Comics UK

Phil! I see what you mean about me `missing` some posts! Yes, for my health's sake (I'm bieng perfectly serious here) I have had to utilise some time ago, an `ignore` function. In my case after my health deteriorated back then and to enable me to continue on this site it was necessary, So my apolgies if I seemed `Unaware` of certain posts; that was the reason.

Yesterday I got the four latest Commando's, and The Phoenix. I also got...
-A very battered Sonic The Comic issue 2, from a box in a charity shop that had 3 comics for £5. Most of them were 90's Beanos and Dandy's
-Beano Superstars issue 39, great cover!
-The Beano from Feb 8th 1992, in which Dennis makes a full-size elastic-powered plane. I remember having dreams of doing the same thing myself!

I also got a couple of Columbian(!) comics called Condorito. No indication as to how regular they were, but all the strips appear to be by the same artist, so it can't have been often. They provide an interesting look at the state of the Columbian economy, the older issue (copyright dated 1987, but it has an advert copyright dated 1992 on the back) was $550, the newer one, from 1998, was $3000!

Today managed to get a great advertising rate flyer from 1977 for 2000AD, issue 8 of Rover from 1922, and a copy of Wizard with the Bash Street Kids on the cover. Fab stuff!

Very well done Babington! Those are the rare items! I'm hoping to track down more `Sparky` ads/fliers/solicitations. I have contacted some of the bigger auction sites and give descriptions of said items. None of sites such as Compal or 30th Century comics had even heard of them-but promised to notify me if they come across any!

The only site that `used` to have such cards etc was the Philrice site- who had Sparky Nesagents ads cards for Sept 65, March 66 and Oct 72 but! Phil can't find them - 0h Catastrophe! I'm quite willing to pay £100.00 plus for such `Sparky` cards!

The first volume of TwoMorrows' American Comic Book Chronicles, covering 1960-1964. (Well, it arrived in the post anyway)

I love it! This whole book is a glorious reminder of how prescient I was to be born at exactly the right time to live through the 'Silver Age' explosion (which conveniently kicked into gear just as Thorpe & Porter began importing American comic books into the UK again after their long postwar absence).

Now all I need is a similar volume covering the wealth of equally ground-breaking British comics that went on sale during the same period. Truly, those of us on this side of the Atlantic who belonged to the second half of the 'baby boom' generation had the best of both worlds!

- Phil Rushton

"I also got a couple of Columbian(!) comics called Condorito. No indication as to how regular they were, but all the strips appear to be by the same artist, so it can't have been often. They provide an interesting look at the state of the Columbian economy, the older issue (copyright dated 1987, but it has an advert copyright dated 1992 on the back) was $550, the newer one, from 1998, was $3000!" felneymike

Condorito is really famous and has been on the go for yonks - first appearance in 1947 in Okey. Have a look here:-
http://www.condorito.cl/
History, covers, sample strip, lots more.
That's such a great find.

Received the 1989 Oor Wullie annual today. Not had time to have a good read of it yet, but it's in very good condition, almost like new

Won (and bought) the following items off eBay yesterday.

Buster and Giggle (28/9/1968)
Cor!! (27/2/1971 and 3/4/1971)
Sparky (12/6/1971 and 29/1/1966)

with the two Sparky issues, I am now at the 600 issue mark (including better copies wanted). I now have 52 issues to go.

Regarding your quest to collect all things 'Sparky' Alan, here are some more adverts from Diana:











If nothing else it's interesting to see how a couple of those are tailored specifically for girls.

- Phil Rushton

paw broon wrote:
Condorito is really famous and has been on the go for yonks - first appearance in 1947 in Okey. Have a look here:-
http://www.condorito.cl/
History, covers, sample strip, lots more.
That's such a great find.

Haha, nice to see the "plop!" sound effect that ends nearly every strip is still going strong. I'll do a "peeps at foreign comics" entry about it on my blog one of these days... I need to break them up with entries about British comics too though XD

philcom55 wrote: If nothing else it's interesting to see how a couple of those are tailored specifically for girls.

- Phil Rushton

As was this one, which keeps being ignored every time I post it, but... one last time:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_448y6kVhntg/T ... ianaad.jpg

Many thanks Phil! Its the first time I have seen some (Tweak-Squeak) in full colour! I'll try to print them out! Speaking of such0-I was speaking to Leena at Thomson Archives! Though no `Sparky` stuff has yet surfaced, she has founf Newsagent Solicitation cards for other titles such a Beano & Dandy! I have contacted Phil Shrimpton about these as I know he loves this kind of stuff too!

Yes! they printed out great! Thank you very much Phil!

Assuming your computer has filtered out Lew's posts Alan, it's only fair to point out that he set the ball rolling by providing this link to yet another nice 'Sparky' advert that appeared in Diana:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_448y6kVhntg/T ... ianaad.jpg

- Phil R.

I'm quite fascinated by the two images of a black girl on the adverts that Phil posted. Was she a character in Sparky, or just a cartoon figure who could be startled by the Crack Bang, and open-mouthed in childish amazement watching the Spinner? Either way, she gets a similar presentation to that of the inhabitants of Spadger Isle.