*DC: The first DC super-hero of the 1950s, presaging the Silver Age which was to follow, Captain Comet made his debut in 1951, in the 9th issue of the sci-fi anthology Strange Adventures, arguably the most important issue of that important and much-loved series. Adam Blake, a young man born with powers and abilities he didn’t comprehend, was revealed as a mutant (Ha! And you thought Marvel did it first!), not a throwback but an evolutionary ‘flashforward’ to humanity at its peak of physical perfection, with heightened intellect and the powers of telepathy and telekinesis in addition to his tireless physical prowess. Adopting the identity of Captain Comet, Blake vows to protect humanity against extraterrestrial menaces. Writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino created a tense and inventive thriller in a mere ten pages, with the rest of the comic being filled out by equally lovely work by Mike Sekowsky, Murphy Anderson (illustrating space adventurer Kris KL-99) and others. This is a beautiful copy, with deep unbroken black cover background, minor handling wear and a very slight crease mark on the blue sky by Comet’s left leg. There is also a tiny impact/pressure mark near the spine. Corners are only slightly blunted, staples are tight and firm, pages are a very nice supple white to off-white. There is a faint water-mark about half the size of a pound coin visible in the top margin of the leading pages and inside only front cover. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: STRANGE ADVENTURES #9 FN+ £775