tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post275028484212693265..comments2024-03-15T20:53:54.885+13:00Comments on Wacky Comics!: What Killed The Summer Specials?George Shiershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162253849922362900noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-19034744718507081142013-06-06T17:09:49.406+13:002013-06-06T17:09:49.406+13:00Welcome to the site! I'll hopefully be showing...Welcome to the site! I'll hopefully be showing one or two holiday specials throughout the summer, but no full issues. I don't think I have any from 1977, but I'll show one or two from the 70's.<br /><br />As for a new classic comic, I don't see it happening to be honest. Yes, it would be great but comics are aimed at the current generation of children, not past ones who want to see a nice, cheap comic in a classic style that they remember. But you never know...<br /><br />I'm glad you like the site, some of the early posts aren't very good - they're riddled with spelling errors - but I am very slowly going through editing them. I publish a new post 3 - 4 times a week, sometimes more, so keep checking back!George Shiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03162253849922362900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-3351410811703330462013-06-06T09:45:50.340+13:002013-06-06T09:45:50.340+13:00i really miss the summer specials.loved them as a ...i really miss the summer specials.loved them as a kid and have great memories of being in a caravan park in scotland in the summer of 77 with a whole pile of them to read.there was something about the smell of the paper and that sort of glossy look they had to them and the oversized pages in comparison to their weekly versions.i am constantly searching charity shops etc(still havent bought any from e-bay)and comic conventions for them but no one ever seems to have them.evenn the comic and book exchange where you can get some great bargains never has any.i have found some online as pdfs and can read them on my kindle which is a decent substitute but its just not the same.i even used to buy the beano on occasion until they started putting silly free gifts on the cover and upped the price dramatically.hopefully a great newclassic british weekly comic will be launched so that in the next year or two when my daughter becomes interested in reading comics there will be something for her to have treasured memories of when she gets older.anyway mate a great site you have here and i look forward to many hours of happy reading.ive laso added you to my blog list.thanks very much<br />gobshytehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01504018197903412296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-47004666907920878992013-06-05T17:03:10.740+13:002013-06-05T17:03:10.740+13:00Yep - it is Thunderbooks! A nice store.
Paul, I s...Yep - it is Thunderbooks! A nice store.<br /><br />Paul, I see your pont that in the end Summer Specials became a nuisance to themselves, and agree to a certain extent as it could have stopped one or two specials becoming top sellers, but it wouldn't wipe them out completely.<br /><br />In the end it all comes down to the retalier. No matter how much effort the publisher puts into the comic to make it cheap and special, if the retailers don't want to stock it, which they don't, it isn't going to sell.<br /><br />As for the annuals, it is a shame that stores do hold them back. It shouldn't be a personal opinion as to when the books they've been delivered should go on sale. If they've got them they should be on the shelves.George Shiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03162253849922362900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-90446429087988189562013-06-05T03:45:30.824+13:002013-06-05T03:45:30.824+13:00I think you have missed one thing.
I remember to s...I think you have missed one thing.<br />I remember to summer spacial as a child in the 80's (born 1977) there were loads of them about at the mid to late 1980's be it The Beano,Dandy,Warlord,Eagle even marvel UK got in on the act with Transformers and G.I.Joe (action Force) but most of these were printed by one of two main companies DC Thomson of Fleetway so they all had more then one summer special out at the same time from all the different title so some one was going to be the loser one of these titles were gonna become the one that sold the least and become to expensive to produce.<br /> so with the dwindling sales of British comics through the 90's these companies had to pull more and more comics and summer specials from the shelves.<br />I don't agree with the point of retails not wanting to hold the stock, Take the last dandy issue my local shops all wanted the comic in stock but were told they could not have it. I have never had to much trouble getting any comic from a news agent if its available for them to order it in. Most people now are scared or can't be bothered to ask if it can be ordered for them.<br />It is sad that we have no special issue to have through the summer but to be honest which one would they bring back? Like people have said the Beano needs free gifts and gimmicks to keep people interested. The Dandy would be a better idea as it is now only available online but then it vanished from print due to lack of sales in the first place. There is also the fact of you bring one out then why not others for me I would rather see a Warlord or Eagle summer special to a Beano or Dandy and then you are back to square one to many summer specials forcing the loser in sale to be pulled. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17579017147875092280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-56262344404422482252013-06-05T03:43:59.449+13:002013-06-05T03:43:59.449+13:00I think you have missed one thing.
