*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: In the US comic-starved Britain of the 1950s, several enterprising souls leased the rights to American titles and repackaged them in, predominantly, black & white squarebound versions. One such publisher was Len Miller, helmsman of myriad series in the 1950s and early 60s. Among the regular Miller Romance titles was Life Story, which reprinted, we believe, love stories from the defunct Fawcett line, perhaps with some additional material. Launched circa 1958, the series ran for at least 30 issues, and we have a selection from #4 to #30, with, after the first few, original covers commissioned by Miller. Illustrated is #15 (GD £5); for other info, kindly consult our online listings.

*Annuals: Although the traditional hardcover UK Annuals, in the 1960s, were regarded firmly as a children’s field, the sales juggernaut that was James Bond couldn’t be overlooked, so in late 1965, for the Christmas market, the first James Bond 007 Annual for 1966 was released, followed by two more dated 1967 and 1969. We have the first two of these in stock, in outstanding grades, with comic strips, stories and film photos content that, while innocuous by contemporary standards, would probably have raised an eyebrow or two among parents of the time. 1966 is FN/VF, with only very faint age-related discolouration at the front cover’s upper right; 1967 is even nicer, a firm VF. Neither has the original price clipped, there is no writing or other interior markings, and all pages are bright and tightly attached, laminate unflawed, spines pristine. 1966 FN/VF £50; 1967 VF £50. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Humour Comics: Our Long Hot Summer event continues with a selection of Cor!! Summer/Holiday Specials, not a complete run, but including the first from 1971 and the final from 1983, straddling more than a decade of fun & thrills! Starring Gus the Gorilla, Ivor Lott & Tony Broke, Hire-A-Horror, Spoilsport, Andy’s Ants, Jasper the Grasper, Chalky, and a cast of, well it must be dozens, Cor!!, while not the longest-running IPC/Fleetway comedy weekly, is among the most affectionately remembered, and this panoply of seaside-themed shenanigans will evoke many happy memories. Pictured is 1971 (the first Cor!! Summer Special) VF £35; for details on the others check out the Humour Comics section of our online catalogue.

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: In the late 1950s, Scottish publishers D.C. Thomson, who had had a success with their romance weekly Romeo, consolidated it with a series of done-in-one romance comics digests, issued two a month. Golden Heart Love Stories and Silver Moon Romances, to give them their full titles, ran for 97 and 79 issues respectively before Golden Heart was retitled Star Love Stories with #98 in 1965, and Silver Moon merged with Star three issues later. These have striking painted covers, often lovely interior art, and are not commonplace, having been bought mainly by women in their twenties through forties who read and disposed of what were seen as throwaway entertainment, therefore few survive today. We have a selection of Golden Heart from #10 to #71, and Silver Moon from #8 to #81. Pictured are Golden Heart #10 (VG £12) and #21 (VG £9), and Silver Moon #19 (FN £12) and #65 (FN £12). For details on the others, see our online catalogue.

*Clearance Corner: In the same format as its more famous illustrated sibling, Combat Library was text stories with a World War II setting, rather than comics stories, but with evocative painted covers. This is a broken run from 1959’s first issue upward, 19 copies in all; #1-7, 9, 10, 12-14, 17, 18, 20-22, 27 and 31, averaging Very Good (would be Fine but for rust around the staples). This selection is available for £20; UK postage (if required) would be an extra £4.

*Marvel: Iron Man’s very first appearance, in the pages of Tales of Suspense #39; abducted by Reds behind the Bamboo Curtain (it was a different time…) and forced to manufacture advanced weapons to crush capitalism, Tony Stark turned the tables on his captors by devising a cybernetic suit of armour which transformed him into an unstoppable juggernaut of justice – but at the cost of a near-fatal injury to his heart, which required constant contact with his robotic armour to keep beating! Under the artistic talents of (usually) Don Heck (who devoted special attention, bless him, to the many shapely ladies Tony Stark romanced), the sophisticated world of Tony Stark vied with the action-adventure of his Iron Man persona for the readers’ attention. Following the blockbuster success of the Iron Man movie franchise, demand for this issue has never been higher.

We’ve graded this pence printed priced copy as Apparent VG/FN. It lies tight and flat with considerable cover gloss, a totally unmarred cover image and only very minor edge wear. The original staples are non-rusty and are firmly attached at both the spine and the centrefold with minimal wear. Additional (but uncessary) staples have been added at upper and lower spine, but these could easily be removed leaving just unobtrusive tiny holes. The corners are mostly square, although the bottom of the spine has a very slightly rounded edge and a very tiny chip (attached and present). There is a barely noticeable crease across the bottom right corner which is flat but very slightly breaks the colour. Page quality is an exellent off-white. The reason we have applied the ‘Apparent’ term is that we believe the right edge has been micro-trimmed, although this does not detract from the considerable eye appeal of this very presentable copy. However, we have priced it well below a VG/FN grade to allow for this and it’s on sale at £4000.

