*Annuals: Dozens of annuals new to our stock in the Humour, TV & Film Related and Boys’ Adventure sub-categories: Knockout, Shiver & Shake and Whizzer and Chips from the 1970s in Humour; Captain Scarlet, Catweazle, Dr Who and TV Century 21 in TV & Film Related; Boys’ World (from 1964-1970), Lion 1954 and Swift (1955 1st and 1960) in Boys’ Adventure.
30CC
British Update: First Quenchers Plus with Free Gift Farrago: Countdown #1 & #2
*TV & Film Related Comics: When the first series of TV Century 21 faltered, competitors Polystyle were quick to generate a successor in ‘Countdown’, featuring many of the most popular Gerry Anderson TV shows in comic strip form. Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds and Stingray all graced its pages, plus a brand-new sci-fi strip ‘Countdown’, illustrated rather spiffily by John M. Burns, and the star power of a Doctor Who comic series imported from TV Comic! This classy, slick package presented in its first issue a ‘Giant Spacefact Wall Chart’ (stickers to be stuck in in successive weeks), tapping into the public obsession with astronautics following the successful moon landing. Our Countdown #1 is FN, with completed free gift (VF, all stickers/stamps stuck in) on sale at £110. The accompanying second issue is VF £25.
British Update: First Quenchers: Bunty #1 – The Four Marys Begin
*Girls’ Comics: From January 1958, we are pleased to welcome the first issue of the girls’ weekly which came to define the category: Bunty. D C Thomson’s first venture into the girls’ comic market (they had essayed a few story papers for the fairer sex, without conspicuous success) proved to be a smash hit. Granted, at the time of its launch, rivals were scarce – only Odhams’ distaff Eagle, Girl, and the converted story papers from Amalgamated, Girls’ Crystal and School Friend, existed to compete – but Bunty trumped them all, becoming the longest-running of the type, not hanging up her hockey sticks until the early days of the 21st Century. This copy of #1 – only the second we’ve ever had in stock during our 25 years’ trading – features ‘The Four Marys’ (who lasted until the final issue – without ever leaving school!), ‘The Dancing Life of Moira Kent;, ‘Orphan of the Circus’, ‘Parachute Nurse’, and what appeared to be a European import, ‘Bimbo and her Baby’ – which would be a very different strip if it were released these days! It’s an attractive VG-, with clean interiors, tight corners and edges with no fraying or significant wear, and a firm uncreased spine. An exceedingly rare item, it is on sale for £225. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
British Update: June & School Friend (& other) Picture Libraries – the Silent Three and more
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: A small but very welcome update to this popular section, with around ten June & School Friend Picture Libraries – the main attraction being a trinity, appropriately enough, starring the Silent Three, cowled vigilantes of St Kit’s Boarding School – and light touches to Princess (Patsy and the Seventh Clown), School Friend (Sara – Spy-Catcher) and Schoolgirl’s Adventure (Mystery At Rhosbay).
Housekeeping Update
On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics (R – S)
*TV & Film Related Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
Books Update: You Know Someone Really Enjoyed A Book…
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze/Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: …when they go on to commission a film, TV or radio version of it! This update has four examples. Crime is represented by More Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes, a compilation of the Master Detective’s contemporaries (Hugh Greene), which led to a series on ITV. SF, Fantasy & Horror is represented by John Blackburn’s A Scent Of New-Mown Hay (BBC Radio 2 serial), Pierre Boulle’s Monkey Planet (Planet Of The Apes films, TV series and comics) and Roald Dahl’s Tales Of The Unexpected (ITV series).
British Update: Stand By For Action! TV Century 21 #1 x2 (1 with Free Gift) plus full set of all 6 Specials plus Thunderbirds Are Go bonus
*TV & Film Related Comics: It’s Long Hot Summer, First Quenchers and Free Gift Farrago all rolled into one!
We’ve been blessed, the last year or so, with some truly extraordinary acquisitions, and this entry is no exception, featuring not one, but several of the Holy Grails of UK comics collecting. Not only do we have the first ever issue of the acclaimed TV Century 21, in a choice of conditions, one with the original free gift – but we also have seven of the six TV Century 21 Specials! How did we manage that? Read on…
Launched in 1965 (but cover-dated 100 years ahead), TV Century 21 combined the huge appeal of Gerry Anderson’s hit sci-fi TV shows (Stingray, Fireball XL5) with the finest comics artists in the UK at the time, such as Ron Embleton and Eric Eden, and a high standard of production values unseen since the launch of the Eagle. Jettisoning the readers into a future of imagination and high adventure, TV Century 21 is one of the most fondly-remembered British comics. We have two copies of issue #1: a VG, with only minimal spine and corner wear, with the original free gift – Secret Agent Identicode – written in by the previous owner, but otherwise GD. Fireball XL5 by Graham Coton, Stingray by Ron Embleton, Lady Penelope by Eric Eden (a full year before Penny’s debut in the Thunderbirds TV show!), The Daleks by Terry Nation and Richard Jennings all begin. This copy is on sale at £400. Our second copy of #1 is an unabashed PR: extensive spine wear, covers almost separated, tape residue on spine, tape on back cover, extensive wear on all page edges, with a small corner missing from the back cover, impinging slightly on the Daleks strip. However, apart from that very minor encroachment on the Daleks, all pages complete and readable. Available for £50.