I remember to s...I think you have missed one thing.<br />I remember to summer spacial as a child in the 80's (born 1977) there were loads of them about at the mid to late 1980's be it The Beano,Dandy,Warlord,Eagle even marvel UK got in on the act with Transformers and G.I.Joe (action Force) but most of these were printed by one of two main companies DC Thomson of Fleetway so they all had more then one summer special out at the same time from all the different title so some one was going to be the loser one of these titles were gonna become the one that sold the least and become to expensive to produce.<br /> so with the dwindling sales of British comics through the 90's these companies had to pull more and more comics and summer specials from the shelves.<br />I don't agree with the point of retails not wanting to hold the stock, Take the last dandy issue my local shops all wanted the comic in stock but were told they could not have it. I have never had to much trouble getting any comic from a news agent if its available for them to order it in. Most people now are scared or can't be bothered to ask if it can be ordered for them.<br />It is sad that we have no special issue to have through the summer but to be honest which one would they bring back? Like people have said the Beano needs free gifts and gimmicks to keep people interested. The Dandy would be a better idea as it is now only available online but then it vanished from print due to lack of sales in the first place. There is also the fact of you bring one out then why not others for me I would rather see a Warlord or Eagle summer special to a Beano or Dandy and then you are back to square one to many summer specials forcing the loser in sale to be pulled. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17579017147875092280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-86769046266001788592013-06-05T02:02:47.547+13:002013-06-05T02:02:47.547+13:00I've never been at Blackpool when the lights w...I've never been at Blackpool when the lights were switched on. Anyway, the SF shop you mention sounds like Thunderbooks on Lytham Road. That's still there and has a good supply of latest American imports and back issues etc. <br /><br />Newsagents used to love summer specials because they sold so well, but over the years as sales declined (no doubt due to regular comics becoming glossy and colour) they grew to dislike them, seeing them as a nuisance. That's the main reason they stopped, - just not enough orders to sustain them. <br /><br />The reason annuals are now published in July is to take advantage of both the summer holiday market and the later Christmas gift potential. Unfortunately, if some bookshops deliberately hold back from displaying them in July/August then it defeats the object. <br /><br />Lew Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13260048632152445875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-23620201626559428472013-06-04T22:02:27.951+13:002013-06-04T22:02:27.951+13:00I think it all started going downhill for the spec...I think it all started going downhill for the special when the best of monthlies arrived. The Buster best of monthly shown above cost 65p, 5p cheaper than the Fleetway summer specials and the same price as The Beano and Dandy specials. And seeing as it came out every month, the specials no longer seemed "special".<br /><br />It's a real shame to hear that no newsagents sell comics anymore in Blackpool. The last time I visited (I went every now and then as that's where my Dad is from) was in 2007, just before I moved to New Zealand. I seem to remember a very good newsagents near where we were staying that sold lots of magazines as well as the Beano and Dandy Xtreme.<br /><br />There was also a shop round the corner that sold loads of Sci-Fi comics and stuff, and after seeing a load of Dr Who stuff in there we decided to go and see David Tennant switch on the illuminations! That was a great ceremony, the tardis appearing with the daleks - did you see it?<br /><br />Anyway, I'm going off topic!<br /><br />I think the main reason for the decline of summer specials was the improvement of the weekly comics. Whilst improving one part of the comic industry, they killed off another.<br /><br />It's also a shame that D C Thomson's summer annuals didn't catch on, they worked for other titles for a short while. I'm looking through them both right now and they're good, but maybe too similar to the Christmas annuals which were going on sale at the same time.George Shiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03162253849922362900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-92103766372324732912013-06-04T10:56:27.433+13:002013-06-04T10:56:27.433+13:00Remember The Beano Summer Annual? God, that was a ...Remember The Beano Summer Annual? God, that was a failure. <br /><br />I think Summer Specials are sadly a thing of the past. Whilst I think they could easily do a Summer Special - it's definitely a problem that the Summer Special won't be too special. Even the Christmas Specials now have to have £5.00 of gifts inside a bag just to look more "special".<br /><br />It's very sad. :(Harry Rickardhttp://wizzkid97.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1965905287512456704.post-89248973265090040682013-06-04T03:19:01.118+13:002013-06-04T03:19:01.118+13:00Some valid points there George. I covered this on ...Some valid points there George. I covered this on my old blog a few years ago and the main reasons for their decline are as you said in point 8 (retailers not wanting them to take up shelf space for so long) and that they no longer look special when every comic is now glossy and colour. <br /><br />Summer Specials were distributed to key holiday destinations abroad for British kids on their hols to buy, although they were a bit more expensive of course due to distribution costs. <br /><br />In their heyday (1960s) UK holiday spots did have an abundance of the specials. I remember seeing / buying them from Blackpool and they were in every newsagent as well as on magazine stalls along the prom. These days you'd be lucky to find any comic in a Blackpool newsagent other than WH Smith, and the magazine stalls have long since vanished. Lew Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13260048632152445875noreply@blogger.com