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The Distribution of US Published Comics in the UK (1959~1982)
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5,825 posts in this topic

Ok, hands up if you like Tower Comics? :)

Minions Me GIF - Minions Me RaiseHands - Discover & Share GIFs

Split!

For some reason Thorpe & Porter tipped the Golden Keys Bow Locks when it came to distributing Gold Key comics in Blighty. And I know why.

Because they were too busy distributing bloody Tower Comics!

Here's the Tower summary of power from GCD:

1953087103_GCDTitleSummary.thumb.PNG.9b157701328f61c5f5f271a02fc1f444.PNG

Bizarrely, T&P distributed all these:

Capture.thumb.PNG.ca88f06f53efa8dfe509394e190cc8d3.PNG

Were they mad? Or just geniuses? Or is that genii? Whose eye? Jeanie's eye. My oh my!

Shut up.

Anyway, lots of weirdness in the Tower collection who T&P must have fought Len really hard for for the rights, nay glory to distribute.

First up though, can someone look up the definition of plagiarism for me please?

1509094889_1966.08UnderseaAgent4TPStamp.thumb.jpg.bde8b2affec8f2eee8cd4b36bd37b8c8.jpg 1935032463_abomkane.jpg.7149b4d33718c909d4c6a85f78a1ca44.jpg

Nice one and six there on our Mohican sporting Abomination. Sorry, completely unconnected monster in the Tower comic.

But here's what makes the Towers unique in the world of T&P stamping practice. Now, what do you do as a T&P Stamper (their actual job title, honest) if the cover is so dark that you can't find anywhere to stamp it?

Answer - stamp a sticker!

1620964257_1967.03NoMan2TPSticker.jpg.faca768abdf94a932729304b0786235f.jpg 1581419477_1967.03NoMan2TPSticker.thumb.jpg.48c790577ca5cc9cccca07b607b3afa6.jpg

Jeptha Judge of Israel, have you ever seen the like of it. 

Yes, actually. I've got a few examples in the files, and they're the only examples I've ever seen of this practice.

Here's another type unique to Tower - a T&P sticker over a T&P stamp:

767415666_1966.04ThunderAgents4TPStampSticker.thumb.jpg.c131847471d576709194649c0e2970ee.jpg

Cosmic!

And one for the UK nostalgics, a Comic Showcase comic ('FM' being the grade 'Fair to Middling'):

1743673654_1966.07ThunderAgents6CMCStamp.thumb.jpg.10b995641a0e9ec5f973e6da3affb9be.jpg

Weird stamp on it too, once debagged - cents and pence:

1257270415_1966.07ThunderAgents6CMCStampUnbagged.thumb.jpg.fe993350674960d0c6343073b065515f.jpg

And here's our old friend 'S.B.S.' again:

1189275182_1967.06ThunderAgents13S.B.S.OneShillingSticker.jpg.c3a53a17b9aea1d58036f29784b5b56b.jpg

So, what other exciting oddities exist for Tower then?

None. That's it. 

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2 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

First up though, can someone look up the definition of plagiarism for me please?

1509094889_1966.08UnderseaAgent4TPStamp.thumb.jpg.bde8b2affec8f2eee8cd4b36bd37b8c8.jpg 1935032463_abomkane.jpg.7149b4d33718c909d4c6a85f78a1ca44.jpg

Nice one and six there on our Mohican sporting Abomination. Sorry, completely unconnected monster in the Tower comic.

 

Well, whatever definition you want for plagiarism, I'm pretty sure that's not it.  That issue of Undersea Agent predates the first appearance of the Abomination by 8 months.  And both are by Gil Kane.  So it's certainly a neat catch; but Gil Kane deciding he liked the look of his one-off monster and reusing it for a different character isn't anything nefarious.

More generally, glad to have you back, and as always loving the research you're doing on these books!

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18 hours ago, OtherEric said:

Well, whatever definition you want for plagiarism, I'm pretty sure that's not it.  That issue of Undersea Agent predates the first appearance of the Abomination by 8 months.  And both are by Gil Kane.  So it's certainly a neat catch; but Gil Kane deciding he liked the look of his one-off monster and reusing it for a different character isn't anything nefarious.

I'm giving up on posting (incorrect) plagiarism references! doh!

