Mandrake the Magician (Miller)
| 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".
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
1950 vs 1960
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.
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