*Romance: “Tales of Love that Could be Yours!” promised Marvel’s My Love #1, which we welcome back into stock this update, together with a couple of its companion title, Our Love Story. As we’ve mentioned many times in the past, these two late-60’s titles feature little-seen work by some of the biggest names in Marvel art – Buscema, Romita, Colan, Everett – and are always popular purchases. Backing up the Marvel titles are a scattering of minor publishers from the 1950’s: All-True Romance (with a very stylish Morisi cover on #12), Sweethearts #39 (Danger! Warning! Sal Mineo photo cover!), and Premier’s True Love Confessions.
30CC
American Update: We’re just wild about Millie!
*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: More from Marvel’s longest-running heroine, Millie the Model! This latest segment of our Mammoth Millie update runs from #114 to #153, when Millie metamorphosed from a ‘funny gal’ to a soap-opera heroine, with romantic confusion being the focus of the title rather than the previous comedy. Stan Lee and Stan Goldberg presented Mil with a slightly dated Hollywood glamour, but by the mid-60’s, when Denny O’Neil and Gary Friedrich took over the scripts (something they don’t usually list on their cv’s!), a more Mod sensibility crept in. Millie’s biggest change was still to come – but that’s for a future update! In the meantime, join Millie, Chili, the groovy Gears and the rest of the gang for visits to Carnaby Street and the rest of Swingin’ London! A few Fairs and Goods dot this selection, but mostly it consists of very attractive Fine condition copies, with some achieving higher grades.
American/British Update: early UK Mad
*Mad & Other Parody: A plethora of new and early Mad Magazine British Editions from lucky number 13 up to the early 100’s (with a handful of later stragglers). The UK series of Mad debuted in the mid 1950’s, and reprinted selections from the American edition, but usually in a different sequence than the US originals. All of the Mad mainstays – Wood, Rickard, Martin, Jaffee, Drucker – will be found here, plus, as time went on, many original UK-generated covers appeared, and occasional UK originated interior material. This selection of 50+ issues includes issue #100 with Free Gift, as well as a couple of other Special editions with Free Gifts, and the average condition is Fine.
American Update: EC’s Shock Suspenstories
*EC: While EC was mostly, and justly, famous for its horror titles, a personal favourite here at 30th Century Towers is Shock SuspenStories, the ‘sampler’ title which presented a ‘taster platter’ of crime, sci-fi, and horror, as well as occasional ‘issue’ stories which pushed the boundaries of the powers-that-be’s comfort zone by challenging then-popular positions as to race, poverty, and social injustice. We have an even half-dozen of Shock SuspenStories new in, #’s 13-18, in affordable mid-grades, averaging Good. #13 features Frank Frazetta’s only solo story at EC, the famous “Squeeze Play”, but the remainder of the series is no artistic wasteland, as Wood, Crandall, Kamen, Evans, and Ingalls, among others, are all present and at their creative peaks. Due credit must also be given to Marie Severin, EC’s colourist, who created the evocative palette in the relatively primitive four-colour process which makes these covers among the most striking of the EC line – and that’s saying a lot! #17 shown.
American Update: A brace of strange bedfellows in DC Treasuries
*DC: A contrasting duo from DC’s tabloid-sized Limited Collector’s Edition series of the 1970s: C-23, starring ghosts, ghouls and creatures in the House of Mystery; and, turning from the dark to the light, The Bible, all-new stories by Joe Kubert and Nestor Redondo. Any of the DC LCEd. series are scarce, particularly in the UK, but these two are among the most popular.
British Update: Eagle Classics
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A quartet of classics from the pages of Eagle: the Eagle Classics series from Hawk books re-presented some of the best-loved strips from the iconic boys’ weekly. Offered this update are the volumes starring Harris Tweed, PC49, Riders of the Range, and Fraser of Africa, the latter in full colour and illustrated by the legendary Frank Bellamy.
