British Update: By Jove, It’s Captain Britain – With Jolly Old Free Gifts!
*Marvel UK: Our latest Free Gift Farrago is a goodie! In 1976, Marvel UK’s attempt to broaden their readership by generating a new British hero, Captain Britain was the subject of much controversy, not least because he was created by two Americans (Chris Claremont & Herb Trimpe) who, from the evidence presented here, had never met an English person, and whose interpretation of the UK’s manners and mores made the Austin Powers films look like documentaries. Be that as it may, the character endured to become a respected icon of the medium, and these early issues are now attracting keen collector attention, primarily because of early appearances by characters who have become, as the young people say, ‘hot’ in the media. This is a nice sequential run, featuring all the landmark first appearances associated with the series – the good Captain himself, in #1 of course, plus his supernatural guardians Roma and Merlin; our hero’s psychic sister Betsy Braddock, later to become the X-Men’s Psylocke, in #8 and Lance Hunter, later better known as ‘Mr. Mockingbird’ from Marvels ‘Agents of SHIELD’ television series in #19. #1 is FN with Free Gift (CB Mask) VF at £40 (taped inside as orginally presented); #2 VF with Free Gift (Boomerang) in FN at £30; #8 VF £80; #19 VF £15 and #24, in our experience the rarest of the three Free Gift issues, is FN with Free Gift (Super-Jet glider) in VF at £50; all other issues can be checked out in our online catalogue. Rumours still abound of the Defender of Albion being optioned for his own media crossover, so better buy now while the opportunity’s there!