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You'd have thought IPC's VULCAN would've been much more successful, emulating, as it did, a style very similar to that of American comics, but the national edition of Vulcan ran for only 28 issues. However, as it had tallied up another 30 in a trial run in Scotland six months previously, if I'm not mistaken (and knowing me, I very well could be), the total count (remember to be extremely careful in your pronunciation of that when speaking to someone) was 58. It also had a Holiday Special and an Annual, the latter usually being listed on eBay as 'rare', despite it popping up for sale extremely regularly. (For 'rare', read 'more expensive than it should be'.)
When its time came, it was merged into VALIANT as a 'mini-mag', which, as far as I know, was the only time this was done to an absorbed title. I'm not sure it was successful, as it meant some adventure strips were given only one page, and The TRIGAN EMPIRE's colour art didn't reprint too well in black and white. A mere six months later, Valiant was swallowed by BATTLE and I can't help but wonder if it was the awful typeface lettering that was being used in IPC comics at the time which led to circulation dropping on so many titles. I won't even bother showing you any examples, because they're so bad it's painful to look at them, but the overall effect was, to use the Glasgow technical term, pure pish.
Sure, D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd used typeface lettering in their comics too, but it was done with more finesse that IPC could manage. When a comic looks dreadful, it surely doesn't help it retain a loyal following. It's mere speculation on my part, of course, but maybe there's something in it. Anyway, here's the Vulcan Mini-Mag #1 and some humour pages (hand-lettered thankfully, so they're most likely reprints) to give you a small taste of a comic weekly that had only around six months to live. Shame really. Still, that said, Valiant's 14-year lifespan is hardly to be sniffed at.
Vulcan may have died but Kobra, the German version with the same format and stories, carried on for a long time afterwards. It drafted in more of the IPC archive.
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase the Good Book, CN - a comic is not without sales, except in its home country - or so it would seem sometimes, eh?
ReplyDeleteI like your definition of 'rare'. If I had a dollar for every item listed as 'rare' (often appearing on a page of search results full of said 'rare' item) I'd be able to afford these items.
ReplyDeleteGotta wonder just how many of these so-called rare items actually sell for their laughable asking prices, maybe there are enough suckers out there with more dollars than sense to keep these chancers chancing.
Another 'rare' item, PC, is Wade's porcelain Yogi Bear figurine. Sometimes there are pages of it on ebay, from £10 to £80. Occasionally, I've succumbed to the lure of paying slightly over the odds for something I really want, but the bargains I've bought on ebay more than make up for it. Swings and roundabouts, eh? Of course, I don't think I've ever gone completely overboard - don't think I could afford to.
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