Redistributing comics

A couple of weeks ago I was visiting Germany, and as I usually do on my travels I bought a few Disney comics as souvenirs. This time I picked up a couple of plastic bag type of things.

Mickey Mouse Wundertüte #18 and a Donald Duck Doppel Pack

One was #18 of something called "Micky Maus Wundertüte", and the other one was a "Donald Duck Doppel Pack". The Donald Duck bag looks more generic in design with no numbering and had Die tollsten Geschichten von Donald Duck Sonderheft #384 and Lustiges Taschenbuch #474 inside. The other copies at the same store had the same comics in the bag, and I found a picture of the same one online too. I guess the content is not random then and if you are a hardcore completionist you could collect these double-packs. But the bags are not listed on inducks and such.

Two Micky Maus comics from inside the Wundertüte bag, including free gifts (= useless plastic junk)

Inside the Micky Maus Wundertüte I found Micky Maus #19/2018 (with an attached DuckTales comic) and Micky Maus #14/2018. Doing some searching online I found a guy on YouTube opening three of the same packaging, but with different comics inside, so in this bag I guess the content is random back issues of Micky Maus.

In both cases I suspect these comics are unsold back issues that are redistributed at a discount price. This way of redistributing comics is not normal where I live, but I tried to remember if I could think of any other examples of the same. Doing some digging in my archive I found a double-pack from Finland I bought years ago, and a couple from Italy too.

Double-packs with comics from Finland and Italy

The Finnish one I'm pretty sure is an official redistribution bag with two issues of Roope-Setä. The two Italian ones I'm not so sure about. I got them at a regular newsstand/kiosk and not from any used comics book shop. But the shrink-wrap looks more home made, and while one of the two books inside looks new and unread, the other one is clearly a used one.

Here in Norway I don't see much of any redistribution anymore, but in the past it was common for comics in album and pocket format. But the way it was done here was to add a redistribution sticker on the comics with updated information about the price and return week.

Norwegian Donald Pocket with redistribution stickers

Above is an example from two issues of the Norwegian Donald Pocket. While it is common for the most serious collectors here to collect different editions and printings, comics with stickers like this is not something that is collected and registered in databases and price guides. As you can see from another example below, the stickers often fade over time too.

Norwegian albums, original and with redistribution sticker

Another way to redistribute unsold comics is to make a completely new comic book out of them! That's what happened with some American comics in Australia in the late 70’s/early 80’s.

The comics pictured above where all sold in Australia, but inside they have American comics from Western Publishing (under the Gold Key/Whitman brand). The original covers are removed and the rest of the comics glued together with edges cut to make a new paperback comic.

American comic reused in an Australian paperback

My copy numbered WD 614 has Donald Duck #204, Donald Duck #206, Super Goof #60, Winnie-the-Pooh #20 and Donald Duck #207 inside. But the fun thing is that if you find another copy of WD 614 with the same cover, the content will most likely be different. There's no point trying to index these comics as the content vary, and they are not added to the inducks database. But you can find a listing of the different covers that exist here.

Another example where almost the same was done is the Gladstone leather bound collection of albums.

These books were made as limited-edition collectors' books and hand numbered.

But they basically just contain old stock issues of the Gladstone Comic Album Series bound together as a hardcover. When writing this I noticed that the books actually have later printings of the albums. This can easily be spotted on the very first albums where the ring around the number differ from the first and second printing.

First printing of album #1 and a later printing used in the leather bound book.

Edit Feb. 24, 2020

After writing this blogpost I discovered another example of old stock comics being redistributed. In Sweden they are putting old issues of Kalle Ankas Pocket back in sale in 2-packs, with a paper binding around.

 

Front

Back

The most interesting thing however is that the paper around the old comics is numbered "Kalle Ankas Bäste" (= "Best of Donald Duck") #1, 2020. The two-pack even got its own series name different from the books you actually buy…