Jewelers "version" 1 1

[Balfasir69]

what does it mean to be a "jewelers" edition?

I understand "direct' and "newsstand'

How do I know If I have a "jewelers" version?

[shadroch]

Two jewelry companies used to advertise in a supplement included in books sold on military bases. The most common are Mark Jewelers, but there are also some from National Jewelers. 

The inserts are heavier in stock than comics, and some people think they help preserve the books better. I think these were more popular in the 1970s, when an air of mystery existed around them. 

I've never seen numbers, but common sense would say these inserts were only in a tiny percentage of books printed. 

Edited September 7 by shadroch

[Balfasir69]

Awesome, and interesting.  We'll I definitely don't have any of those.

Thanks for answering.

[LowGradeBronze]

Comics with the jeweler inserts were sold on or near army bases as I understand it. I'm assuming it was a cynical marketing ploy to put (not so) subtle pressure on soldiers to propose to their sweethearts before they got sent overseas, thereby swelling the coffers of the jewelry business. 

[LowGradeBronze]

Here's a link to the thread on Mark Jeweler insert books, the Bronze area of the forum: 

 

[themagicrobot]

I'm not saying it adds any value to a book but how many people saved the loose inserts that came with four DC comics in the Summer of 1985? How many people would have been crazy enough to enter? You were required to cut out and send in chunks from three different covers. Why were DC selling packs of Charlton comics I wonder? Have any of those packs of Charltons (and Action Comics) survived? And I had to smile when I noticed they spelld Star Treck rong.....

 

 

 

[shadroch]

I'd imagine the Charlton Pack included the Charlton hero books DC was publishing at the time: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Peacemaker and The Question.

Watchmen was based on Charleton's characters

Edited September 8 by shadroch

[themagicrobot]

I'm not sure the timeline stacks up for that. DC purchased Charlton's "Action Heroes" line in 1983 but the first Blue Beetle DC comic didn't appear until 1986. Captain Atom, The Peacemaker and The Question got their own books in 1987. I don't think DC ever referred to those characters as "Charlton" although they may have occupied their own DC "earth" for a while. In fact the list of what comics DC were publishing regularly in 1985 is right there on the flyer above.

Perhaps the "Charlton Comic Pack" in 1985 consisted of a bizarre assortment of remainders of Dr Graves, Professor Coffin and Atomic Mouse etc that would have been getting on for a year old. Or, more unlikely or we would have seen them, could the bags have contained re-created comics like the Modern Comics Charlton reprints from a few years earlier? It still seems odd to me that DC would be advertising Charlton comics (even if they were in bags of three or four).

Indeed Alan Moore was initially asked to use the Charlton heroes but someone decided late in the day to keep the characters as they were hence the use of new but similar characters such as Nite Owl and Doctor Manhattan etc. 

[shadroch]

I've never seen the packs, but I don't believe DC owned the rights to any of the characters you mentioned.   I've heard Moore wanted to use the Charlton characters but was denied permission

I'd never read any Charlton hero books, so all the Watchmen were new characters to me.

I had a shop in the summer of 85 and didn't recall that promotion at all, nor do I recall a push for DC Choose Your Own Adventure books.