There were also six TV Century 21 Specials with orginal comics stories, and we’ve scored the full set. Taking them in order of appearance:
1965’s TV Century 21 Stingray Special starred the eponymous heroes of W.A.S.P., based in Marineville, illustrated by Ron Embleton, backed up by Marina, Girl of the Sea and Oink the Seal. GD (light spine wear) £80. 1965’s TV Century 21 Summer Extra featured Lady Penelope, Stingray and Fireball XL5 among others, with contributing artists Frank Hampson and Ron Embleton. This is a FA copy, considerable spine and edge wear but no interior markings – puzzle pages are often done in copies of this – on sale at £50. 1965’s TV Century 21 International Extra is another Stingray-heavy issue (Stingray was a hit on US TV at the time) but also featured Fireball XL5, Lady Penelope, Supercar and a behind-the-scenes photo feature on the making of the Stingray TV show. Contributing artists include Ron Turner. GD/VG £100.
Moving on to 1966, the second Summer Extra puts the new series Thunderbirds front and centre, with Special Agent 21, Fireball XL5, Stingray, the Munsters and My Favourite Martian singing back-up. VG £100. The 1966 Thunderbirds Extra, to no-one’s surprise, also features International Rescue and their chums, with art by Ron Turner and Brian Lewis, and also featuring The Munsters, My Favourite Martian and Lady Penelope. GD/VG £80. And 1967 saw the TV Century 21 Spring Extra, also starred the Thunderbirds, with a strong emphasis on Zero X, the virtual co-star of the Thunderbirds movie (and what Anderson hoped would be a ‘Stealth pilot’ for a Zero X TV series). Artwork by Brian Lewis and Ron Turner. VG £100.
But wait, didn’t we say seven out of six TV Century 21 Specials? Why yes – because while not a comic special, 1966’s Thunderbirds Are Go!, released to tie-in with the premiere of the Thunderbirds movie, featured extensive photos, (b & w and colour), cast list, behind-the-scenes, synopsis and more of International Rescue’s venture onto the silver screen! This highly sought after piece of cinematic memorabilia is FN/VF at £70.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg, as we brace ourselves for a mammoth restock of all things TV Century 21 related in the weeks to come – F.A.B.!
SORRY, ALL NOW SOLD EXCEPT THE FREE GIFT ISSUE #1
What’s Old: Dan Dare Spacebook 1953
Our previously-listed spotlight this week falls on the Dan Dare Spacebook from 1953 (the first of two to bear that name, the second being in 1957). Slender in page count (68) but in the format of and with matching livery for the contemporary Eagle Annuals. Full of new Dan Dare adventures, both in strip and text form, as well as space features, a game and a quiz — they packed a lot in! A rare item, in GD/VG grade, with some wear to edges and corners, some minor markings on cover and slightly loose binding in places, but a rare item at £70.
American Update: Batmania: Batgirl Begins! Debut of the Dominoed Daredoll in Detective #359
*DC: At the height of ‘Batmania’ in the 1960s, with the Batman TV series sweeping the US, it was decided that one thing was missing: girl appeal! A new character was brainstormed to engage female viewers, and she made her first appearance, not in the show, but in Detective Comics #359, dated January 1967! A-list team Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Sid Greene brought us Barbara Gordon, mild-mannered librarian, who accidentally gets drawn into the world of crime-fighting through a chance encounter with Killer Moth, and becomes the Batgirl! Both as Batgirl, and for a long time as the inspirational character Oracle, Barbara Gordon has become an integral part of the fabric of the DC Universe, and her first appearance is now seldom seen in any grade, let alone one this appealing. This copy of Detective #359 is FN+, pence-stamped in upper right corner. Firm staples at centrefold and cover, minimal wear at bottom cover edge, excellent interior page quality, and a highly desirable copy of a ‘rising key’, as some of our American chums call it. FN+ p £500. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: The Origin of Captain Comet! Strange Adventures #9 (1951)
*DC: Arguably the first DC super-hero of the Silver Age – and for many years unjustly overlooked by comics historians – Captain Comet made his debut in 1951, in the 9th issue of the sci-fi anthology Strange Adventures. 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 book 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, unmarred cover image, excellent interiors, and a fresh appearance. FN+ £350.
