega cool way to start the new year Gary. Good spot mate 

[Get Marwood & I]

I had a quick scout about but couldn't find another example in the usual online places. I kept seeing the T&P reprint though, which always makes you want to start collecting them.

Just for fun, here's an unstamped copy that has a June 16th arrival stamp:

Mike's LOC records say June 23rd, a week later:

So the T&P stamped copy would probably have been on sale in the US in June, and then would've rocked up here in the UK around 6 months later. Quite slow for the Flash, really 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

Here, how stupid do you have to be to pay £16 for an old L Miller comic, thinking it's an original, when the listing actually says it's a reprint, and it's pretty bloody obvious from the pictures?

Spoiler

As stupid as me 

 

[yrag9591]

I tried to buy the Flash 108 but it was already sold.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:20 PM, yrag9591 said:

I tried to buy the Flash 108 but it was already sold.

Never mind. You have to be quick don't you. 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 1/1/2023 at 11:28 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

That doesn't mean it's the earliest known UK arrival of course, because it could have arrived 'late' in a later shipment

Must be right. Stamp looks like a 1, so probably arrived with the batch cover dated January 1960.

It took a couple of months to travel from whatever part of Uncle Sam's land it was originally for sale in to the docks, so it has let the Scarlet Speedster down a little.

I never saw one of these at the time, in spite of trawling the second hand shops and markets for literally years, so we will have to put it down as an anomaly.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/1/2023 at 8:59 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Must be right. Stamp looks like a 1, so probably arrived with the batch cover dated January 1960.

It took a couple of months to travel from whatever part of Uncle Sam's land it was originally for sale in to the docks, so it has let the Scarlet Speedster down a little.

I never saw one of these at the time, in spite of trawling the second hand shops and markets for literally years, so we will have to put it down as an anomaly.

If it is a '1', the first sequential use is in the second cycle which has a majority of Feb 1960 cover dates:

There's an odd October and November 59 cover dated book in there too, so it's not so mad to think the September Flash could've arrived with that lot (assuming all the usual assumptions are correct).

Out of interest, what's the earliest date recorded DC purchase in your hand-written ledgers, Albert?

 

 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 1/1/2023 at 10:32 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Out of interest, what's the earliest date recorded DC purchase in your hand-written ledgers, Albert?

I don't have anything surviving in written form before 1966, but the first two I bought were Mystery In Space # 64 and Strange Adventures # 124, each at the full price of 9d, a severe dent in my pocket money, from the newsagent at the bottom of the street.

Before that, I had only seen the black & white reprints, plus of course the output of DC Thomson et al.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Albert Tatlock
correct typo

[Malacoda]

Just in case we forget to say it, Happy New Year, chaps. Love You. >Mwah<

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/3/2023 at 4:41 AM, Malacoda said:

Just in case we forget to say it, Happy New Year, chaps. Love You. >Mwah<

Yep, let's hope it's a good one all round