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Classics Nederland
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© Bart Bethlehem |
In 1971, the HIP Comics series came to an end.
Each successful hero from the HIP Comics series got their own series, starting from the number of times they had appeared in HIP Comics. So, after making 47 appearances in HIP Comics, "Spinneman Classics" began with issue number 48.
In 1973, DC was acquired by Warner, and in the Netherlands (as well as in many other countries), Williams continued with the Marvel series. However, these new series didn't gain much popularity in the Netherlands, possibly due to their unique format or black and white printing.
By 1976, Marvel in the Netherlands came to an end.
This was in contrast to Germany, where the comics were more successful than ever with the launch of Williams.
It wasn't until 1979 that Marvel comics made their comeback with the publications by Junior Press.
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| One offs |
Kapitein Marvel and IJzerman struggled when transitioning to their own series. They got canceled after only a few episodes, which meant they missed out on having their own cover gallery.
Isn't it curious?
Prins Namor and Rauwe Bonk (Hulk), despite making more frequent appearances in HIP Comics than the two aforementioned heroes, never had their own series.
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Marvel vs. DC
A significant moment in history occurred when Marvel and DC, the major competitors, collaborated to release their first joint comic book.
The cover showcased the iconic characters from both publishers, with Marvel's Spider-Man and DC's Superman taking the spotlight. It was a special release that even reached the Netherlands!
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Classics Netherlands was a subsidiary of the American National Periodical Publications (NPP).
NPP was known for publishing titles like Detective Comics and later changed its name to DC.
NPP had subsidiaries in several European countries, such as Bildschriften Verlag (BSV) in Germany. By centralizing the printing process, NPP was able to bring comics to the market relatively inexpensively, even in countries with smaller print runs like the Netherlands. Only the text needed to be adapted for each country, which likely explains the mismatched and poorly typeset text in the speech bubbles—cost-effective but not aesthetically pleasing!
Classics Netherlands introduced its first comics with Illustrated Classics in 1956. Soon after, they began publishing titles like "Sprookjes in beeld" and many others.
In 1966, Marvel Comics were introduced in the HIP Comics series, an intriguing move given that DC, Marvel's biggest competitor, was responsible for bringing Marvel to the Netherlands!
Marvel heroes gained immense popularity, prompting Classics Netherlands to publish other superhero series like "Zwarte Valk," "Flits," "Groene Lantaarn," "Aquaman," and more. These secondary DC heroes (known as the TOP Comics in Germany) were the only DC series Classics Netherlands could publish at the time because the rights to DC's real successes, Batman and Superman, were held elsewhere.
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