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
and in our Books Section:
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze
*TV/Film Tie-Ins
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: A significant top-up to DC’s Amazing Amazon, from 1968 to 1976, a complete consecutive run of those issues now available! Kicking off with an unprecedented team-up in #177 with Supergirl, then, of course, the notorious ‘New Wonder Woman’ run by O’Neil and Sekowsky, wherein our heroine lost her mighty powers. Becoming a martial artist and investigator, she fought crime in a manner more reminiscent of Modesty Blaise or Emma Peel in high-tension spy thrillers, with an occasional dip into fantasy realms. Especially sought-after from this period are the Jeff Jones covers on #199 and #200, and the issues featuring guest-star Catwoman (#201, #202). With #203, to tie in with the release of Gloria Steinem’s WW retrospective book, Diana was switched abruptly back to super-powered mode, and shortly thereafter endured a test of trials to establish her fitness to rejoin the Justice league, with high-profile guest-stars in every issue. And the Red Tornado. Wrapping up this run, the last few more experimental issues before the launch of the TV show starring Lynda Carter, after which point the title became one of DC’s short-lived “DC TV Comics”. Mostly in high grades, this sequence takes the Princess of Paradise Island through a plethora of changes, constituting one of the more interesting periods in her long history.

*Marvel: “Does the Green Goblin Look Cute To You?…” The rather twee opening line of the blurb on Amazing Spider-Man #14’s cover heralded the first appearance of Spider-Man’s most dastardly and persistent enemy – his “Joker”, so to speak. The sinister and malevolent Green Goblin has plagued Spider-Man ever since, causing chaos, destruction and the deaths of some of Spidey’s most beloved friends, and this masterwork by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko is where his villainous career kicked off. And guest-starring the Hulk to boot! A pence copy, this is an attractive Fine, with minimal ‘blunting’ at corners, tight staples, excellent interior page quality, and extremely light wear at spine. Beautiful unmarred cover scene with deep unfaded covers. Priced at £500, a star addition to our Spider-Mania event.

*Marvel: Back in our day, the X-Men were Scott, Jean, Warren, Hank & Bobby and we had nothing of this new fangled ‘All-New, All Different’ malarkey. So join us back in time this week as we revisit the original X-Men in some of their earliest adventures as they take on Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (#5), Sub-Mariner (#6), the Avengers (#9), Ka-Zar (#10) and the Sentinels (#14 & #15), plus a few later issues previously missing from our inventory. Pictured below: #5 FN + p £170, #6 VG+ p £70, #10 VG p £53 and #15 FN p £56. Then take a look at our catalogue for full details of all issues in stock! 

*Gold Key/Whitman: Gold Key, after splitting off from its parent company Dell, followed Dell’s lead by grabbing a wide range of franchises and running with them, as well as generating many interesting new series of its own. This update, of approximately 60 issues, is spread over three broad themes: Cartoon/Comedy (Bugs Bunny, Flintstones, Mighty Mouse, Popeye and Uncle Scrooge), ‘Straight’ adaptations of movies or TV series (Condorman, Green Hornet, Lassie, My Favourite Martian and the ‘Movie Comic’ Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm) and original fantasy/adventure sci-fi series (Brothers of the Spear, Captain Johner and the Aliens, Dagar the Invincible, Magnus Robot Fighter, Mighty Samson, Space Family Robinson, Starstream, Total War (Wally Wood art), Tragg and the Sky Gods, and Turok, Son of Stone!). Covering three decades – 1962 to 1981 – this is a snapshot of one of newsstand comics’ most eclectic publishers!

*Modern Reprints: Some new additions to our stock of DC’s handsome Archive Editions, full colour hardcover volumes presenting the best of DC Comics from its long history. New stock comprises Action Heroes Vol 2 (actually Charlton reprints of Ditko’s Blue Beetle, Captain Atom and the Question after DC acquired the rights to those characters), All Star Comics Vols 3 & 8 starring the Justice Society, Challengers Of The Unknown Vols 1 & 2 presenting all the Kirby issues, and Rarities Vol 1 (pictured), featuring three big comics, New York World’s Fair 1939 & 1940 and Big All-American Comic Book, comics you’re very unlikely ever to own in their original form! Prices range from £25 — consult our catalogue for full information.  

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A restock of the second series of Eagle, (home of ‘Doomlord’, ‘Sgt. Streetwise’, ‘Manix’, and the second generation ‘Dan Dare’) which launched with a plethora of dodgy photo-strips, but rapidly evolved into a decent weekly comic with a line-up of writers and artists more famed from the 2000 AD bullpen. A selection of around 60 issues added, from 1982’s premier edition to 1990, towards the end of the series’ run.

