Hmmm. Are These Ridiculous Prices So High For A Reason?

 I wondered: Why are Mick Anglo (and other artists) issues of Marvelman suddenly so expensive?

Then I found out. Greed.

Miracleman (aka Marvelman) is now a character (not that well written) in Marvel Comics but it is NOT the original character -not even the likeness of.

Today I saw a copy of the early 1960s Miracle Man (the name they borrowed to avoid legal action by Marvel) going for £54 and others for £60 -one seller even put "Now in Marvel Comics!".

The sheer bloody ignorance of these scalpers is amazing..

In case anyone is interested this was a black and white comic of, I believe, Spanish comics. There were 13 issues starting in 1963 and published by Thorpe and Porter and, yes, I did buy the reprint rights from them but.... that was me being ripped off (I was young!)

Let Me Take You On A Joyride ( No. 2 1946)

There were 5 issues in total and all published in 1946. Now, Bob Wilkin is only credited with issue number one -I've no idea about 2-5. The first issue is listed as "NN" -"No number". I'm guessing Wilkin must have worked on the others -the proof is here!
Never seen this particular comic before so it's a real find. By the art style I'm guessing this is Wilkin of seaside postcard fame?

I'm hoping to get more info on him as well as, I hope, a photo, for the Golden Age blog and the Archives Yahoo group.

And that's about all I know!!

An Early UK Time Traveller: Bring 'Em Back Hank! (Gerald Swan Comics)

 William A Ward

 

Jimmy Jingles Time Machine....Better Than "Jimmy Jingle Bells" I Suppose!

 

Jimmy Jingles Time Machine was another superbly drawn comic strip from Knockout -this sample from the issue dated 22ndAugust, 1942.  The artist is Eric Parker.  Now I know Parker's career spanned almost sixty years! 

I began writing up notes and I found a scribbled URL (normally I bookmark these things on the computer!) but it took me to a wonderful article on the artist by Norman Wright and David Ashford that I recommend!

http://friardale.co.uk/Ephemera/Book%20and%20Magazine%20Collector/218-Eric%20Parker-artist-May%202002.pdf

A question -Jimmy Jingles -a suitable character for "resurrection"?

Was Electroman Blond or black haired?

 

This is an interesting one. King-Ganteaume Productions was set up by two ex GIs after 1945 when the GI Bill etc helped ex servicemen retrain or set up business. The studio supplied lot6s of small British companies including Swan and Scion. This is no. 6 (only 7 issues) from 1952.

Notice something different compared to the 1st issue from 1951?

Well, the most obvious is that he has black hair in issue 1 and his costume chest emblem is of a white and a black lightning bolt crossed -youcan see this in the cover below

This may well be down to whoever was given the job of drawing the strip as it was a studio and there are a few odd stories about how it was run! Of course, you might say that his Marvelman -like change was prone to "oddities" such as his black hair going blond but then things were pretty fast and loose with these small studios. Also, the hair was black on other issues....

Maybe the artist got Marvelman and Electroman mixedup....oops. No. Marvelman did nopt appear until 1954 so this will have to remain as one of those oddities of comics before the laser-like eye of continuity crept in (almost).

Money, Money, Money.... Then No Money!

 Back in the late 1970s and 1980s my plan was to be a comic publisher. None of that writing and drawinmg stuff for me. I'd get other people to do that stuff. With Gerald Swan I paid out. With Denis M Reader I paid out, I paid out to a few old publishers as well as buying rights from Donald Glut in the US.

The result?

I spent so much money that I had to start writing and drawing stuff myself!

At least it meant that reintroducing lost and forgotten characters  to new readers meant I could stick as close to the character as possible -some were pretty one dimensional if great fun!

Comic Bits 4

 

A4

80pp

colour and black and white

Perfect bound

£12.00 Until December 1st 2026 then £20.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/comic-bits-4/paperback/product-nv555mq.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Celebrating the British Platinum, Golden, Dark and Silver Ages of Comic Art and the long forgotten masters of comic book art and in this issue we look at George H Heath, Jack Greenall, Hugh Stanley White and John R Turner who are mostly forgotten. Their work from the 1930s to 1960s shaped the face of British comics.

And lost or forgotten characters? We hve those.

Who remembers Dick Gordon The Bat-Man?

Cyclone?

Even though he was a long lasting character who remembers The Falcon?

If that isn't good enough how about delving into the early 19th century and the first indisputable pop culture icon Dr Syntax. Educational and entertaining Comic Bits 4 is for the comic historianb as well as lovers of comics.