Dropped the Mohican though didn't he :)

18 hours ago, OtherEric said:

More generally, glad to have you back, and as always loving the research you're doing on these books!

Thanks Eric. I don't know why I bother most days, given the lack of responses to countless posts which invite comment, but your kind post singular is enough to spur me on (thumbsu

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Morning :)

Over in my Charlton UKPV thread I've posted occasionally about the 'RV' 9d cover stamps in the hope of identifying who they were. I won an auction lot recently and, alongside some lovely new UKPVs, a few more cents priced / RV stamped Charlies were happily present - here's one of them:

299431476_1964-09FightinAirForce45.thumb.jpg.20d72b69444580eb71d102a87ef7d16a.jpg

It's quite a cool cover isn't it.

Here's the RV stamp up close, in its usual shield style:

1707242600_1964-09FightinAirForce45.jpg.743aa1db752746733df52e02895c2f7b.jpg

Whoever they were, RV seemed to taken over the distribution of Charlton's from L Miller who ceased their UKPV copies at the end of 1963 (December 1963 being the last known 9d printed copies). The first RV example I have is cover dated February 1964 and I have captured multiple examples for most months all the way through to July 1965.

When I first noticed them I thought they may be the stamp of a local shop or some regional outlet but I have collected so many examples now that that seems unlikely and something more extensive appears to have been in place. 

I've asked every knowledgeable UK dealer I know and none of them have a clue who RV were and only one said he had even noticed them. Google yielded its usual zilch. 

So there you go - yet another small historic nuance that has passed unnoticed into UK comic distribution history. Apart from my posts here, of course. 

See ya :)

 

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On 7/1/2020 at 10:22 PM, Kevin.J said:

No date stamp :( 

558016557_WaratSea29.thumb.jpg.51bb12a6e0913e8ff6e9faaaae69ee4c.jpg

Three examples now Kevin, yours, mine and eBays - all T&P twos, all stamped in different places:

11171737_1959.02WaratSea29TPStamp-ExampleB.thumb.jpg.72e12502461678f2b369fb01ae0a0070.jpg1236219706_1959.02WaratSea29TPStamp-ExampleC.thumb.jpg.fd8103d962e5715e95d75eb105e7af66.jpg68565891_1959.02WaratSea29TPStamp.thumb.jpg.cbc5d6b2b1d81709effb8eeca266a7c9.jpg

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21 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

2016039314_TPStampTypesGrid-20.thumb.PNG.d2337202e8c762006dff938660ad1481.PNG

bashing.gif.bed5b3c617bbf4de71d810b601425834.gif

 

2107888761_TPStampTypesGrid-21.thumb.PNG.28c7a538a67686aaf3a7a21fcf20636e.PNG

613063470_ahyes.gif.92f83f3c42b75d4e8a1577dcae7c306d.gif

I love that T&P stamp display! I'm sorry to spoil it, but this one is missing. The special decimilisation transition T&P stamp 1/-/5p! I think it only appeared on one month's comics. Curiously I don't think there was a 2/-/10p transition stamp on the Giant for that month which was Jimmy Olsen 131.

1970 09 Decimilisation Transition Det 403.jpg

Detective 403 close up.jpg

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53 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

I love that T&P stamp display!

Thanks Mr T! Don't add to it again will you, heh heh :bigsmile:

53 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

I'm sorry to spoil it, but this one is missing.

Oh, for :censored: sake!

53 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

The special decimilisation transition T&P stamp 1/-/5p! I think it only appeared on one month's comics.

Cool isn't it. It doesn't have 'T&P' on it though so I can't include it.

Only joking.

I've only found it on September 1970 books so far, and only DC (no Marvels)

53 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

Curiously I don't think there was a 2/-/10p transition stamp on the Giant for that month which was Jimmy Olsen 131.

132 you mean? That was a 15c job Mr T:

1429752467_1970.09JimmyOlsen132DualTPStamp.jpg.b6acdfa77ba1defa13882c3a72de7c4b.jpg

I'm glad you posted the dual stamp because it shows the lack of consistency around the time - DC 402 (August) has both 5p and 1/- stamps in evidence and the following September issue a dual and a 5p:

Capture.thumb.PNG.4866c1f767b480ef7a466ddda2ece346.PNG

It makes you wonder if this meant their were multiple locations. Why would a single stamping location have such a variance of stamps? Different people in the same place with different stamps? The usual lack of consistency which I love :bigsmile:

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2 hours ago, rakehell said:

Did I find something?

ch58.thumb.jpg.8c30f0bb794ebbaab3cc7d7bbfae711f.jpgs-l1600.thumb.jpg.e387590eeb6d2b3d8202ea8cf462a8ef.jpg

I think I saw this earlier in the thread, but I don't want to put my cupcake down to check. :insane:

Whoo-hoo! :headbang:

Yes, that's a new one on me Theresa, well done. Funnily enough I got a copy of that book in a recent auction lot - I was hoping it would be stamped, but nay. 

