NOTE: Blimey! is no longer being updated. Please visit http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com for the latest updates about my comics work.

Monday, June 22, 2015

"Where do you get your scans from?"

I'm posting this as a reminder because I've been asked a few times over the years "Where do you get your scans of old comics from?". Unless stated otherwise, all the images of old comics on my blog are scans I've done myself from comics in my collection. Unlike some, I do not nick images from other sites/blogs and pretend they're my own. (Why would anyone do that?)
The other question I'm sometimes asked is "Can you scan me the whole comic/serial?" Sorry, no, because a) I don't have time, and b) that'd be piracy. (Publishers don't mind a few pages being scanned to illustrate a post but not the entire comic.) The response to that is sometimes "You're being selfish by not sharing". Staggering! To those people I say, folks, there are already several thousand images on my blog. Don't be so #*¢%•>* greedy! If you want more, hunt down and buy those old comics yourselves, like I always have.
I must emphasize that it's only a tiny minority of blog visitors who post comments like that. The rest of you are fantastic and your visits and comments are always very welcome and appreciated.

Usual service will now be resumed. :)    

11 comments:

Rick Davy said...

Yes yes yes, but please scan in all those Scorchers, you selfish &^*^%^^&!!! :p
Rick.

Lew Stringer said...

Ha ha! I'll just scan all 8,000 pages in my lunch break. :)

Adrian (the) Hood said...

The fun of comics is that you can enjoy them anywhere and anywhen. Don't look at them on a little screen, you need the sight and smell of the real thing!
Also, there's the fun of trawling the comic shops, marts and dealer rooms.
Sheesh. Some people just want to sit at home and have everything delivered for nothing. Suck the fun out!

Lew Stringer said...

These days a computer tablet enables comics to be read anywhere (although not advised in the bath) but I know what you mean. I wouldn't miss the smell of comics that are 100 years old though.

Adrian (the) Hood said...

My daughter calls me a 'sad old comic sniffer' which I guess is about right!

Lew Stringer said...

Makes me cough if an old comic is too musty. It'd be ironic if I was allergic or something. Therefore I tend not to buy them if they haven't aged too well.

Anonymous said...

I norther words I'm all right Jack!! What about those of us who can't afford to pay the exorbitant prices some dealers charge for older comics?

Jenni said...

It is hard to find old comics and can be expensive. I don't mind sharing scans of a few episodes sometimes - we may well 'share and share alike' to help each other out. I wouldn't put up a whole story on my site though, the publishers would quite rightly complain - and potentially come after me, maybe even asking for all the images to come down.

Lew Stringer said...

True, Jenni, and I believe that has happened on some websites and blogs. As for expense and rarity, I haven't found it too difficult and I'm not well off by any means. Comics pre-1960 can be very cheap these days, except for things like Dandy and Beano. For example, I bought 24 consecutive issues of The Joker (1929) on eBay last week for £4.99 plus postage. That was significantly cheap, but most 1930s to 1950s UK comics I've bought have only been around a fiver each at most.

Admittedly I'm more interested in the art than the story, so I'm not bothered about having a long run of a comic. A few issues from each year are usually enough to give a good idea of what the comic was like. The only complete runs I was interested in were the 1960s 'Power Comics' and TV21, which I managed to get very cheaply 30 years ago. There are bargains out there if one is patient. As for the ones I can't afford, I know I'll never afford a complete run of Lady Penelope, or a year's worth of mid 1950s Beanos so I don't bother thinking about it.

Hibernia Comics said...

You are quiet right Lew about comics and their relative 'cheapness', but over here the postage from the UK has gone through the roof making even a cheap comic expensive.
With expensive comics I think patience is the key, and if a lesser quality example will fill the gap(It does for me, so long as its complete and not scribbled on!).

I think the problem is that with other medium, if someone wants to see a cartoon or song from their youth, for whatever fleeting reason, its there on You Tube or wherever. People don't understand why comic are not available to have a quick look and sate their current nostalgia kick.

Lew Stringer said...

It's a shame that society has become so impatient and full of entitlement. You're right though. A lot of people don't see why they should pay for their media now. Plus there's the modern attitude against clutter, so people are discouraged to collect anything in case they're compared to the hoarders on those TV shows. I'd rather have a house full of comics any day than a bland showhome lacking in character and comics on a memory stick.

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