American Update: Action & Adventure with DC
*DC: A decent top-up to two of DC’s longest running titles, Action Comics & Adventure Comics. Action starts with #289, featuring the first Adult Legion of Super-Heroes story, then skips to a nice run from the 1970s, from #393 to #445, with Superman, Supergirl, Aquaman, Atom, the Human Target, Green Arrow and others. Adventure starts with the Legion in #369 (1st Mordru), then has a run of the Supergirl series (with the Legion, Animal Man, Hawkman, Zatanna and others), finishing off with a couple of Spectre issues in #432 & #435. Many gaps in our inventory filled!
American Update: Early Iron Man (from 2nd app upwards) in Tales of Suspense – issues #40-56
*Marvel: A consecutive selection of Iron Man’s earliest appearances graces our stock this week! From Shell-Head’s second issue, #40, through to #56, incorporating along the way the debuts of several of his most relentless enemies – Jack Frost, the Crimson Dynamo, the Melter, the Mandarin, the Scarecrow, the Unicorn, and a devastating dame to kill (or die) for, the Black Widow! We also have not one, but two ‘new looks’ – the first makeover in #40, where Iron man’s gray-metal look is changed to golden, and the second in #48, where Shell-Head changes his combat gear to the familiar red & gold which, with minor variations, he’s retained ever since. This run tends towards the low-mid grade and more affordable end. Conditions from FA/GD to GD/VG, with the odd ‘spike’ on either side of that. Illustrated are #40 FA/GD p £115, #41 GD- p £85, #44 GD/VG p £60, #45 GD £55, #48 GD £50, #49 GD+ £80 and #50 VG+ £90; for information on the other issues, please see our online catalogue.
American Update: Spider-Mania: The Carnage Trilogy – Amazing Spider-Man #361-363
*Marvel: Following the mammoth success of Venom, Marvel tried to make the lightning strike twice by introducing yet another symbiotic murderous villain into the Spider-Man universe – and, against all odds, succeeded, as Carnage proved every bit as popular as his ‘daddy’ Venom! Amazing Spider-Man issues #361 to #363 brought us “The Carnage Trilogy”, featuring the premier appearance and first major story arc of, well, you know who, one of the major villains of the Marvel Universe. #361 is NM p at £65, #362 NM/M p £15 and #363 NM p £12.50. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Last Round-Up (for now) for the Marvel Western Kids
*Western: A selection of Marvel Western heroes, in titles such as Gunsmoke Western (from #70), Kid Colt Outlaw (from #99), Mighty Marvel Western (from #1), Rawhide Kid (from #26 VG+ p, pictured), and Two-Gun Kid (#61, the second ‘New’ Two-Gun Kid). Illustrated by Kirby, Ayers, and other mainstays of the Marvel Bullpen, these series, with their emphasis on character interplay and soap-opera drama, continue the Marvel ethos in an old Western setting, and have proved increasingly popular over the last few years as new audiences discover them. The Marvel ‘Kids’ may be riding off into the sunset for now, but rest assured, they’ll be back as soon as new stocks come in!
American Update: DC Archives (Shazam, Supergirl) & Showcase Phantom Stranger
*Modern Reprints: Some nice additions to our stock of classic DC reprints this week. The Golden Age is represented by Volumes 1 & 2 of the Shazam Archives, featuring the original Captain Marvel, the Silver Age by the Supergirl Archives Volumes 1 & 2, featuring the debut and earliest adventures of the Girl Of Steel from Action Comics, and the Bronze Age by Showcase Volumes 1 & 2 of the Phantom Stranger, reprinting the 1970s series of the mystic mystery man who journeys with those whose lives need him most. Archive editions are hardback and full colour, Showcase editions are black and white and softcover. Full details of these (and the rest of our range) in our catalogue.
British Update: First Quenchers! ‘New’ Hotspur #1 (1959)
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: With its 1,197th issue, dated 17th October 1959, the venerable D.C. Thomson story paper, Hotspur, breathed its last – but regular readers didn’t have time to mourn, as the very next week, the New Hotspur debuted as a comic (or ‘picture-paper’, as they called it). The reason for the relaunch may have been the spectacular success of the girls’ comic Bunty, launched the previous year, as it’s noticeable that with the early issues of the ‘New’ Hotspur, there’s a decided family resemblance – colour scheme, logo, eponymous host (‘Harry Hotspur’, who, like Bunty, had cover-featured adventures in rhyming couplets in later issues), and so on. The new line-up included western adventurers ‘Randy Walker’ and ‘Dakota Jim’, ‘Johnny Jett the Super Boy’, token humour page ‘Scruffy’, and the obligatory classics adaptation, ‘Coral Island’, with a few text stories so that old-school readers didn’t get too excited. Harry Hotspur was jettisoned early on, and the title settled down into the comfortable formula of adventure war n’ football, but had a very respectable run of 1,110 issues before being absorbed by Victor in 1981. This copy of Hotspur #1 is in an exceptionally attractive VG, the subject of much heated debate here at 30th Century HQ about whether it should be a higher grade; it has very tight corners and edges, with no wear, browning or brittleness, remarkably white pages, and a firm unbroken spine. The only slight flaw is minor creasing towards the bottom left edge, and light foxing/discolouration in the lower margins of the right cover. We’re confident it’s the nicest copy you’ll see in many a year, and it can be yours for £80. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
British Update: Classic Eagle Vol 7 1956 complete
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Another romp for the iconic space pilot Dan Dare and his chums as we unleash a complete Volume 7 of classic Eagle into our stock boxes, all issues present including the Christmas issue, mostly in GD grade, a few better, a few worse.
