First, some background:
My first ever comic was Monster Fun. I remember the exact moment it was bought for me, and I date my love of reading to that moment. I'm pretty sure it was issue 4 or 6 and it had a Bad Time Bed Time book in the middle. Like a baby bird seeing its mother for the first time, this was imprinted forever on my brain as the model for all future reading, and What Comics Should Be Like. And the BTBTB was the jewel in the crown, the pinnacle of comic perfection, the archetype of what a magazine should be.
I just did a search for references to the BTBTBs on the web, and was shocked to find almost nothing except a couple of passing references. No pictures, no retrospective, no descriptions, nothing. The fans just aren't talking about them. So unlike the early Beano, Action or 2000AD there's probably zero chance that the copyright owners will ever reissue them. But the idea that nobody will ever see these gems again, well that just seems WRONG. I'm seriously considering tracking them all down on eBay, and making placing a little tribute somewhere on the Web, but I need some advice first. But at the same time I don't want to tread on anyone's toes.
1.
First, is there any way to get copies of the Baxendale BTBTBs short of buying every issue of Monster Fun on eBay? My budget is sadly limited so it could take a while. But I am perfectly happy with reprints.
2.
Second, assuming that buying the original Monster Funs is the best way to go, does anyone know of a master list of which issues had the Baxendale BTBTBs? Some of the later ones were ghosted by other writers/artists, and some Monster Funs had no BTBTB at all. And worse, they were designed to be removed from the main comic so they are often missing, so if I save my pennies and buy the issues one by one I'll have to check with the seller each time.
3.
Third, what's considered fair play for putting this kind of thing online? Legally I'm sure the answer is "you can't use anything" but what's common practice? I'm sure I could get away with scanning a single story (each was only 4 full pages, then folded), but would I be risking treason if I put two online? Three? I don't want to annoy anyone.
3a.
On a related note, let's say (for sake of argument) that I bought and scanned ten different Bad Time Bed Time Books (4 pages each), and designed the web site so that only one was seen each week. Would the copyright owner be more likely to turn a blind eye? Four pages doesn't look like much.
Any suggestions?
PS as if this post isn't long enough already
I also have a second motive. I'm making a computer game in my spare time that will include a lot of different stories (first version: LesMisGame.com). Long term I plan to fill it with adaptations of serious novels, but in the corners so to speak there will be fun little side adventures as well. The funnest stuff I know of was those little Bad Time Bed Time Books, and I'd love to capture the spirit of those things in my game. Not the individual stories of course (copyright and all) but the glorious sense of humour. So that's why I've decided to get serious about them right now, thirty something years on.
) But seriously, anything that encourages reading has got to be a good thing.
.........by then it was too late to complain.........so be careful........
