Reprint Collections

Kashgar · Post by **Kashgar** » 25 Sep 2007, 11:26

Speaking of reprint volumes I think mention should be made here of the Magnet reprint volumes produced for nearly twenty years by Howard Baker. In that time Howard Baker produced 100 volumes of the Magnet Library with each volume containing at least 7 copies of the Magnet as originally published. Add to this the Greyfriars Book Club titles etc he also produced and in total Baker republished all but about 250 of the 1683 issues of Magnet that originally appeared.
In most instances a volume would have at its core a particular series from the original paper eg the very first volume in 1969 contained the seven issues that comprised the 'Billy Bunter in the Land of the Pyramids' series while some volumes would be bumper editions like the 'Courtfield Cracksman' volume which ran to 14 consecutive issues in order to encompass the whole story.
So although I advocated the reprinting of single strips in today's market in this strand I just thought it was worth pointing out that there was a time when say, reprinting every issue of Valiant in hardback book format, may have been a viable possibility.

stevezodiac · Post by **stevezodiac** » 05 Oct 2007, 20:35

DC Thomson devote a lot of time and effort producing the Broons/Oor Wullie and Beano/Dandy archive collections, it might be a good idea if they produced, say, a Tough of the Track collection in a softcover version like the normal Broons and Oor Wullie annuals. We collecters would be guaranteed to buy it and there would no doubt be a nostalgia market. Does anyone know how many copies they would have to sell to make it viable? It would be all reprint so no fees to pay as such. New cover art obviously. Imagine if they produced a Lord Snooty or Desperate Dan collection in alternate years! Heaven. The possibilities are endlesss, Dennis, Beryl, Ginger, Winker Watson, Brassneck. One a year. Do it now before i pass on!

Captain Storm · Post by **Captain Storm** » 05 Oct 2007, 21:10

Again the way to go is CD scans.Once they are produced they can serve as a digital record and need only be copied when a purchaser requires one.Simple.Remember,paper won't last for ever..i.e.hard original copy!!!

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 05 Oct 2007, 21:19

Captain Storm wrote:Again the way to go is CD scans.Once they are produced they can serve as a digital record and need only be copied when a purchaser requires one.Simple.Remember,paper won't last for ever..i.e.hard original copy!!!

Considering we all have comics from our childhood I think they'll last fairly well with care. (What always makes me laugh are those eBay sales which say "In fairly good condition considering its age" for a 20 year old comic! More like "in good condition considering the owner treated it like a football".

)

And what happens in 50 years time when CD's are obsolete?

Lew

Captain Storm · Post by **Captain Storm** » 05 Oct 2007, 21:39

Lew wrote:

And what happens in 50 years time when CD's are obsolete?

There will always be new media that we can transfer our scans onto.At the mo I keep mine on flash cards.Any ebay comics I acquire are scanned and archived in this way lest the originals end up damaged.Re treating with care,Lew,of course us anoraks will do so,but I was referring to DC Thomson getting their act together and digitally scanning their archive for posterity and ultimately generating revenue by offering scans for sale to the general fans.A win-win situation.Old ground I know,but plain common sense!

stevezodiac · Post by **stevezodiac** » 05 Oct 2007, 22:14

Can't imagine many comic collectors reading comics from a cd on their pc, the whole point of collecting comics is having the item in your hand.

Captain Storm · Post by **Captain Storm** » 06 Oct 2007, 09:18

Very true Steve,but realistically very few of us will ever have full collections due to scarcity and/or financial considerations.So my point is why don't the big publishers archive all their product and make some money by selling CD's to Joe Public.

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 06 Oct 2007, 09:34

Captain Storm wrote:Very true Steve,but realistically very few of us will ever have full collections due to scarcity and/or financial considerations.So my point is why don't the big publishers archive all their product and make some money by selling CD's to Joe Public.

Probably because they haven't gotten around to it, plus the unknown factor of whether there's a market for them. I bought those Fantastic Four and Avengers CDs (500 complete comics on each) but only use them as reference. I won't be buying any further Marvel releases. It's simply not as relaxing to read comics on a computer than it is to sit back on the sofa and read a paper version.

Lew

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