The Distribution of US Published Comics in the UK (1959~1982) 16 16

[baggsey]

On 7/7/2024 at 1:25 PM, Redshade said:

You'll know of this site? 
ausreprints.net/publisher

Thanks for the suggestion, @Redshade . I've tried to access it over the past few days, but the pages time out before they load in my browser. I'll try again.

[themagicrobot]

There is currently a problem with the AusReprints front page but I can still get in "sideways" via a saved link https://ausreprints.net/cover/series/15/313/1/100/50. Actually it amazes me that the UK can connect with the US let alone Australia almost instantly. During my childhood my Grandfather had to book a phonecall to contact relatives in the US.

The AusReprints site was built many years ago and consequently is quite difficult to navigate. There is a page for the UK Supermans but I can't see one for the Batmans. Looking at the Aus Batman comics pages they each contain a link to the UK variant. Batman No 1 appeared in 1950 and the first 10 issues cost 6d Aus. Issues 10 to 20 cost 8d Aus. All of those issues were apparently distributed in the UK. Issue No 21 was the first to be printed with two different prices. 8d Aus for the home market and 6d for export to the UK. So after paying 8d an issue for the best part of a year we see a price reduction!! The final issue of this first series of Batman by K.G.Murray was No 115 in January 1960. The rest is history as then we have reached the-distribution-of-us-published-comics-in-the-uk-1959~1982

The other three comics K.G.Murray imported in quantity to the UK were Superboy, Superadventure and Superman. The Superman comics cause confusion because the earliest issues didn't come to the UK. Our Supermans had different numbering as well as different prices. 

PS: I noticed this pulp and the indicia indicates that Atlas had an Australian offshoot. 

[baggsey]

On 7/8/2024 at 4:10 AM, themagicrobot said:

There is currently a problem with the AusReprints front page but I can still get in "sideways" via a saved link https://ausreprints.net/cover/series/15/313/1/100/50. Actually it amazes me that the UK can connect with the US let alone Australia almost instantly. During my childhood my Grandfather had to book a phonecall to contact relatives in the US.

The AusReprints site was built many years ago and consequently is quite difficult to navigate. There is a page for the UK Supermans but I can't see one for the Batmans. Looking at the Aus Batman comics pages they each contain a link to the UK variant. Batman No 1 appeared in 1950 and the first 10 issues cost 6d Aus. Issues 10 to 20 cost 8d Aus. All of those issues were apparently distributed in the UK. Issue No 21 was the first to be printed with two different prices. 8d Aus for the home market and 6d for export to the UK. So after paying 8d an issue for the best part of a year we see a price reduction!! The final issue of this first series of Batman by K.G.Murray was No 115 in January 1960. The rest is history as then we have reached the-distribution-of-us-published-comics-in-the-uk-1959~1982

The other three comics K.G.Murray imported in quantity to the UK were Superboy, Superadventure and Superman. The Superman comics cause confusion because the earliest issues didn't come to the UK. Our Supermans had different numbering as well as different prices. 

PS: I noticed this pulp and the indicia indicates that Atlas had an Australian offshoot. 

Thanks for the link to the materials @themagicrobot and the suggestion to jump in via another link than the homepage. I'll work on capturing those publication dates into my ever-growing spreadsheet. As far as I know, the Atlas Publications Pty Ltd Melbourne had no connection to the Atlas Publishing & Distributing Company Ltd in the UK. In fact, just saw this info about the Australian Atlas Publications Pty on https://ausreprints.net/publisher/122 which supports that assumption. Still, there may be some business connection/arrangement not yet uncovered.

 

[OtherEric]

On 7/8/2024 at 2:10 AM, themagicrobot said:

There is currently a problem with the AusReprints front page but I can still get in "sideways" via a saved link https://ausreprints.net/cover/series/15/313/1/100/50. Actually it amazes me that the UK can connect with the US let alone Australia almost instantly. During my childhood my Grandfather had to book a phonecall to contact relatives in the US.

The AusReprints site was built many years ago and consequently is quite difficult to navigate. There is a page for the UK Supermans but I can't see one for the Batmans. Looking at the Aus Batman comics pages they each contain a link to the UK variant. Batman No 1 appeared in 1950 and the first 10 issues cost 6d Aus. Issues 10 to 20 cost 8d Aus. All of those issues were apparently distributed in the UK. Issue No 21 was the first to be printed with two different prices. 8d Aus for the home market and 6d for export to the UK. So after paying 8d an issue for the best part of a year we see a price reduction!! The final issue of this first series of Batman by K.G.Murray was No 115 in January 1960. The rest is history as then we have reached the-distribution-of-us-published-comics-in-the-uk-1959~1982

The other three comics K.G.Murray imported in quantity to the UK were Superboy, Superadventure and Superman. The Superman comics cause confusion because the earliest issues didn't come to the UK. Our Supermans had different numbering as well as different prices. 