*TV & Film Related Comics: From issue #199 to #224 (1966-1967), the girls’ weekly comic Diana featured a sumptuous full-colour comic strip of the adventures of the Avengers, John Steed, and Emma Peel, as they thwarted international evil in high style. Illustrated by Emilio Frejo, assisted by Juan Gonzalez Alacrejo, these adventures, while necessarily compressed, carried (unlike the more sanitised versions in TV Comic and elsewhere) the feel of the show, with high-stakes scenarios and actual fatalities – particularly in the final story arc, wherein our heroes are pitted against the Secret Six, a cartel of criminal masterminds, and have to battle their way to freedom. For many years, these issues have been the most highly-sought after in Diana’s entire run, but now, a complete collection of all eight Avengers stories from Diana has been issued by Big Finish Studios and DC Thomson, which, while smaller than the original tabloid pages, is nevertheless a fine-looking paperback, and a very handy addition to any fan’s shelf. Killer Frocks! Mad Norsemen! Deadly Toys! Enraged Animals! Mad Hatters! Black Heart and the Seven Dwarfs! All this and more can be yours, in this brand-new compilation for £13.

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Our massive Picture Library collection continues with dozens and dozens of issues of Bunty Picture Library, starting with #2 and featuring most of the first 15 issues (rarely seen), several of which are pictured below. We then jump to a range between #66 and #232, and conclude with the Bunty & Judy Bumper Library from 1977. So, both rare and common issues in a range of grades and prices, all jolly spiffing fun!

From time to time, we have to make decisions to discontinue certain titles from our stock for reasons of space. This time it’s the turn of Look & Learn, the educational comic that started out a bit earnest and then with #232 was revitalised by the addition of Ranger, most famously featuring the Trigan Empire strip from that defunct publication, sumptuously illustrated by Don Lawrence and later by others. We’re clearing this title from our boxes to make room for some of the vast number of collections we’ve been buying in so we are able to offer our complete stock of approximately 165 issues (between #232 and #859 – #232 being the first issue to add Ranger and the Trigan Empire) with about 40 duplications among them at a bargain price of just £30 to the first person to order them. Grades range from Fair to Fine and as a bonus there’s an original free gift included. NB They don’t come bagged and boarded (as our normal stock does) and if the buyer wants them posted to a UK address, the postage cost would be an additional £25 (sorry, we won’t post these outside the UK, due to prohibitive postage cost). These are heavy, weighing in at over 15 kg, so if you’re thinking of collecting from our shop, you’ll need transport! We don’t want to throw them away, so we hope this limited-time offer will see them relocated in a good home! First come, first served — the first person to pay for them gets them!

*Girls’ Comics: Stepping a little outside our usual remit, a selection of the pop mag Fabulous (later Fab 208). Launched in 1964, it gained the ‘208’ sobriquet in 1966 when it engineered a promotional tie-in with Radio Luxembourg, (broadcast on 208 wavelength) one of the new stations credited with shaking up the BBC’s somewhat staid monopoly on the listening airwaves. Fab 208’s USP was a plethora of full-colour pin-ups of pop princes and princesses, with the occasional prettier footballer thrown into the mix to tickle the magazine’s overwhelmingly female demographic. They delivered pin-ups in abundance, with the perfunctory text features taking very much a second place – though, allegedly, both the Monkees and George Best wrote regular columns! (Or at least their publicists did…) This selection of over 50 issues spans the years from 1964 to 1971, though with by far the heaviest concentration lands in 1967 and 1968, when the Beatles and the Monkees were king. (Though Doctor Who fans might check out 10/8/68, with cover model the lovely Wendy Padbury (or ‘Paddy Wenbury’, as those of us of a certain vintage will always remember her…), though not, unfortunately in her Who persona as Zoe! (and if you need to ask, ‘Who’s Zoe?’ then you’re too young to be reading this update – away with you, urchins!))

*DC: In our Batmania Max event this update, we have Batman Adventures: Mad Love, the comics one-shot by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm which redefined the Joker/Harley relationship, and catapulted Harley into her position as the breakout character of the late 20th century! This 1994 release was Harley’s second-ever comics appearance, and she takes centre stage in a tug of love between Batman and the Joker. This copy is an attractive VF- at £50, with only one light diagonal crease in the upper right corner cover precluding a still higher grade. Your chance to grab an early spotlight on a character whose popularity is growing at an epic rate!

