Newton Comics and the Super Comic Grab Bag

According to Ash Long's notes, he was hired to oversee and process the redistribution of excess returned stock into the marketplace during February and March 1976. This relates to the Heritage Series issues, and the insertion of posters into new issues at the time.

However, before the Heritage Series program was officially under way, Newton attempted to move the old stock via an advertisement in the Sunday Observer 25 January 1976:

This advertisement is very curious regarding both the timing and the contents.

We know the December 1975/January 1976 period was a traumatic period for the company as publication ceased, only to be resurrected at the urging of Marty Daugherty. I suggested in my previous post that the Heritage Series program might have been one of Daugherty's strategies to convince Newton to keep the program rolling. This advertisement suggests that the Heritage Series program was formally initiated after this tactic which presumably did not yield the results expected. This advertisement ran for three consecutive weeks until 8 February 1976. Long's notes state "work started February 1976, and continued on a day or so a week, for six weeks." The Heritage Series labels were printed in the last week of February 1976.

The issues in the photo are also interesting. Most are from mid-1975 (The Incredible Hulk #2, Planet of the Apes #4, the Fantastic Four #4, Dracula #2), and a few are from the last quarter of 1975 (The Avengers #5, Doctor Strange #5, Conan the Barbarian #9, The Amazing Spider-Man #14).

The one that stands out to me is Daredevil #1. This had been announced in a December 1975 letter column as due to be published 10 January 1976, and John Corneille was promoting this issue as the "newest sensation" on the same day this advertisement was published. So was Daredevil #1 included in this offer? Or should we not take the issues in the photo too literally?

Consider also that of the issues in the pic, the four mid-1975 issues are all missing from Long's detailed notes regarding the particular issues processed by him and his staff.

Also of interest is the posters offered. Again, it may be a mistake to take it too literally, but I note the three posters pictured were part of the Nabisco range promoted in the comics c.March/April 1976. And maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me but a couple of them do appear to have a vertical crease...

Secret Romances #35 and For Lovers Only #4: Jorge Badia Romero

Murray Publishers' Secret Romances #35 was published c.December 1979:

The cover art is by Jorge Badia Romeo and was originally published on the cover of Charlton's Time For Love #47:

Romero is the artist on Dream Come True which is the final story in Time For Love #47 and the lead story in Secret Romances #35, and this story includes this page:

The art on this page was modified and repurposed by Murray Publishers a month or so later as the cover on For Lovers Only #4:

The opening story in this issue is Another World, originally published in Charlton's Secrets of Young Brides #9:

As you can see, there is a very smooth transition between the cover image and the opening page in terms of art style and content, so only the most sharp eyed and obsessive of romance comics readers at the time would have noticed the seams on the Murray staffer's handiwork. Having said that, there is some query regarding the attribution of some of the art above to Romero, but I'll leave that to the experts.

I have indicated dates above for the two Murray Publishers issues. They are based on date markings on my copies and my profile of Murray comics in 1979. My dates do not tally with the dates on AusReprints, and I have not resolved this to my satisfaction as it appears to me there is a good case on AusReprints for For Lovers Only #4 being dated mid-1979. TBA.

The X-Men #3: The Federal edition

Federal Comics' The X-Men #3 was published c.February 1985:

The cover is modified from the final page of The X-Men #99:

The contents:

My Brother, My Enemy!, originally published in The X-Men #97, February 1976 

Merry Christmas, X-Men..., originally published in The X-Men #98, April 1976

[Deathstar, Rising!], originally published in The X-Men #99, June 1976

[Greater Love Hath No X-Man...], originally published in The X-Men #100, August 1976

The stories in this issue are modified. For example, title/splashes are omitted, and the page repurposed for the cover is omitted from the [Deathstar, Rising!] segment. Another modification from this story involves the double-page spread:

This is presented in full in the Federal edition, however it is printed sideways on a single page:

Thanks to Mark Cannon for the providing the scans from the original series, which appear to be from Marvel Masterworks-type reprintings.

