*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A classic in our latest First Quenchers (UK #1 issue) event! 1965 saw the debut of the oversized Ranger, an adventure weekly with an educational bent which was caught up in the enthusiasm of the Space Age. Among the features was the debut, in sumptuous full-colour, of Mike Butterworth and Don Lawrence’s Tales of the Trigan Empire’, the story of an outer-space realm full of sinister machinations, exotic locales and strange creatures. A companion paper to the more scholastic Look & Learn, Ranger only lasted forty issues before being absorbed into its sibling, but ‘Trigan Empire’ continued in L & L for a decade and a half of imaginative scripts and superb illustrations, and this is where it all began. This copy of Ranger #1 is a nice solid VG, with moderate corner wear at the lower right cover corner; the Free Gift, a booklet on the BOAC VC 10 – ‘Wonder Aircraft of the Age’ – is also VG, with a light ‘scuff’ at the left edge where it was originally attached to the comic. The comic and the Free Gift are on sale for £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Girls’ Comics: We’ve had quite a few Junes through our hands lately, but recent updates pale by comparison with the leviathan influx of stock we have this week – this is the big one! From 1965 through to 1971, we have approximately 150 issues new in stock, and from the 30th January 1965, the title absorbed the veteran School Friend weekly to become June & School Friend, the title by which it is  best remembered and best-loved by a generation. No token amalgamation, the addition of School Friend to June’s roster brought the star power of popular features, ‘Bessie Bunter’, ‘Vanessa From Venus’, ‘Lucky’s Living Doll’, ‘Cherry and the Children’ and ‘My friend Sara’, plus the expansion to 44 pages meant that readers of both weeklies didn’t necessarily feel short-changed or ‘crowded out’ by the amalgam.  In addition to the more conventional fare such as ‘Nursing Is My Life’, or ‘Laura at Ballet School’, this period also saw a lot of fantasy and sci-fi themed series, including ‘Serena From Space’, ‘Mimi the Mesmerist’, ‘Fourth-Form Wonder’, and Glory Knight, Time-Travelling Courier’, on the latter of which more can be found in our fabulous features section.  Previous updates to June have been very well-received, but we anticipate keen competition for what is regarded as her ‘peak’, so make sure your orders get in early!

Our latest spotlight on our previously listed stock is from 1951, the second of Boardman’s Super Coloured Comic Annuals. Boardman issued faux-American comics featuring reprints of American material such as Blackhawk and original material, the latter primarily illustrated by the talented Dennis McLoughlin. Stars of the Boardman line were space adventurer Swift Morgan, western hero Buffalo Bill, and ace detective Roy Carson, all of whom have devoted followings. The Super Coloured Comic Annuals were softcover albums collecting and rebinding unsold copies of the comics, with a large proportion of material created especially for the Annuals. In this case, a full-colour Swift Morgan lead strip and new text stories starring Carson, Blackhawk and Morgan are the additional material, together with several rebound comics. Of the three Super Coloureds published, all are incredibly rare, but the second volume is believed to be the rarest. 140 interior pages – or as the cover would have it, 1,000 Action pictures, though I confess I haven’t counted – with new McLoughlin illos. on the cover and  throughout the text stories. This copy is graded as VG+; light spine and corner wear, minor lower right cover creasing, on sale at £350.

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 file in our American section:
*Marvel
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: During the 1970’s and early 1980’s, both major companies experimented with tabloid formats, and DC’s was the Limited Collectors’ Edition, selected reprints in oversized format, which proved popular enough to spread to several subsidiary series – Famous First Editions (reprinting in full iconic issues such as Action Comics #1), All-New Collector’s Edition (with, as the name implies, non-reprint stories of major characters) and occasional forays into normally regular-sized titles such as DC Special Series. We have selections from all these gargantuan behemoths new in. Their unusual dimensions meant that they were not well-distributed by newsvendors in the States, nor have they generally fared well in long-term storage. Added to that the fact that barely saw any distribution in the UK at all, and their rarity will be appreciated. From Limited Collector’s Editions itself, we have the Batman All-Villain Special, The Bible, with stunning all-original Nestor Redondo artwork, Superman, Secret Origins of Super-Villains, Super-Friends, (with an original Alex Toth framing sequence), Batman: Baffling Mystery Stories, More Secret Origins of Super-Villains, Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, and the rare but peculiar Welcome Back Kotter – one for John Travolta completists – including material intended for the never-published WBK#11! From Famous First Editions, we have giant-sized facsimiles of Whiz Comics #2 (debut of original Captain Marvel) Flash Comics #1, Superman #1, and Action Comics #1, with Superman’s premier appearance. All-New Collectors’ Edition – which confusingly shared a numbering sequence with Limited Collectors’ – brings us Superman the Movie, and not one, but two copies of the epic Superman Vs. Wonder Woman battle, with superlative Jose Luis Garcia Lopez artwork. And a title that’s ordinarily more modest in stature, DC Special Series, brought us Superman II, Superman and His Fortress of Solitude, and – most awesome of all – Batman Vs. The Incredible Hulk, featuring the Joker, with Garcia Lopez illustrations! A selection of these super-sized stunners is reproduced below for your delectation.