American Update: Early 1960’s Dells
*Dell: One of the more diverse and esoteric publishers, Dell ran from the 1930’s to the 1970’s producing thousands of comics, most of which, hard though it is to imagine these days, had nothing to do with the panties & capes superhero crowd. Many were media adaptations, of movie cartoons, films, tv shows, or occasionally even newspaper strips, but a lot of them were original, and frankly, somewhat bizarre. We have around 30 new Dell listings this update, with a wide range of titles; Brain Boy (Gil Kane art, and the first appearance of one of Dell’s few super-beings), the Detectives, Dr. Kildare, Dracula, 87th Precinct, King of Diamonds, Lion of Sparta, the Lost World, On Stage (if not Leonard Starr, then a very creditable imitation), Peter Gunn, Ripcord, Tom & Jerry, Troubleshooters, Tubby (from ‘Little Lulu’), and Walt Disney Presents.
American Update: Silver Age Green Lantern #1-14
*DC:
The first fourteen of Green Lantern’s own series, in grades ranging from frankly poor (but complete) to an attractive VG, with the debuts of some of Hal Jordan’s classic friends and foes, such as the origin of Sinestro, the first appearance of Hector Hammond, the premier of Pieface (oh dear; never mind, we don’t call him that any more), and lots more, including Tomar-Re, Sonar, the Weaponers of Qward, the Guardians of the Universe, the first Flash & Green Lantern team-up, and a plethora of space & time-spanning adventures, as John Broome and Gil Kane push their creative imaginations ever higher. The #1 is a FA+, with heavy tape at the spine and one taped cover tear, but sound and clean interiors. Ignore the naff Rhino Reynolds movie – this is what the Emerald Guardian should be all about!
American Update: Horror/Mystery 1960-1980’s from a variety of publishers
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980’s: Substantial restocks to all five major publishers in this category, with around 250 items newly listed! ACG replenished with its three long-running titles, Adventures into The Unknown, Unknown Worlds, and Forbidden Worlds, along with the short-run Midnight Mystery. ACG featured much fine art from the likes of Ogden Whitney and Kurt Schaffenberger, as well as what can only be called ‘cuddly’ horror; eerie sentimentality often with a strong romantic component. Included in this update are also their super-hero characters Nemesis and Magicman (the latter’s first appearance), and the indescribable Herbie Popnecker. Charlton hits with its old reliables Ghost Manor, Ghostly Haunts, Ghostly Tales, Haunted and Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves. Launching in the mid-late 1960’s, these gave talents such as Aparo, Ditko, Boyette, Sutton, and later Newton and Staton, free rein to produce vivid and imaginative work. One of their later titles, Monster Hunters, is also restocked. Gold Key steps forward with Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, Grimm’s Ghost Stories, Occult Files of Dr. Spektor, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and Mystery Comics Digest; these feature work by Celardo, Bolle, and Mortimer, among others, and have beautifully eerie painted covers. DC brings us Black Magic, Ghosts, Unexpected, Weird Mystery Tales and Witching Hour as ‘opening acts’ to its two pillars, House of Mystery and House of Secrets. Several high-grade issues of HoM and HoS are new in from the start of those series’ horror revival, with art by Wrightson, Wood, Orlando, Toth, Kane, Adams, and some of the most evocative covers produced. Finally, Marvel offers us Beware, Chamber of Darkness, Creatures on the Loose, Fear, Frankenstein, Journey Into Mystery, Man-Thing, Monsters on the Prowl, Tomb of Darkness, Vault of Evil, Werewolf By Night, and the first (and only) issue of Giant-Size Creatures, with the first appearance of Tigra the Were-Woman. Phew!