British Update: Long Hot Summer: June Picture Library Holiday Specials plus Bunty-Judy Bumper bonus
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Our tribute to that great institution, the British comic Holiday/Summer Special rolls on this week with a fresh batch of the highly sought-after June Picture Library Holiday Specials, ranging from 1974-1980 (most issues). A great wodge of complete story reading awaits you within. Plus, we have the one and only Bunty-Judy Picture Library collaboration from 1977, the Bumper Library, weighing in at 192 pages, in FN condition at £20.
Housekeeping Update
On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics (E – Q)
*Humour Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
Clearance Corner: A Bargain To Pig Out On! – 22 Issues Of Oink! Just £10
*Clearance Corner: Oink (1986-1988) set out to be anarchic in the same vein as Viz, although aimed at children. Some members of the Conservative Party and a major newsagent chain subsequently branded it as unsuitable for children, thus ensuring its place in comics history. We have just 22 issues left in stock, but it’s time to clear it from our shelves to make way for other, more vintage items. A real bargain, since the 22 issues include #1 (with Free Gift), another Free Gift issue, an issue with Dave Gibbons art and the 1988 Holiday Special. Up for grabs for just £10 to the first lucky punter to spot this bargain. If postage is required, it’ll be a small parcel (1.75 kg) at £3.50 extra (UK only). SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD
What’s Old: X-Men #4, with the debuts of Quicksilver & the Scarlet Witch
Our previously listed spotlight this week falls on X-Men #4, in which Wanda, everybody’s favourite Scarlet Witch, appeared for the first time as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! The crimson-clad conjuress (though erroneously depicted as a Emerald Empress on this very cover) has been a mutant and a mage, an X-Man and an Avenger, a hero and a villain, and a bunch of other stuff besides, including being the alleged offspring of a bewildering variety of people as new writers take over. But however many retcons she endures, she remains one of Marvel’s most popular leading ladies. This issue, of course, saw the premier appearances of a few other folks as well: the super-swift Quicksilver, for many years Wanda’s brother but now maybe not (long story, Google if you’re bothered), Mastermind, the Toad, and indeed the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants itself! It’s an extremely attractive FN+ p copy with vibrant, deep, unfaded cover colour, and only very fine stress lines at the spine. On sale for £500.
Books Update: Pan, Peff & Peter Cheyney – A Great Combination
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: Three Great Pan editions of Peter Cheyney’s detective / Secret Service novels, all adorned with wonderful Peff (S J Peffer) cover art. Dames Don’t Care features Lemmy Caution, Dark Duet has Michael Kane (!) involved in counter-espionage while Dark Wanton features Quayle, Head of A Secret Service department setting a group of agents to hunt down a pair of Nazi war criminals.
American Update: Showcase Flash – Second, Third and Fourth Appearances of the Scarlet Speedster
*DC: Among the rarer Silver Age treasures are the pre-distribution, early appearances of Flash in the DC try-out title Showcase. We don’t have issue #4, his first appearance, but we do have the second, third and fourth ever appearances of the Vizier of Velocity for your delectation! Showcase #8, the second Flash appearance, also features the debut of his arch-nemesis, Captain Cold; this copy is FA/GD, generally sound but with one slender triangular piece (just over 3 & a quarter inches in length, about 1/3 rd of an inch at deepest point) missing from the upper cover edge. A small piece of the missing piece is tucked inside the front cover. Issue #13, the Flash’s third appearance and the premiere appearance of the nefarious Mr. Element, may be charitably described as ‘well-read’; PR, all pages intact and readable, but with an extremely faded cover, some edge wear to interior pages, small pieces missing from cover at lower left and right corners and mid-right edge, and a detached cover taped back on. With issue #14, Mr. Element was back post-makeover as Dr. Alchemy, commencing a lengthy criminal career in his new guise. This copy is an apparent GD, but does have unusually heavy colour touches throughout the cover – though, to be fair, these are not immediately obtrusive to the naked eye. The early appearances of the Flash are almost never seen in the UK – seldom, worldwide – and while we have of course have taken the low-to-mid grades of these items into account, they have also been priced with consideration of their extreme rarity: #8 FA/GD £475; #13 PR £75 and #14 App. GD £140. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Batmania: Batman #234 – the Return of Two-Face by Neal Adams
*DC: One of the most sought-after comics of the early 1970s is Batman #234, the first post-Golden Age appearance of Two-Face. Crusading District Attorney Harvey Kent (later Dent) was horribly disfigured by an acid attack and became the bi-polar bad guy strongly reminiscent of (and inspired by, according to Bob Kane) Jekyll & Hyde. After a handful of appearances from 1942 through to the early 1950s, Two-Face was retired in favour of more Comics Code friendly, less horrific villains, but his triumphant comeback was in this issue, where writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams reinvented him as a more chilling nemesis than ever. In subsequent decades, Two-Face has become a major player in Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery, in multiple media. This key issue, with stunning Adams cover and interior artwork, is a beautiful VF copy, with unmarred deep cover colour and gloss, firm staples, and flexible interiors. A cents copy with no pence stamp or overprint, it is on sale for £195.