*Marvel: Probably the most sought-after comic of the 1970’s, Hulk #181 featured the first full appearance of Wolverine, the Canadian super-hero who, outstripping everyone’s expectations, became the most popular Marvel character created since the dawn of the Marvel Age. Created by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe (from a John Romita design), Wolvy was revived by Wein when he put together the “New” X-Men who debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1, and since then, Wolverine became the star of the lucrative X-Men franchise, and a multi-media darling in his own right. This issue, where it all really kicked off, is an apparent VG+, with good interior page quality, excellent cover colour and gloss, and one soft but long diagonal crease running from the top of the logo’s ‘K’ down almost to the bottom of the book, as may be seen on the accompanying illustration. The thing precluding an actual VG+ grade, however, is the removal of the Marvel Value Stamp, which has been neatly cut from an interior non-story page. Despite that, the overall condition of the book is very appealing, and given that this is routinely a £1,000+ item intact, we are confident of a rapid sale in pricing this copy at £350. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Increasingly rising in popularity ever since their first appearance in the Fantastic Four mid-1960’s, the Inhumans remain one of the most original concepts in Marveldom and in recent years and indeed currently, are taking their place as a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe. We’re pleased to present the entirety of their first series under their own name, all 12 issues from 1975-76, written by Doug Moench with art by George Perez, Keith Pollard and others. Join Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak and all their chums for high adventure! Averaging VF and all listed in our catalogue with full grading and pricing information.

*Gold Key/Whitman: More than half of the 1967-1978 Star Trek series from Gold Key has beamed down here in the 30th Century, with issues ranging from #2 to the penultimate #60, 32 additions in all. These eccentric adaptations of the cult TV series started oddly, as the original artist, Alberto Giolitti, was working from only a handful of black & white stills and had never seen the series; accordingly, errors in costuming and character portrayal abound, and the Enterprise was frequently shown landing on planets! Later issues adhered more closely to established canon, with unofficial sequels to on-screen episodes. Spottily distributed at best in the UK, these are not commonplace, and this substantial addition to our stock ranges from low, affordable grades on the early issues to very nice VF or even VF/NM condition on several of the latter. Don’t be a red-shirt – join the away team!

*Modern Reprints: A long-overdue addition in the form of these handsome full-colour hardcovers chronicling the earliest days of what would become the Marvel Universe. Titles refreshed are All-Winners, Daring Mystery, Sub-Mariner, USA, and Young Allies, featuring not only the ‘big three’ of Sub-Mariner, Human Torch and Captain America, but also a plethora of lesser lights such as the Whizzer, the Destroyer, the Phantom Reporter, Fiery Mask, Angel, defender, Captain Terror and the Victory Boys! These are second-hand, but gently used and in prime condition, clean, glossy copies grading between VF and NM; priced at £35 each.

*Power Comics: A small but welcome update to our stocks of Wham! from 1965. By this time, the all-Baxendale lineup (apart from token reprint adventure strips) of the first year had been enhanced by other contributors, including Ken Reid’s Jasper the Grasper and the unstoppable Frankie Stein, who joined Eagle Eye Junior Spy (whose villain, Grimly Feendish, graduated to his own series in companion paper Smash!) Georgie’s Germs, the Tiddlers, and Danny Dare for a truly stellar comedy lineup. This selection runs from issue #46 to #80, in very affordable mid-grades, including the 1965 Christmas issue, #80 as pictured. Consult our catalogue for further details.

*TV & Film Related Comics: This major acquisition consists of the majority of the first 50 issues of TV Century 21, 1965’s epochal launch of the Gerry Anderson ‘shared universe’ of the near-future in comics form. Properties long established on TV, such as ‘Supercar’ and ‘Fireball XL5’, were joined by newcomer ‘Stingray’, and, in a strip that piloted International Rescue long before the TV launch of ‘Thunderbirds’, the solo adventures of ‘Lady Penelope: Elegance, Charm…and Deadly Danger’. This oversized, lavishly printed production, illustrated by the best artists in the British comics field at the time – Mike Noble, Ron Embleton, Frank Bellamy, Ron Turner, Keith Watson – was a huge hit, and has remained fiercely collected by comics aficionados and ‘Fanderson’ devotees alike. This is by no means a complete selection, but does include the earliest and hardest to find issues, as well as the elusive 1965 Summer Extra. Issue #1 is GD/VG at £200; #2 GD at £75; #3 GD/VG £100 and the 1965 Summer Extra in Fair (considerable spine wear, but otherwise respectable) at £75. For details of the other issues, including grades and prices, as always, check our online catalogue listing.

