Okay, comics go where the market is. There have always been licensing deals to produce comic books about cartoon characters, movie heroes, toy lines, video games (remember Atari Force?) collectible card card games, Role-Playing games...
Well, the good folks over at Youthful Publishing weren't ones to miss out on a trend the young people were all talking about- philately. Ah, ahem. That means stamp collecting, not the other thing.
Anyway, some genius thought that using historical postage stamps from around the world as a springboard for comics stories was a great idea. And to be fair, this series managed to last 8 issues over the course of 3 years- at 15 cents an issue! I mean, this ain't World's Finest here, people! And the publishers thought of everything; they've even marked off where to punch holes in your comic so you can store it in a 3-ring binder!
I found this little gem from 1951 over the weekend while hunting for more material. The comics shop I found this in had TWO copies of this comic. One was in great shape and was priced at $20. Since your Mild-Mannered Reporter is nothing if not thrifty, I bought the far less expensive, rat-chewed copy with yellowed pages that looked like the first cousin of a pirate treasure map. But hey, how many issues of Stamps Comics do YOU own??
Reprinted below for you edification is the introduction and the first story "George Rogers Clark, Hero of Vincennes"
They actually make stamp collecting sound like a more adventurous hobby. Very exciting. (And here I thought scoring "Lady Cop" was our weekend shopping highlight.)
ReplyDeleteI bet they encouraged you to send your "likes and dislikes" via U.S. Postal Service. And that's how they get you!
Am I the only person in the world who loves this sort of thing? Maybe! I have a new book about GR Clark coming out this very week, and now I have to track down this comic! I don't know whether to curse you or thank you!
ReplyDeleteSpectergirl: "lady Cop" was easily the second most awesome find of the day!
ReplyDeleteFrancesHunter: I will e-mail you the contact info for the comic shop, maybe they can ship you the other copy they had?
Interesting how that circular panel crops up on so many of the pages.
ReplyDeleteHere I was hoping that the entire comic would consist of panels lifted from postage stamps, rather than just using one as the set-up.
Aaron: I have been a latent stamp collector my whole life, so near the edge of taking the stamp-collecting plunge. What incredible, little illustrations! This comic makes it sound so historically important (and very thrilling!). I would love to know how this title sold. -- Mykal
ReplyDeleteJamie: I noticed that recurring circle ,too. Ha! What would a comic made of nothing but stamps be like? Meanwhile, President Roosevelt flies his bi-plane upside-down...
ReplyDeleteMykal: I had a couple of stamp-collecting books when I was 11. It didn't take. When I was 12 I got a comic book collecting kit from the Sears catalog and I was hooked. I still have the "collectible" comics it came with. I, too am curious how well this comic did in the 1951 comics marketplace.
Lmao @ "THRILLING Adventures in Stamps".
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of stamps, please stop by here and vote for Charles Bukowski to be on a stamp:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/bukowskistamp/
Please?
Lone Wolf.: I found this baby at In The Ballpark!
ReplyDeleteMy dad tried to get me into stamp collecting. He bought my brothers and I these little books and a bunch of stamps. I didn't really get into it, but he continued to buy me various stamps through college.
ReplyDeleteJacque: My grandmother bought me stamps every Christmas for 4 or 5 years. Nowadays, because I liked them when I was 12, I get a nutcracker every year! Frankly, I miss the stamps.
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