*DC: All of DC’s tabloid-size Limited/All-New Collectors’ Edition titles are scarce and highly sought-after, but this one – All-New Collectors’ Edition C55 – is the one most keenly sought, as it’s an all-new story marrying off two of the founding members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, with the rest of the Legion battling a reality-altering plot from one of their deadliest enemies! Known among Legion fandom as TFT – “That (Funloving) Tabloid” because of its rarity and its poor storytelling, it’s every bit as bad as it is rare.  Mike Grell was phoning in his pencils by this point anyway, and being heavily Colletta’ed *then* blown up to large size just amplified the faults – but it doesn’t matter if it’s terrible! Legion fans will have to buy it any way, no matter what! We did (I remember hunting it down for years as the last item to complete my Legion collection) – and now it’s your turn! Never reprinted, so you’ve just got to have it to fill that hole in your collection. The buyer’s remorse starts here!

*Marvel: “This Female Fights Back!” was the tagline of Ms. Marvel, Marvel Comics’ attempt to publish a solo heroine with a bit more longevity than 1972’s Claws of the Cat. Spinning out of Captain Marvel, former background character Carol Danvers got her own set of super-powers and a whole new supporting cast (including J. Jonah Jameson) as she attempted to discover the mystery behind her own origins. Although moderately successful, the series was attacked by critics who derided Carol’s derivative costume, which allegedly made her look like Captain Marvel’s sidekick, and the fact that Marvel were offering a ‘powerful, confident’ heroine who suffered from blackouts and amnesia. Despite these jibes, Ms. Marvel has been a prominent member of the Marvel Universe for nearly forty years in one guise or another – whether as Ms. Marvel, Binary, Warbird, or most recently the latest Captain Marvel, her chequered history has provided many intriguing plotlines. Soon to star in a major film, Ms. Marvel’s career starts here, with her first issue in an attractive VF- pence copy (£30), as well as four others from her first series.

*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: This update, a merry myriad of Timely/Atlas’ answer to Archie Comics, Patsy Walker. Created by Stan Lee and Ruth Atkinson for Miss America Magazine #2, the red-headed teen everygal proved so popular that by 1945 she had her own title, as well as more than a dozen spin-offs over her 21-year career. Her earlier issues, mainly illustrated by animator Pauline Loth, featured teen-comedy shticks of romantic misunderstandings, which lasted through the 1950’s under illustrators such as Dave Berg, Morris Weiss and Al Jaffee among others. By the 1960’s, Al Hartley had taken over as the main artist, and the title edged over from comedy into out & out romance, with declamatory and lachrymose covers.  This restock is of more than thirty issues, ranging from 1946’s #7 to 1965’s #124, Patsy’s final issue, including team-ups with Millie the Model and Linda Carter, Student Nurse! As a bonus, we have a lovely condition copy of the 1966 one-shot, Patsy Walker’s Fashion Parade, a Queen-Sized special with no comics stories, but simply page after page of pin-ups, hairdo suggestions, and “fashions from fans” that were obviously prepared well before Patsy’s cancellation. This ingenious way of using up inventory was Patsy’s farewell to the Marvel Universe for a few years – until she snuck in through the back door by becoming a supporting character for the Beast, parlaying that into her current gig as a fully-fledged super-heroine, the Hellcat!

*Marvel: Another graceful glide over the first decade of the Marvel Universe brings us re-stocks to many major titles: Captain Marvel (from #2 upwards), Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Journey Into Mystery (with the premiere appearances of three of the God of Thunder’s deadliest enemies – the Absorbing Man, the Enchantress, and the Executioner!), Marvel Collector’s Item Classics #1, Marvel Super-Heroes (starring Spider-Man, the Black Knight, and the magnificent Madam Medusa!), Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish, and the X-Men (including the first appearances of the jovial Juggernaut and the ever-smiling Sentinels!). A cornucopia of classics, together again for the first time – because YOU demanded it!

