Dating Tip Top Comic Monthly #114

Planet Comics' Tip Top Comic Monthly #114 was published c.October 1974:

It is, of course, the classic Neal Adams cover from Batman #251:

There are two longform features in this issue:

The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!, originally published in Batman #251, September 1973 

The Shrike Strikes at Night! [Part 1]/Part 2/Part 3: Hawkman #11, December-January 1966

The Joker's Five-Way Revenge! was also published by Murray in Batman  Album #47.

This issue also includes a single-page filler feature, the Science Says You're Wrong If You Believe That-- instalment previously published in Strange Adventures #100, January 1959.

There are also in-house advertisements for Bumper Western Comic, Supergirl, Super Adventure Comic and World's Finest Comic.

AusReprints dates this issue November 1974. This is in part based on the Mitchell Library stamp 6/12/74, and partly on the orderly monthly periodicity established for this and the other monthly KG Murray/Planet Comics series over a long period of time. These are good reasons.

However I think this issue was more likely to have been on the stands October 1974, for a few reasons.

Firstly, my copy has a pencilled date 1/75 on the cover. The rule of thumb for these newsagency dates is a three month lead. 

Secondly, the preceding issue - Tip Top Comic Monthly #113 - appears to have been published September 1974, not October 1974. This issue is the first 25c cover-priced issue in the series. According to AusReprints, the 25c monthly issues likely first appeared in September 1974. This is the case for Wonder Comic Monthly #113 and World's Finest Comic Monthly #113 (Superman Supacomic is a different case altogether having increased to 25c a couple of years earlier, and other series such as All Star Adventure Comic, All Favourites Comic and Super Adventure Comic were not monthly periodicals). Also, Tip Top Comic Monthly #113 has a Mitchell Library stamp dated 23/9/74, which means it was on the stands before this date. If we assume the series was published monthly, then Tip Top Comic Monthly #114 would have been scheduled no later than October 1974.

Thirdly... Many years ago I purchased a short run of this series from a collector who dated many of his comics as he purchased them fresh off the stands. Two consecutive issues of this series from mid-1974 are dated to the last few days in consecutive months. Now, this is not conclusive evidence of release dates - he could have been late to the party both times - but if we assume the data is broadly accurate, it could place Tip Top Comic Monthly #114 to the last week or so of October 1974, which is pretty close to November 1974 and hence the early December 1974 Mitchell Library stamp.

These arguments may not be conclusive in isolation but I think the weight of evidence points towards an October 1974 release for this issue moreso than November 1974. 

All Star Adventure Comic #56

KG Murray's All Star Adventure Comic #56 was published c.April 1969:

The cover art is from the splash page to Die, Spectre--Again!, originally published in The Spectre #2:

The image on the cover is modified with elements rearranged and some line art extension.

The stories:

Die Spectre - - Again!, originally published in The Spectre #2, January-February 1968 

And Hellgrammite is his Name!, originally published in The Brave and the Bold #80, October-November 1968 

Lois Lane's Childhood!, originally published in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #26, July 1961 

The Duplicate Superman!, originally published in Action Comics #222, November 1956 

The print of Lois Lane's Childhood! is related to the DC Comics' reprint in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #85 which, as per the GCD listing, omits the middle tier on the last page. The complete story was previously published by KG Murray in Super Adventure Comic #8. The version in this issue is also subject to many instances of art extension.

The Duplicate Superman! version in this issue is from Superman #204 in which the Q-Bomb is rechristened the C-Bomb. The original version was published earlier by KG Murray in Superman #116.

This issue contains two stories illustrated by Neal Adams for which he drew covers, so it's a shame that neither cover was used. However, I do prize the homegrown covers on Australian editions.  

This issue includes in-house advertisements for Super Adventure Comic, Superman's Supacomic, Tip Top, Blackhawk, World's Finest Comic and Lot o' Fun! Comic.

The advertiser's date code on the rear cover is KGM AS 469 which serves as a proxy cover date.

The Man-Thing: The complete Yaffa cover gallery

Here's a cover gallery of my complete run of Page Publications' The Man-Thing:

 The Man-Thing #1, c.February 1978

 The Man-Thing #2, c.February 1979

 The Man-Thing #3, c.July 1980

 The Man-Thing #4, c.November 1980

The Man-Thing #5, c.May 1981

 The Man-Thing #6, c.September 1981

The Man-Thing #7, c.February 1982

The Man-Thing #8, c.mid-1982

The dates above are based on available data and are accurate - certainly within a month. The date for #8 is a guesstimate pending further data.

The first two issues and the final issue are regular-sized editions, the rest are digest-sized - #'s 6 and 7 are 'tall' digest editions.