Front and back cover scans and splash page image are shown below; high resolution scans are available on request. Please note that this is not stored at our shop and viewing is strictly by appointment only. 

*DC: Batman #181 featured the debut of one of the Gotham Guardian’s most famous female nemeses. Poison Ivy was brainstormed with the idea of joining the hugely-popular TV show as a younger recurring villain – most of the villainesses, aside from Catwoman, being, let’s be kind, ladies of a certain age, it was thought a fresher face was needed! She sadly never made it onto the small screen – at least not in that decade – but the comics audience caught Poison Ivy with a vengeance, and she’s remained a staple of the Batman Rogue’s Gallery ever since, her profile being considerably upped in recent years by her status as Harley Quinn’s… well, the jury’s out, but let’s say very good friend. At least. A recurring role in the ‘Gotham’ TV series has also spurred demand for Ivy’s early appearances over the last few years. This Batman #181 is a splendid FN+ copy, pence stamp unobtrusive, with vibrant unbroken red cover background, good, gloss, clear unmarred cover image, and most importantly the centrefold pin-up (frequently missing, depriving the second story of its splash page) firmly in place! FN+ p £400. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: Know, O Best Beloved, that in those days of Long Ago, there existed issues of Brave & Bold which featured team-ups of stars from the DC Universe – without Batman! I know, hard to believe, but accept the word of one who knows. After a stint as DC’s second-run try-out book, (after Showcase) B & B switched tactics, pairing characters who previously had met only over the Justice League meeting table – or not at all! Some of these pairings were delightfully oddball, but curiously effective – the Metal Men and Metamorpho is a personal favourite – but after putting Batman in a few issues and observing the sales figures, DC saw the way the wind was blowing, and soon it was Bats-with-everything. We have the non-Batman team-up issues from the first, #50, to the last, #72, many in lovely high grades. Pictured are #50 VF- p £70, #51 VF- p £70, #55 NM £110 and #63 VF+ £61. Other issues, of course, listed in our online catalogue.

*Marvel: One of the most sought-after Marvel Comics of the 1960s is Fantastic Four #48, which introduced the Silver Surfer, a cosmic-powered being the equal of the combined FF… and the Surfer’s master, Galactus, an entity of even more monstrous might! Both became major figures in the Marvel Universe, with the Surfer repenting his role as Galactus’ herald and choosing the side of justice, while Galactus’ insatiable hunger drives him ever onwards to more heinous acts. This copy of the double debut is one of the nicest we’ve beheld, with tight staples, off-white interior pages and deep, vibrant, unbroken cover colour and gloss. There is minimal spine and upper cover edge wear, but the cover scene itself is utterly unmarred. It is a pence copy – unusually, both stamped (unobtrusively) and pence printed – but this doesn’t detract from its considerable eye appeal. FN+ p £1,000. Front and back covers and splash page shown here; high resolution scans are available on request. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: In Amazing Spider-Man #42, the astronaut offspring of J. Jonah Jameson gained super-powers and posed a looming threat to Spider-Man… but let’s be honest, who really cares? Because the Big Deal this issue was the revelation, finally, of Mary Jane Watson, the mysterious lady who’d been hovering in the odd panel, her face always obscured, for several previous issues! When Stan Lee and John Romita finally showed us the ‘Full MJ’, it proved to be well worth the wait, with one of the most famous intro. lines in the history of comics! The first full appearance of the woman who would eventually become Mrs. Spidey is a gorgeous FN/VF, tiniest breaks in spine colour, but lustrous cover with deep unfaded purple cover background, tight corners & edges, firm staples, and striking eye appeal. FN/VF cents copy, no pence price or overstamp, on sale at £100.

*Marvel: After a little artistic floundering in his early issues, the Sightless Swashbuckler lucked out when the superlative Wally Wood took over illustrating his adventures. This is probably the finest Wood issue, marked not only by the premiere of the red Daredevil costume, (replacing his original outfit, which actually looked like it was designed by a blind man…) but also by a genuinely gripping battle in which Daredevil, overpowered by the vastly superior might of the Sub-Mariner, shows such courage and determination that even Namor’s scaly heart is moved to compassion. This is a VG- pence copy, generally attractive, but with minor cover wear and stress, especially at the right edge. Also, some pillock put the price stamp right in the middle of Namor’s face! Despite these drawbacks, a superior second-hand copy of an epic issue. VG- p £85.