*Marvel: A front-runner in the second wave of Marvel launches, and now the star of his own Netflix TV show, the sightless swashbuckler remains a firm favourite among comics readers, and is gathering new fans from multi-media exposure. We are pleased to have a copy of his debut issue back in stock, introducing the world not only to Matt Murdock and his costumed alter ego, but also his practise partner Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, the object of both their affections. By Stan Lee and Bill Everett, this classic is a pence priced copy, graded as Fair/Good because of general wear and one specific defect – at some point a house-ad illustration has been neatly cut out, not affecting the story pages. Interior pages are otherwise clean, sound and unmarked. FA/GD p £300. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: We conclude our marathon Spider-Mania event with a trio of treats for all fans of our favourite web-headed wall-crawler: 1992’s one-off, Spider-Man Special Edition: The Trial of Venom was an extremely limited issue which could only be obtained, at the time, by making a charitable donation to UNICEF. Very few copies are in circulation, and we have a NM/M edition at £20. From 1976, we bring you the first edition of Spidey’s second series (Ah, remember when there weren’t multiple divergent series starring the same characters? Those were the days… Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man. Originally launched with the intention of focussing more on Spidey’s civilian life, and Peter Parker’s Pals N’ Gals, that high concept lasted about as long as you’d have expected! This debut issue is a pence priced copy, VF at £25. And finally – the big one! Amazing Spider-Man #300, from 1988, the extra-thick special issue which brought the first full appearance of Spidey’s parasitical perp, Venom, to a breathless world. This is a pence edition, clean, tight, bright, with firm staples and sharp corners, yours for £175. Pictures of all three of these beauties may be inspected below.  That concludes our ‘Spider-Mania’ event, but never fear – Spider-Man and his frenemies will continue to be a major part of our future updates! SORRY, SPIDEY #300 AND SPECIAL EDITION NOW SOLD

*EC: A sequential run new in of the classic Crime Suspenstories title from #7 to #12 in a mixture of grades and prices ranging from PR/FA to FN and from £16 to £115. Many of EC’s finest artists were involved in this title, including Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen etc., and the crime in the title often strayed into the realms of horror, as evidenced by the Haunt of Fear ‘guest shots’ in all these issues. Consult our catalogue for full grading and pricing information.

 

*Western: Our Marvel Western event this week features the Rawhide Kid, with half a dozen new issues in between #48 & #64. Mosey on down and slap some leather with the Kid!  

*Classics Illustrated: A further selection of the UK versions of Classics for your attention (all over #100). These additions are distinguished by including a low grade copy of #148 (the UK original Nights Of Terror), plus a batch of World Illustrated; many nicely graded copies present.  

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: For our First Quenchers event this week, we present the third of Fleetway/IPC’s ‘Big Cat’ papers (after Lion and Tiger). Jag launched in 1968 at an astonishing broadsheet size, reminding readers more of the Eagle than of its smaller-statured stablemates. Inside, the combination of plucky schoolboys in WWII (“The Mouse Patrol”), heroic everyman gifted with superhuman powers (“The Indestructible Man”), and mild-mannered teacher struggling with the challenges of “Snob College” was well up to the Fleetway standard. Unfortunately, the large size deterred a lot of newsagents from displaying the title at all, and the initial lack of a ‘star’ feature didn’t lead many readers to climb aboard; the later addition of ‘Football Family Robinson’ helped a bit, but after a last-minute shrink-down to standard size, Jag was consumed by Tiger after only 48 weekly issues, rendering it a scarce and sought-after short-run series. We have the first issue in FN, with the original free gift – “The Bobby Moore Book of the F.A.Cup”. However, the free gift is regrettably incomplete, having had two pictures clipped from it. Because of this, we’re not doing our usual enhancement for the presence of a Free Gift, and offer it merely as an additional interesting curiosity. This copy of #1 in FN, with incomplete Free Gift, on sale at £40. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*TV & Film Related Comics: Strange bedfellows, but there is a connection between them: Transformers, the heroic robots from outer space, and Action Force – the UK-retitled version of America’s GI Joe, as that last name was deemed incomprehensible to the British market – both launched from Marvel UK as reprints of the American series, but proved so popular that a great deal of UK-originated material was produced for the weeklies which was never gathered in American formats – making the UK edition of these titles a ‘holy grail’ for dedicated GI Joe groupies and… I dunno… Transfans? Furthermore, in the ‘hatch, match and despatch’ formula beloved of traditional British weeklies, Action Force, once it ran its course, was merged into transformers Weekly to form an ‘amalgam’ title, giving the two series yet another commonality. We are pleased to have around half the run of Transformers, 175 issues new in, from #6 to the very final number, #332, plus Winter and Holiday Specials. Action Force is represented by the entirety of it 50-issue run. Heroic Autobot or Evil Decepticon? GI Joe or COBRA? Pick a side!