I've added it to the outliers section:

Capture.PNG.6a66b1fa909fa7fdef17bea8bfad3a31.PNG

 

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11 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Funnily enough I got a copy of that book in a recent auction lot - I was hoping it would be stamped, but nay. 

In that lot, I also got these two:

This one has a cool 9d stamp with no distributor attached - not one I've seen before:

1919257896_1965-08FightinArmy649dStamp.thumb.jpg.45a02a90b4d049f7adb466c4d6f87e67.jpg1206900192_1965-08FightinArmy649dStamp.jpg.06dd33ca0b4c7cfd682f5a040e869613.jpg

 

And this one is a cents copy with an LM 6d stamp that at December 1960 just predates the introduction of the LM UKPVs:

1677242279_USAirForce13(Vol.1)December1960(10c)LM6dStamp.thumb.jpg.d23c9ebb74285da8671392b0849488b6.jpg1572781462_USAirForce13(Vol.1)December1960(10c)LM6dStamp.jpg.aeabe49b0e13a421beff887157a417f2.jpg

I collect these examples to help support my theories as to what Charlton UKPVs exist, given their staggered arrival.

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1 hour ago, Get Marwood & I said:

I've only found it on September 1970 books so far, and only DC (no Marvels)

Tell a lie @Mr Thorpe, I had this saved in my stamp 'other stamp types' folder - August 1970:

1636583244_5p1sh.jpg.5dc150f1dc19078d8873f5a76f7d6575.jpg 1030112580_5p1sh.thumb.jpg.26ecb0e28de82b18e15a0240469a5d44.jpg

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6 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Thanks Mr T! Don't add to it again will you, heh heh :bigsmile:

Oh, for :censored: sake!

Cool isn't it. It doesn't have 'T&P' on it though so I can't include it.

Only joking.

I've only found it on September 1970 books so far, and only DC (no Marvels)

132 you mean? That was a 15c job Mr T:

1429752467_1970.09JimmyOlsen132DualTPStamp.jpg.b6acdfa77ba1defa13882c3a72de7c4b.jpg

I'm glad you posted the dual stamp because it shows the lack of consistency around the time - DC 402 (August) has both 5p and 1/- stamps in evidence and the following September issue a dual and a 5p:

 

Jimmy Olsen 131 was also cover dated September.  The DC giants around this time had weird cover dating; if you look at the Adventure giant from earlier in 1970 issue #390 has a later cover date than #391.  (All cover swiped from the GCD because I didn't feel like digging out and scanning mine right now):

14946.jpg

390.jpg

391.jpg

Edited by OtherEric
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7 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

Jimmy Olsen 131 was also cover dated September.  The DC giants around this time had weird cover dating; if you look at the Adventure giant from earlier in 1970 issue #390 has a later cover date than #391.  (All cover swiped from the GCD because I didn't feel like digging out and scanning mine right now):

14946.jpg

Got ya, thanks Eric - here's a 2 shilling T&P'd one - no 10p as Mr T said (and it's another new style too, for the T&P grid - no bar dividing  the price and T&P:

s-l1600.jpg.ea4098d80d8a0e42246e84f978245652.jpg

Quote

390.jpg391.jpg

That's mad. Love it :grin:

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On 9/19/2020 at 12:11 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Thanks Eric. I don't know why I bother most days, given the lack of responses to countless posts which invite comment, but your kind post singular is enough to spur me on (thumbsu

Just because some of us don't respond as much as we should doesn't mean we don't appreciate your research.  You do have 19 people following your posts after all.

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3 minutes ago, thunsicker said:

Just because some of us don't respond as much as we should doesn't mean we don't appreciate your research.  You do have 19 people following your posts after all.

cgcmod1 doesn't count :bigsmile:

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