#8 is a reprint of #1, complete with the First Issue banner.

Yaffa published at least two retitled editions of the above issues. Man-Thing #2 was recycled as Swamp Creature and Man-Thing #3 was recycled as Monster of the Swamp.

Dracula Lives! The complete Yaffa cover gallery

Here's a cover gallery of my complete run of Page Publications' Dracula Lives!:

 

Dracula Lives! #1, 1978

 Dracula Lives! #2, c.June 1979 

 Dracula Lives! #3, c.December 1979 

 Dracula Lives! #4, c.January 1980 

Dracula Lives! #NN, c. 1982 

These are the five issues of this series I have seen. It is possible more exist.

As per The Rampaging Hulk, the dates ascribed are my guesstimates based on the available information, and are open to correction as more information comes to hand. 

Note the dates are closely aligned with the dates for The Rampaging Hulk. The Rampaging Hulk #3 and Dracula Lives! #3 are dated 1979 in the indicia, however each copy has 4 handwritten on the cver. On first blush this would suggest a January 1979 publication date, which would place each issue before the #2 issue of the respective series. So, it is possible these issues were on the stands January 1980.

These issues are based on the first four issues of Marvel Comics' Dracula Lives! series.

Dracula Lives! #NN recycles Dracula Lives! #4.

The Rampaging Hulk: The complete Yaffa cover gallery

Here's a cover gallery of my complete run of Page Publications' The Rampaging Hulk:

The Rampaging Hulk #1, 1978 

 The Rampaging Hulk #2, c.June 1979 

 The Rampaging Hulk #3, c.December 1979 

 The Rampaging Hulk #NN, c.February 1982 

These are the only four issues of this series I have seen. It is possible there are more numbered or  unnumbered issues.

The dates ascribed are my best guesstimates based on the limited information available and will be amended as more information comes to hand.

These issues are based on the first three issues of Marvel Comics' The Rampaging Hulk series.

The Rampaging Hulk #NN recycles The Rampaging Hulk #3 with some minor differences.

Range War Westerns #3, Gunslinger Western #2, Badman Western Library #4 and The Fastest Gun in Cheyenne!

The cover of Page Publications' Range War Westerns #3 is by Keith Chatto:

This issue is indexed on AusReprints. It was also issued under another Chatto cover as Gunslinger Western #2:

The lead story in these issues is The Fastest Gun in Cheyenne!, originally published in Western Gunfighters #25. It is also the lead story in Page Publications' Badman Western Library #4:

I initially assumed thought this was another reprint of the two issues above, however the rest of the contents differ. 

And the moustachioed hombres differ too. Just saying.

Climax Adventure Comic #6

KG Murray's Climax Adventure Comic #6 was published c.November 1967:

The cover art is tentatively attributed to Pete Costanza. It is based on an interior panel:

The publication date is based on the date code on one of the advertisements.

The contents:

Warning! Plutonium Pirates!, originally published in Adventures into the Unknown #167, September 1966 Through the Time Flaw!, originally published in Adventures into the Unknown #167, September 1966 Sammy's Secret!, originally published in Mystery Tales #40, April 1956  The Marksman!, originally published in Battlefront #39, March 1956 The Real End, originally published in Texas Rangers in Action #7, April 1957 Mister Morgan's Monster, originally published in Strange Tales #99, August 1962 The Walker The Dragon The Army and the Navy  Human Bait!, originally published in Rugged Action #2, February 1955  The Bowie Knife  The Cosmic Sleepers, originally published in Ciclone #81, 1962 The Peddler's Revenge There are two unidentified single-page features in this issue. The feature title is Weapons of the West, and the instalments are The Walker... and The Bowie Knife. I have scanned the respective pages below: The Cosmic Sleepers is a Johnny Galaxy story translated as The Sleepers of the Cosmos on AusReprints' Johnny Galaxy story tracking list: The Peddler's Revenge is a Gringo feature presented as a Ringo story. As per AusReprints, the series was renamed in Australia specifically for the KG Murray issues.  It would be published in Australia as a Gringo story many years later by Gredown in Wild Cat Western: As you can see the page has been reformatted and whilst the translation is the same, the lettering differs. Climax Adventure Comic picked up from where the first dozen issues of All Star Adventure Comic left off and was effectively superseded in the KG Murray stable by Super Giant. The series ran for 21 issues over some 14 years, and this extended timeframe may be a contributing factor  to the difficulty collectors face completing the series. This issue was the last one I needed to complete my collection but there was a 9 year wait until I finally scored a copy, and I know of a couple of other collectors who are one frustrating issue short of completing their runs.