The Comics Press Book was produced by Bulls Presstjänst AB in Stockholm, Sweden in 1994. The books purpose is to promote the various comic book characters under license by King Features Syndicate in, either distributed amongst it’s existing network of print media distributors, or to market their offerings to potential new partners.
The contents of the book are similar to those found in Press Kits distributed by publishing houses, which we still see being released, however in digital format nowadays. Before the digital age, press kits were a great form of communication, allowing a company to easily distribute information and would commonly contain print material such as fact sheets, brochures, sample comic strips, content creator biographies, photographs, company information, sales results data and much more, all bundled in the one presentation.
For a period spanning over 70 years, Bulls Press has maintained exclusive licensing rights in Sweden for the manufacturing of Phantom merchandise and collectibles.
Bulls Press – originally founded by Cornelius Bull, along with his nephew Einar Wyller and Bjarne Steinsvik in 1929 in Norway, subsequently relocated to Stockholm, Sweden, a year later. In 1931, the company underwent a name change to become Bulls Presstjänst AB. Beginning as a small-scale operation, Bulls gradually evolved into a highly successful publisher of comic books and associated merchandise.
Semic – Sweden’s prominent publishing house, holds the distinction of printing the Fantomen Comic Book series, boasting the longest-running European Phantom comic book series worldwide. Since its inception in 1950 and up to recent years, Semic has not only produced hundreds of comic books but has also offered a plethora of Phantom collectibles through its fan club and comic book publications.
The Comics Press Book features spiral-bound hardcovers that are printed in full color, comprising approximately 70 pages and measuring 21cm x 30cm, with both Swedish and English text. The book is titled ‘The World’s Greatest Comics From Bulls’, featuring a variety of comic strip characters on the front cover, including the Phantom. The front and back covers can be seen below.
The Comics Press Book is designed by Johan Lionell, with several pages dedicated to the myriad of comic strip characters available under license. These characters are Andy Capp, Beetle Bailey, Betty Boop, Blondie, Captain Bluebear, Ernie, Flash Gordon, Hi And Lois, Hagar The Horrible, Modesty Blaise, The Moomins, The Phantom, Popeye, Postman Pat and Rip Kirby.
Following the vividly colorful introductory page for each character, the reader is presented with a concise biography of the character, along with images of the comic strip and its associated characters. A sample of internal pages can be seen below, including the introductory page for the Phantom.
The Comics Press Book was not made publicly accessible; rather, it was distributed by Bulls Presstjänst AB to business partners and publishing houses that may have an interest in potentially licensing the characters for publication.
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