*Humour Comics: A near complete run of the second series of Knockout fresh in this week to tickle your funny bones! From the first issue (12th June 1971) to the last (23rd June 1973), strips include Dead Eye Dick, Sammy Shrink, the Super Seven, The Toffs and the Toughs and many more. Full details as always in our catalogue.   

*Girls’ Comics: As the fame and popularity of Misty continues to grow, #1 issues complete with Free Gift are getting increasingly harder to come by, so we’re particularly pleased to feature in our First Quenchers British #1 event, a top of the range example of this prized collectable. The comic is in FN condition with no tears or writing and nice page quality; there are a couple of marks where the tape for the Free Gift was attached, but these are just small dark patches rather than the scuff marks more usually seen. The Free Gift itself (Lucky Charm Bracelet) is still in its original plastic bag and though no longer attached to the comic, still has the original (no longer) sticky tape attached; overall we’ve classified the never-used Gift as VF. Comic and Gift together for £120.  

*Clearance Corner: Here’s a real bargain! No less than 41 British #1 issues, ranging from the 1970s into the 21st Century. They’re all in nice condition and complete, in many cases with full/partial free gifts included. Titles include: Toxic, Frozen (Disney), Dennis & Gnasher Puzzles, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, Judge Dredd Megazine, Striker and too many others to mention (all titles we no longer carry). All available for just £20 — less than 50p each! (These fill a medium-sized box weighing just under 5 kg, and can be posted within the UK for an additional £18). Samples shown in attached picture. 

*Clearance Corner: This week we’re clearing out our stock of McMillan 1990’s editions of the irrepressible William by Richmal Crompton, all with cover art by Gerry Haylock and interior illustrations by Thomas Henry or Henry Ford (with one Armada edition from 1986 with a photo cover). The lot comprises 19 paperbacks including #1-10 in the series and several later numbers (with one duplication). All available for a cost of £15 (less than £1 per book!). These are a personal favourite of your scribe, and reading them as an adult I certainly got even more out of them than I did when I first read them as a child. Tremendous fun, wit and charm with the eternal mischievous schoolboy. UK postage if required on these will be an additional £3.50.     

*DC: A lovely vintage Superman from 1957, only one month older than your humble scribe – but in a much, much  better state of preservation! Superman #117, November 1957, is an attractive FN copy, with sound pages, tight corners, firm staples, decent interiors, and an unmarred cover image featuring a curious reversal of Superman’s heat-vision. Inside, the mystery of the switched super-powers continues, and in the other two stories, Supes’ mild-mannered alter-ego becomes “Clark Kent, Man of Mystery” and Lois Lane stumbles into some wackiness and gets turned into a glass statue – which in Lois’ life just means it’s Tuesday! This very appealing pre-distribution item is FN at £95.

*DC: Continuing our systematic restocking of the DC back numbers, this week we lead off with two Kirby Kreations: Mister Miracle, from #3 to #15, and Omac, from the very first issue (with a cover that is still one of the most disturbing published, even decades later) through to issue #8. We also have smaller top-ups for the Phantom Stranger, Rima the Jungle Girl, Rip Hunter Time Master, the Shadow (with superlative Mike Kaluta artwork), and Shazam!, rounding out with the one-off Sherlock Holmes comic from 1976. More coming soon from the classic DCU – better than modern comics, and often cheaper!

