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Buster Special Delayed Around The Country
When Egmont told us to expect some 1970s nostalgia from Buster we had no idea how serious they would take it. In scenes similar to those when Buster wasn't released due to strikes, Buster fans have been arriving in the newsagents to discover no sign of their favourite comic.
So far Comics UK Forum Members have reported spotting just four copies of the special, 3 in Chorley and 1 in Hull. WH Smiths stores in London, Guildford, Essex and Manchester (amongst others) have been without stock of the Egmont Classic Comics, disappointing those who had been eagerly anticipating the release.
Steelclaw commented on Thursday "I've now been in 6 WH Smiths no joy, typical isn't it the one I've been looking forward to the most" whilst this site's webmaster reported no luck in Oxford Street, Liverpool Street, Waterloo, Holborn & Chelmsford.
Former Buster artist Lew Stringer, whose credits include Tom Thug, offered Comics UK users a couple of theories as to the delay. "Smiths have vastly under-ordered because Misty didn't sell well (retail logic), or they've given priority to deliver other items that have come out early for Christmas and it's still stuck in their warehouse for another week."
Egmont today apologised to fans for the delay in the copy making it into most stores confirming, "It will be available shortly from most WHSmith High Street and some WHS Travel stores. Customers must ask for 'Classic Comics' not 'Buster'." A source confirmed "shortly" would most likely mean around next Wednesday.
The delay in general release for the Comic pushes it to within a week of the tenth anniversary of the last ever Buster coming out. The Final Issue arrived in the shops on December 22nd 1999, just scraping into the new millennium as each issue was dated for two weeks.
It's not the first time this special has been delayed. This summer bustercomic.co.uk were the first to reveal that Buster & Misty swapped places with the latter taking Buster's Original September release date.