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 American section:
*War
*Western
and in our British section:
*Alan Class Reprints
*Humour Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: Continuing our marathon exploration of the Gotham Guardian and his friends and foes, we reach Detective Comics #298, in which Batman & robin faced, for the first time, the menace of the sinister shape-shifter, Clayface! This was the second villain to use the moniker, and the two were not connected, the Golden Age version being a demented actor and this new iteration, in true sci-fi style, managing his malevolent metamorphoses courtesy of a radioactive meteor. As you do. Unlike the first Clayface, this one stuck around for a decade and became a major player in Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery. This attractive copy of a character debut is in FN+, priced at £100, and a lovely unmarred cover scene with unbroken purple background colour, and superior cream interior pages. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: We cover the second half of Spider-Man’s first hundred issues this update, with thirty new listings in the sequence in a mixture of grades. Highlights include clashes with the Kingpin, Vulture, Doc Ock, Shocker, Silvermane, Lizard, Chameleon, the Beetle, the groovy Green Goblin, and the ever-kuddly Kangaroo; while on the heroic side of the equation, there are guest-appearances by Ka-Zar, Madam Medusa, the Black Widow, the Prowler, and Iceman… who all ended up fighting Spidey, too! That boy just didn’t seem to get along with anybody… Stan Lee continued to script for most of this run, with the illustration handled occasionally by Gil Kane, but primarily by John Romita, whose background in romance stories meant that he handled the action with as much gusto as Kane, but devoted perhaps a little more of his attention to the lovely ladies, Gwen and Mary Jane, who populated Peter’s life – and a generation of readers was grateful! Full details in our catalogue. Illustrated: #51 VF p £90, #64 VF+ £69.

*Marvel: Fu Manchu’s Number One Son (though he doesn’t like to talk about it) Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, was an offshoot of the 1970’s martial arts craze which far outstayed reasonable expectations, largely because of its foundation in the pulp novels of Sax Rohmer, and the sheer quality of its contributors – Doug Moench took a series which could have been an ephemeral cash-in (and no doubt was intended as such by the Marvel powers-that-be), and made it into a complex and multi-layered saga of deception, betrayal and conflicting loyalties, aided by such stellar artists as co-creator Jim Starlin, Paul Gulacy, Gene Day and Mike Zeck. Nowadays, Shang’s origins are tactfully alluded to rather than acknowledged, owing to a parting of the ways between the Rohmer estate and Marvel, but he remains an integral part of the Marvel Universe, and during the period of these issues, the fight with Fu Manchu was at its height. Shang-Chi debuted in issue #15 of a previously-reprint title, Special Marvel Edition, and ran in one more issue before, with #17, it was renamed in his honour. This selection runs from Special Marvel Edition #15, Shang-Chi’s first appearance, through to the 70th issue of his eponymous series (many of the earliest ones never UK-distributed), together with his first Annual and all four Giant-Size issues. The premiere issue, Special Marvel Edition #15, is FN+ at £50.

*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: Long ago in the days before the Direct Sales network of Comics Shops, there was one last valiant attempt in 1975 to conquer the mass-market newsstands which were, in 1975, the way most people still picked up their comics. Atlas Comics was launched on many glossy promises of royalties, creator ownership, return of original art, health insurance, merchandising percentages – all the things Marvel and DC had failed to provide for the new generation of writers and artists. Initially the imprint offered a tempting line-up of creators – Adams, Ploog, Ditko, Wood, Thorne, Heath, Sekowsky, and many more – on a diverse and intriguing set of characters, from the distant past to the far-flung future. However, three things scuppered the burgeoning line: they were a bit too diverse, with their characters too far apart in space and time to form a distinctive ‘universe’; the proposed benefits were rapidly reneged upon, causing many of the high-profile signings to jump ship very quickly; and DC and Marvel, it was alleged, conspired to put out multitudinous new series in an attempt to crowd Atlas off display, figuring that newsagents would give the limited space to a known ‘brand’ rather than an upstart. This last has never been proved, but it’s a fact that both companies suddenly lumped out a buttload of largely rubbish titles during this period – draw your own conclusions! Few of the Atlas titles reached the dizzying heights of #4, and most died after their first or second issues, but we have a high grade selection of this last great assault on the newsstands new in. Barbarians (featuring Ironjaw), Demon Hunter, Grim Ghost (Ernie Colon’s eerie and intelligent supernatural thriller), Ironjaw, Morlock 2001, Phoenix (no, not Jean Grey), Planet of Vampires, Police Action, Scorpion (Howard Chaykin’s loving tribute to the pulp heroes), Targitt, Tiger-Man, and Wulf the Barbarian.

*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: A selection of the 1970’s ‘prozine’, Amazing World of DC Comics, issues between #6 to #16, featuring interviews, behind-the-scenes features, and a plethora of illustrations including many unused production sketches, never-before published comic strips (including the entire ‘pilot’ issue of Secret Society of Super-Villains #1, entirely redone before publication) and spotlights on DC Horror, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Golden Age, and many more.