American Update: Spider-Mania! Amazing Spider-Man #2 – First Appearance of the Vulture
*Marvel: Despite the many issues of Amazing Spider-Man which have passed through our hands in the last quarter century, we’re always thrilled when an early copy by the ‘real’ Spidey artist, Steve Ditko, comes into our possession, and seldom more so than by this week’s acquisition, the second ever issue of Amazing Spider-Man, featuring the debut of one of his most enduring enemies, the villainous Vulture! Despite his physically frail appearance, the airborne pensioner has survived numerous deaths, remodels, and replacements by younger counterparts, and is still flying high today. This issue also features the premier appearance of the Terrible Tinkerer – no, really – who while less persistent than the Vulture, is still an occasional player in the Spidey mythos. This copy of issue #2 is a highly attractive VG+; staples firm with minor stress at upper, a minute hint of Marvel chipping at the right cover edge, beautiful interior pages only just off-white, vivid unmarred cover colour. A pence stamped copy, this is a truly remarkable example for its vintage. On sale at £700. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Fantastic Four #45 & #46: 1st Inhumans & Black Bolt
*Marvel: The debut and saga of the Inhumans took a fair while to unravel, starting with Medusa appearing in Fantastic Four #36 as a member of the Frightful Four, with several subsequent appearances before her younger sister Crystal debuted in #44, along with her fellow Inhuman Gorgon. It wasn’t until #45 that we first saw the Inhumans as a group, with a tantalising glimpse of their leader Black Bolt right at the end, before his first full appearance in #46. We have copies of both #45 (probably our favourite FF cover) and #46 fresh in this week. Both are nice copies with just varying degrees of edge wear, but no significant marks or defects. #45 is VG+ p at £125, #46 is FN p, also £125.
American Update: Debut of 1st Black Panther series & villain Killmonger in Jungle Action #6
*Marvel: Given that his debut had been in 1966, it was surprising that Marvel waited until 1974 to give the Black Panther his own shot at a solo series, but that omission was rectified when T’Challa took over the Jungle Action title, which had foundered under the weight of 1950s reprints. Issue #6 saw the debut of a new series of Black Panther adventures (an edited reprint of a T’Challa-heavy Avengers issue had filled #5), set in his native Wakanda, and introducing a plethora of new supporting characters – many of whom were used in the recent Black Panther cinematic blockbuster! One such example was Killmonger, the primary nemesis in the recent BP flick, who made his very first appearance in this issue. This copy of Jungle Action #6 – one of several never distributed in the United Kingdom – is FN+ cents, a highly attractive copy which would grade higher but for a tiny chip out of the bottom right cover corner and a very slight crease in the upper left cover. On sale at £60. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Marvel Spotlight with Ghost Rider #6 to #11 (complete except for 1st app.)
*Marvel: The ‘modern’ Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5 1972 and ran in that title until #11, after which he was awarded his own series. New in this week we have issues #6 (pictured) to #11 in a variety of grades and prices; consult our catalogue for further details. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Infinity Gauntlet – Complete Set of Starlin’s Star-Spanning Saga Back In Stock
*Marvel: One of the phenomena 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, was unleashed against the massed forces of the Marvel Universe, armed with the reality-altering Infinity Gauntlet, in a struggle for the sake of the universe itself! Hugely popular, the six-issue mini-series spawned many, many crossover issues and two direct sequels plus a score of add-ons, but this is the original epic which started it all, written by Starlin and illustrated by George Perez and Ron Lim. This series has been hugely popular ever since its inception, but with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet at the centre of the forthcoming Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy cinematic crossover, demand for them is at its height. Infinity Gauntlet #1 is NM p £35; details on the others may be found in the Marvel Comics section of our online catalogue. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Nova, the Human Rocket
*Marvel: In 1976, the House Of Ideas came up with Nova, designed originally to be an ‘everyman’ character like Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but quickly developing into a cosmic ‘soldier’ more akin to DC’s Green Lantern. Although the original run lasted a mere 25 issues (and we have most of them fresh into stock), Nova has returned many times to the Marvel Universe, particularly being involved in the more cosmic sagas of same.