British Update: Jag & Tornado
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Small selections of sought-after short runs this update. We have a trio of Jag from 1968, the tabloid-sized paper which failed largely because newsagents found it to awkward to display! It made a rapid transition to standard size, but too late to save it from a merger with Tiger, with Jag’s most popular feature, “Football Family Robinson” by Joe Colquhon, enduring for years in its second home. These three are all from the early oversized era. Tornado whizzed past in 22 issues in 1979, bringing us, among others, “The Mind of Wolfie Smith”, “Blackhawk” and blundering superhero “Captain Klep” by Kevin O’Neill, as well as Dave Gibbons’ short-lived super-heroic career as fumetti star “The Big E”. No, really. Eight of the 22 back in stock, from #2 to the final issue, #22, after which Wolfie, Blackhawk (no, not that Blackhawk) and the Captain all passed over to 2000 AD, but Big E was summarily discarded.
British Update: Debbie 1974-1982 inc. ‘and Spellbound’ issues
*Girls’ Comics: Approximately 100 issues of Debbie new in to our stock this week, from 1974 to 1982, including many from the “Debbie & Spellbound” amalgam period, with extra spookiness injected into the usual tales of plucky schoolgirls and orphan equestriennes. Featuring “Maid of the Temple Dogs”, “Big Blue”, “Springheeled Jill”, “Lisa, Lonely Ballerina” and the photo-soap “Randall Road Girls” among scores more , join us for almost a decade’s worth of this popular DC Thomson weekly!
British Update: A splendid new range of Thriller Comics/Picture Library
*Boy’s Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Dozens of issues new in of the venerated Thriller Comics/Picture Library title, with beautifully illustrated tales of derring-do. This new range is between #48 & #410, and features the adventures of Hopalong Cassidy, Captain Blood, Captain Kidd, Claude Duval, Buffalo Bill, Billy The Kid, Dick Turpin, Dick Daring, Battler Britton, Spy 13, Robin Hood, Dogfight Dixon, John Steel, Jet Ace Logan and many others.
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 file in our American section:
*Romance
and from the following in our American/British section:
*Classics Illustrated
*Undergrounds
and from the following in our British section:
*Annuals
*Magazines/Books About Vintage UK Comics
and from the following in our Books section:
*Mad Books
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
American Update: What A Hulk!
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: In this week’s vintage magazine update, we’ve added a complete run of the Rampaging Hulk, morphing into the Hulk, from #1 to #27. The exceptional high grades range from FN to NM.
Books Update: Mad And Madder
*Mad Books: We’ve added a sextet of titles to the Mad Books section. These include the two shown and Inside Mad, Madvertising, The Endangered Mad and Three Ring Mad.
American Update: Captain Marvel #1 VF/NM
*Marvel: An extraordinary condition copy of Captain Marvel’s debut issue. Fresh from his try-outs in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 & #13, Marvel’s Kree-born warrior took off in fine style in his own series, under the auspices of Stan Lee and Gene Colan, and this beautiful cents copy, with no UK price or overstamp, is the most attractive copy we’ve seen in years. Deep, vivid cover colour, excellent gloss, and lovely interior page quality, with only the most minute stress mark at spine visible under close examination. We’ve graded it VF/NM, and offer it at £150. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD.
British Update: Infamously, UK Scream!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: This short-lived horror anthology, with stories and art by top British talent, (including Alan Moore in the first issue) showed great promise, but was sadly stifled by a combination of a barrage of parental complaints about the violence, and a printer’s strike which threatened to stop the presses for several weeks. After issue # 15, and without so much as even the traditional “Great News, Chums!”, Scream vanished, and two of its most popular strips, ‘Monster’ and ‘ The 13th Floor’ (about a homicidal computerised elevator dispensing harsh justice in a tower block – no, really) continued into the second iteration of Eagle. We have an almost complete run new in, lacking only the final issue, averaging Fine, as well as the 1985 Holiday Special in VG/FN.
American Update: Chilling Adventures In/Red Circle Sorcery
*Horror 1960-1980’s: We’re very pleased to welcome back into stock more issues of Sorcery, the short-lived horror series from Archie Comics under their Red Circle imprint. Taking over with #3 from a bizarre title narrated by Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the series fell under the artistic directorship of Gray Morrow, who provided all of the covers and much of the interior art, alongside such luminaries as Chaykin, Alcazar, McWilliams, and Thorne, for a quality series equalling if not surpassing DC’s mystery line of the time. Sadly, the series didn’t get good distribution, and was over with #11, but those few issues are outstanding, and one of the best-kept secrets in comics. Listed variously under Chilling Adventures in Sorcery and Red Circle Sorcery, we have half-a-dozen new copies to tempt and terrify!