*Marvel: One of comics’ biggest events of the last decades of the 20th Century was Jim Starlin’s Infinity Gauntlet, in which Thanos, the megavillain Starlin had been building up for nearly twenty years, armed with the reality-altering Infinity Gauntlet, faced down the Marvel super-beings en masse, in a struggle for the fate of the universe! Infinity Gauntlet was such a huge success that Starlin wrote two equally cosmic sequels, Infinity War and Infinity Crusade, each taking in most of the Marvel super-stars of the time.. Hugely popular ever since their inception, but with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet at the centre of the current Avengers: Endgame cinematic juggernaut, demand for these issues is at its height. We have the first issues of all three series in stock; Infinity Crusade #1 is NM p £7.50, Infinity War #1 is NM p £10 and Infinity Gauntlet #1 (pictured) NM p £40. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: Yes, it’s a bit ‘modern’ for our remit, but 1993’s 21st issue of Next Men, John Byrne’s cult series, guest-starred Hellboy, in his own chapter illustrated by Mike Mignola. Hellboy of course has gone on to several major comics series and remains a ‘player’ in the field today, in addition to having carried two movie franchises. This copy of the first full appearance of Hellboy is NM- at £110. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Western: Not one, but two western series this week, albeit a pair with very similar titles; Western Outlaws and Sheriffs debuted in 1949, taking over the numbering from Best Western (no, not the hotel chain…) with #60, and lasted until issue #73 in 1952, with such cheery topics as cannibalism and mass hangings among its highlights. We have issues #69 and the final issue #73 in stock, the latter containing a Black Rider story, unusual in a series generally without ongoing characters. In 1954, Atlas revived the title but eliminated those pesky lawmakers, calling it just Western Outlaws; this second series ran from #1 to 1957’s #21, and we have sixteen of the series new in, from #2 to the last issue. Again eschewing recurring characters, this iteration had the expected, but appreciated, stellar roster of artists, with Everett, Maneely, Heath, Romita, Severin and Williamson among the more prominent contributors. Depicted are Western Outlaws and Sheriffs #69 VG+ £26 and Western Outlaws #2 FN £34: Grades and prices on the rest in our cowpunchin’ catalogue.

*Alan Class Reprints: More than two dozen pre-decimal Alan Class items added to our inventory, with representation from his major, long-running series (Creepy Worlds, Secrets of the Unknown, Sinister Tales and Suspense) plus selections from the shorter-run and often harder to find titles, such as Amazing Stories, Out Of This World (1st series), Outer Space and Weird Planets. Lots of Pre-Hero Marvel with Big-Panty-Monsters illustrated by Kirby, Steve Ditko, twist-ending tales, Atlas era Krigstein and Everett, a miscellany from Charlton, ACG, Tower comics and much more!

*Collected Editions: Although Battle Weekly (at least in its early years) was famed for more ‘classic’ war stories, one of its earliest ventures into speculative fiction was ‘Invasion 1984’, originally published in 1983, and presenting the tale of a near-future (very near future, as it happens) invasion from Outer Space, and the valiant efforts of Earth’s forces to rally round – despite civilization falling apart! By John Wagner, Alan Grant and Eric Bradbury, this violent but inventive series is complete in one paperback volume, brand new this week, in the latest in Rebellion’s collections of classic British comics. Brand New SC at £15.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: In the 1960s, the Spy and Secret Agent craze was running rampant in the wake of Bond, and countless publishers tried to tap into the phenomenon. One of the more successful was Fleetway, who released several espionage-themed series, and we have the chunky triple-length Summer/Holiday Specials to prove it! Opening with Secret Agent Summer Special 1967, which altered its title slightly to Holiday Special from 1968, we have the full set of four from 1967 to 1970. Spy 13, intrepid star of Thriller Picture Library, gained his own solo Summer Special in 1966: and we round out the update with the first Top Secret PL Holiday Special from 1975. Pictured are Secret Agent Picture Library Summer/Holiday Specials 1967 through to 1970, all FN, each £15. SORRY, MOST OF THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Girls’ Comics: A distaff companion to 2000 AD, but focusing more on the supernatural than science-fiction themes, Misty is fondly remembered for the quality of its stories and artwork (using many of the 2000 AD creators), and its wide appeal – even at the time of its publication, the subject matter made it the “Girls’ comic” a lot of boys furtively read, and these days it’s keenly collected by men and ladies alike! We have more than forty issues new in, mostly in its first year of publication, 1978, but just trailing over into ’79, with serials such as ‘aint It Black’, ‘School For The Lost’, ‘The Cats of Carey Street’, ‘Leap Through Time’ and more – all, of course, ably introduced by our ethereal hostess, who featured in frontispieces (and many covers) illustrated by the sublime Shirley Bellwood. This is a one-owner collection in nice condition, a few minor fluctuations but averaging Fine; clean, attractive copies with minimal wear.