*Marvel: When the distribution embargo was lifted on Marvel in 1968, one of the company’s first actions was to launch the stars of its ‘split’ books, such as Tales to Astonish, Strange Tales and Tales of Suspense, into their own series; one such was Captain America. For a few years, since his return to the modern Marvel Age in Avengers #4, the Sentinel of Liberty had been ‘flatsharing’ with iron Man in Tales of Suspense, but with the new system, he got his own star-spangled series – beginning, owing to a peculiarity of the period, with issue #100, continuing the numbering of the now-defunct Suspense. This copy of Captain America #100, featuring the talents of Stan lee, Jack Kirby and Syd Shores, is VG+, a superior copy with only moderate wear and very light cover creasing, cover scene unimpaired, decent white flexible interiors. A pence stamped copy, it is on sale at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Another massive restock of Marvel’s 1960’s and 1970’s output, touching on titles such as the Avengers (with the debuts of the Grim Reaper, Ultron (cameo appearance) Hellcat & Taskmaster (1st full app)), Avengers Annuals and the non-distributed Giant-Size Avengers, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Contest Of Champions, Daredevil (from #6 and including #168, the first Elektra), Defenders, Doc Savage, Hulk, Iron Man Annual, Journey into Mystery (both Thor and Big-Panty-Monsters issues!), Ka-Zar, Marvel Feature, Marvel Premiere (including 1st Scott Lang Ant-Man in #47!), Marvel Presents, Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD (glorious Steranko artwork), Luke Cage, Power Man (including #17, the first issue in which Luke assumes the Power Man name), Red Sonja, Amazing Spider-Man and Giant-Size Spider-Man, Strange Tales (including an early X-Men – well, Iceman – guest-appearance with the Human Torch), Sub-Mariner (from #2 through to #70), and Thor (including #181 with Neal Adams artwork!) Close to 200 new Marvel back issues added in today, for your browsing delight, in a range of grades, so check out our catalogue for details.

*Collected Editions: In our new and very popular Collected Editions section, we’re proud to make three significant additions. From 1989, Hawk Book’s Tales From The Trigan Empire compilation, a large-format hardcover collecting the legendary strip by Mike Butterworth and Don Lawrence which ran in Ranger and Look & Learn for decades. With the high production standards Hawk was renowned for, Lawrence’s sumptuous art is shown to great advantage. From 2011, the first volume of Captain Britain in hardcover, subtitled Birth of a Legend, representing the entirety of Cap B’s first series, with the first appearances not only of the good Captain himself but many of his friends and foes, including his sister Betsy, who would later become the X-Men’s psychic psiren Psylocke, and Lance Hunter, who later gained prominence in TV’s Agents of SHELD show. Finally, from this very year of 2017, Night Raven: From the Marvel UK Vaults is a paperback compilation lovingly (some would say obsessively) gathering every single obscure appearance of the nourish pulp anti-hero from dozens of different sources in Marvel UK’s catalogue. Featuring work by Alan Moore, Steve Parkhouse, David Lloyd, Alan Davis and John Bolton, among others, this is a showcase of many of comic’s greatest talents in the early days of their careers. Tales From The Trigan Empire is VF at £50; Captain Britain is VF at £75; and Night Raven is Mint at £32.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Continuing our Long Hot Summer event featuring UK Summer & Holiday Specials! …Though perhaps the denizens of Scream! might prefer a cool, dank summer, all things considered… the nefarious and short-lived horror title was revived for a number of glossy holiday specials that showcased its sinister charms, if anything, even better than the original 15-issue weekly. ‘The Dracula File’, ‘Thirteenth Floor’ and all the other regulars bring you shakes and shivers in this extra-length edition, VG/FN at £25.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: …Well, it’s not long before you become a Buster, as it happens; but Jet, the 1971 adventure weekly launch from !PC/Fleetway, started strongly, with a line-up of well-crafted series along the well-trod path of war, sci-fi and sport, along with Ken Reid’s superb ‘Faceache’. For some reason, however, the series just didn’t ‘take’, despite other stellar contributors such as Solano Lopez and Eric Bradbury, and after a short run of 22 issues, it was inexplicably merged with the humour weekly, Buster, rather than another adventure series. “The Sludgemouth Sloggers”, “Von Hoffman’s Invasion”, “Faceache”, and “The Kids From Stalag 41” made the leap, for a long time Jet languished forgotten. Recent interest in short-run titles has increased, however, and her we have an opportunity for you to sample Jet in very affordable low to mid grades, from the second issue to the final number.

*TV & Film Related Comics: For more seaside summer fun (appropriately, as we type this on a torrential Thursday afternoon), we offer TV Comic Holiday Specials from the 1970’s and 1980’s, featuring Battle of the Planets, Tarzan, Pink Panther, Popeye, Mighty Moth, Tom & Jetty, Laurel & Hardy, and the TV Terrors, as well as Popeye’s own spin-off, the Popeye Holiday Special, with more two-fisted spinach-guzzlin’ action than you can shake the proverbial stick at!