Back in the 1950s, when wartime import restrictions were still in place, American comics were not widely distributed in the UK. A few got through unofficially at portside cities but, for the most part, it was down to UK publishers to produce reprint editions for British kids. There were dozens of titles reprinting American material, mostly in black and white, from London publishers such as Len Miller. However, some reprint comics came from much further afield, such as the Superman family of titles that were imported to the UK from Australia.
Here's a few pages from Superman No.52, widely available in the UK in the early 1950s but actually an Australian comic. This was published in 1953 (October '53 I believe). The format was Golden Age U.S. comic size (ie: a bit wider than modern American comics) with 28 pages including full colour glossy cover, blue ink on inside and back covers, and black and white interiors on pulp paper.
The cover art is by J.Winslow Mortimer and was originally the cover to Action Comics No.179, February 1953. The lead story, Super Manor, is reprinted from that same issue, with artwork by Wayne Boring.
The 1950s and very early 1960s is my favourite era of Superman, when the strip featured a lot of humour and lighthearted plots. No grim and grittiness or universe-endangering crisis, just Superman in almost sit-com situations. Here's another page from the same story...
The same issue of this Australian Superman comic also reprinted The Search for the Bravest Woman from Superman No.83 (July/August 1953). Art by Al Plastino.
Other Australian reprints of DC Comics that made it to UK newsagents included Batman, Super Adventure Comic (reprinting World's Finest), and Superboy.
The Australian Superman comic also featured short back-up humour pages. Here's a selection. I'm presuming these may be originated Australian strips rather than U.S. reprint...
With a cover price of 6d it's likely that most British readers just assumed these Superman comics were produced in the UK, unless they read the small print: "Printed by Gale and Polden Ltd, for the K.G. Murray Publishing Co. Ltd., 56 Young Street, Sydney, Australia. Distributed by Atlas Publishing and Distributing Co. Ltd, 18 Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London E.C.4"
I've no idea how long this Austalian/British Superman comic ran for. Perhaps as long as 1959 when the U.S. editions began to be imported? If anyone knows, please post a comment.
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Here's the original cover to that issue, from Action Comics No.179. Image from the excellent Comic Vine website:
http://www.comicvine.com/action-comics-179-supermanor/4000-119009/
