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".
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". In one issue of the first "Hopalong Cassidy" annual it is inscribed Christmas 1959. It is possible that the gift-giver gave away a book that was a year old, but it is more likley that the first annual was released in Descember 1959 and the second one 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
Looking at a few Miller comics like: issues 4 and 5 of "Detective Comics" and "Black Fury" #61 there is an ad for the annuals of the year. They are listed as: "Jolly Book Comic Album" #2, "Happy Boys and Girls Comic Album" #2, "Hopalong Cassidy Comic Annual" #1, "Cowboy Hero Comics Annual" #3, "Rocky Lane Comics Annual" #3, "Bill Boys Comic Annual" #4, "Six-Gun Heroes Comic Annual" #4, "Marvel Annual" and "Young Marvel Annual". The ad has b/w pictures of six annuals. Only the "Cowboy Hero" and the "Hopalong Cassidy" issues have the Miller-triangle on the covers - the Son variant. Interesting is that inside the "Cowboy Hero" issue is printet "L. Miller & Co", and perhaps also in the "Hopalong Cassidy" issue. The "Detective Comics" and "Black Fury" with the Annual-ad all have the Co variant of the Miller-triangle on the covers.
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. The same ad was used in other comic books from L. Miller, like: "Western Hero - Kid Montana" #53.
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".
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".
The "Suez Chanal" souvenir sheets is said to be a replica of the 91 year old stamps, issued in 1868. 1868 pluss 91 years brings us to the year 1959. The "Planet Mail" souvenir sheets is said to have been issued in 1961, but apparing in several ads in the Miller comics believed issued in 1959.
Planet Mail
Suez Chanal
Other comics
There are some ads for other L. Moller comics inside the Mandrake issues, like:
- issue 2: Miller Detective real fact series; "Startling Detective", "Real Police stories", "Daring Detective" and "True Police Cases", "Mandrake the Magician" and "The Phantom".
- issue 7: "Mandrake the Magician" and "The Phantom".
- issue 13: "Mandrake the Magician" and "The Phantom", Best Comics (no titles mentioned)
- issue 14: Big-Value Comics - "Mandrake the Magician", "The Phantom", "Spellbound", "Mystic", "War" and "Battleground".
- issue 15: One illustrated ad with: "Marvelman", "Young Marvelman", "Mystic", "The Phantom", "Mandrake The Magician", "War", "Battleground", "Popeye", "Spellbound", "Space and Adventure Comics"; one illustrade ad with "The Phantom".
- issue 18: Best Comics (no titles mentioned), one small ad for "War" and "Spellbound", one illustrated ad for "King of the Royal Mounted".
- issue 19: Big-Value Comics - "Spellbound", "Mystic", "War", "Battleground" and "Mandrake The Magician"; one illustrated ad for "Battleground".
- issue 20: Big-Value Comics - "Spellbound", "Mystic", "War", "Battleground" and "Mandrake The Magician".
- issue 22: Big-Value Comics - "Spellbound", "Mystic", "War", "Battleground" and "Mandrake The Magician"; one illustrated ad with: "Marvelman", "Young Marvelman", "Mystic", "The Phantom", "Mandrake The Magician", "Battleground", "Popeye", "Spellbound".
- issue 24: Big-Value Comics - "Spellbound", "Mystic", "War", "Battleground" and "Mandrake The Magician"; one illustrated ad for "Flash Gordon"; one illustrated ad with: "Marvelman", "Young Marvelman", "Mystic", "The Phantom", "Mandrake The Magician", "Battleground", "Popeye", "Spellbound".
Sources
- Rusty Staples - Comics Blog: Marvelman #294
- AusReprint: Young Marvelman
- Alphadrome Robot And Space Toy Database: Space Guns