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: We were long overdue for a rooting tooting Western-themed Picture Library update, so here it is! Cowboy Adventure Library, a substantial chunk of Cowboy Picture Library, Pearson’s Film Picture Library (Warlock) and Western Picture Library (inc #1). Stars of the show however are nice-graded issues #1 & #2 of Fleetway’s coolly stylish Lone Rider Picture Library, covers of which are shown here.

*Girls’ Comics: Following extensive sales of the ever-popular and long-running Mandy, we’re very pleased to have some new issues in. A few dozen all told, from 1969, 1976, 1980, 1985 and (mostly) 1986.

*Marvel: Sourced from several diverse incoming collections, we’re delighted to present an extensive selection of Strange Tales between #103 & #166. A wide range of grades is represented, from low and thus very affordable up to many copies in VF (with the occasional VF+) of interest to the investment collector. Highlights include the classic Human Torch/Sub-Mariner battle in #107, the Acrobat disguised as Captain America in #114, the Cap “try-out” issue predating his revival in Avengers #4, the 1st Beetle in #123 (where the Ditko Dr. Strange story features Thor & Loki), the 1st Nick Fury Agent Of SHIELD in #135 by Lee & Kirby, plus lots of early SHIELD and many later issues with art by the incomparable Jim Steranko (many high grade issues here). And, of course, tons of Dr. Strange, initially by Steve Ditko, but with later art by such diverse hands as Marie Severin and Bill Everett, no pikers themselves. The best and most voluminous range of this title we’ve had in for some time. Highest graded/most valuable issues pictured below: #103 FN/VF £125, #106 VF p £120, #107 VF+ p £350, #108 FN+ p £70, #109 FN p £50, #114 FN+ £125, #121 VF p £50, #123 VF p £55, #125 VF p £62.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A top-up update of odds and ends to our most populated category for the following titles: Battle, Champ, Lion, Red Dagger, Rover, Scoop, Valiant, Victor, Warrior and Wizard (the 1970 relaunch from #2).

*DC: A short run of six consecutive issues of Green Lantern from #15-20, mostly in low grade and thus very affordable. This run features appearances by Flash and Sinestro, as well as the debut and origin of Star Sapphire in #16.

*Alan Class Reprints: Outer Space was one of Alan Class’s shorter-lived early titles, usually full of Charlton science-fiction reprints, including much Ditko. We have many nice grade copies new into stock in our regular Alan Class Reprints section.

*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: This week’s magazine update features just one item, but it’s a doozy! Marvel Preview #4, the debut and origin of Star-Lord, the star of the hit Guardians Of The Galaxy movie and an issue more in demand than ever before. Written by Steve Engelhart, one of the alumni of our shop signing sessions a few years back. A very presentable VG/FN copy, with minor spine wear and tiny tears at top and bottom spine keeping the price down to a very affordable £35. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Annuals: 2 annuals new in worthy of note: firstly a 1973 Beano, in VF/NM grade at £25, in outstanding condition, as good as new and the nicest we’ve ever seen of this vintage; secondly, our earliest Dandy annual from 1952 in a very presentable GD/VG at £40.

*Humour Comics: Immensely popular but less often seen, we have dozens of issues of Sparky new into stock this week, covering the years 1970-1975, during which time the otherwise ubiquitous Barney Bulldog was replaced on the cover by the likes of Elton John & Telly Savalas (as Kojak!) Who loves ya, baby?

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: ….. some of them are M&S books, and all of them are hardcovers. A fine selection of Science Fiction and Ghost anthologies, several of them highly collectable, including Invaders of Earth (Groff Conklin Ed. 1952 first edition with dust jacket), The Giant Anthology of Science Fiction and My Best Science Fiction Story (Margulies & Friend Eds.), and Great Ghost Stories of the World (Laing Ed. – complete with gruesome illustrations). Ghosts! (Jenkins Ed.) and A Century of Ghost Stories (No Author) plus two M&S Collections (65 Great Spine Chillers and 65 Great Tales of the Supernatural) complete this update.

*DC: Two Tarzan Treasuries in DC’s Limited Collectors’ Edition format, both with art by the incomparable Joe Kubert, C22 & C29. Kubert’s art looks sensational at this size and these gems, both FN+ at £8 each, are wonderfully bargainacious, telling the early stories of ERB’s Lord Of The Jungle. SORRY, THESE ARE NOW SOLD

*Undergrounds: New in stock: the entire 50-issue first series of Fantagraphic’s Love & Rockets, which from 1982 to 1996 shattered precedents for the alternative comics scene with its imagination and popularity. Although there have been many one-offs and shorter series under the L & R banner, the series is best loved for its two main narratives, “Locas” (“Crazy Women”) by Jaime Hernandez, and “Palomar” (an intergenerational drama about, though not always set in, a fictional Latin-American village). “Locas” stars Margarita Luisa Chascarillo and Esperanza Leticia Glass – better known as Maggie and Hopey – part Betty & Veronica, part Thelma & Louise, close friends and occasional lovers who inhabit a Californian township shared with a selection of other eccentric women, including ‘witch lady’ Izzy Reubens and the impausibly statuesque wannabe superhero Penny Century. “Palomar” revolves around Luba, the hammer-throwing, takes-no-shit sheriff of Palomar, and her extended family and friends. Both series manipulate the narrative to show the characters at multiple stages of their lives from toddlers to seniors, giving a sense of reality and groundedness to oftentimes mystical or implausible events. Both “Locas” and “Palomar” have been reprinted multiple times in a bewildering variety of formats, but this is the first series. The first printings. All of them, as well as the one-shot Love & Rockets Bonanza, in high grade – none less than fine, the vast majority VF, and many Near Mint. Not an opportunity you’ll see too often.

*Marvel: Restocking the perpetually popular Peter Parker, we have many new issues of Amazing Spider-Man new in between #217 to #294, including the debuts of some of Spidey’s latter-day friends and foes (the Rose, Black Fox, Puma and the scintillating Silver Sable), the saga of the Hobgoblin, the opening salvos in the acclaimed “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, and plenty of uber-villainy from the Vulture, Rhino, Dr. Octopus, Electro, and others in our hero’s extensive Rogue’s Gallery. This new wave of additions is of a remarkably uniform grade, averaging VF, and riding the new wave of popularity with the revived Spider-Man movie franchise.

*Marvel: Marvel’s ‘other’ Kung Fu phenomenon, Iron Fist, enjoyed an upswing in quality when taken over by the then-team supreme of the X-Men, Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Towards the end of Iron Fist’s first run, two issues occurred that still command fan-attention, and concomitantly raised prices, decades later. Issue #15 guest-starred the ‘classic’ Uncanny X-Men, in a highly commercial move which everyone expected, but the previous issue, #14, featured the first appearance of a villain called Sabre-Tooth, whose popularity exploded in subsequent years. Both these highly sought-after issues are new in, and in high grade (VF/NM) cents copies; #14 £160, #15 £50. We could say more – but why give you the hard sell? They’re not going to be in stock long! SORRY, THESE ARE NOW SOLD

*DC: Although the ‘first’ official Marvel/DC crossover had come out slightly earlier – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – that was just a litigation-saving compromise as both companies had been developing the same property simultaneously, by purest coincidence. But it started the respective head honchos thinking, and in 1976, comics readers were thrilled by the publication of Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, a giant-sized, 92-page, all-new adventure in which the two greatest heroes of their respective companies teamed up against their direst enemies, Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus! Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and Dick Giordano were the creators, and the precedent-shattering book led to sequels: Marvel Treasury Edition #28 paired Superman and Spider-Man again, this time versus the Parasite and Doctor Doom, by Shooter, Wolfman and John Buscema, and throwing guests Wonder Woman and Hulk into the mix. The follow-up was DC Special Series #27, which offered Batman Vs. the Incredible Hulk, by Wein and Garcia-Lopez, featuring the Joker and the Shaper of Worlds. There were several subsequent DC/Marvel collaborations, but none carrying the impact, both emotional and physical, of these treasury-sized tabloids, in which the artists’ work was displayed to best advantage. We have copies of all three, and two copies, in slightly differing grades, of the first Superman/Spider-Man meeting. Seldom seen and keenly hunted, these will not be with us long, so look sharp if you’re going to get them! For your comfort and convenience, you’ll find them listed in our DC section under ‘DC & Marvel Present’, for as long as they’re with us, that is!

