[Gobots] Whisper it...

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:01 pm

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
Marvel didn't have much local talent, most of them were contracted to Fleetway at the time. Before Dez Skinn was hired, Marvel UK basically consisted of a fistful of editorial staff who collated reprints. It was symptomatic of their total inability to understand the British market...

Panini have come full circle in that regard really. The real shame is they use the Amercian lotsa dots "coloring" system when the Brit method was vastly superior.

I know my dad bought it "for my brother" at one point (because I got Transformers). He even bought him a couple of those great giant hardback collections they did.

My Dad definately had the first of those, apparently they used better quality originals than Titan have (but then, 17ish years ago it would have been easier to get hold of a better copy of a 50's comic simply because they were less old...)

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:07 pm

Yeh, oddly the oversized versions still seem to fetch £40~ on ebay, despite the latest batch of reprints... They are beautiful things, though. But then Titan can be lazy on their mastering, like on the Steel Claw book - ignoring that early Valiant issues aren't as stupidly rare as they claim (and that any number of collectors would have helped for a complementary copy, at the most), you could tidy most of them up with a biro...

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:38 pm

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
Yeh, oddly the oversized versions still seem to fetch £40~ on ebay, despite the latest batch of reprints... They are beautiful things, though.

Apparently the Titan books haven't sold very well at all, and at one point it looked close to ending. I was actually suprised to see The Man From Nowhere up for pre-order it's been so long since the last one (I'm assuming they're hoping things'll pick up when they eventually get to the unreprinted stuff).

But then Titan can be lazy on their mastering, like on the Steel Claw book - ignoring that early Valiant issues aren't as stupidly rare as they claim (and that any number of collectors would have helped for a complementary copy, at the most), you could tidy most of them up with a biro...

True, but they're only going to put as much money and effort into remastering/hunting down the best copies as they think will be worth it from a sales perspective. Apparently both the Claw and Spider books sold better than expected though, so there might be a bit more money to Jazz up the next one (certainly the more recent James Bond books seen to have had more restoration work done on them).

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:48 pm

It was still pretty basic stuff... The Spider mastering was fine (well, aside from the one page from the front cover), and the Steel Claw mastering, I'm pretty sure I could do it in 10 minutes if I could be bothered.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:16 pm

I'd also assume they'd also be reluctant to borrow collectors own copies in case anything happened to them (especially as it's apparently a bugger to scan the oversized Brit comic format neatly).

Certainly the work on all of Titan's UK comics collections piss all over their Transformers efforts anyway.

To turn this into a random ask Cliffy thread: When you went to that recording of the radio version of Little Britain did they use the David Arnold theme tune, or has it been bolted onto the CD release after the fact? because it sounds oddly out of place when all the rest of the incidental music sounds like it comes from a stock CD...

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:27 pm

Honestly can't remember

And Eagle/Valiant are a smidgeon narrower than Eagle - the art's in the same dimensions, but there's less waste paper around the edges. There's a fun fact for you.

While we're all waiting with baited breath, here's what Them Yanks got up to: -

http://counter-x.net/gobots/comic/magazine/index.html

Impressive, no?

No.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:39 pm

And seeing as the Claw's come up, here's vintage Crandell mediocrity:

http://counter-x.net/comics/spotlight/s ... ant66.html

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:51 pm

And how's about Cursitor Doom?
http://counter-x.net/comics/spotlight/c ... ecial.html

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:00 pm

And finally for tonight, a House of Dolmann repost: -

http://counter-x.net/comics/spotlight/dolmann/1.html

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 2:26 pm

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
And Eagle/Valiant are a smidgeon narrower than Eagle - the art's in the same dimensions, but there's less waste paper around the edges. There's a fun fact for you.

I shall try to remember that fact to amaze ladies with at the next party I go to.

Just out of curiousity, how much of the Valient stuff reviewed/scanned on your site is taken from the original issues and not latter reprints?

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:50 pm

Originally posted by inflatable dalek
Just out of curiousity, how much of the Valient stuff reviewed/scanned on your site is taken from the original issues and not latter reprints?

Only Valiant thing's the Steel Claw... Lion stuff varies... I've got about a dozen issues, but completing a 20+ part story for £5 per 2-page installment is not fun, especially as there's no guarantee you'll find each issue or anything... The annual stuff's all original (annuals are the best way to gauge Fleetway stuff), and lots of it's from Vulcan. The insanely pricey Stupendous Series are all originals, though... I must be bloody mad.

Osku · Post by **Osku** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:00 pm

Stop bumping this thread with off-topic discussion! * Every time I come here expecting an update and find out that you two are just discussing of different British publishers.

* And to prevent misunderstandings, just kidding. Estimated arrival time of those comics?

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:06 pm

Pffff... Turned up today, currently scanning the first of the two storylines. Should have it scanned by this afternoon, and then it's just Photoshopping and uploading... Sunday, barring unforeseen problems.

It's a bit disappointing overall IMO, and I do have one page of a later edition (just after the batch I've already scanned) missing - I'm going to try and hunt that down before scanning the rest of the second storyline (which will briefly be taken down, I'll probably be farming the images out to Photobucket or something as my bandwidth has taken a hammering with me hosting them.

EDIT: Incidentally, feel free to nag... I'm sure most of you know this is about the only way to get me to do anything

Osku · Post by **Osku** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:29 pm

I know how it is sometimes. I've promised to take some photos for Clay few weeks ago. I've even managed to edit most of those, but can't seem to find time* to update my site with those pictures. It's good thing that Clay most propably won't drop by in this thread.

* obviously I lie

Clogs · Post by **Clogs** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:30 pm

I thought those stories were pretty good, with serious fender bending and bodies galore! So - nag, nag, nag...

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
EDIT: Incidentally, feel free to nag... I'm sure most of you know this is about the only way to get me to do anything

Just doin' mah duty.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:29 pm

Originally posted by Osku
Stop bumping this thread with off-topic discussion! * Every time I come here expecting an update and find out that you two are just discussing of different British publishers.

Well, just two really, Fleetway and Titan. It's a shame the latter seem to be concentrating very much on classic British characters (and Star Trek simply because they can pad out the trades with articals from the magazine) because some trade's of the formers Sonic the Comic would be nice as well.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:22 pm

http://counter-x.net/gobots/comic/robo_ ... index.html

Complete first arc online... ends very suddenly, sadly, but still some cool stuff. Oh, and as the full-size scans aren't on my webspace, Download Them All! etc. should now be working. Smaller thumbs will show up eventually, but I'm tired now.

I'm working on that missing page, BTW, will keep y'all posted.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:28 pm

So Robotron orbits Proxima? That's right next door to the Transformers home orbiting Alpha Centuri...

Osku · Post by **Osku** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:45 am

Downloaded and saved. Will read in the evening.

Eagle & Scream #140, 24th November 1984
-second page link points to wrong scan
(RoboMachines841117-2.jpg)

instead of correct
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s117 ... 1124-2.jpg

I know some NTFA members who would be interested in this stuff. Can I give them the link, or do you want first to upload the scans to Photobucket to save bandwidth?

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:24 am

Fixed. And yeh, go for it - the first arc's all on Photobucket, and what there was of the second is down until I sort out scanning the rest.