Buster the TV Star?!

bustercomic · Post by **bustercomic** » 16 Mar 2007, 07:20

Thanks to Shaqui I've got hold of some promotional items that were released at the same time as Buster encouraging newsagents to stock it.

They said that the launch of Buster would be advertised in various places including on TV

Anyone know any more about this?

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 16 Mar 2007, 13:01

bustercomic wrote:Thanks to Shaqui I've got hold of some promotional items that were released at the same time as Buster encouraging newsagents to stock it.

They said that the launch of Buster would be advertised in various places including on TV

Anyone know any more about this?

All new comics of the sixties and seventies (from the major publishers) were advertised on tv with short tv spots (about 15 seconds). In the case of Buster though, in May 1960, I think most of us here would be too young to remember it. I was 1 at the time.

Lew

bustercomic · Post by **bustercomic** » 16 Mar 2007, 20:58

Yeah, guess I'm forgetting we're looking at 47 years ago almost now

Worth a try though

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 17 Mar 2007, 00:31

bustercomic wrote:Yeah, guess I'm forgetting we're looking at 47 years ago almost now

Worth a try though

It'd be interesting if all of those ads could be collected onto DVD but I suppose most have been wiped by now.

The format of those ads tended to fit to a formula: brief glimpse of free gift in action accompanied by quick flashes of a few pages and a cover, narrated by excitable voiceover emphasizing the words "new" and / or "free inside".

Often done on the cheap, in a studio with no set dressing, or using very basic animation, and lasting just 10 seconds or so. One that sticks in the mind was for the first issues of Look-In which was accompanied by a simple jingle: "Look out for Look-In". That was published by ITV themselves of course.

I'd usually be straight up to the corner shop thirty seconds after seeing tv ads for comics.

Lew

Shaqui · Post by **Shaqui** » 17 Mar 2007, 08:11

Lew Stringer wrote:All new comics of the sixties and seventies (from the major publishers) were advertised on tv with short tv spots (about 15 seconds).

Lew's right, and also any relaunch or (occasionally) inclusion of a free gift might warrant a short 'spot' (the trade term for a TV commercial). The trade press usually mention these with great enthusiasm, with adverts in most of their publications, as any extra publicity would hopefully mean greater sales, meaning larger orders to be placed.

[img:250:319]http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.c ... 0107Ad.jpg[/img]

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 17 Mar 2007, 17:28

Always interesting to see those trade ads Shaqui.

Regarding tv ads for comics, IPC decided to stop doing them just before they launched Oink! (bad timing or what?). The reasoning being that orders and sales on the issues advertised would be high, but there'd be a huge drop as soon as the comic didn't have a tv spot (from issue four or whatever). This would leave publishers with thousands of returns and unsold comics.

That said, there have been a few post-1980s comics that still made it to tv advertising: Judge Dredd Lawman of the Future, and Toxic! being two. Obviously it didn't help the Dredd comic (cancelled after 15 issues or so?) but Toxic did well out of it.

Lew

Captain Storm · Post by **Captain Storm** » 17 Mar 2007, 20:38

Hi Lew,ya that really sticks in my craw

I have the first 22 issues of Judge Dread Lawman of the Future with free gifts in mint condition.Then it just vanished

I wonder does anybody hear know when it actually ended(i.e. issue number?)

Comics UK