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: “Weird Adventures on Other Worlds!” was the strapline on early issues of Fiction Houses’ Planet Comics, and by Cracky they delivered in the early issues, a thick 64-page format bursting with derring-do in distant galaxies! New in this update, #7, from 1940, with, yes, tape on the spine, centrefold and cover edge, but lovely clean interior pages featuring endless variations on the Flash Gordon tag – ‘Flint Baker’, ‘Buzz Crandall, ‘Spurt Hammond’ – yes, we know – as well as more imaginative fare such as the Red Comet, Fero Interplanetary Detective, and Auro Lord of Jupiter! Fiction House was originally a pulp magazine publisher, and their roots are still very present here, with mighty-thewed heroes, wilting damsels in distress, and dastardly aliens galore! #7 FA/GD £150.

*Marvel: Dr. Strange is the magician of the moment, and we’ve got ‘im! By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, we present for your delight many high grade (VF or better) copies of his first series from 1968, including three copies from the Uncle Stan Collection. These are comics sent by Stan Lee at the time of publication to his nephew in the UK and come with a photocopied letter of authenticity signed by Stan himself. We also have a nice FN+ copy of #1 of the second series. Keep your Shield of Seraphim polished and your Crimson Bands of Cyttorak (or however you spell it) tight around you as you venture forth into the marketplace to do battle for the Master Of The Mystic Arts…

*DC: A chunky update to one of our favourite titles here at 30th Century: Adventure Comics from the Silver Age. This significant update focuses on issues from #276 up to the Legion series debut in #300, taking in all of the tales Of The Bizarro World series. Although, like the #300 itself, there are quite a lot of low to mid-grade copies (which are thus very affordable), there are also some nicer copies, including for example a FN copy of #282, the debut of Star Boy at £79 (pictured). Legion appearances (and related, such as the first Dev-Em) abound and we edge into the Legion series proper with some of the earlier issues in the 300’s, before detouring beyond the Legion with a handful of the issues featuring Supergirl.

*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: This week’s magazine update features a complete run (barring #1) of #2-11 of Marvel’s Savage Tales from 1973-1975, the anthology classic starring at various times Conan and Ka-Zar and featuring the art of a galaxy of illustration stars, including Barry Smith, Frank Brunner, Gray Morrow, Al Williamson, Bernie Wrightson, Jim Steranko, Gil Kane and Neal Adams. With a line-up like that, the standard was high!

*Marvel: A trio of early Spider-Man appearances in mid-grades, making them very affordable. Issue #7 features the second appearance of the Vulture, whom some enterprising soul has bestowed with a Roy Orbison-cut on the cover in biro. That’s the only significant defect in this otherwise decent copy with unmarked interior pages, GD- p at £75. Issue #8, the “Tribute to Teen-Agers”, guest-stars the Human Torch and sports a beautiful unmarked yellow cover with only very faint and fine corner and edge wear, VG p £115. And rounding out the trio, issue #9 features the debut and origin of one of Spidey’s most persistent villains, Electro, in GD p at £75.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A dynamic double act of Victor Summer Specials from 1968 and 1969, mid-low grades but complete, with oversized adventures of ‘The Tough of the Track’, ‘Cecil the Stone-Age Scrapper’, ‘Morgyn the Mighty’, and all the usual soccer-playing, Hun-smashing gang.