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Revision as of 18:23, 27 July 2021
| Mandrake the Magician | |
 First issue | |
| Country/language: |  United Kingdom / English
|
|---|---|
| Publishing company: | L. Miller & Son |
| Publishing years: | 1959-1964 (?) |
| Issues: | 24 |
| Format: | 18.5 × 24.5 cm, b/w |
Issue overview
Regular series
The "Mandrake the Magician" series was released without any pubishing date on the covers or inside. The change in the triangle logo on the covers from issue 3 to 4 (L. Miller & Son vs L. Miller & Co) indicate that the series started in 1959.
Although it is printed published monthly inside there must have been variations in the release rate. The last issue has a daily story from 1963 inside, and is likely published in 1964. The series spanning about 4 years, but only with 24 issues.
Many of the covers of these comics were credited to Philip Wilding and Cashier.
Pubishing date
It is hard to figure out when the Mandrake series was released since almost all series published by L. Miller were released without the publishing date on the covers or inside.
The L. Miller triangle
When the son (Arnold Miller) left his fathers company in 1959 Leonard Miller changed the company name from "L. Miller & Son" to "L. Miller & Co".
Like the Mandrake series the first three issues of the similar "The Phantom" also have the "L. Miller & Son" triangle on the covers. One can also see the triangle changes from Son to Co at other series like "Kid Montana" (issues 55 - 56), "Maverick Marshal" (issues 51 - 52) and "Front-Line Combat" ( 2 -3), to mentione a few.
For the Mandrake series the triangle layout changing from issue to issue: The first line. "Published by" can be written both in regular and italic; The second line can have "L. Miller" or "L. Miller & Co"; some triangles have London or London E2 at the bottom. A later research should include if the Miller-triangle was special made for each issue of their comics, or if it was re-used for issues from various series released the same month or period.
Annuals
In UK there was a tradition with annual issues, released for the Christmas season. Although these annuals rarely had any release date printed inside several of these issues have a note inscribed, like: "From me to you – Christmas year". The first "Hopalong Cassidy - Western Comic Annual" was released in December 1959 and the second in December 1960. The 1959 issue has the "L. Miller & Son" triangle at the cover, while the 1960 issue has the "L. Miller & Co" triangle. So, sometime between January and December 1960 the publisher name was changed at the Miller-triangle printed on the covers of their comics..
Annuals
1959 and 1960
Miller triangle
1959 vs 1960
Ads inside the comics
The Jolly Books
On the back cover of the first Mandrake issue there is an ad for the "Jolly Books" series by US Avon Publications released for the UK market by L. Miller.
This ad promote the 4 new titles: "Moko the Circus Monkey", "Tuffy the Truck", "Up goes the House" and "Fun in the Firehouse" - strangly, all with the original US covers. When released in UK the original US copyright date written inside was keept.
The ad also have pictures of the new "Jolly Book - comics album" and "Happy Boys and Girls - comic album". Both the "Jolly Book" and the "Happy Boys and Girls" is the first issue of a series of 3 issues, believed to be annuals from 1958, 1959 and 1960. At GCD the publisher for the first "Happy Boys and Girls" is listed as "L. Miller & Son" and the two other as "L. Miller & Co". If the years for these series is correct at GCB the name change from Son to Co had happened in Desember 1959 - one year before what can be seen for the "Hopalong Cassidy" annuals.
ad for the Jolly Books
US vs UK print
first issues
Water pistol
It seems that L. Miller sold their own series of water pistols, manufactured by HR Production (England). The two first issues of Mandrake have an ad for the "Famous Atomatic Senior Water Pistol" and in issue 15 there is an ad for the "Famous Atomatic Minor Water Pistol". The "Senior" ad can also been found in Marvelman #294 believed to be from April 1959 (thus the Miller & Co - triangle indicate after December 1959) and the "Minor" ad can also be found in "Young Marvelman" #369 believed to be from January 1963.
ad: the Senior
the Senior
also in yellow, blue and clear green
ad: the Minor
Stamps
Some issues has an ad from Broadway Approvals for start packages for collecting stamps. In the first Mandrake issue with 120 different stamps and free gift like the book "Midget Encyclopedia of stamp collection" and the "Solar System souvenir sheet". The second Mandrake issue have stamps and free gifts like the book "Midget Encyclopedia of stamp collection", "Broadway Worldwide Stamp Album" and "1956 Olympic Seals" (Melbourne). The free gifts in Mandrake issue 14 including the souvenir sheets: "Boy Scout Jamboree 1957", "Planet Mail", "Flags of the World" and "Suez Chanal".
Sources
- Rusty Staples - Comics Blog: Marvelman #294
- AusReprint: Young Marvelman
- Alphadrome Robot And Space Toy Database: Space Guns