Classics to end next month

[Lew Stringer]

Sad news chums. Classics from the Comics is to be canceled with No.175, out on October 13th. No other reprint title is to replace it unfortunately.

http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2010/09 ... omson.html

[Raven]

That's very disappointing. It's become quite irresistible since the revamp and quite a monthly treat. I wonder why distribution was so poor: newsagents not being convinced it would sell? My local WHSmith had started stocking it with the Panini superhero titles, 2000AD and SF film mags - better place, I think, than well hidden behind the tots' comics, though it didn't necessarily seem to be shifting too many.

Sigh. That revamp really had revitalised it.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I will miss it, as I bought every issue since No. 1 in 1996.....remember Steve Bright used to do the covers? Another sad day for the comics industry.

I wrote to them twice, asking for early I SPY to be shown.......alas, it rarely ever appeared.

There is only one shop in my city that stocks CLASSICS, and they seem to sell out....

Peter: the Black Bob book is available in my local Waterstones [they should be able to order it for you, or go to Amazon as Lew suggests] ----there's a brilliant in-depth index at the back, similar to History of the Beano, which tells you which stories were never repeated, etc.......good quality reproduction of the strips, I'm sure you will love it.

[STARBOY]

Darn I was really enjoying "Classics" since the revamp , the only UK comic I buy regularly (pretty much the only one I buy to be honest) what a shame it's an excellent product as well and the last 6 or so issues have been well err classics. I remember the the early editions of Best of Beezer & Best of Topper monthly (or was it fornightly), then they went bi monthly, then quarterly then merged then became Classics and now nothing! (published schedule may not be correct just making a point so no need to rush to correct it lol)

[Peter Gray]

Gutted.....

Really liked it...especially over the last few years..profiling artists..showcasing a earlier year..letter pages..more adventure pages..

I'd thought the subscription might keep it going..also I thought there were new older readers joining..with text stories being added..

I was also hoping Fleetway would do a similar publication..

[PaulTwist]

Aw, that's a shame. I wish they'd given a couple more options a go before the death knell - even if they'd put the price up to, say, £3, it'd offer great value for money.

I must admit I didn't buy it every month, but I was always glad it was there, and I probably did get it more often than not over the past 3 years.

With Classics gone and Crikey axed, does this mean there really isn't a market for UK comics nostalgia? Shame.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Comics nostalgia seems destined to be distributed soley online on blogs, or on good sites like this one.......even I'm going down this route nowadays.


As I've often championed on here before, an online subscription service pooling the resources of DCT/IPC/ODHAMS/ TV 21 etc may well be the future, but the technology is nowhere near ready yet......it's so clumsy and time-consuming doing scans at this point in time, and the overall quality of scanning is adequate, but nowhere near the quality of published material, which has had the luxury of centuries to evolve and get it right.

If an online archive does ever happen, I hope it occurs before many comics titles are consigned to oblivion.

[blaing]

and with next month's issue, I'll be six issues into my subscription too.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Classics, and it'll be something I'll miss reading every month.

R.I.P. Classics from the Comics - 1996-2010.

Wonder if I'll be able to use the rest of my subscription money on getting back issues instead of getting the balance put back into my card

[stevezodiac]

I haven't seen a copy in any shop for years so Thomson's usual distribution apathy (seen the Weekly News and Commando anywhere?) is to blame. If it had been more widely available I'm sure it would have caught the eye of 30 to 50 somethings who might have been tempted to experience some nostalgia.

[Lew Stringer]

I haven't seen a copy in any shop for years so Thomson's usual distribution apathy (seen the Weekly News and Commando anywhere?) is to blame. If it had been more widely available I'm sure it would have caught the eye of 30 to 50 somethings who might have been tempted to experience some nostalgia.

Plenty of copies of The Weekly News around here. Commando was getting better distribution but my local Smiths has now dropped it and the only other shop that stocked it now only has one of the four issues every fortnight for some reason.

[Lew Stringer]

As I've often championed on here before, an online subscription service pooling the resources of DCT/IPC/ODHAMS/ TV 21 etc may well be the future, but the technology is nowhere near ready yet......it's so clumsy and time-consuming doing scans at this point in time, and the overall quality of scanning is adequate, but nowhere near the quality of published material, which has had the luxury of centuries to evolve and get it right.

I'm not quite with you there Rab. All comic pages you see in print these days have been scanned into a computer. (We send our work via e-mail.) Or have I missed your point?

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I mean reading comics online is nowhere near as attractive or comfortable as reading artwork in print, Lew.

Early TV was harsh and primitive...it's taken decades to get where it is now. The same will happen with computers, which will evolve continually.Eventually, reading cartoons/comics online will become just as good as the real thing, but for the meantime at least, I'd rather have bound volumes of MAD MAGAZINE than the c-d rom version.

[Digifiend]

I wonder if the forthcoming relaunch of the Beano Club as beano.com has anything to do with this? Could they be offering classic strips by download, for a fee, instead?

I'm really disappointed with this news, I've been buying every issue for several years.... but I only know one shop I can get it from, so I think distribution has been a real problem. However, on Monday, two days before the new issue came out, WHSmith still had TEN copies! This is why Classics is ending no doubt. They should've printed less copies and sold them in more outlets.

Why did they bother to relaunch just a few months ago only to end it now though? I hope they at least bring the adventure strips to a proper conclusion.

[blaing]

I'm hoping that the final issue would be a deluxe issue, so that any adventure strips that were included in the last few months can be completed without having to find the issues, but I don't see that happening.

[Digifiend]

I know they won't print extra pages, I was assuming they'd have to run less funnies to make room.

Doesn't Down the Tubes read the roundels?

Dixon Hawke, from 1938 (presumably from an early Beano)

They should check their facts. Anyway, here's their review: http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/ ... s-174.html