British Update: New Alan Class certificated stock
*Alan Class Reprints: As the official representatives for the private collection of publisher Alan Class, we are pleased to offer in excess of 100 new items from Alan’s own publishing archive, high grade copies, each of which is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Alan Class himself, and is therefore a unique purchase! FN/VF is the average grade on these additions, and there are many NM copies which were never distributed or sold, and have been unread since printing. The classic ‘Big 6’ – Astounding Stories, Creepy Worlds, Secrets of the Unknown, Sinister Tales, Suspense, and Uncanny Tales – are all well-represented, as well as some of the more oddball, short-run series such as Blazing Trails, Just Dennis, Outer Space, and Tales of the Underworld.
American Update: The World’s Greatest Comics Magazine!
*Marvel: Back in 1961, impressed with the success of DC’s Justice League Of America, Marvel charged Stan Lee to come up with something to emulate it. He didn’t (that would happen a little later with Avengers); what Stan Lee did instead was to create a new super-hero team book with a very different feel, because they were a family. Okay, so the basic premise of the brainy leader, his strong but dim best friend, his girl-friend and her younger brother had been done before (particularly at DC — Rip Hunter, Sea Devils, anyone?), but never with such resounding success as with the Fantastic Four. This week, a major update to Marvel’s First Family! Commencing with #16, guest-starring the Astonishing Ant-Man, and featuring a number of issues with significant Silver Age crossovers: #25, with the definitive Hulk/Thing battle; #28, co-featuring the X-Men; #39 & #40, the classic ‘Battle of the Baxter Building’, co-starring Daredevil; and #55 and #75 with the Silver Surfer. But not content with those milestones, we have also the debuts of the Frightful Four, the delightful Dragon Man, and mysterious beldame Agatha Harkness, and a more than thirty other issues in which our gang of four (sometimes five!) clash with the great, good and grotty of the Marvel Universe, culminating with the 100th edition, a Lee & Kirby free-for-all starring the FF’s entire Rogue’s Gallery! Many of these new issues are in excellent grade, and are cents copies, without the British price stamp or overprint. Selected scans below: #16 VF- £310, #28 VF p £225, #39 FN+ £59, #40 FN+ £59, #55 FN+ p £50.
Books Update: I Didn’t Work For Five Years To Be Called Mr Fu Manchu!
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: Two paperback editions of Sax Rohmer’s classics join our existing Hardcover (The Return of Dr Fu-Manchu). The dastardly and sinister mastermind crosses swords once again with Nayland Smith, in Tibet (Emperor Fu Manchu) and in war-torn London, New York and Haiti (all in The Island Of Fu Manchu).
American Update: The Return Of Marvel Masterworks
*Modern Reprints: We’re delighted to re-introduce the Marvel Masterworks series to our stock, commencing with a range of the softcover editions from the Golden Age and the Atlas Era at £22.50 each. Thrill to the forerunners of the Marvel Universe as we know it, with these quality reprints from the 1940’s and 1950’s: All-Winners, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner and more.
American Update: Silver/Bronze Age Batman
*DC: A nice update to our stocks of the Caped Crusader, from the wacky ‘alien monster/Batman family’ years of the early 1960’s, through to the subsequent ‘new look’ of the second half of the 1960’s and beyond into the grimmer and grittier Bronze Age. All cents, nice clean copies in well above average grade. Four examples of what we mean from the earlier part of this Batman batch are shown below: #134 VG+ £64, #135 VG/FN £70, #137 FN+ £110, #143 FN £85.
American Update: A Mixed Bag of Mags!
