Las Grandes Aventuras: Merlin el Mago Moderno 1

Un Incendio en el Circo con Merlín el Mago Moderno
Cover artist: unknown
Country/language:	Spain / Spanish
Format:	21 x 32 cm
Pages:	16 pgs, b/w
Publishing date:	1942
Editor:	unknown
Publishing company:	Hispano Americana
Preceded by:	Agente Secreto X-9 Oro Negro
Followed by:	Merlin #2

Un Incendio en el Circo con Merlín el Mago Moderno is the first Mandrake issue in the "Las Grandes Aventuras" series.

Contents

Mandrake stories

• "Un Incendio en el Circo" ("The Circus People") by Lee Falk and Phil Davis.

Back cover

Starting in 1942 the back covers of issues from the "Las Grandes Aventuras" and the "Los Albumes Preferidos por la Juventud" (Colleción "Audaz" & Aventuras y Misterio) printed various collector cards, which could be glued into different collecting albums. These folded "Álbumes Centella" sheets could be ordered free and measured 17,5x25 cm. The purpose of these compilation albums was twofold. The main thing was to complete the collection. You could then submit complete albums to be a participant in a draw in a raffle competition with a prize of one thousand pesetas (First prize 1x100 pesetas, second prize 2x75 pesetas, third prize 4x50 pesetas, fourth prize 10x25 pesetas and fift prize 20x15 pesetas).

• 

  back cover

• 

  variant

• 

  variant II

• 

  1983 reprint

• 

  Álbumes Centella #12

• 

  inside

• Sticker: Serie 03-??: ?
• Sticker: Serie 12-09: Pedro Telmo Zarraonandía Montoya, Atlético de Bilbao (squad of 1941-42)
• Sticker: Serie 13-11: Rafael Berrocal Buzac, C. de F. Sevilla (squad of 1941-42)
• Coupon to order collecting albums for the stickers (note: only for the series 1, 5, 10 and 11)

In 1983 Joaquín Esteve edited in collaboration with "Club Amigos de la Historieta" a facsimile reprint of this issue. The back cover is like the variant II with only one printing plate for prussian blue.

Note

The "Las Grandes Aventuras" (or other series by Hispano Americana) have no numbering or date printed on the cover or inside, thus making it difficult to make an index in chronological order. Fortunately, most of the back covers from the series "Las Grandes Aventuras" and "Los Albumes Preferidos por la Juventud" series (Colleción "Audaz" & Aventuras y Misterio) have a back-list and an ad for the next issue. Sometime also the current or next issue for the other series.

Comparing the back covers of the first print issues prior the first Mandrake issue it is possible to make a list which shows that the first Mandrake issue was #35 in the "Las Grandes Aventuras" series, most likely published in July 1942.