American Update: DC & Marvel War: Captain Storm, Sgts Rock & Fury
*War: A blast from the Big Two in this impressive update, including from DC: Captain Storm (#1 & #8 with grey-tone cover) and Sgt Rock in Our Army At War inc #280 (Giant) and from Marvel: many early issues of Sgt Fury & His Howling Commandos (from #6, inc. #8 with Baron Zemo and 1st Percy Pinkerton, #10 with 1st Skipper (Captain Savage), running all the way up to #110.
British Update: Near complete run of Marvel UK Hulk (1st series)
*Marvel UK: A near complete set of the first iteration of Marvel UK’s Hulk, starting in 1979, missing just #52 from the 63 issue run. As well as a wide range of Hulk (& many other characters) reprints from the 1960s and 1970s, this series is also notable for new material (UK originated stories such as Nightraven, Black Knight, Hulk, Nick Fury etc) appearing in most issues (apart from #31-40). Grades range from GD to FN and full details, as always, appear in our catalogue.
British Update: Long Hot Summer: Tiger Holiday Specials 1981-1985
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: It seems very odd typing the words ‘Long Hot Summer’ in the middle of a blizzard, but our celebration of British Summer Specials rolls on this week with a selection of Tiger Holiday Specials, complete from 1981 to 1985 in a variety of grades and prices (1984 pictured). Tiger proclaimed itself ‘the best for sport and adventure’ and indeed many of the specials had sporting themes, old favourites such as ‘Hot Shot Hamish’, ‘Billy’s Boots’, ‘Skid Solo’, ‘Nipper’ and others rubbing shoulders with humour strips and straight adventure such as ‘The Monster Of Man-Eater Reef’, as well as photo sports features. The Specials bowed out alongside the Tiger comic in 1985. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: First Quenchers! Bring On The Beezer! Issue #1 from 1956
*Humour Comics: The very first issue of the long-running humour weekly, Beezer, is back in stock. Following in the wake of successful stablemate the Topper, launched three years earlier, the broadsheet dimensions of this oversized weekly made it hugely popular with readers, who felt they were getting more value for their thruppence; less popular with newsagents, who found it a bit of a bugger to display. Nevertheless, the antics of ‘Ginger’ ‘Pop, Dick and Harry’, ‘Calamity Jane’, and ‘The Hillys and the Billys’, among others, made the title a hit and it ran for a respectable 1809 issues until 1990. This copy of the premier issue is a very presentable FA, moderate edge wear as might be expected with some brittleness along lower edge, but spine sound, all pages unmarred; on sale for £60. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
British Update: Festive Dandy Issues – Christmas and New Year Fifties’ Fun
*Humour Comics: A little bit late for the Yuletide season – though appropriate to London’s current Arctic weather – a trio of holiday issues starring Korky the Cat, Desperate Dan, Keyhole Kate, and company. Issue #474 is the Christmas issue from 1950 (December 23rd) , PR with a large piece of tape on the back cover. A 2″ x 4″ piece is also missing from the back cover, affecting the half-page ‘Rusty’ feature on the back cover, and the adventure strip ‘Fergus of the Forty Faces’. On sale at £26. #475 is the New Years’ Issue of that same year, December 30th, GD at £37.50 (pictured); and #579 is the 1952 Christmas Issue (Dec.27th), VG at £20. A trinity of festive fun!
British Update: More Girls’ Picture Libraries – Judy and Mandy Restocked
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: We’ve added more Mandy and Judy PLs than you can shake a leg at (even if you wanted to!). The Judy PLs range from #5 to #223, including a much-needed replenishment of issues between #30 and #100. The Mandy PLs range from the very first issue (VF £5) to #43, with almost all issues in between, mainly in FN or VF grade.
Housekeeping Update
On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics (A – D)
*Girls’ Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
American Update: Cancelled Comics Cavalcade 1 & 2 – Possibly the Rarest DC Title!
*DC: We are pleased to have acquired possibly the single rarest DC Comic – or we should say Comics, since they come as a set – to be issued since the Golden Age. In June 1978, DC Comics, having recently expanded the content, price and number of titles they issued, was abruptly forced to contract their line in the wake of the infamous ‘DC Implosion’. Line-wide cancellations and a drop in their comics’ page count left them with a mound of material in various stages of preparation, which seemed destined to remain unpublished. This included work by Kubert, Ditko, Kirby and many other significant talents. Cancelled Comics Cavalcade was a black and white Xeroxed two-volume collection of all the stories and covers that had to be shelved because of the cancellations, produced to protect the copyrights on all the material by getting it into print, as well as to provide the creators with copies of their work. Al Milgrom and Alex Saviuk were commissioned to create two brand-new covers, and the entire inventory of unpublished material (including some series cancelled a couple of years Pre-Implosion) was photocopied into two telephone-book sized volumes in black and white, with unassuming plain blue outer covers. Paul Kupperberg, who did the copying, confirms that there were only 40 copies made. Contents include Black Lightning, The Deserter, Doorway Into Nightmare, and Firestorm (Vol. 1), Kamandi, Shade, Deadman, Vixen and the Secret Society of Super-Villains (Vol. 2). Clocking in at 200 and 204 pages respectively, these offer not only a great deal of still-unpublished material (though some has been subsequently repurposed), but an insight into the process of comics creation in the 1970s. Since they are photocopies, there are of course ‘bootlegs’ out there; we have provenance – a DC interior memo identifying this set of two as the ones issued to writer Michael Fleischer. Although these don’t fit into the usual parameters of comics grading, we have categorised both volumes as FN+; light wear and some slight marking to the exterior blue covers, with interior pages unmarred apart from some inevitable light yellowing due to age. Priced at £3000 for both volumes of this extremely rare item. Images below show outer and inner covers, plus provenance. NB This set is not kept on our premises, and viewing is STRICTLY by appointment only.
Books Update: Out Of Their Comfort Zones
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror / Crime, Spies & Sleaze: This update features a set of books where authors have crossed from established genres to explore new horizons. Jack London, Hank Janson and Edgar Wallace, best known for Crime have Science Fiction novels with The Star Rover, The Unseen Assassin and The Green Rust respectively. In fact, cognoscenti of Hank Janson’s Reginald Heade cover art will find the distressed damsel on the cover of The Unseen Assassin very similar in pose and dishevelled clothing to those adorning the detective fiction (although the background art is by Ron Turner). J B Priestley, now best known as a playwright has a Crime novel – Salt Is Leaving. The last three publications defy easy classification, but we’ve put them in our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror category: The Starcomber, originally a novella by Alfred Bester, Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) is it Fantasy? Horror? a Polymesmeric Bestseller? and finally Dragaonflame And Other Nightmares by Don McGregor, who’s best known as a comics writer.
American Update: He Am Bizarro! – First appearance in Superboy #68
*DC: One of the most enduring of Superman’s villains – although mostly, despite his vast power, played for comedy – Bizarro and his wacky chums have entertained generations of readers. But his genesis in 1958 was very different in tone. Created during an experiment, the imperfect double of Superboy, despite his good intentions, was shunned and feared by the people because of his grotesque appearance, his only friend a blind girl who somehow perceived his kindly soul. Strongly, and doubtless intentionally, reminiscent of the classic Frankenstein movies which were hitting big on TV at the time, this tragic story proved such a hit with the readers that Bizarro was re-introduced as a player in the adult Superman Universe. This copy of Superboy #68 is a highly attractive VG, minor spine wear and a tiny piece of tape on the lower right inside cover, but unmarred cover image, vivid colour and sound interiors. A very desirable copy of a key debut; VG at £350. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Batmania: “…But Look Out, Man, She’s Crazy!” Poison Ivy Debut in Batman #181
*DC: This week’s visit to Batmania features the debut of one of his most famous female nemeses. Catwoman having seemingly gone into retirement by 1966 (but not for long!), the Batman franchise was in need of a new femme fatale, and Poison Ivy was brainstormed with the idea of joining the TV show as a recurring villain. Most of the ladies on that series being, shall we say, of a certain age, it was felt someone younger and more vibrant was required! Ivy never made it onto the small screen – at least not in that decade – but she did catch on with the comics audience, and has 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 favourite gal-pal. This is a mid-grade, respectable copy of Ivy’s debut, minor cover creasing and wear not significantly breaking colour, and a large biro ‘6’ popping up over Ivy’s shoulder on the cover, but clean, flexible interiors, and – most crucially – the centrefold pin-up, frequently missing from copies of this issue, is firmly in place. Overall, a GD/VG p copy at £85. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: “The Name Is Bond…” Showcase #43 with Doctor No
*DC: One of the more oddball entries in the DC annals, Showcase #43 began as a projected issue of Classics Illustrated. The story was ultimately rejected by the Classics publishers as ‘too adult’, and its only first printing appeared in the insanely-rare UK Classics Illustrated #158a. This material was re-packaged by DC as issue #43 of its ‘tryout’ series Showcase with a new cover by Bob Brown, but – being released before the film, it was a bit of a flop, and DC lost the license which, decades later, several other publishers took up to good effect. Subsequent popularity of the James Bond character in multiple media has made this issue highly sought-after in retrospect. We have a newly-acquired Showcase #43 in GD p (respectable copy with one small triangular tear at top cover edge) at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Justice League of America #7: ‘The Cosmic Fun-House’
*DC: Early Justice League of America issues are dear to our hearts here at 30th Century, and none more so than #7, ‘The Cosmic Fun-House’, wherein several JLAers are transformed into distorted mirror images of themselves. How does this come about? You’ll have to read it to find out, but we suspect this is one of those cases where, as legend has it, editor Julius Schwarz would come up with a cover idea and present it to writer Gardner Fox as a challenge: ‘Write a story to fit that!’ This nice mid-grade pence copy has good cover colour, nice page quality, one small internal page tear and a very small water mark at the 10 cent printed price; VG- at £50.
American Update: Tales of Suspense #39 – the First Appearance of Iron Man
*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. This is a FA/GD p copy, taped the full length of the spine. Small ‘6’ in magic marker just above issue number. Notable creases at upper and lower cover corners, though these do not impact upon the cover image. Small ‘scuff’ around ‘S’ of title. Upper back cover edge worn with two small tears. Interior pages decent, clean and flexible, staples firm at centre. Generally a presentable, if flawed, copy of the first appearance of one of the central figures in the Marvel Universe. On sale at £1200. Front and back cover scans shown. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania: Amazing-Spider-Man #39 – First Romita Issue with Iconic Cover
*Marvel: While we yield to no one in our regard for Steve Ditko as the ‘proper’ Spider-Man artist, we have to concede that John Romita did a cracking job when he took over, redefining the character for the Swingin’ Sixties – and Jazzy Johnny’s background as a romance artist certainly didn’t hurt when it came to drawing Peter Parker’s own ‘Betty & Veronica’, Gwen and Mary Jane! This issue marked Romita’s first as illustrator, and he dove right in, making the character his own with this epic Green Goblin battle, and creating a cover scene which is almost as often ‘homaged’ as his famous Spidey #50 cover! This copy is a highly attractive VG, tight & bright, excellent cover gloss, strong staples and only minimal edge and corner wear. The only significant flaw is that a former seller has written a crayon ‘6’ just above the ‘flare’ of the Goblin’s jet-flyer, but it’s not terribly intrusive, and without it, this copy would effortlessly grade FN or better. On sale at £70. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: The Coming – and Going – of Elektra
*Marvel: There were many highlights of Frank Miller’s acclaimed and groundbreaking run on Daredevil, but prominent amongst them must be #168, with the first appearance of his former and future lover and nemesis, Elektra, martial artist with a troubled past. A breakout character who became a star in her own right, Elektra’s debut has increased in desirability since the character’s rehabilitation in the Netflix DD TV show (for obvious historical reasons, we do not speak of the Jennifer Garner movie…). To complement this significant debut, we also have #181, the double-sized Elektra/Bullseye duel which resulted in our heroine’s death. Well, her first one, anyway. The #168 is a VF p copy at £80; the #181 is NM p £35.
American Update: Return of the Big Panty Monsters! Pre-Hero Journey Into Mystery, Strange Tales, Tales Of Suspense & Tales To Astonish
*Marvel: “We’re always happy to see giant panty-wearing monsters” is a phrase one seldom expects to hear, but it’s certainly true here at 30th Century, as the pre-hero Marvel anthologies – usually featuring at least one enormous critter in a giant gusset bent on world domination – are spiralling ever upward in popularity and collectability. We have new entries for Journey Into Mystery (#78, a rare non-BPM issue starring a ‘Dr.Strange prototype’), Strange Tales (with “The Two-Headed Thing” VG+ p £52, pictured) Tales to Astonish (#33, “Dead Storage”), and a selection of Tales of Suspense starring Insect Man, Monsterollo, the Creature From the Black Bog, and Elektro, who graces the cover of TOS #13 right (VG+ p £70).
American Update: Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One, including early ND issues
*Marvel: Launched in 1972, Marvel Team-Up refined the popular guest-star format by having Spider-Man (and occasionally the Human Torch) combine forces with another Marvel star, and proved such a hit that shortly thereafter, Marvel Two-In-One followed the same format with the Fantastic Four’s Thing as host. We have many early (and therefore non-distributed) issues of both series in stock, from #3 of Marvel Team-Up and #2 of Marvel Two-In-One fresh into stock, as well as the distributed, but in high demand, issues of MTU, #65 and #66, which introduced Captain Britain to a US audience.
American Update: Long Run of Charlton’s Ghostly Tales
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Another chunky update to our stock of the quirky and distinctive Charlton horror genre of the 1970s. This time it’s a long run of Ghostly Tales from almost the first (#57, the series starting with #55, following the numbering from Blue Beetle) to the very last (#169), almost all issues present and in superior grades, averaging FN+. The usual stable of Charlton’s artistic luminaries abound, with work by Ditko, Sutton, Aparo, Staton and many others.
American/British Update: Return of the Ghost Who Walks: New Phantom Stock Available
*Phantom: Following massive sales on the adventures of Lee Falk’s legendary hero, we’re pleased to welcome into our inventory the two DC Comics Phantom series from the 1980s: the first, by acclaimed creators Peter David and Joe Orlando, was a four-issue mini in 1988, followed by a 13-issue run from 1989 to 1990. Both complete series are currently available, averaging VF or better.