Superman Super Library #6

K.G. Murray's Superman Super Library #6 was published c.November 1964:

 The cover originally appeared on DC Comics' Superman #170:

The contents:

Part I: If Lex Luthor Were Superman's Father! and Part II: The Wedding of Lara and Luthor, originally published in Superman #170, July 1964

The Super-Reporter of Metropolis, originally published in Superman #82, May-June 1953

The Search for the Bravest Woman!, originally published in Superman #83, July-August 1953

Superman Super Library is a digest-sized series, hence all the stories are reformatted. Each page contains either one or two panels, and the art is subject to modifications - typically, an extension to the background art.

Superman Super Library ran for 44 issues over a span of 4 years in the mid-1960's. It was a second tier companion series to Superman Supacomic, however it had its own distinct profile. The typical issue repurposed the splash page to the lead story for cover duties and, similarly to Colossal Comic, it was a repository of recycled material previously published by K.G. Murray. 

However, the first six issues of the series carried previously unpublished lead features along with the authentic covers. These first six issues amount to a first phase of this series, similarly to the the first few issues of Superman's Supacomic.

I have dated Superman Super Library #6 as per AusReprints. My copy has a handwritten date 17/12 on the rear cover, which is, presumably, the 'use-by' shelf life date for the issue. On this basis we might assume the publication date to be 17 November 1964. TBC. 

Speaking of the regular format for the Superman Super Library series... Many years ago I posted my thoughts on Superman Supacomic #97, commenting that the similarities to the Superman Super Library series suggested that it may have been originally intended as an issue of Superman Super Library. Superman Supacomic #97 is dated c.September 1967, and the final issue of Superman Super Library appears to be around the of 1967... Not saying, just saying...

Superman Supacomic #50

 K.G. Murray's Superman Supacomic #50 was published c.October 1963:

The cover is from DC Comics' Superman #159:

The main features:

Lois Lane, the Super-Maid of Krypton!, originally published in Superman #159, February 1963

The Super-Revenge of the Phantom-Zone Prisoner!, originally published in Superman #157, November 1962

The Secret of the Ant-Man, originally published in Batman #156, June 1963

Robin Dies at Dawn, originally published in Batman #156, June 1963

The Lair of Braniac!, originally published in Superboy #106, July 1963

The Fake Superboy from Krypton!, originally published in Adventure Comics #309, June 1963

The Doom of the Super-Heroes!, originally published in Adventure Comics #310, July 1963

There is also a full-page Amazing Ratios feature originally published in Strange Adventures #154, July 1963.

Some of the features listed above are multi-part stories. I've listed the main title only, but rest assured they are reprinted complete.

The advertisements in this issue do not have a date code so the date ascribed above is a guesstimate based on the date codes of the surrounding issues, and as suggested on AusReprints.

This copy is in great condition for its age. I purchased it many years ago from a UK dealer - I purchased a dozen or so such 100-page issues of this vintage from him, and I have rarely seen the issues concerned in such fine condition, which is surprising given they travelled across the ocean at least twice. Of course, they cost me a fair bit of coin at the time, but some 15 years later I daresay many collectors would consider them something of a bargain. I'll post a few more of them over the next few days - it's enjoyable to pull them out of the mylar and browse through them.

The Incredible Hulk: The complete Federal cover gallery

 Here's a cover gallery of my complete run of Federal Comics' The Incredible Hulk:

The Incredible Hulk #1, May 1984 

The Incredible Hulk #2, June 1984

The Incredible Hulk #3, September 1984 

The Incredible Hulk #5, November 1984 

The Incredible Hulk #6, January 1985 

The Incredible Hulk #7, April 1985 

The Incredible Hulk #8, June 1985

The Incredible Hulk #9, July 1985 

The Incredible Hulk #10, October 1985 

The Incredible Hulk #11, January 1986 

The Incredible Hulk #12, February 1985 

The dates are as accurate as I can be at this point. I'm more confident in the earlier issues than the last few, but I'm pretty sure they all fall within a one month margin of error.

I'm also pretty sure The Incredible Hulk #4 does not exist. I have not seen a copy, and I don't know anyone who has - and I've asked a few collectors - and there is no copy indexed on databases such as AusReprints or GCD. 