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: A very mixed bag indeed this week in this very popular category, including Marvel’s Bizarre Adventures, a couple of Epics, the three Warriors of the Shadow Realm Marvel Super Specials and Unknown Worlds Of Science Fiction; a Psycho from Skywald, a Blazing Combat, an Eerie and a 1994 from Warren, a scarce Castle Of Frankenstein Monster Annual 1967 film mag from Gothic castle and finally two of the UK editions of Stark Terror from 1980.
British Update: Lion 1964-1972
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A chunky update to a classic title, with dozens of issues of Lion new in, filling many gaps in our existing stock between the years 1964 and 1972. Included in this batch are the Christmas issues for 1965 and 1967, plus the first Spider appearance in 26/6/65 (VG £20).
American Update: Gold Key titles
*Gold Key/Whitman: In the mid-1960’s Gold Key (later Whitman) virtually took over from Dell in publishing both titles derived from TV and Film, as well as their own line of super-heroes, even inheriting some titles from Dell. This update touches both bases, with the Invaders, Magnus Robot Fighter, the Man From UNCLE, MARS Patrol, Mighty Samson, the Owl, Lost In Space (Space Family Robinson) and Turok, Son Of Stone.
American Update: Quirky Corner: Complete run of Archie’s Shadow
*Archie: Definitely a title for our Quirky Corner is Jerry Siegel’s & Paul Reinman’s re-imagining of the pulp hero the Shadow for Archie Comics in 1964. Here, not only does the Shadow know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, he dons a super-hero costume and cape to set about putting everything to right. His rogues gallery, apart from the ubiquitous Shiwan Khan, includes Dr Demon, the Radiation Rogue, Attila the Hunter, the Brute, Elasto and the Diabolical Dimensionoid. Wackiness ensues for all eight issues, now in stock in nice grade.
British Update: Bunty 1989-1991
*Girls’ Comics: New in, nearly every issue of Bunty from May 1989 to September 1991, including the 1st New Look issue from 1989 and an April 1991 Free Gift issue with gift (Barbie Sticker Album). Nearly all in FN grade.
British Update: Captain Britain milestones
*Marvel UK: Several landmark issues in the career of Brian Braddock’s alter-ego, new in this week: the premier issue of his first series, excruciatingly rendered by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe; Marvel Super-Heroes #377, in which the Alan Davis-designed new version appears for the first time; and choice issues of The Daredevils and the second series of Mighty World of Marvel, in which Moore, Davis, and later Delano created the groundbreaking adventures for which the series is so fondly remembered.
British Update: A whole lot of Judy from 1960 till 1989
*Girls’ Comics: Approximately 50 of the long-running D.C. Thomson girl’s weekly new in; a select batch from the first year of publication, 1960; then a dash of the mid-70’s; and a long swathe of issues between 1983 to 1989, in the latter days of which Judy encompassed the defunct Tracy. In very affordable low-mid grades, the early issues are particularly bargainacious!
American Update: Flash Archives from Volume 1
*Modern Reprints: With the classic hero, the Flash, being very much in the public eye at the moment, we’re pleased to have in stock three out-of-print volumes of DC’s handsome Archive series. Flash Archives Volumes 1, 2, and 5 reprint the first adventures of Barry Allen, the Fastest Man Alive, by John Broome, Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella and Murphy Anderson, with Infantino’s haunting retro-futuristic design of Central City and of other worlds adding a strong kinetic influence on the stories, a vital ingredient in ‘selling’ the super-speed adventures. Yes, we’re biased witnesses, but they’re still great! All these volumes are Near Mint, having been read and stored carefully.
British Update: Humour Annuals in High Grade: Shiver & Shake, Topper, Whizzer & Chips, Whoopee
*Annuals: Twenty-Five new Annuals listed in our Humour subdivision, from four enduringly popular titles: Shiver & Shake (1979-1984), Topper (1977-1988); Whizzer & Chips (1975-1991), and Whoopee (1983-1986). This selection is in very nice condition, mostly with prices unclipped and no interior markings even on the “This Book Belongs To” page; they average VF, with only a handful falling to Fine. Join ‘Sweeny Toddler’, ‘Moana Lisa’, ‘Beryl the Peril’, and company for more laughs and frolics!
