DC Thomson Picture Libraries

[Kashgar]

The Star Picture Library ran from April 1965 to Sept 1990.

[stevezodiac]

I posted these scans last night but the gremlins have been at work and they did not appear. Advert for Star PL I found in a copy of Secrets. I'd like to get hold of some Star Picture Libraries as, from experience, those romance books were always well drawn.

[stevezodiac]

I have just won a 1971 Weekly News on ebay and it contained another advert for Star PL. I've never actually owned one of these titles so am now determined to get my hands on some.

[philcom55]

Funnily enough I saw a pile of these being sold for 50p each only a couple of weeks ago. Here's one of the later issues from 1988:



- Phil R.

[felneymike]

"The Haunted Bookshop" in Cambridge has a lot of girl's picture libraries. I'll see if i can see any of these at the weekend. Seems like most of the stock in that shop is older things from the 60's though.

[stevezodiac]

My mate Steve gave me a couple of dozen of his Girls' Crystals doubles yesterday and inside one of them was this nice flyer for the first two issues of Schoolgirls' Picture Library. I post it here rather than start a new topic even though its Fleetway and not DC Thomson.

[paw broon]

Wow! I've got that Secret Avengers comic. But then, I love masked/costumed/robed heroes and heroines. Just recieved in the post 2 Mamselle X comics in June and Schoolfriend Library. And 2 Schoolgirls' Own Library - Return of Gaye and Mr. X and Warning of the Phantom Watcher. Lovely stuff.

[philcom55]

I can't remember whether you collect American comics Paw but I have to say that my all-time favourite robed/masked characters were the ones Wally Wood seemed to include in virtually every other strip he drew. In my youth I spent hours trying to perfect that technique of hinting at a face within a network of folds and furls:



...Of course, they weren't always heroes!

- Phil Rushton

[paw broon]

Yes, I do collect American comics and that's part of the problem as I also collect comics from all over Europe. Space and cash - the lack of it, that is. That's a great cover and a good illustration of what you talk about. I sincerely hope you got close to that quality. That would be class. I love Wally Wood but, and please forgive what might be considered blasphemous, have never taken to E.C. as much as others have. Masked/robed figures just intrigue me whether it's superheroes (the older and more obscure, the better) or schoolboys/girls got up to right wrongs. As for the hoods not being only good guys, there is a branch of comic villains that intrigues me and those are European villains such as, Kriminal; Diabolik; Satanik; Genius; MisterX and many more. That last not to be confused with the 3 or 4 other Misters X out there.
Great hoods - these are the hoods which cover the whole head e.g. The Hood - the golden age hero, El Encapuchado - the Spanish pulp and comic hero and El Capitan Misterio -