Consider also that whilst most of the main features in this series originally appeared in Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk c.#'s 266-287 in a fairly orderly fashion, the features in Federal Comics' The Incredible Hulk #3 are drawn from #'s 219-222. This suggests something went awry in the Federal offices in this period as far as this series is concerned.

Doctor Strange #1: The Yaffa edition

Page Publications' Doctor Strange #1 was published 23 December 1977:

The cover originally appeared on Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange #2:

The stories are as follows:

Through an Orb Darkly, originally published in Doctor Strange #1, June 1974 

A Separate Reality, originally published in Doctor Strange #2, August 1974 

Amidst the Madness, originally published in Doctor Strange #3, September 1974 

This issue includes black and white printings of the covers to Doctor Strange #'s 1 and 3.

Amidst the Madness is the title of the framing sequence for a reprint of The Domain of the Dread Dormammu! and Duel with the Dread Dormammu! which originally appeared in Strange Tales #126 and Strange Tales #127 respectively.

This issue includes full-page in-house advertisements for The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four.

Doctor Strange #1 was recycled as Doctor Strange #3, June 1980:

It was also recycled as the digest-sized Mystic Arts Master c.mid-1982:

The three stories in this issue were previously published in Australia by Newton Comics in Doctor Strange #'s 1 and 2. These issues reprinted the covers to Doctor Strange #'s 1 and 3 respectively, which means the young Australian reader needed the first two Newton issues and this Yaffa edition in order to have the first three US covers in colour printings.

I have previously dated this issue c.November 1977, however I have since seen a copy with 4 written by a newsagent on the rear cover, and 23 12 written on the front cover, hence my designating the publication date 23 December 1977.

Update 29 June 2022:

Yaffa recycled Doctor Strange #1 as an unnumbered digest-sized issue shortly after #7, c.April 1982:

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #3: The Yaffa edition

Page Publications' The Spectacular Spider-Man #3 was published c.December 1978:

 The cover is from Marvel Comics' The Spectacular Spider-Man #8:

This issue contains black and white reprints of the main Spider-Man features from The Spectacular Spider-Man #'s 7-9. 

Dating the $0.95 and $0.99 cover-priced Murray Comics

Here's my notes and guidelines for dating the $0.95 and $0.99 cover-priced Murray Comics:

1. The $0.95 cover-priced issues appear to have supplanted the $0.90 cover-priced issues by May 1981. There may have been some $0.95 issues on the stands a month or two earlier. 

2. These $0.95 issues carry the red Murray Comics logo.

3. The black Murray Comics logo takes over by April 1982. March 1982 appears to be a transitional month between the red and the black logos.

4. Eastern Suburbs Newspapers is the sole printer for the above issues with the red Murray Comics logo.

5.  The Murray Romance Library logo is operational in parallel with both the red and black Murray Comics logos.

6. The black Murray Comics logo runs up to at least December 1982.

7. The $0.99 cover-priced issues begin September 1982. Some may have hit the stands in August 1982.

8. Black Murray Comics logo issues are printed by either Eastern Suburbs Newspapers or Hedges and Bell. There are also a few printed by Comprint.

9. All of the above is in reference to the large size 96 page issues. There are some smaller sized issues (not digest-sized) in this period which may or may not comply with the above schema. These appear to be printed by Comprint, and may be NZ editions. TBC.

10. The above schema is based on a review of approximately 160 issues. The review accounted for newsagency date markings, combinations of advertisements on the rear and inner covers, and in-house advertisements. The review also had some dozen or so issues which were deemed outliers based on the data/information not conforming neatly to the above schema. 

The above guidelines will be updated as more information comes to hand.

Fact or Fiction #1: The Bramley Book

Fact and Fiction #1 is a digest-sized book published by Page Publications in the early 1970's with a Keith Chatto cover:

I expected this to be a collection of short illustrated prose stories. However, it turns out to be something quite surprising - it not only contains comics stories, it is also wholly comprised of material by Maurice Bramley, which he apparently personally compiled. Indeed, as per the introduction below, the title could have been The Bramley Book:

The issue begins with the 10-page U-Boat Kelly: 

This is followed by a 3-page story, Flying Spits. 

