It was only a minor set back to discover that the weekly comic had long gone – it only lasted for 101 issues between 1978 – 1980 so I was too late for that feast of the macabre. I think what I loved most was that the stories didn’t peddle the line that there was always a happy ending…things often ended badly for the heroines of Misty stories.
Not only did the comics have weekly serials, one-off stories, but they also had short stories and factual articles about the supernatural and quirky historical facts – so the proto-history geek in me was also happy. I couldn’t believe that someone had thrown them out and they had ended up at school – I mean as soon as I saw them they were major ‘objects of desire’ to me – how they never found their way home with me I will never know! Leafing through those discarded comics I was immediately hooked – I mean these comics were just what I had been looking for as a proto-gothy 10 year old. It was a rainy day at school and play-time had been cancelled, everyone was left kicking their heels in the classroom. I first found Misty not so much in a Cavern of Dreams, but in a box of old Beano comics. As a child I was always fascinated by the more shadowy things of this world, the more mysterious and less fluffy and pink the better. At some point after 2002 the name of Fleetway Editions ceased to be used by Egmont on its publications.Misty, a Fleetway Annual produced by IPC Magazines, was a very unusual thing – a supernatural horror comic aimed at young girls. In 1991, this Fleetway division was bought by Egmont, who merged it with their own British based comic publishing division, London Editions, to create Fleetway Editions. In 1987 all comics were collected into the Fleetway arm and sold to Robert Maxwell. The name of Fleetway was still used to identify the comics magazine publishing arm of IPC, although some comics were published in IPC's name. In 1963, Fleetway Publications was merged with George Newnes Publishers and Odhams Press to form IPC Media. In 1959 the name of the company was changed from Amalgamated Press to Fleetway Publications.
It also published serialized novel papers (in for example The Thriller magazine) such that published stories by Edwy Searles Brooks, among others. Amalgamated Press entered the comic magazine market as early as 1890 with Comic Cuts and Illustrated Chips.
Fleetway began life as Amalgamated Press, the company owned by Alfred Harmsworth, who were based in Fleetway House. Fleetway, also known as Fleetway Publications and Fleetway Editions, was a publishing company, mainly producing comic magazines for the UK.
0 kommentar(er)
