Print

[Yoc]

Thanks DM!
I've checked and they all seem complete.
I've added them and an Improved Golden Lad 02 as well to the site.

I added in a paper scan of the Swiftarrow story to your set.  No idea where I got that one from.  Likely Golden Years or Pure Excitement.  I also upgraded the cover and back cover.

[darkmark]

Appreciated, Yoc.  I'll have to download your version.

[darkmark]

Good work, Yoc, I enjoyed your version.  The latest in my share is Kid Eternity #3, hope you enjoy it.

[darkmark]

Just uploaded Daredevil Comics #22, a darned good issue with a darned bad villain.  Hope you enjoy it.  It's a fiche scan.

[darkmark]

Finally, we have a Golden Lad #3.  I wish all Golden Age comics were 36 pagers like this one, they'd be so much easier to paginate!

[phabox]

I wish all Golden Age comics were 36 pagers like this one, they'd be so much easier to paginate!

As a rule it was only the tail end of the Golden Age that saw the arrival of the now standard 36 pagers, and YES they ARE a lot easier to scan !

Going right back to the mid thirties and titles like New Comics ( later 'New Fun' and later still 'More Fun') a kid got over 80 pages for his dime ( although not all in colour) but by the Time Superman and co showed up 68 pages seemed the standard format.

By the mid forties 60 pages became the norm and just before today format came in they srunk down to 52 pages.

Having said this there were a few war time 'blips' when a few titles dropped down to a mere 36 pages, Timely and Ace being a couple of companies to suffer this way but returned to their then regular sizes when the paper shortages eased.

-Nigel

[Aussie500]

Thanks darkmark.

[darkmark]

yvw, Aussie, and you're absolutely right, nigel.  In some Forties comics, particularly Timely, you would see 34 pages (remember, one less page equals 2 pages).  And in others, probably a lot of companies, you'd see one staple in the middle holding them together...metal rationing.  The page count varied a LOT, with 36 page issues one month, then back to 52-pagers the next.  The real reason the Superman / Batman team was born was because WORLD'S FINEST shrunk its pages, and rather than dump Supes, Bats, or too many of the back features, DC elected to combine the two biggies in one story.  Thus, the first team-up comic.  Howard Keltner's index is a wealth of info on this, and I'm glad to have talked to him and contributed to the index while Howard was still alive.

Anyway, back to the Kid Eternity scans.

[darkmark]

Now appearing on the FTP:  KID ETERNITY #4, with guest shots by Dracula, Frankenstein, Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes.  Alan Moore's mother must have read this comic.  Enjoy.

[phabox]

Alan Moore's mother must have read this comic.

Or maybe he was looking over my shoulder in the late 60's !!! 

-Nigel

P.S. When can I expect that royaltie cheque Alan ? 

[darkmark]

Probably when he gets back from Pepperland.  Anyway, the latest is Daredevil Comics #23, and hopefully it's a better scan.  Go for it, Aussie!

[Yoc]

Thanks DM.
Say, these do look a little easier to read.  Congrats!

I recall ages ago asking Rolster just exactly what does he do when he scans fiche and he sent me the following.  Not sure if any of it would be of help but I figure the information can't hurt right?

The Rolster Method of Fiche Scanning:
You need an Epson Perfection 4180 PHOTO scanner (or the equivalent),
which is available refurbished at the Epson site for about $100.

You take the poster board and make a frame for the fiche/film with it,
then double it (two pieces of poster board).  You want the fiche to
sit just about a mm above the scanbed.  Then you put the glass *on
top* of the fiche.  The fiche will stick to the glass, holding it
above the scanbed, and it also helps focus it for some reason.

Do not put glass under the fiche.  You'll end up with light artefacts
similar to Newton's rings.

Make sure the part of the fiche you want to scan is under the lid
light, and make sure the lid light is activated.  Scan using film
settings at 4800 dpi.  Do not use a higher dpi, as the scan just gets
blurrier.

You may need to play with the height of the posterboard frame, as each
scanner appears to have a slightly different focus point.  For myself,
two pieces of posterboard is usually fine.  With some fiche, the scan
becomes clearer with a third piece of posterboard.  Test a single page
before scanning the whole book.

Once the fiche is scanned, editing methods differ depending on the
person's whims and desires.  The green is mostly lost if the book that
was fiched was yellowed at all, so don't feel too bad if you can't.

I couldn't tell you if he's changed anything lately.  The above was from quite a while back.

I've been helping him edit his fiche lately.  When I get them I run them through Photoshop.
I correct the colour levels first (ctrl-L) adjusting the white and black levels to brighten them up but not to the point of blasting out the details.  Then I run them through Sharpen and Sharpen More.  I save them as a Jpg compressed to level 6 or 7 while resizing them to 1500 pixels tall.

Thanks again for the scans DM.
Take care,
-Yoc

[darkmark]

Thanks, Yoc.  Fiche scans are notoriously tougher to read, and I've been feeling my way through them, but I think there's been some improvement.  Keep 'em flying!

[Yoc]

Your welcome DM.
Loftypilot is also scanning some fiche but I know his method is slightly different.
I believe a key difference is he must sacrifice a virgin before each book and he says it's getting hard to find any down his way.


Good luck with the fiche,
-Yoc

[darkmark]

The latest is Kid Eternity #10.  Wonder if I could summon up some more GA issues by yelling..."ETERNITY!"?

Hmmm, guess not.

[Yoc]

Thanks DM, it's now on the site.

[darkmark]

Thanks, Yoc!  And now you can put Daredevil #28 on the site, too.  Hope I'm not going too fast! ;-)

[Yoc]

 
No worries on that DM.  I can keep it up as fast as you can. 
After all I've got the easy part of the job.

Expect the new DD on the site shortly.
-Yoc

[darkmark]

Thanks again, Yoc.  And by the time you read this, Kid Eternity #11 should be on the FTP.  Yours for the grabbing.

[Yoc]

Now up!

[darkmark]

Thanks, Yoc!  Now appearing at an FTP near you...Daredevil Comics #31, with the less-than-permanent death of the Claw!  This is the last of my Daredevils, so enjoy it while you can.  Keep 'em flying!

[darkmark]

And while you're at it, pick up the scans of Clue Comics #5 there.  Just to keep you from being Clueless. ;-)

[Yoc]

Thanks DM, they will be up shortly.

[darkmark]

Thanks, Yoc, and I finally got Kid Eternity #13 up there, too.  All yours.

[doccomix]

Thanks for the great Daredevils! Glad to finally see the "death" of The Claw (which lasted almost a decade, if I recall).