PS: I noticed this pulp and the indicia indicates that Atlas had an Australian offshoot. 

The cover is a reprint from Planet Stories but the contents only have one match that I can see without opening the book.

[Redshade]

On 7/7/2024 at 11:38 PM, baggsey said:

Thanks for the suggestion, @Redshade . I've tried to access it over the past few days, but the pages time out before they load in my browser. I'll try again.

I've just received this update from AusReprints :

 

Old Australian Pre-Decimal Comics Up To 1966

James Zanotto  ·   · 

 

 

AusReprints update

I've kept the Australian Reprint Comic Book Appreciation Society Facebook group in the loop, but here's an updated for interested members in this group.

AusReprints has been unreliable since about January and I've been working through solving the problems. The bottom line is that the technology of the site is ageing, and it isn't coping.

There has been steady growth in users, but a massive burst early this year overwhelmed the site and brought it to a standstill. For reasons I don't fully understand, the site remained unreliable even when user volume dropped (because no one could access it).

A key limit is caused by user connections to the underlying database, and some of you will have seen the dreaded 'max_user_connections' error.

My service provider was unhelpful and did not increase this critical limit. I expected (at least) an offer to do it for more money. I now know that the hosting provider has changed hands twice in the past six months, which is a likely cause of the poor service.

I have now set up a test AusReprints site with a new provider. That involved updating the software, reworking a lot of the code and working through a range of problems.

I think it's almost there. In coming weeks, I hope to move the URL across and make the 'test' site the real site.

Now a bonus for those who have read to the bottom—the test site is at http://ausreprints.net.au (note the AU on the end). It still has glitches, but it is overall more reliable than the standard site.

Give it a try and let me know if you strike errors. I'd like to gently increase the volume of users and monitor the results.

In the near future, I am going to do a callout for financial assistance, probably via a Kickstarter or similar. The new site has more power, is scalable for growth and is more expensive.

If you value AusReprints, please consider contributing when I do the callout.

 

 

 

All reactions:

6Jeff Battista and 5 others

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 7/6/2024 at 7:25 PM, baggsey said:

I'm conscious that the discussion around this is veering away from UK comic Price Variant territory (sorry @Get Marwood & I ), so perhaps I need to set up another discussion thread, unless there is one already more suited to it?  

Post away, Bags. It's the people that matter in this thread, not the subject matter 

[Get Marwood & I]

What a beauty, in more ways than three, stamped nine dee 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 7/16/2024 at 1:52 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

What a beauty, in more ways than three, stamped nine dee 

Cut outs to paste in your scrapbook, pin-ups to detach, puzzles to fill in, what more could you ask for?

And you can win a prize, no doubt by clipping a coupon.

Surprised there's anything left of it.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 7/16/2024 at 3:12 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Cut outs to paste in your scrapbook, pin-ups to detach, puzzles to fill in, what more could you ask for?

And you can win a prize, no doubt by clipping a coupon.

Surprised there's anything left of it.

That copy is complete, Albert, but the Margie scissor-curse looms large elsewhere in my collection!

 

[Get Marwood & I]

Nothing sad about it, Eric. It shows it was loved and looked after by its intended audience original owner! 

[OtherEric]

On 7/16/2024 at 9:12 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Nothing sad about it, Eric. It shows it was loved and looked after by its intended audience original owner! 

Very true!.  My sadness was for the assumption that you were still lacking an intact copy, as the current owner.

For myself, I'll always be grateful for Jimmy here, who loved his book so much it wound up being affordable to me 30 years ago. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 7/16/2024 at 5:27 PM, OtherEric said:

Very true!.  My sadness was for the assumption that you were still lacking an intact copy, as the current owner.

For myself, I'll always be grateful for Jimmy here, who loved his book so much it wound up being affordable to me 30 years ago. 

Indeed. Sometimes, it's the only way we'll ever own some of these things. Happily for me, though I love them dearly, the Charlton UKPV collecting is largely about proving what exists. I do have one or two dupes though, and a complete Margie 44 is in the vaults