Why are there no proper collections of the pre-DWW comics?

[Rich Watson]

With Paninni finally collecting the back-up strips from DWW/early DWM, by the end of the year all their comics up to the start of the new era will have been reprinted in high-quality editions.

Which prompts the question; why is it impossible to get the pre-DWW comics without resorting to ebay or piracy?

I'm sure the short answer is "rights issues" but is there a longer answer? Because whoever holds the rights currently isn't making any money out of not allowing them to be reprinted.
It's not Stef Coburn is it?

 

[JD]

DWW?

 

[The Wormhole]

Doctor Who Weekly

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Which prompts the question; why is it impossible to get the pre-DWW comics without resorting to ebay or piracy?

I don't know for certain, but I imagine there are two factors.

One, uncertainty over who has the reprint rights.

Two, lack of good sources to reprint.

And, come to think of it, a third stemming from either/both of one and two -- Three, the sales potential of a collection does not justify the expense of getting ducks in a row on one and/or two.

 

[jaime]

Panini likely have the rights.
DWM reprinted them in the nineties, and had the Classic Comics spin off, so presumably still have them from then.
*unless*
They didn’t include them in the transfer from Marvel UK to Panini.

 

[diankra]

Also, having the rights to reprint 30 years ago doesn't mean you have them now. Particularly if the initial deal was only for a single reprint (which might be, as it would be cheaper).

 

[jaime]

Doctor Who Classic Comics

Doctor Who Classic Comics was a magazine published by Marvel Comics as a sister publication to Doctor Who Magazine. It was launched in 1992 by Marvel UK as collections of strips from earlier tie-in titles, including TV Comic, Countdown and TV Action and, later, strips from Doctor Who Weekly and...

tardis.fandom.com

Looks like they do have them. (Apart from so,e of the Dalek stuff)

(Edit: and somehow they are on the internet archive, but… am not sure they are entirely correct about the copyright expiring on them. They are there though.)