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

[Get Marwood & I]

Changing tack for a second, in the first main Marvel UKPV hiatus, October 1964 to August 1965, we know that T&P stamped cents copies exist for most of the missing UKPV issues. Here's an extract below from my own spreadsheet which shows what has been confirmed.

(Gary, your spreadsheet was missing a FF#32 too - I haven't been able to find one @Garystar):

One thing that I found odd was that for FF#39 (and also ASM #27), a second, slim style T&P 10d stamp was used - three examples below (at least one is an 8):

The preceding issues have the first bold stamp type, as do the two that follow - all numbered 4:

I wonder if 39 came late, hence the 'new' stamp use?

Gary - did anything jump out at you when you plotted them last year?

Here are the issues I'm missing by the way (no stamped copy as yet):

• Fantastic Four #32
• Kid Colt Outlaw #120, 121, 122, 123 (all of them!)
• Rawhide Kid #43
• TTA #62 (Albert will pass out if this one ever appears)
• Two-Gun Kid #75, 76

 

 

[Malacoda]

36 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

• Fantastic Four #32

Haha! I've-got-something-you-don't-have ! Ne-ne-ne-ne-neeeer-ner. 

Actually, the only copy I've sighted is this terrible photo.  It's a really awful photo, but thankfully a nice big thuddy stamp.  Thank you Ethel. 

 

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

Just now, Malacoda said:

Haha! I've-got-something-you-don't-have ! Ne-ne-ne-ne-neeeer-ner. 

Actually, the only copy I've sighted is this terrible photo.  It's a really awful photo, but thankfully a nice big thuddy stamp.  Thank you Ethel. 

[Malacoda]

6 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

I know.   I got that off this auction site and it's still there.....allegedly with High Res pics, but I can't get it to open.  Have a go....

https://www.andersonandgarland.com/auction/lot/the-fantastic-four-nos-21-23-32-and-37/?lot=228573&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=343&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=100&pn=1&g=-1#

 

[Get Marwood & I]

3 minutes ago, Malacoda said:

I know.   I got that off this auction site and it's still there.....allegedly with High Res pics, but I can't get it to open.  Have a go....

https://www.andersonandgarland.com/auction/lot/the-fantastic-four-nos-21-23-32-and-37/?lot=228573&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=343&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=100&pn=1&g=-1#

 

The only image on there that won't open 

[Malacoda]

1 minute ago, Get Marwood & I said:

The only image on there that won't open 

OK, I'm writing to them and asking them to send me the pic. 

[Get Marwood & I]

Just now, Malacoda said:

OK, I'm writing to them and asking them to send me the pic. 

[Get Marwood & I]

[Get Marwood & I]

They're everywhere!

[Malacoda]

Just for....a moment....I felt special....

[Get Marwood & I]

52 minutes ago, Malacoda said:

Just for....a moment....I felt special....

Find a TTA#62 and Albert will marry you 

[Albert Tatlock]

1 hour ago, Get Marwood & I said:

They're everywhere!

You ain't wrong!

[Albert Tatlock]

25 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Find a TTA#62 and Albert will marry you

Ena will be crushed.

[Albert Tatlock]

26 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Find a TTA#62

Try the Universe next door.

[Garystar]

3 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

(Gary, your spreadsheet was missing a FF#32 too - I haven't been able to find one

Glad I could help. 

[Malacoda]

1 hour ago, Albert Tatlock said:

Try the Universe next door.

I agree.  I think TTA 62, FF 80, Nick Fury 14 and Silver Surfer 10 are The Unfindables. 

Cap 113, 115, 116, 117 Fury 13, Doc Strange 179, 181, Tower of Shadows 4,5,6,7,8 & COTL 12,  Chamber of Darkness 3,4,5, Am Adv 1 & 2, Astonishing Tales 1 and Conan 2 and 7 might turn up one day, especially Fury 13 & Doc 179, but those top four are not happening. 

