What comics did you buy today?

[Raven]

Titles from that period and earlier on Ebay usually seem to have either very badly rusted staples leaking all over the pages, or completely worn away spines (probably due to rusted staples). Of course, it is indeed mostly due to how and where they were kept rather than 'time.'

'GOOD CONDITION FOR AGE' is an annoying description. It's either good condition or it isn't.

[stevezodiac]

I have a newspaper from around 1790 that is in excellent condition. It may have been laying somewhere like inside a book for 200 years. Just a matter of where these things have been kept.

[Digifiend]

Wow! A 220 year old newspaper still intact? Amazing!

[Kashgar]

Ah! But if it only still contained the Express Whistler that came with it!

[felneymike]

The half-year 1910 bound volume of The Boys' Friend from compal comics! Not arrived yet but it's bound to be excellent. I need to look over old catalogues and see how often they sell this kind of thing, as i got it for an "ok" price compared to the levels some of thier stuff soars too (though i did once get a whole year's worth from 1902-3 bound for £40 on ebay, but that was mega-luck).

There's bound to be excellent war stories in it about the dastardly Germans, French or Russians (or a combination) invading Britain and being fought off by a gallant young officer just out of school. There was one in 1909 called "The Peril to Come", i wish i could read all of that, the title alone is inspiring patriotic fervour.

I also recently took delivery of 15 issues of "Boys Magazine" from 1933, included with 3 issues of "Scramble" from 1948. 2 of which are the same issue, number 15.

Er, anybody in the market for issue 15 of Scramble?

[Peter Gray]

Just bought some 1966 Beezers..11 of them..£7.45

No. 523 22nd January
No. 526 12th February longish tear to back cover (still complete)
No. 529 5th March
No. 531 19th March
No. 534 9th April address on cover
No. 537 30th April address on cover
No. 554 27th August very yellowed, some loss to cover on spine, quite poor
No. 556 10th Sept. non-frayed issue
No. 561 15th Oct. tear to cover
No. 562 22nd Oct.
No. 570 17th Dec.
No. 582 11th Mar. 1967 heavy centre fold.

also bought The Saint black and white episodes..for £17...now realise why it was cheap it only released part 1....
so I'd get duplicates if I buy the complete black and white...which is £40 on ebay.
oh well still plenty to enjoy..

[steelclaw]

I've got a big(For me anyway)buying comic couple of weeks.

Beano No.3500
Dr Who Adventures
Wednesday comic
G.I Joe No.2.(What would make this comic even better if they could done at least a 4 page spin-off or new adventure strip instead of just one story)

Then Next week
Guardian/Observer
Misty

[felneymike]

Today i bought an interestingly bizarre book called "Sporting Supermen" which implies that Wilson of the Wizard, Alf Tupper, Roy of the Rovers and Skid Solo were all real people, and "tracks down" old documents and "eyewitness accounts" about thier sporting prowess

So far i've only read the Wilson section, alternatley laughing and wondering. (It even entirely leaves out his expedition to a lost city of ancient greeks as in the Wilson canon he kept it secret from all but one person, the scientist who discovered the city). There is also a section on the writer of the stories.

[colcool007]

Today i bought an interestingly bizarre book called "Sporting Supermen" which implies that Wilson of the Wizard, Alf Tupper, Roy of the Rovers and Skid Solo were all real people, and "tracks down" old documents and "eyewitness accounts" about thier sporting prowess

So far i've only read the Wilson section, alternatley laughing and wondering. (It even entirely leaves out his expedition to a lost city of ancient greeks as in the Wilson canon he kept it secret from all but one person, the scientist who discovered the city). There is also a section on the writer of the stories.

I got that book a couple of years ago. It's a damn site better than the usual tat in certain newspapers about the love-lives of the latest WAG. And at least Brendan Gallagher did it in a sympathetic manner and reprinted a few of the stories, mainly the text stories in the case of Tupper and Wilson, but did give us a few pages of Solo and Race.

[Raven]

I received a couple of 1971 Scorchers today, including two Billy's Boots by Tom Kerr, two Manager Matts by Ken Reid, one instalment of Kangaroo Kid, and ads for Super Mousse and Crazy Joe Cola ice lollies amongst their highlights. Most of the football stories seem to have a nice imaginative twist to them.

[stevezodiac]

Picked up 1963 Roy of the Rovers All Sports annual for £2 in Greenwich. Really nice condition too. It has about three comic strip stories but mostly text and photos.

[Kashgar]

Just bought this years Thomson 'Golden Age' books. 'The Broons and Oor Wullie - The Glory Years 1956-1969', 'Golden Age Classic Comics Beano and Dandy - Winter Games' and 'Golden Age Classic Stories Bunty For Girls - For Girls Like You'
All of these Golden Age books are now published without dustjackets and with satin-finish rather than gloss covers.
I suspect that The Broons and Oor Wullie book is subtitled 'The Glory Years' more in reference to Scotland the nation rather than to the strips themselves. As Dudley Watkins 'glory years' as a comic strip artist certainly pre-dated this selection, wonderful though it still is.
The Winter Games volume is brilliant, certainly for anyone like me who always loved a strip with a snow theme or even when the white stuff was just used as a bit of seasonal set-dressing. (Lots of artist credits too although in one instance, the Beezer Book cover for 1970, I would have said it was drawn by Tom Bannister rather than Bob McGrath)
The Bunty book is a fine volume and is a nice coda to the fifty annuals that preceded it. Just a pity it couldn't have had a dustjacket to bring it in line with all those classic Bunty annuals of the 1960's and 1970's.

[Digifiend]

Likewise, shame it's cover design doesn't match those early annuals - I suppose the reason why not is because it would have been too similar to the old Golden/60/70 Years design.

[Kashgar]

From the content of the Bunty 'Golden Age' book it would seem that is likely to be a one-off as it basically covers the whole history of the paper. From the cover of the first issue to the cover of the last, both of which are reproduced, and the first instalment of the Four Mary's saga as drawn by Bill Holroyd (rather muddily reproduced for some reason) to the version of later years drawn by John Aldridge.
There is also a nice page of Bunty Annual cover reproductions, although sadly nothing similar for the rarer, and therefore more rarely seen Bunty Summer Specials.
And sadly while no art credits are given as such there is still lots of lovely artwork reproduced by the likes of Ron Smith, the not so lovely but nonetheless equally, nostalgically atmospheric Ron Forbes and the cartooning genius that was and indeed, still is, Bill Ritchie.
Maybe someone should have sat original Bunty editor Harold Moon down and asked him about the artists he used on the paper in the early years but sadly they didn't and now that moment has passed. A really nice book nonetheless.

[Digifiend]

Maybe they're planning three Golden Age books each year - Beano/Dandy, Broons/Oor Wullie, and a third which will be different every year? So next year could be Victor for example. Guess we'll know in 11 months.