What comics did you buy today?

[Jon]

Got the Buster annual 1992... for free! There's a charity "free books" organisation running in Reading town centre now. This is the first time I've seen a comic annual there, but it's well worth a look if anyone's in Reading.

[felneymike]

I got the issue of The Boys' Friend for this week 100 years ago

[philcom55]

That's amazing - but even more amazing is the fact that you were actually around 100 years ago to get it!

- Phil R.

[Digifiend]

lol, he clearly meant that he'd just obtained an issue dated within seven days of 8 June 1911.

[Raven]

I got the May 12th 1906 copy of 'THE NEW BOYS' WORLD' picture paper (though there is a weird colour comic strip on the back page about Balmy Bertie's Tripe-Hound) for a mere 99p, with a cover illustrating the serial 'The Vengeance of the Wolf-Men' by Frank Powell.

What immediately stands out to me is the Editor's Page where the editor, A.G. Hales shows great disdain for his readers, but using some quite nice eloquent phrases at times! He only replies to boys who've written to him, the letters themselves aren't printed.

Examples of his approach to his readers:

THOMAS ALFRED K. "You say the other boy struck you. If you send me that other boy's proper address, I will send him a shilling."

TOM ALLEN - "You ask me why all boys don't get the same start in life, so that all may get an equal chance. Laddie, I edit THE BOYS' WORLD; I don't edit the universe."

E. B. M. - "You are like a sore eye in a sandstorm, my lad. I don't want to rub you, and I can't let you alone ... "

G.A.H. - "Don't you find you are a bit of a prig, now? Go away into a quiet corner of a park, and do a little bit of quiet thinking. Turn your eyes inside yourself, and see if you can't find something to find fault with there."

There are much ruder - but quite long to type out - ones; he also notes that some of his readers make him tired: "They want the earth and the waters under the earth, and a melon patch thrown in - all for a penny." (The paper cost one penny.)

Do any of our picture paper specialists know much about THE BOY'S WORLD or THE NEW BOY'S WORLD; I'm tempted to collect them for the letters pages (any other gems from Hales?) - though I think it might be a rare title.

I also got three June-July 1975 VALIANTS, highlights of the period for me being the superbly illustrated The Boy Who Went to War, plus Adam Eterno and The Potters of Poole Street; also Zip Nolan double-pagers by Joe Colquhoun.

[felneymike]

Some of those letters are brilliant!

It was quite a common thing in story papers of the late 19th and early 20th century to publish lots of short replies to letters in that fashion. The Nelson Lee Library was still doing it in the 20's. Not with the same, erm, "flair", though.

One short-lived paper called Boys (blog about it coming one day!) would occasionally criticise people's handwriting, but I get the impression that it was only when the letter-writer asked for criticism.

Ahem, anyway, I recently blogged about a strange annual I got, published by a company called "Opal Quill" (http://blog.crystal-knights.co.uk/2011/ ... -weird-un/). A bit of research revealed that they had published a few other annuals, the most common among them being two "Mighty Heroes" annuals in 1984 and 5. I got the 1984 edition today, it contains two stories - one about a superhero called "Astro Man" which appears to be the second part of a story! There's also a story about a knight called "The Fearless Roldan".

[Raven]

Some of those letters are brilliant!

It was quite a common thing in story papers of the late 19th and early 20th century to publish lots of short replies to letters in that fashion. The Nelson Lee Library was still doing it in the 20's. Not with the same, erm, "flair", though.

Yes, I have a few 1890s Boy's Own Papers with this kind of correspondence. Sometimes I get the impression that the reader has written in about masturbation:

"YOURS MISERABLY (A. Sufferer) - "You'll ruin your health, sap your strength, and be wretched for life if you go on as you are doing."

There was a famous B. O. P. reply to such a letter: "“Coffins are cheap and boys like you are not of much use in the world.”

More chumminess from The New Boys' World editor A. G. Hales:

F. L. M. - "Your letter is clever; but why do you use such nasty language? You wouldn't dress a prince in a beggar's rags. Why dress your smart thoughts in gutter language?"

A. W. - "When a boy is impertinent by post it is a sure and certain sign that he is a cur. He is like the dog that barks through the fence, but never crosses the gate."

Well, according to a magazine data website, New Boys' World ran for 55 issues, then was incorporated into Chums (a title advertised in my copy). Boys' World ran for 41 issues before that. Perhaps it's unsurprising it didn't last long with the editor's attitude towards his readers!

[Lew Stringer]

A. W. - "When a boy is impertinent by post it is a sure and certain sign that he is a cur. He is like the dog that barks through the fence, but never crosses the gate."

How true those words are even to this day.

[r3tr0_gam3r]

Yesterday, I bought seven Buster comics from 1981 on ebay for 50p with £1.50 P&P. I was very happy with this deal.

[felneymike]

Another couple of Boys' Friends from May and June 1911. Both of them (and the previous one I've got) give cover billing to a serial in which the detective Nelson Lee is assisted by... King George V!

[blaing]

I won all the 1976 and 1977 issues of Sparky today (all except issues 582, 608 and 635)

I'll know I'll pay throught the nose in postage, but it will be worth it.

[felneymike]

I got the "Mighty Heroes Annual 1985" today. The front and back covers are the same and I almost opened it the wrong way, thinking to myself "Japanese comics are read 'backwards' like that, it'd be funny if they had put the beginning of the story in the 'back' of this book" ... THEY HAVE!!

The first story in it is barely introduced, simply saying "What would you do if you had a portal to another dimension in your house?", then a man steps through the portal and finds himself leading a revolution in the future!

Anyway, after reading the rest of the annual (with various adventure stories of variable length) the final story is another one about the "portal in the house" that actually explains what it is and who invented it. In this one the hero tests it out and ends up in 1889 where he is accused of being a serial killer. But luckily Sherlock Holmes is on the case!

[STARBOY]

I got the US Savage Sword of Conan magazine (1976) issue 12 (excellent stuff from John Buscema and Alcalla) - Marvel Previews (Satana) 7 (not so great think its mostly filer from the horror craze of the time) for £6 (for both) Also got a Hunt Emerson Knockabout book "Pilgrim and Son" (as always excellent stuff from Hunt) for £1 and 2 DC kids pocket books Bug Bunny and Cartoon network for £1 each (only got them as felt guilty by only picking up the Hunt Emerson book at a £1 in their sale)

[r3tr0_gam3r]

I'm very happy, yesterday I received the Bash Street Kids 2010 annual. For some reason I didn't buy it when it came out, and this was the last of the BSK annuals I needed. Another collection completed
Also, today, the Beano 1967 annual arrived at my door. I love you eBay!!

[Young Freddy]

On sunday i went to a carboot sale, and I found the Krazy annual 1980 and the whizzer and chips annual 1976 at only 50p each! In other news, I also bought 'The Monster Rupert' book from 1950 for £1, for some reason.