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| Copyright REBELLION |
Odd as this may seem to you (and me, come to that), I've owned The VALIANT BOOK Of MYSTERY & MAGIC Annual for so long that I can't remember precisely how long I've actually had it. Is it 15, 20, 25 years? It's a mystery which makes me wish I had recourse to magic so that I could recall exactly which year it came into my possession. (See what I did there?) When I first bought it (whenever that was), I gave it a quick browse-through and then tucked it away in a cupboard without reading any of the contents.
Anyway, I recently dug it out and have now read the comic strips, though I've yet to read the text stories. Verdict? Really enjoyed it so far, and if you don't own this book, it's one you should consider adding to your collection. Again, I can't open it to scan without risk of splitting the spine, so am unable to show any pics of its interiors. You'll have to take my word that it's a belter of a book, with art by ERIC BRADBURY, GEOFF CAMPION, and JOHN STOKES among others.
Have you got this book? Were you lucky enough to acquire it back in the mid-'70s? How would you describe it those who might be interested in obtaining a copy? Why not share your thoughts about it in the comments section?
Good News Dept: I've just noticed that, although the book is tightly bound in most of the middle section, the end pages are more amenable to being opened flat and scanned. Therefore, here's a tale from the back of the book to give you a taste of the contents. Note that there's a credit box, which means (as this book was issued in 1975) that IPC/FLEETWAY were crediting contributors (in some publications at least) before 2000 A.D. had even hit the stands. When did it begin I wonder - with BATTLE perhaps? If anyone knows for sure, please share.
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Good News Dept: I've just noticed that, although the book is tightly bound in most of the middle section, the end pages are more amenable to being opened flat and scanned. Therefore, here's a tale from the back of the book to give you a taste of the contents. Note that there's a credit box, which means (as this book was issued in 1975) that IPC/FLEETWAY were crediting contributors (in some publications at least) before 2000 A.D. had even hit the stands. When did it begin I wonder - with BATTLE perhaps? If anyone knows for sure, please share.
Excellent art,I was looking for a copy of the VALIANT BOOK Of MYSTERY & MAGIC a while ago but never saw one (its off my radar now as I'm cutting right back on my books/comics). so it seems a rare item for 1975. I think Valiant did a few similar annuals (or were the comic specials) on Pirates and Space, do you know if they had strips in them?
ReplyDeleteIt usually goes for around £30 or thereabouts, which seems a bit steep to me. Less expensive ones are bound to turn up from time to time in the future. The space book rings a bell, but I'm not sure. I'd imagine that they'd have had strips, McS, because IPC books usually did.
ReplyDeleteThere's On On E bay now for £25.00 it does look great, thanks for the preview kid, there's a few more pics on the E bay listing, i might invest, although I've spent a lot recently, i do love Spellbinder though, one of my fave Lion characters.
ReplyDeleteThat last frame you pictured is Brilliant, if it had Grimalkin in their that would have been purrrfect!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I noticed, as well as one at around £35 too. I don't think it's worth either price really. £20 for a pristine one I'd say.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cat, he's obviously scarpered, RD.
RD, I decided to buy the book you mentioned. I'd been considering doing so for a while as my own copy has damage to the lower margins of a couple of pages, so I made an offer and got it cheaper than its asking price, which is what sealed the deal for me. £25 was just a tad too much. Let's just hope there are no hidden surprises.
ReplyDeleteYes I saw it had sold..hope it's in good nic
DeleteIf it's too far off it's described condition, RD, I'll send it back or request a partial refund, but it looks okay in the photo.
ReplyDeleteIt's very nice nick indeed, RD, so I'm very happy. It only took me 8 months to reply - I'm getting quicker.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to own this (and still do) from new. It was a Christmas gift in 1975 from a neighbour two doors up who always bought great presents (a Six Million Dollar Man jigsaw one year!)
ReplyDeleteI owned hundreds of annuals in the 70s, and would buy them up after Christmas with book tokens I always got - a £3 book token would get me ten annuals in the January sale.
This was by far in my top three annuals ever. The stories are superb - the one with the comic book artist who lost his inspiration needs to be made as a short film! The haunted house investigated by two ex soldiers is brilliant. Must dig it out and have a read tonight!
Yeah, it's an excellent read, MH. I didn't get the Annual until years after it came out, then didn't read it until years after getting it. I was so chuffed with it that I bought another copy a year or so ago, just to have one in much better condition.
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