British Update: Super Detective Picture Library
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: It’s been far too long since we’ve added an update to Super Detective Library, one of the most popular titles in this category, but here we have a (mostly) nicely graded selection of about 20 issues new in between #48 and #188, featuring all the usual suspects: Blackshirt, Rip Kirby, Rick Random, Vic Terry, John Steel, Buck Ryan and others.
American Update: Spidey swings by yet again!
*Marvel: Another scintillating selection of your friendly neighbourhood wallcrawler fresh in this week. Issues of Amazing Spider-Man between #24 & #148, plus Giant-Size #5. Although mostly low to mid-grade copies, this range does feature the first appearances of the Rhino, The Shocker and the Prowler, as well as a lovely VF (p) copy of #97 (£40), with the non-code approved Green Goblin drugs story.
British Update: A Pot Pourri of Boys’ Comics
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A mixed selection of comics are added here, highlights of which are a Lion Christmas issue in FN (1968) and an Easter issue of Valiant in FN (1970). The selection also includes Eagle (1963-69), Hornet (1967/68), Hotspur (1968/69), Lion (1969/70), Rover (1964/65), Scorcher (1970-73), Swift (1961), Tiger (1962-69, plus one issue from 1975), Valiant (1963-67) and Victor (1969).
American Update: Silver Age Superman
*DC: More adventures of the Man of Steel, as we add in approximately fifty new Silver Age issues! Opening with #98, in VG- at £75, we then have a substantial run from #151 to #230, taking us through the Sixties and into the early Seventies. These are mostly mid-low grades, but feature the Swan/Klein and later Swan/Anderson art teams at their peak, with the cavalcade of oddness that we veteran comics fans love: Luthor, Brainiac, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, mermaids, aliens, bottle cities, the Legion of Super-Heroes (and Super-Pets!), ‘Imaginary Tales’, ‘Untold Stories’, the Future Superman, the first Nightwing & Flamebird, and the first all-out race between Superman and the Flash. Prime reading, with a quirky ingenuity and an eternally optimistic atmosphere that’s a blessed relief to all of us who’re tired of the grim & gritty.
American Update: Vampire Tales
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: Continuing our sojourn through Marvel’s black & white magazine line of the 1970’s, we come to Vampire Tales, with Morbius the Living Vampire as the lead series, backstopped by the seductive succubus Satana, and, later, Lilith, Daughter of Dracula and the Vampire Hunter – Blade. Only missing #2 from the complete 11-issue run, and averaging high grades, these include several non-distributed issues which are more scarce in the UK – not that any of them are commonplace!
British Update: Alan Class Reprints
*Alan Class Reprints: Topping up our boxes after our recent signing by Alan Class, we are pleased to have new stock on all of his ‘Big Six’ titles (Astounding Stories, Creepy Worlds, Secrets of the Unknown, Sinister Tales, Suspense and Uncanny Tales) , as well as the short-run series Journey Into Danger, Weird Planets, and the first issue of Out Of This World’s first series! Several of this selection are in remarkable preservation given their vintage, with many VF/NM and even the occasional coveted NM added. Re-presenting material from a number of sources, including the early years of the Marvel Universe, this selection alone features Captain Atom, Thor, Thunderbolt, NoMan, Nemesis, Son of Vulcan, the Avengers, the Mighty Crusaders and many others, with tons of Kirby & Ditko, and Big-Panty-Monsters a’plenty!
