AJD Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 This one arrived in the mail yesterday. It's the first square comic I've ever owned. It's also huge - just a touch smaller than an LP record sleeve. Here's a photo rather than a scan because it won't fit on my scanner. I wrote a bit about this on the 'GA in Australia' thread. Basically, Speed Gordon = Flash Gordon with the name changed because Australian slang at the time meant that it would be the equivalent of "person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed Gordon" in today's terms. The local editors had to go through and replace Flash with Speed everywhere it appeared: Gotta love the Alex Raymond art throughout. Less lovely is the poor quality paper. The cover stock is quite thin, which might be why it's only printed on one side. Now I have to find a way to store it safely... Get Marwood & I, porcupine48 and 1950's war comics 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get Marwood & I Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 It's hip to be square Isn't it? AJD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post AJD Posted July 11, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 11, 2019 A couple more Australian 'Classic Comics', which later became Classics Illustrated. And yet another different shape - these are longer and narrower than the previous couple. Though undated and unnumbered, these are #15 and #20 respectively. The monthly series started in 1947, so these would be 1948 and/or 1949. With these it's at least easy to select interior pages. The archery contest from Ivanhoe and the 'all for one and one for all' from (the VERY unevenly drawn) Three Musketeers. 1950's war comics, telerites, Point Five and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagii Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Very cool Andrew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 On 6/19/2019 at 8:42 PM, AJD said: This one arrived in the mail yesterday. It's the first square comic I've ever owned. It's also huge - just a touch smaller than an LP record sleeve. Here's a photo rather than a scan because it won't fit on my scanner. I wrote a bit about this on the 'GA in Australia' thread. Basically, Speed Gordon = Flash Gordon with the name changed because Australian slang at the time meant that it would be the equivalent of "person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed Gordon" in today's terms. The local editors had to go through and replace Flash with Speed everywhere it appeared: Gotta love the Alex Raymond art throughout. Less lovely is the poor quality paper. The cover stock is quite thin, which might be why it's only printed on one side. Now I have to find a way to store it safely... Love it. AJD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 I only have a few of these English Mickey Mouse 'newspapers' but I'm always pleased to get a new one. (Sorry, they don't fit the scanner, so a photo will have to do.) There are only 8 pages (two wraps) - despite being October 1945, shortages ran on for years after the war in the UK. But the printing quality is better than some earlier issues I have. The outer covers and the centrefold are in colour, the reverse of each wrap is B&W and mainly text. The comics in the middle are nicely rendered and coloured, though there's a little bleedthrough of the newsprint stock: This somewhat off-Disney brand 'White King of Arabia" strip is a UK original by Reg Perrott. His bio is here - he was invalided out of the RAF just months before this was published and became the studio manager for the Mickey Mouse title before dying in 1947. Point Five, Get Marwood & I, 1950's war comics and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Five Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 8 hours ago, AJD said: I love the coloring on this one. For a weekly newspaper strip, a level of craft almost unthinkable today. 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get Marwood & I Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 What did Silas forget Andy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 2 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said: What did Silas forget Andy? Find me the copy for week ending 27 October 1945 and I can tell you. 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telerites Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 11 hours ago, AJD said: This somewhat off-Disney brand 'White King of Arabia" strip is a UK original by Reg Perrott. His bio is here - he was invalided out of the RAF just months before this was published and became the studio manager for the Mickey Mouse title before dying in 1947. Wow - his art has some tones of Hal Foster to me. What issues did the White King run, do you know? His artwork is really stunning looking at this and some of the examples on the link you provided. I googled and didn't find much else. This UK Wiki has the same info but an image from Golden Arrow that the other didn't. https://ukcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Reg_Perrott_(1914-1947) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get Marwood & I Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 1 hour ago, AJD said: Find me the copy for week ending 27 October 1945 and I can tell you. We may never know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 1 hour ago, telerites said: Wow - his art has some tones of Hal Foster to me. What issues did the White King run, do you know? His artwork is really stunning looking at this and some of the examples on the link you provided. I googled and didn't find much else. This UK Wiki has the same info but an image from Golden Arrow that the other didn't. https://ukcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Reg_Perrott_(1914-1947) Yes, I saw a Foster influence there too. I'm afraid I have no idea what issues it ran in. As I said, I only have a handful of those books scattered between 1939 and 1945. 