Comics UK

Earl wrote:Also snagged...

Any interesting MGM character content in the Tom and Jerry Weekly issues? I remember this title from the time - TV cartoon characters in comics always seemed quite exciting - but you'd have expected just TV Comic to have the rights to publishing Tom and Jerry stories in the UK at the time, as they were its cover stars. Tom and Jerry Weekly was published by a different publisher - Spotlight Publications - but didn't it somehow actually join up with Polystyle's TV Comic after a while?

I just have Tom and Jerry Weekly issue 15 here, which features Tom and Jerry, Skrewy Squirrel, Jerry and Tuffy, and the one that always slightly perplexed me as a little boy, as I'd never seen him in any cartoons: Professor Putter and his robot Herman. All US Dell/Gold Key reprints, I assume. Professor Putter used to be a back-up in their Sixties Three Stooges comics.

Yes, Tom and Jerry merged with TV Comic at the end of it's run, an unusual example of a comic getting incorporated into a comic from a rival publisher. Of course the Tom and Jerry title was unusual in itself for being co-published by World Distributors and Spotlight.

Earl.

I went to the ephemera fair yesterday and one seller had the complete years 1955 and 1956 of Hotspur for £50 each also a complete year of Girl (1950s) for £160. They also had about 30 of those four page pink advertising inserts ten of which were from the 1950s (all boys comics ads) as well as one for the Beano and Dandy comic libraries. They were a fiver each so I settled for 73 copies of Titbits dating between 1911 and 1974. Lots of comic strips and cartoons in them including one by Frank Frazetta. I also picked up a few odds and ends and 20 copies of Punch from the 1890s including one with the original curate's egg cartoon from where the phrase originated. I checked on Wikipaedea and they said in the last ever issue of Punch they reprinted the cartoon but with the caption changed to: Curate: "This f***ing egg is off" While looking through the Punches i came across a superb cartoonist by the name of Bernard Partridge, the stage cartoon made me laugh out loud.

A couple more from the same artist, can anyone explain the two ladies joke, its gone over my head, obviously a pun:

stevezodiac wrote:A couple more from the same artist, can anyone explain the two ladies joke, its gone over my head, obviously a pun:

Vol-au-vents are made from puff pastry and puff pastry is notorious for not rising or 'drooping' if cooked incorrectly. So, even now, 100 years plus, it's still a terrible pun!

I've just received three perfectly preserved 1974 issues of Valiant and Lion. Three more helpings of Gothic horror from Danny Doom ("The lid of the huge coffin creaked open ... and then a fearsome, grunting shape reared into view ... "; "UUUR-RUUUUUGH!") and three more instalments of fab western serial Trail to Nowhere. Three more Adam Eternos too ("My life of centuries ends unless I keep the gold-capped fangs from my throat!").

My Valiant and Lion collection is nearly complete!

Just received Knock-Out No.1 which isn't quite as good as the seller described but I'm still pleased to have such a rare item. Will blog about it when I have more time.

Does anyone know what the "monster" free gift was in it?

Lew Stringer wrote:Just received Knock-Out No.1 which isn't quite as good as the seller described but I'm still pleased to have such a rare item. Will blog about it when I have more time.

Does anyone know what the "monster" free gift was in it?

For a moment, I thought you meant the 1971 version and was about to ask about the origin of Pete's Pockets! But the hyphen reveals that you mean the 1939 version, of course. Wow - what a rarity. Looking forward to your blog write up.

Just won Sparky 14 despite big opposition from old `Mon-Ell`

Raven wrote:I've just received three perfectly preserved 1974 issues of Valiant and Lion. Three more helpings of Gothic horror from Danny Doom ("The lid of the huge coffin creaked open ... and then a fearsome, grunting shape reared into view ... "; "UUUR-RUUUUUGH!") and three more instalments of fab western serial Trail to Nowhere. Three more Adam Eternos too ("My life of centuries ends unless I keep the gold-capped fangs from my throat!").

My Valiant and Lion collection is nearly complete!

Now I have all Lion & Thunders, I'm trying to collect up to the last Valiant before it merged with Battle, I need 28,
6 Valiant & Lions 1974
7 Valiants 1975
14 Valiant & Vulcans 1976
1 Valiant 1976

Just won and paid for 14 Hotspurs from 79/80

Lew Stringer wrote:Does anyone know what the "monster" free gift was in it?

I think it varied from issue to issue, which is probably why the gift wasn't specified. Apparently some copies contained a 'Tuck Hamper' of sweets whereas others held a paint box and brush.

- Phil Rushton

I received quite a bumper bundle today: a lovely mint Tarzan Weekly from 1977 (only four left to get now of this short-lived publication from National Magazine Distributors Ltd., which had some appealing content on quality paper - does anyone else like Tarzan Weekly?); a Son of Tarzan Summer Special - one of its spin-offs with three Korak tales; an early issue of Scorcher from 1970 (Kangaroo Kid! Billy's Boots! Ken Reid's Football Forum!); five mid-Sixties Rover and Wizards - not so much my kind of thing, but I thought it might be fun to read some serials over five consecutive issues, and only for 99p each - I'd forgotten that this title was all text stories rather than comic strips, though; and some Valiant and Lions from 1975, and Valiant and Vulcans from 1976 (including one with a nice cover depicting a shark trying to scoff Adam Eterno).

philcom55 wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote:Does anyone know what the "monster" free gift was in it?

I think it varied from issue to issue, which is probably why the gift wasn't specified. Apparently some copies contained a 'Tuck Hamper' of sweets whereas others held a paint box and brush.

- Phil Rushton

Thanks Phil. There's a dried brown stain on a few pages that I presume was where the free gift was but I'm not getting close enough to find out if it's from sweets or paint.

My Black Bob: The Dandy Wonder Dog book turned up today. Looking forward to reading it.

EDIT

I also bought the Roy of the Rovers one off special.