*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: This time we’ve added a fine assortment of short stories by Poul Anderson and by, or edited by, Damon Knight. From Poul Anderson there’s Guardians Of Time, Strangers From Earth (both the Ballantine 1st US PB and the Mayflower Dell 1st UK PB), Three Worlds To Conquer and Time And Stars. From Damon Knight there’s Natural State And Other Stories, Turning On and, acting as editor, The Metal Smile (featuring authors such as Aldiss, Anderson (!), Asimov, Dick, Kuttner and Sheckley).

As the official agents for Alan Class sales from his archives, including certificated comics and printing plate sets, we were tickled pink to see the cover on this week’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest #5 (By Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill) with its homage to Alan Class comics. The ‘Blazing Worlds’ logo, and cover numbering, pricing and dress are all evocative of Alan Class’s presentation of his comics from the 1959 to 1989, and shows in their sixtieth anniversary year how much his publications are fondly remembered for the part they played in the history of British comics. We have a large stock of the real thing of course in our catalogue in the Alan Class Reprints category.  

*Clearance Corner: Our final clearance lot of the Moonstone version of the Phantom features 9 issues of the Generations series, each one a self-contained novella, plus the following squarebound specials/graphic novels: Legacy, Law Of The Jungle, Valley of the Golden Men, The Treasures of Bagalla, The Singh Web, Man Eaters, The Hunt & The Ghost Killer. All in NM condition; many hundreds of pages of Phantom reading for the remarkable price of just £20. UK Postage if required will be an extra £4. SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD

*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: This time we’re releasing six truly vintage Burroughs hardcovers, published in the UK by Methuen. Ululating through the jungle is the oldest, Tarzan The Untamed from 1935. All the rest are 1950s editions of the Mars stories: A Princess Of Mars, The Chessmen Of Mars, The Gods Of Mars, The Master Mind Of Mars and Thuvia, Maid Of Mars. Five adventures where, despite the exotic locations and privations you just know that the hero is going to win through and marry his Martian maiden! The books range from GD/VG to VG/FN and all have gorgeously illustrated dustjackets, protected by removable archival film. Of particular note is The Chessmen Of Mars, which is a Frankenstein copy; the cover has a catalogue number different to that of the book.

*DC: In 1972, the Women’s Liberation Movement still nascent, DC decided to devote one of its 100-Page Super-Spectacular issues to female crime-fighters. Adventure Comics at that time was headlining Supergirl, and with #416 , she was joined by her sisters in superherodom – an epic Wonder Woman story from 1948, in which the Amazing Amazon faced several of her deadliest enemies; the first appearance of the Black Canary from 1947; a 1943 solo for the fabulous Phantom Lady; and from 1949, a tale of the Star-Spangled Kid’s sister, Merry, Girl of a Thousand Gimmicks! Oh, yes, and there were a couple of Supergirl stories in there as well. All this behind a striking wraparound cover by Bob Oksner featuring almost all of DC’s super-femmes to that date (wot, no Legion Ladies? Shame!). The white cover background means that it’s seldom found in a non-grubby state, but this copy has escaped that fate, and is clean, gleaming, with excellent squarebound spine and only the lightest of corner stress. VF+ £79. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: Three odd-sized series from DC’s archives: Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest and DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest were late 70s/early 80s titles which presented ‘themed’ reprints starring a particular character or genre; new editions of both feature the Metal Men, Jimmy Olsen, Superman and the House of Mystery. Limited Collectors’ Edition was, as noted previously, a tabloid extra-large series. New in this week, issue C-23 is another House of Mystery themed edition, with art by Kane, Adams, Toth, Wrightson and more, looking rather spiffy at the ’embiggened’ size! Condition and price details in our online catalogue, as always.

*Marvel: All the Silver Surfer’s original 18-issue series, launched in 1968, are keenly sought, but issue #4, in which our angst-ridden cosmic hero faces the might of Thor, is particularly scarce, both here in the UK and in its native USA. Many theories abound (including one about most of the print run being set alight by disappointed truck hijackers, which we declare inventive but apocryphal), but no conclusive explanation has yet been presented. Nevertheless, rare it is, significantly less common than even #1 in our experience. This copy of Silver Surfer #4 is a CGC Blue Label (no restoration), 3.5 (VG- equivalent), on sale at £200. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD