*Marvel: The implacable robotic Sentinels, nemeses of the X-Men, have loomed large in the history of Marvel’s Mutant Heroes, making multiple appearances, each more fearsome than the last. The creations of a man determined to expunge the mutant genome from humanity, they emphasise the X-Men’s ‘otherness’, which is why they resonate so strongly with the readership – and in a world where fascism seems sadly to be coming back into fashion, they’re more relevant than ever! This is the first appearance of the Sentinels, a FN copy, no pence stamp or overprint, with vivid unfaded red background and only minor wear at edges of cover, on sale at £130.

*Marvel: One of our favourite classic characters here at 30th C., the anti-hero Prince Namor, scion of Atlantis, has been alternately defending and attacking the surface world ever since his Silver Age debut in Fantastic Four #4, and these early issues of his Silver Age solo series are beautiful high grade copies, authenticated by CGC Blue Labels, indicating no restoration. Issue #2 is 9.0 VF/NM equivalent at £75, and #7 is a still higher 9.2 NM- at £60. Sub-Mariner is one of the few Marvel characters as yet untouched by the media’s feeding frenzy for properties to adapt, but with the recent blockbuster success of ‘Aquaman’, can a Sub-Mariner franchise be far behind? Act now, while you can still afford ’em! SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Marvel: The tabloid-sized Treasury Editions published by Marvel from 1974 to the 1980s may not have caught on as a permanent format, but they certainly have their fans, particularly among a certain generation in the UK whose earliest exposure to the iconic Marvel characters was via these huge compendiums of classic adventures. We never keep these stonkers in stock for long, so we’re chuffed to welcome three back to our lists: in the regular Marvel Treasury Edition series, #2 features the Fantastic Four, and is VG/FN p £8; Marvel Treasury Of Oz presents ‘The Marvellous Land of Oz’, an all-new sequel to the previous Marvel/DC collaboration ‘The Wizard of Oz’: Marvel Treasury of Oz #1 is VF/NM £20; and finally, Marvel Special Edition #1 from 1975 features the Spectacular Spider-Man, a ‘Deluxe edition of Spidey’s Greatest Foes’ with vintage Ditko classics, including the debut of the Sinister Six from Spider-Man Annual #1! This low-distribution, epic-sized event is a sparkling VF/NM at £35 (Pictured.) SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Response to the Claremont/Miller Wolverine mini-series of 1982 was such that Marvel began working on a Wolverine ongoing title almost immediately, but owing to editorial clashes, the series didn’t actually make its debut until 1988. Chris Claremont continued the scripting chores on the adventures of Marvel’s favourite mutant, now an entrepreneur/crimelord in the rogue nation of Madripoor, with art by the superlative team of John Buscema and Al Williamson. This is a superior VF+ pence copy, with only the very lightest of spine stresses (not breaking cover colour) preventing a still higher grade. On sale at £35. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: An unusual attempt at a villainous protagonist was the Yellow Claw, an Oriental scientist whose relentless attempts to conquer the world were thwarted by the vigilance of FBI Agent Jimmy Woo – the company’s first Asian-American hero, historians please note. Resemblance to Sax Rohmer’s legendary Doctor Fu Manchu is entirely coincidental, ahem ahem. In this fourth and final issue of the Claw’s series, he launches four separate attacks upon democracy: the Living Shadows, solidified thought-projections, the unnerving bird-human hybrids the Skreemies, and his most fiendish plot yet – brainwashing by television! All four tales are illustrated by Jack Kirby and John Severin (behind a solo Sev cover), and the combination of the two artists gives a compelling air of palpable menace, highly appropriate to the narrative. The Yellow Claw returned to the Marvel Universe in the 1970s as an antagonist of Captain America, and Jimmy Woo became one of the Agents of SHIELD (and then Atlas), so both hero and villain are still very active today. This copy of Yellow Claw #4 is an attractive GD+, with tight staples and superior inside pages. The only significant flaw is a patch of wear approx. 1″, at the Claw’s left shoulder, which does erode the spine in that region. GD+ £135.

*Modern Reprints: Two impressive full-colour hardcover compilations grace our shelves this week: from 2015, Chartwell Books’ collection of Wonder Woman stories from WW II: ‘Wonder Woman, The War Years 1941-1945’ collects the Princess of Paradise Island’s battles against Axis forces, as told by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter. Roy Thomas provides the narrative and context for this volume, VF at £15. And from this very year of 2019 – but bearing the patina of an eldritch age – ‘Haunted Horrors’, from Craig Yoe courtesy of IDW publishing, another in the author’s compilations of vintage Pre-Code thrillers and shockers, with a multitude of artists. Brand new at £23. SORRY, HAUNTED HORRORS NOW SOLD

*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: Running for 31 issues between 1983 and 1990, Nemo: The Classics Comics Library had as its emphasis the classic American newspaper strip. While some issues were thematic, most were a mix of articles, interviews, comic strip reprints and more. We have most issues fresh into stock, a mine of information for lovers of this genre.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In 1977, 2000 AD launched into the consciousness of the nation, and for better or for worse, the comics world was never the same again! Oddly enough, the title’s most famous denizen, ‘Judge Dredd’, didn’t make it into the first edition, debuting in #2, but the five strips that did premiere in #1 pushed the boundaries; ‘Flesh’ saw a starving near-future use time-travel to go back and harvest dinosaurs – what could go wrong? ‘Invasion’ saw a band of rebels stand alone against the ‘Volgans’ who had conquered the United Kingdom; ‘Harlem Heroes’ produced a violent reprise of the original ‘Rollerball’ movie, and ‘MACH 1’, with its bionically-enhanced action hero, was a clear homage to… oh, well, have a guess. No, not ‘Get Smart’. Topped off by a ‘reimagining’ of the classic hero ‘Dan Dare’ designed to induce apoplexy in aficionados, the violent, bloodier ‘heroes’ set the scene for myriad imitators, some more successful than others. This is a superior mid-grade copy, with clean bright staples, tight corners, no cover marring beyond very light patches of tape residue where the free gift has been carefully removed, light to moderate edge wear and only light yellowing of the pulp paper. GD/VG £70. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In this update we’ve added nearly every issue of Volume 9 (#2 to #46, with very few omissions), nearly all in attractive FN or VG grades.

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: We have new stock for four series aimed at a slightly older demographic this week, all from 1959. (We think; a couple are actually dated, and the others seem contemporary, so we’re going with that – until someone tells us different!) Famous Romance Library is from Fleetway, featuring often striking painted covers and line-drawn done-in-one long stories with appealing artwork. Similarly, the Australian-produced Silhouette Romance Library features painted covers, book-length stories, and fine interior illustrations. Miller’s Romance Strip Stories presents cheap & cheerful drawn covers and multiple interior stories, with a heavy reliance on US reprints, and Photo-Romance Novels from World Distributors presages the later ‘photo-love’ trend of the 1970s by having badly-staged photos instead of drawings, behind painted covers. Illustrated: Famous Romance Library #145 (VG £15) and a trio of first issues: Photo Romance Novels #1 (FN £10), Romance Strip Stories #1 (VF £15) and Silhouette Romance Library #1 (VG £12).

*Collected Editions: New in this week, the first volume of the Michael Moorcock Library from Titan books, reprinting the first two books of Michael Moorcock’s Hawkmoon/Runestaff saga, the comic adaptations of which were published by Savoy in the 70s and 80s. Lavishly illustrated in glowing black and white by the stylish James Cawthorn, this handsome hardcover volume presents The Jewel In The Skull and The Crystal And The Amulet, a science fantasy saga set in an eerily familiar post-apocalyptic land of the Dark Empire of Granbretan. With a wealth of extras included, priced at £36. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: While all early issues of Hawkman are superb, with high-flying sci-fi stories by Gardner Fox and luminous Murphy Anderson artwork (not that we’re prejudiced witnesses or anything… ), the most sought-after in recent years is issue #4, featuring the debut of the Princess of Prestidigitation – Zatanna! Zee (as she’s familiarly known), a personal favourite here at 30th Century, is the daughter of DC’s Golden Age magician Zatara, and took her quest for her missing father through the pages of Green Lantern, Atom, Detective Comics and the Justice League of America in one of DC’s earliest ‘story arcs’, but this is where her illustrious career – which has branched out into both animated and live-action TV – began. (And yes, they did miss a bet by not having her featured on the cover -.foolish mortals!). This VG- pence copy (moderate spine wear and light cover corner creasing, unmarred interiors) is available at £200.

*Marvel: In the fourth issue of Marvel’s Avengers series, the already formidable team of Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man and the Wasp was augmented by one of the legendary heroes from the past. Captain America returned to action after years in Post-WWII suspended animation, and rapidly became the acknowledged heart and soul of the Avengers, who have never flourished for long without him! This copy of an iconic issue is a very attractive VG+, pence copy, staples tight at centrefold and cover, unmarred cover scene with light corner and edge wear, strong spine, no exterior or internal markings, light diagonal crease in lower right cover corner. On sale at £625. High resolution scans are available on request. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Iron Fist’s 1977 title, though critically acclaimed and well-received, failed to catch a mass audience, and was cancelled with its fifteenth issue. But in retrospect, its next-to-last issue, #14, has become hugely sought after as the debut of Sabretooth, one of the X-Men’s most popular enemies, and sometimes related to Wolverine in some sense – depending on whose warped reality it was in a given week. Ironically, it’s only Sabretooth’s premier appearance by accident – he was intended to appear first in Ms. Marvel #24, but that series was cancelled with issue #23, so here he is, in all his feral glory! This issue is doubly desirable here in the UK, as it was never distributed through official channels, and only a relatively tiny amount of the print run made it over. This is a lovely, tight & bright VF+ copy, vivid and glossy, on sale at £170. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: The incomparable Wally Wood drew just seven issues of Daredevil from the Man Without Fear’s earliest adventures, and we have six of them fresh into stock this week (missing just his debut in #5). Pick of the bunch is #7, the first red costume issue for DD and also the epic battle with the Sub-Mariner. Our new copy is VG/FN (cents); a nice mid-grade copy with minor stress at spine and some edge wear, but tight and flat with excellent staples and page quality, priced at £170. Other issues include the debuts of Mr Fear (#6), the Stilt-Man (#8) and the two-part encounter with the Organiser and the Ani-Men (#10-11). For grades and prices on all, consult our catalogue. SORRY #6 & #7 NOW SOLD

*Horror 1940-1959: Technically a Timely title when it started, Marvel Tales took over the numbering of the company’s flagship title, Marvel Mystery Comics, when it launched in 1949 with issue #93, and the former home of Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, Miss America and the Blonde Phantom became the dwelling of vampires, monsters, werewolves, ghosts and ghouls – and a howling success they made of it! We have 25 vintage Marvel Tales newly in, commencing with issue #113, and ending with 1957’s final issue, #159. This tasty torrent of terrors includes stellar artwork by Kubert, Krigstein, Ditko, Williamson, Wood, Morrow, Powell, Drucker, Kane, Orlando, Romita and Sinnott, as well as the ever-reliable, always excellent trinity of Maneely, Heath and Everett – the latter of whose ‘End of the World’ story in #153 is regarded as one of his finer works. Over half of this update – 14 out of the 25 – are illustrated here: #113 GD/VG £90, #115 GD/VG £90, #120 FA/GD £53, #136 VG- £64, #137 VG £66, #138 VG £73, #140 VG £66 (two copies, in identical grades and prices), #142 VG+ £74, #144 VG+ £74, #145 FN £98, #146 VG+ £63, #154 VG £56, #157 VG+ £64 and #159 VG+ £64. As always, however, with our recent large Atlas updates, there is a plethora of lower-graded issues at very economical prices, so do remember to check the online listing for more details.

*Western: Two 1957 entries in the Western field were the Kid From Dodge City and the Kid from Texas, neither of which really got a chance to catch on, as both ended with their respective second issues, despite having the same quality as the rest of the Atlas Western line. The Kid From Dodge City featured early art by Don Heck, an often-underestimated artist because of the high volume of rushed work he did in the 1970s, but back then he was an illustrator more in the Caniffesque tradition. The Kid From Texas was drawn by Bob Powell, with covers by Severin and Heath. Oddly for the frugal publisher, neither title was renamed from or into any other series, so this ‘pair of pairs’ remain odd cut-off trails on the dusty paths of the Western genre. Depicted: Kid From Texas #1 FN+ £38; details on the others in our online catalogue.

*Modern Reprints: A further trio of these phone book like Marvel black and white volumes added to our stock, all volume 1 of their titles in NM: Iron Fist, collecting all the early appearances; Super-Villain Team-Up with Dr. Doom and Sub-Mariner, collecting the entire series plus bonuses; and X-Factor, with all the early issues plus guest shots. Great reading value. Iron Fist is £30, the others are £12 each.  

*Magazines & Books About Vintage US Comics: Following the demise of legendary artist/writer Jack Kirby in 1994, many print tributes were issued to commemorate his life and works. One such was Jack Kirby Collector, which started humbly as a black & white fanzine but was taken up by Twomorrows into a slick ‘prozine’ which continues to this day. Our stock of Jack Kirby Collector has been enhanced by more than 40 issues, in numbers ranging from #6 to #74, all averaging VF/NM. In addition, we have the first paperback volume of the Collected Jack Kirby Collector VF £20, as well as a small selection of the lesser-known companion Jack Kirby Quarterly, which began as a black and white fanzine in the UK, but was taken up by Greg Theakston’s Pure Imagination for US distribution.

*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: A whole box-full of goodies freshly added to this category, including Casey Ruggles, Crime Patrol, Donald Duck, Fantastic Tales, a large run of Gold Token Super Mag, Justice Traps The Guilty, Mr District Attorney, Police Comics, Race For The Moon, a New Zealand Rip Kirby, World Distributors’ Movie Classics (Searchers, Sharkfighters, Wings Of Eagles) and WD Western Classic.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics:  In 1976, the staid world of British comics was rocked by the advent of Action, a brutal weekly (by the standards of the day), where villains, including Nazis and man-eating sharks, were the heroes. Hugely popular and hugely controversial, we have the first three issues back in stock: issue #1 is only FA, complete but with a significant lower cover tear, at £20; issue #2 is VG at £20 and issue #3, unlike its chums, comes with the original free gift – 16 Soccer Super Stars of Britain Trading Cards, still in the pack/wallet (pictured)! The comic is Fine, and the Free Gift of packet plus cards, though opened, is also Fine – comic and gift combo on sale at £50. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Better remembered for its long line of war-themed picture libraries, Pearson did occasionally venture into the softer side of things, and from 1965, we have an unusual example: Heart Beat #1, an extra-tall romantic picture library, a full 12″ in height, though no wider than the standard PL. This extra height was no doubt intended to make the series stand out at the newsagent’s, but we suspect that in reality, like the Giant War Picture Libraries, it simply meant it was a bugger to display and got mangled and mishandled, if the shops bothered to put it out at all. We suspect few survive, and certainly we had never heard of it until we acquired this copy. We have no idea how many further issues – if any – there were. Interior artwork is the same sophisticated European style seen in many romantic comics of the day, with three separate tales – ‘Guilty Secret’, ‘Front Page Story’ and ‘Love Tangle’ – featured. In excellent shape for its age (VG), this is a very uncommon item, priced at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

As you may realise, the purpose of our Clearance Corner lots is to clear space in our shop by discontinuing titles we’re no longer carrying to make way for new and incoming stuff. As such, they will only be offered for a short time. This Clearance Corner lot, listed on 11th December 2018, has not been snapped up and is nearing the end of its time with us. If not purchased by the weekend, we will have to dispose of it. Here are the details from our original listing:
‘A charming bargain lot in Clearance Corner this week. Classics Illustrated Junior, the companion to the famous Classics Illustrated series, commenced in 1953 and ran for 77 issues, featuring many famous (and some not so famous) fairy tales with brightly painted cover illustrations. Included in this lot of 36 different issues are Sleeping Beauty, Jack & the Beanstalk, Puss In Boots, Rumplestiltskin, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Rapunzel, Snow White & Rose Red and many more. The UK version of this was called Pixi Tales and there is one issue of that included in this lot of otherwise US versions, making 37 in total, all in a mix of FA to FN grades. We have to clear something to make room for our Atlas Explosion, so these, with regret, have to go. Here’s your chance for a real bargain — just £25 the lot (UK postage if required would be an extra £7).’ SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD