1964 reprint this month.

[stevezodiac]

Ok how about this then. When Football Picture Library was still published it was advertised every week on the back page of the Weekly News - a DC Thomson stablemate - but I have never seen Commando advertised in it. Why is that? Seems strange, although I suppose they figure The Weekly News is read by Women. But then they have sport pages at the back so must reach some males. Then again if The Weekly News did have Commando ads on the back page there would be the frustration of people not being able to find them due to the poor distribution. I read recently that 12000 copies of each Commando were published per month so demand could end up outdoing supply?

[Digifiend]

If that happens, I don't see why they can't increase the circulation.

On the same logic, why isn't Commando advertised in the Beano or Classics?

[felneymike]

I the only one who would NOT like colour in Commando, then?

Bet i'm (shockingly) the youngest poster on the thread too

A colour, "comic sized" special would be a cool idea i think though. To test the waters it could even just be a reprint of some colour stuff from late Victor (and/or colour stuff from DCT adventure annuals) for the first one, just re-done with the Commando name. That way no new artwork would need to be paid for until it was clear if it worked or not.

[grumpy old man]

Battle and Air ace did summer specials in the 70’s. If I remember correctly they were a collection of four reprints all in the usual b & w format. Thou’ as I don’t recall seeing many of them presumably they didn’t sell.

[Commando CO]

So many questions, so little time...

Advertising first. Commando used to be advertised in ALL Thomsons' newspapers plus the comics (Beano, Dandy, etc) and the boys' papers (Victor, Warlord et al) but for some reason that fell by the wayside. However, avid reader of the Weekly News Mr Zodiac will be seeing some ads in the near future. As will scanners of the other newspapers.

The subject of the Beano, WWe Kids and Classics is under discussion.

I do not know why the ads were stopped but it was certainly not because the demand might outstrip the supply. We would just print more, believe me!

On that subject, despite falling circulations pretty much across the board in UK periodicals, Commando is holding its own (and even increasing slightly in some areas). So thanks to everyone who's digging into their pockets. And if anyone reading this is swithering... please buy a copy or two! Thank you kindly.

Moving on to Felneymike's point. Reprinting some old stuff from Victor or whatever wouldn't really test the waters. It would only give an idea of the market for old reprint stuff. And generally speaking, we can tell that from Classics. And, of course, from the phenomenally successful Commando Collections.

What I'd want to put in a Commando colour edition would be newly-created stuff taking advantage of everything new we could throw at it. Testing the format with reprint would be like a car company painting a 1970s model in new colours to test whether a new model might sell. Well, sort of.

I hope this is of some interest.

Fall out!

[philcom55]

Reprinting some old stuff from Victor or whatever wouldn't really test the waters. It would only give an idea of the market for old reprint stuff. And generally speaking, we can tell that from Classics. And, of course, from the phenomenally successful Commando Collections...

No doubt that's true, but given the success of the Commando Collections I can't help but think it would be an idea to test the market for large-format companion volumes containing complete war serials culled from Victor, etc. An all-Braddock book, for example? Who knows...he might then go on to catch the eye of a Steven Spielberg or a Ridley Scott!

- Phil R.

[Commando CO]

You have a point, Phil, but what you're talking about is not Commando and not an ongoing project. It's a VIctor/Warlord review looking back so it would only test the market for that sort of product. It would be the right format but not the right content for Commando.

If Braddock was handed to me to turn into a product that would catch the eye of Ridley Scott (or whoever), I'd want the whole thing re-worked and re-drawn, not coloured-up old pages reprinted. Which means a whole new product.

And it's not likely to be handed to me unfortunately.

[stevezodiac]

Glad to hear that Commando will soon be advertised in The Weekly News. This prompts another question re finances. Do the Weekly News charge Commando for the ads or are they free because they are both DC Thomson publications? The money would end up in the same pot wouldn't it or do they have seperate budgets? Apologies if I am delving to deeply into the world of DC Thomson.

Speaking of which I found my copy of the Sunday Times magazine in my storage unit, the one from the early 70s where they try to infiltrate the world of DC Thomson and come across secrecy worthy of James Bond. I'll try to scan it here soon but the large format means it will be in bits and pieces.

[Commando CO]

Ah, the internal market!

I could give you the details but then I'd have to... Well, you know the end of that quote.

Was the article called "The Secret World of the Comic Kings" or something like that? I remember reading it in the dim and distant but I'm pretty sure it was before my time. I'm sure we're much more open now. Heavens, we even put credits on Commando books!

[stevezodiac]

Correct. There was some dispute about Thomson being a non-union firm and employees keeping their union membership secret. I'll try to reduce the article to A4 on work photocopier (I save them reams of paper each year through recycling so don't feel guilty about the odd bit of personal use). Might put the cover on tomorrow night.

[Steve Henderson]

Hi, forgive me if this seems like a daft question but would colouring the publication go against any rules about showing blood in a comic? I'm pretty sure - heard that you can't show it in a kids publication? And that printing in black and white gos around this rule? I may be thinking of a different comic or more likely not thinking at all! I used to love the comic when I was a kid don't get it too much these days though may have to take the COs advice and treat myself to one as its been a year or two!

[Kashgar]

The article was indeed titled 'The Secret World of the Comic Kings' and was subsequently reprinted in 'The D C Thomson Bumper Fun Book' a collection of articles, interesting in themselves, with a rather anti-Thomson slant. ( Mind you the articles on the juvenile titles by social historian Owen Dudley Edwards I've always considered ill-informed elitist nonsense).
In fact the publication of both this article and this book were double edged swords for the comics' historian as they made Thomson's staff close ranks for a while with the result that it made it that much more difficult to elicit information from editors and artists than it had been previously.

[philcom55]

Hi, forgive me if this seems like a daft question but would colouring the publication go against any rules about showing blood in a comic? I'm pretty sure - heard that you can't show it in a kids publication?

I think that was the old Comics Code Authority in America, which also banned vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.

- Phil R.

[Steve Henderson]

Cheers Phil, My historys not as sharp as everyone elses on here although I have heard of the code! Thinking about it I have seen bloody in Beanos and Dandys so daft question really! Out of intrest did the american horror comics turn up when the code was dropped in the late 50s or were they breaking the code?

[philcom55]

Out of intrest did the american horror comics turn up when the code was dropped in the late 50s or were they breaking the code?

The other way round really: the Code (or at least the public outcry it was an industry-led response to) effectively killed off a lot of horror comics during the early 1950s, including those published by EC. However there was a sudden glut of werewolves, vampires, etc. in the 1970s when the Code was thoroughly revised.

- Phil R.