The other 51 pages are 1 and 2-page features which look like the filler material found in various other Australian comic books. For example, this issue includes Stranger Still, which was previously published in Strange Tales #4 (1963) and  Pirates, previously published in Strange Tales #6. 

This is effectively a Maurice Bramley trade paperback collection.

I have seen a second issue in this series:

I do not own this book. It may be a reprint of Fact and Fiction #1. However, consider that Strange Tales #4 (1965) contains a Bramley feature titled Goblins which does not appear in Fact and Fiction #1, and might qualify as a (ahem) Strange Tale as per the cover blurb of Fact and Fiction #2. TBA.

The cover image of Fact and Fiction #1 appears to be based on interior art from U-Boat Kelly:

So - Chatto covers Bramley in two senses of the word!

I purchased this issue for the Chatto cover, but I'm keeping it for the Bramley material.

Yaffa's Dracula #2 and Evil Dracula

Page Publications' Tomb of Dracula was published c.April 1978:

The cover is from Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula #4:

Tomb Dracula #2 reprints the main contents from Tomb of Dracula #'s 4-6 with some modifications - for example, the splash page to Through a Mirror Darkly! from Tomb of Dracula #4 is omitted.

It was recycled as an unnumbered digest-sized issue c.August 1982 and retitled Evil Dracula:

This specimen is in rather poor condition but is more difficult to find than its parent issue.

Wild Cowboy Two-Gun Kid: Recycling Yaffa's Two-Gun Kid #2

A few years ago I posted a cover gallery of my complete collection of Yaffa's Two-Gun Kid. At the time I included a cover scan of of the unnumbered digest-sized issue which recycled #4 in the series, noting that given #'s 1, 3 and 4 had been recycled, I guessed there might be a recycled and unnumbered edition of Two-Gun Kid #2 to be unearthed. And here it is:

The cover has been modified - one of the speech balloons has been omitted, as you can see comparing this cover to Two-Gun Kid #2:

Wild Cowboy Two-Gun Kid is a digest-sized unnumbered $0.75 cover priced edition, probably published mid/late 1982.

I have added this cover to my cover gallery of paired recycled Yaffa digest-sized editions.

Star-Lord #1: The Yaffa edition

Yaffa's Star-Lord #1 has an indicia date 1978:

The cover and contents are drawn from the initial printing of Marvel Preview #11:

According to the GCD, the cover blurb on the initial printing of the cover was removed due to objections from Robert Heinlein. Consequently a corrected version of the cover was issued: 

The contents of the Page Publications edition are identical to the Marvel edition, with the following alterations:

1. The Jim Starlin illustration on the inside cover of the Marvel edition is reproduced on the rear cover of the Yaffa edition;

2. The inner cover of the Yaffa edition carries the Stan Lee resents Star-Lord feature;

3. The Second Launch! feature is omitted from the Yaffa edition, as are the letters pages.

A second issue in the series was published by Yaffa, based on the earlier Marvel Preview #4. Star-Lord #2 was recycled as an unnumbered issue, which is listed as Star-Lord #3 on the GCD. Presumably Star-Lord #1 was also recycled, however I have not seen a copy.

Strange Tales: The complete Yaffa cover gallery

 Here's a cover gallery of my complete run of Page Publications' Strange Tales:

Strange Tales #1, c.June 1978 

Strange Tales #2, 1979 

Strange Tales #3, 1980 

Strange Tales #4, c.April 1981 

Strange Tales #5, c.September 1981 

Strange Tales #6, c.February 1982 

The first two issues are full sized, the rest are digest-sized issues, #6 being a 'tall' edition.

The dates are as accurate as I can be for the moment given my limited data on this series.

It is possible that there is a seventh issue in the series but I think it is unlikely. TBA.

Some of these issues were recycled by Yaffa under new titles - #1 was reprinted in digest form as Weird Tales:

And #2 was recycled as Carnival of Fear:

It is possible other issues in the series were also recycled, but I have not come across any.