STARLOGGED doesn't normally do New Stuff News but there are a couple of new releases this week that will be of interest to MARVEL UK readers of old.
This week's issue of the long-running (now extended, according to the insert, to 200 issues) MARVEL FACT FILES (the put-it-in-a-binder weekly artwork) is another MARVEL UK SPECIAL, dedicated to the company, the creators and the characters. One really nice feature this time is a look back at the comics that were spiked, sometimes at the very last minute, in the Genesis Implosion of late 1993. Highly recommended.
Also out this week is the trade paperback collection of the entire FRONTIER COMICS offering, also from 1993. That's a line of long-forgotten (but actually really good) books that I never thought would come into print again. Especially not ahead of the core UK-verse books. Its priced at £30 (Marvel trades are certainly not cheap) which means it would be cheaper to raid the 50p boxes for the complete run (which is what I did) but its well put together with new introductions to each series, some behind-the-scenes art and the MARVEL AGE MAGAZINE article I posted here way-back-when. Marvel obviously couldn't include some of the contemporary fanzine coverage so, for more perspectives (COMICS SPECULATOR NEWS anyone?), look back through previous STARLOGGED posts.
Finally, London's CINEMA STORE is closing this Saturday. I've been a regular customer there since the early 1990s so although I was never a big spender, they've been a constant Geek Stuff supplier to me. I would think that the writing has been on the wall for years (almost everything they sold became cheaper online over time or were superseded by digital equivalents) but they were still good for magazines and books that weren't carried elsewhere. Their pricing was seldom keen (they would sell copies of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY for a tenner... when you could get it for £2.75 in Soho newsagents) which helped, I think, cement their reputation for fleecing shoppers. For many years, prior to the opening of BORDERS (and CS jacking up their prices), they were by regular source of EW... and many other magazines as well. I will miss them.
Although it was nice to see the FRONTIER COMICS volume, I balked at the cost since my FP marked up the already hefty price tag.
ReplyDeleteAlso out recently were some new part works, the first being STAR WARS HELMETS. This has only appeared now despite being advertised nearly a year ago.
The second is DRAW THE MARVEL WAY. As always with these collections, the first issues are the best being both cheap and accompanied by extra free items.
I'm sorry to hear that about the CINEMA STORE. I went there back in 2009 during my visit to London. I recall being put off by their high prices although they seemed to have the entire run of CINEMA RETRO. Lets hope FP never folds.