*DC: Three #1 issues from Jack Kirby’s return to DC in the 1970s from the Bute Collection.
PICTURED:
FOREVER PEOPLE #1 VF+ p £140 There’s a lot to say about Forever People #1. Not only is it the debut of the Forever People themselves and the pivotal Fourth World character Infinity Man, but it’s also the first full appearance of Darkseid (third anywhere). That is to say, although it’s listed as such in the Overstreet Price Guide and widely regarded as the first full appearance of the classic DC arch-villain, we’re not convinced that just three panels of the Big Bad (and on video screens at that) really constitutes his first full appearance. Still, you pays yer money and you takes yer choice. One of the more entertaining aspects of this issue is seeing guest star Superman rendered by Al Pastino alongside Kirby’s characteristic style — a strange experience. An outstanding copy with great colours, square corners, nice reflectivity, tight staples and supple white to off-white pages. Just very minor wear to the extremity of the bottom right corner. Pence stamped.
KAMANDI #1 VF- £50 SOLD Following his critically-acclaimed ‘Fourth World’ series of intersecting titles at DC, Jack Kirby branched out into three stand-alone series. One such was Kamandi, a.k.a. ‘The Last Boy On Earth’, doubtless influenced by the then-ongoing Planet of the Apes phenomenon. Kamandi showed a post-apocalyptic future in which all humanity apart from our titular hero had degraded to virtual beasts, oppressed by all manner of super-evolved animals. Later attempts by other, lesser talents have been made to link this in with the greater DC Universe, but most folk prefer to think of the original 59 issue run from 1972 to 1978 as a self-contained odyssey. We have issue #1 of this cult series, a cents copy with no pence price or overstamp, a nice copy with great colours and gloss, fairly minimal spine wear, white pages. The bottom staple is neatly off the cover.
MISTER MIRACLE #1 FN/VF £85 SOLD The best-received of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World at the time of its release, Mister Miracle told the story of Scott Free, a child of New Genesis who was raised in the fire-pits of Apokalips, in an exchange of royal hostages between the two warring planets. Escaping from Apokalips to Earth, Scott continued his adventures as the World’s Greatest Escape Artist, aided by his trusty companion Oberon, and continuing in the tradition of the previous Mister Miracle, a travelling escapologist. The combination of super-heroics, showmanship and space-opera made for a compelling read, and Mister Miracle, like the rest of Kirby’s 1970s creations, has continued to have a resounding impact on the DC Universe since his inception. This is a very reasonable copy with some handling wear at the spine, good colours and reflectivity, white to off-white pages and nice staples, the lower being off the centrefold.
*DC: An early Batman gem from the Midas Collection this week. From 1942, Batman #13, with a Jerry Robinson cover as Batman & Robin parachute into the scene as spotlights shine behind them. Four long Batman stories, one with the villain the Thumb which also features cameos by the Joker and the Penguin. One Joker story where the Caped Crusaders are bewildered to discover the reason behind the Joker’s new campaign: to make people cry (this story also features cameos by Joe DiMaggio and Jerry Siegel!) Stories by Don C Cameron, Jack Schiff & Bill Finger, art by Bob Kane & Jack Burnley. This is a decent copy with a nice black background cover, showing only small bits of wear at edges. A 5.5 cm crease across the bottom right cover corner faintly breaks cover. Faint pencil letters on a small section of the parachute. There is a slight spine roll (see scans), with minor wear and tear to the top margin edges of a couple of interior pages, but the page quality is generally a nice off-white. Staples are nice and tight. High resolution images are available on request.
