13 Facts About Odhams

Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968.

Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics.

Odhams was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and then IPC Magazines in 1963.

In 1834 William Odhams left Sherborne, Dorset, for London, where he initially worked for The Morning Post.

Julius Elias, who left school at the age of 13 before going to work as an office boy at Odhams Bros, worked his way up to become managing director and eventually chairman of the firm, which after a merger with John Bull in 1920 took the name Odhams Press Ltd.

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Odhams published Mickey Mouse Weekly from the 1930s, which featured American reprints as well as original British Disney comics material, including a number of non-Disney-related strips.

Odhams lost the rights to Disney characters in 1957, and almost immediately launched the weekly comic Zip, which inherited the non-Disney strips from Mickey Mouse Weekly.

In 1959, Odhams purchased George Newnes Ltd as well as its imprint C Arthur Pearson Ltd.

Notable comics titles originally published by Pearson and continued by Odhams included the romance comics Mirabelle and Marty, and the Picture Stories and Picture Library series.

Odhams' board found this too attractive to refuse and, in 1961, Odhams was taken over by Fleetway.

Odhams was unable to reverse the declining popularity of Eagle and Swift, or succeed with Boys' World, launched in 1963.

In late 1966, with two Odhams' titles featuring superheroes, the Power Comics line was created.

In 1968 Odhams encountered financial problems, partly due to unfavourable economic conditions in Britain.