I think I'd be upset if TTA 62 turned up now.  It's literally the single non D issue in the whole first 7 years of the MU

(Apart from the 66'ers, but that's different) . 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Malacoda

[Malacoda]

On 4/15/2021 at 3:20 PM, Garystar said:

However when you look at release dates (from MikesAmazingWorld), as opposed to cover dates, the ones with stamps are those released on or previous to 13/4/971. Issues after 13/4/71 eg Avengers 90, Daredevil 78, FF 112, don't appear to have stamped issues so I think your theory holds up albeit with actual release dates rather than cover dates. I have not found any issues after July 1971 with stamps.

When distribution of Marvels became more structured in August 1974 distribution appears to be based strictly on cover date rather than US release dates - all August cover dated issues were on sale in August, September in September ....... from World Distributors or they weren't distributed at all.

Hi Gary, 

Just returning to this, it was playing on my mind that if the determining factor was the date and Avengers 90, Daredevil 78, FF 112 etc escaped the dual PV/stamp scenario, by being released at the end of April, then the previous issue should potentially have been caught in.  Sure enough, Thor 189, DD 77, Subby 38 and Astonishing Tales 6 all have both PV's and cover stamps.   Of course, there's some anomalies (what would you expect?).  Hulk has both for 2 issues (140 & 141) and Avengers seems to have escaped both (though maybe I just didn't find any, this is a first search). 

This does give us some inconsistences with the dates.  Why are some titles more affected than others and why are some dates affected and not others, but of course, the date stamps were added afterwards to normal cents issues which were part of the normal print run, so they don't add or subtract anything from the debate. 

I suspect more and more that either there were teething troubles at World or Marvel arranged a 1 or 2 month overlap to cover potential teething troubles. 

Either way, I think that this just reinforces that this was the moment of handover. It was just messier behind the scenes than it looked from outside. 

Now I just have to check the surrounding months to satisfy Friend Marwood about the question of permanent duality. 

[Garystar]

1 hour ago, Malacoda said:

Avengers seems to have escaped both (though maybe I just didn't find any, this is a first search). 

I’d have to refer back to my spreadsheet however Avengers actually missed a cover month with no October issue - might explain a blip in any pattern. 

[Malacoda]

17 minutes ago, Garystar said:

I’d have to refer back to my spreadsheet however Avengers actually missed a cover month with no October issue - might explain a blip in any pattern. 

Do you think that could have been a factor?  I always assumed the reason that they didn't have an October issue is because they were preparing for the big November double size 25c bonanza and it was virtually impossible to get Adams to turn in 17 pages on time, let alone 34.  Stan Lee tells a story that he would give Adams a far-away deadline and then call him all the time to say 'how's it going, Neal?'  Adams would say 'it's all in hand, Stan'.  Then the day of the deadline would finally arrive.  Stan would call him and say 'where are the pages, Neal?' and Adams would say 'it's all in hand, Stan. I'll start on it tomorrow'. 

If I recall, the reason that #97 is by Big John with Neal Adams listed as a consultant is because Adams turned up at five past midnight with a complete re-write of the issue, setting it in a far flung future where a Skrull museum curator was explaining the end of the war as a matter of history.  Of course, that was impossible as it would have tied their hands for every subsequent story forever, so it had to be completely re-drawn at the last minute, by Big John. 

So, I always assumed that the 'missing' issue was actually the first half of #93. If you look at it, it breaks exactly into two pieces:  the first 17 pages are Ant Man's Fantastic Voyage and the second 17 get back to the Kree/Skrull plot. 

[Malacoda]

2 hours ago, Garystar said:

I’d have to refer back to my spreadsheet however Avengers actually missed a cover month with no October issue - might explain a blip in any pattern. 

Much as it pains me to say Steve was right, he was so right. He was beyond right. He was Steve Wright.  The reason there's a blip in the pattern, is that there is no pattern.  There is only blip. 

There are cover stamps and pv's together all over the shop.  I will check some more examples tomorrow, but here's 16 months of Hulk to be going on with.