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Back on Page 39 of this thread I got the Australian Classic Comics edition of Lorna Doone, with a locally drawn landscape cover: When this came up on the 'Bay I assumed it was a later Australian printing, with a 1/3 (one shilling and threepence) cover price and the orignal US cover reinstated to go with the portrait orientation. I had some Australian classic books in this format and with colour interiors at one stage. The high price (1/3 = 15 pennies, so almost the cost of two 8d books at the time) was compensated for by the glossy colour stock, good paper and colour interiors. But this isn't one of those - it turns out that it was printed in the UK, though I think it might have been designed as an export to Australia as well, as the house ads inside the covers have an 'Australian price' as well as a UK price. It looks as if it might have had a price change sticker at some point too. Regardless, it's a Matt Baker cover and interior art (and not a bad read) for $3, so no complaints. In Mr Baker's hands Lorna is quite fetching... 1950's war comics and Get Marwood & I 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get Marwood & I Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 31 minutes ago, AJD said: I remember Carver's wayward son. They had to send him away to Scotland as he was so restless. What was his name now... That was it - Settle Doone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 32 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said: I remember Carver's wayward son. They had to send him away to Scotland as he was so restless. What was his name now... That was it - Settle Doone. At least you didn't do the Ben Doone joke... 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get Marwood & I Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 41 minutes ago, AJD said: At least you didn't do the Ben Doone joke... Too easy Andrew The Classics are hard to track at times. So many different covers and versions! All six of these are 'Lorna Doone #32': Your 1/3 priced copy was indeed printed in the UK by Thorpe & Porter... Bushey Mill Lane is just down the road from me. Oh, for a Tardis. ....and you're right, the back cover ad does indeed invite the Australian market to buy a bible: So they must have been shipped across as you say. Fascinating books with lots of production knowledge probably lost now - like old Batty's tears. AJD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 On 5/31/2016 at 6:22 AM, AJD said: And here's another book from the same collection. There are plenty of mid to highish grade books in this collection. This is not one of them, but it has a rather striking cover image. Silver Flash #40 is an Australian original by Virgil Reilly. The series ran for at least 54 issues starting in 1949. I've never seen this one before (and I think I've only seen one other issue in the flesh, though the GCD has more here). The interior is a bit crude. here's the first page. The observant among you might notice the name of the missing miscreant: Dirk Henrik Tampon... ... which leads to an unforgettable panel where our hero the SF walks onstage and shouts... "Tampon"! You couldn't make this up folks. (Though Virgil Reilly did.) Yeah,that's the stuff!This and the Crimson Comet.These are the dream haunters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 49 minutes ago, porcupine48 said: Yeah,that's the stuff!This and the Crimson Comet.These are the dream haunters. I fear I have created an international market for these, and with our $ slipping against the greenback, I hereby apologise to Australian collectors. Meanwhile, back on the subject of Virgil Reilly, artist and writer on Silver Flash. Given the scratchy nature of most of his comic work, I was surprised to find this example of "GGA" recently: It's true that there are occasional examples of good draftmanship in his comics, but it seems that he put a fair bit more time into his advertising commissions. His "Virgil girls" were a big thing in the 1930s. A few splash panels of that quality would be a fine thing! I think I'll try to find a few more for an entry in the GA in Australia thread. porcupine48, Get Marwood & I and 1950's war comics 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get Marwood & I Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 On 8/22/2019 at 12:49 AM, AJD said: I fear I have created an international market for these, and with our $ slipping against the greenback, I hereby apologise to Australian collectors. Meanwhile, back on the subject of Virgil Reilly, artist and writer on Silver Flash. Given the scratchy nature of most of his comic work, I was surprised to find this example of "GGA" recently: It's true that there are occasional examples of good draftmanship in his comics, but it seems that he put a fair bit more time into his advertising commissions. His "Virgil girls" were a big thing in the 1930s. A few splash panels of that quality would be a fine thing! I think I'll try to find a few more for an entry in the GA in Australia thread. That's a lovely drawing - and not a Frog Man in sight! AJD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted August 27, 2019 Author Share Posted August 27, 2019 Just got a nice book o' goodness in from Heritage. I pool my wins to amortise the postage cost, so there are 10 new books to show here. Here's the first of them, a WDC&S #10. I have 93/100 of the early issues. I don't have #1-5 but only need 14 and 18to have 6-100. I don't get the cover gag, but I really like these big thick early issues. 68 pages in this one, with a mix of daily strips and a quite long Silly Symphonies story. Here's Mickey Mouse being a rat to his mate Goofy: And here's a page from Silly Symphonies, with a decidedly more carnivorous Big Bad Wolf than in later years! The rhyming dialogue here was a bit of thing in Disney stories of the time. It worked OK here, but I think it was better in some of the Bucky Bug stories in later years 1950's war comics and Point Five 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
