Polystyle Publications
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polystyle Publications Ltd was a British publisher of children's comics and books that operated from 1960 to 1997, publishing such titles as TV Comic, I-Spy, Pippin, Countdown/TV Action, and BEEB.
| Status | Dissolved (1997) |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | TV Publications |
| Founded | 12 May 1960 |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters location | Paddington Green London, W2 |
| Distribution | International |
| Publication types | Children's comics and books |
| Nonfiction topics | Comics based on television shows |
The company's registered offices were at Polly Perkins House, Paddington Green, 382/386 Edgware Road, London W2. Its publications were distributed in the United Kingdom by The Argus Press Ltd of 12/18 Paul Street, London EC2. Overseas, Polystyle's publications were distributed by its sole agents: for Australia and New Zealand, Messrs Gordon & Gotch (Asia) Ltd; for South Africa, the Central News Agency Ltd.
History
The company was incorporated as TV Publications on 12 May 1960,[1] ostensibly to publish TV Comic, which it had acquired from Beaverbrook Newspapers.
The company changed its name to Polystyle Publications Ltd in March 1968.[2][3] It dissolved in 1997 due to insolvency.[4]
Reputation & Legacy
Polystyle Comics particularly those of more popular franchises like Doctor Who as originally published in TV Comic and Countdown/TV Action were reprinted by Marvel starting in the 1990s. The quality of these compared with contemporaneous comics gained the company a reputation for low-quality, cheap content, much of which often bared little resemblance to the original material.
Titles
Among the titles that it published were:
- BEEB (1985)
- Buttons for Play School Children (1981–90)
- Countdown/TV Action (1971–73)
- I-Spy (c. 1967–c. 1982)
- Pippin (1966–1986)
- Playland (1968–1975)
- Read To Me (1977)
- Target (1978)
- TV Comic (1960–1984; originated in 1951, previously published by News of the World then Beaverbrook)
- TV Comic Annual (1960–1985)
- TV Comic Holiday Special (23 issues, 1962–1985)