American Update: Master Of Kung Fu
*Marvel: Cue the incense! Strike up the wind chimes! Yes, it’s time for Master of Kung Fu, in which the Son Of Fu Manchu (except we’re not supposed to call him that since Marvel lost rights to the Sax Rohmer estate) epitomizes “The Rising And Advancing Of Spirit” – while kicking people’s brains out through the back of their heads! This is a substantial, not quite complete, run from Special Marvel Edition #15, Shang-Chi’s first appearance, through to Master of Kung Fu #50, with a variety of grades to suit the collector and the casual reader alike. Written by Steve Englehart and Doug Moench, illustrated by Jim Starlin in his earliest adventures, then mostly by Paul Gulacy, MoKF has a more cerebral and artistic appeal than most martial-arts mags – though there’s also plenty of violence, for those who like it!
American Update: New stock of Marvel Treasury Editions
*Marvel: More from our Trove of Treasuries released this week, with Marvel Treasury Editions from #1 (Spider-Man) through #4 (Conan, with the Barry Smith art even more spectacular at the larger size) to #12 (Howard the Duck, with a brand-new Gerber & Colan lead story). Plus, MGM’s Marvelous Wizard of Oz, adapting the classic 1930’s film (the first ever DC/Marvel co-publication), and Special Marvel Edition, with the two-part adaptation of the first Star Wars movie.
Books Update: The Golden Amazon
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: A suite of Golden Amazon classics are added to our shelves today. These John Russell Fearn adventures are nearly all in NM grade, and, unusually for paperbacks, the Gryphon copies have dustjackets. All the copies feature sumptuous Ron Turner cover art.
British Update: High Grade issues of Girl 1958-1961
*Girls’ Comics: The ‘sister’ publication to Eagle is restocked this week from 1958-1961; we feature dozens of issues of Girl in high grade, mostly FN with the occasional VG and just one GD. Starting with the Christmas issue from 1958, we have a fair representation of the following 3 years of this evocative and memorable favourite.
British Update: Commando Picture Library: most of first 200 issues from #1
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: In our 20 years + of trading, we’ve never had through our hands such a wealth of early Commando Picture Libraries as graces our catalogue today. This most famous of all UK Picture Libraries is eagerly sought after and early issues seldom seem to turn up in quantity, if at all. Most of the first 200 issues are now in stock, including #1, #2, #4, #10, #12, #17 & #20. There are also multiple copies of many issues (up to 3 in some cases) in a choice of grades and prices.
The #1 is, sadly, incomplete, with the final 8 pages missing (but otherwise in GD/VG condition); we have included a copy of #4453 with it, which reprints the story in full; the #1 is priced at £100, but would be many times that if complete. #2 is PR/FA at £100 with a taped spine but complete; #4 is a sparkling FN grade at £200; #10 is even nicer FN/VF £200; #12 is a very nice FN+ £125; #17 VG/FN £60, #20 FN/VF £80. the rest of the run grades very differently, with some poors and fairs, but many more VGs, FNs, and a great number of VF copies. Not too many chances to get your hands on a nice batch of Commando PLs, and we expect interest to be very keen indeed.
Housekeeping
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:
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s
and from the following in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries
*Girls’ Picture Libraries
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
Back In Stock: Silver/Gold Full Back Boards
We’ve been out of stock of these archival quality backing boards for several months and have been swamped with requests for them, so we just wanted to let everyone know that we now have a plentiful supply available at £17.50 per pack of 50.
New in our Extras section: Allan Harvey
We’ve added a page on Allan Harvey, writer, artist and friend to our Extras section. You can read about him here.
British Update: Sally – ‘Comic for the Adventurous Girl!’
*Girls’ Comics: New stock in from 1969 and 1970 of IPC/Fleetway’s shortlived “comic for the adventurous girl”, which featured not only the usual plucky orphans and wandering waifs (“Four On The Road” and “Daddy Come Home”) and fish-out-of-water stories (“Farm Boss Fanny”), but also two bona fide super-heroines (“Cat Girl” and “The Justice of Justine”), science-fiction stories (“The Girl From Tomorrow”, “Tiny Tania In Space”) and one stonking great heap of bonkers (“The Legion of Super-Slaves”, in which a master villain kidnaps and brainwashes nubile teenage girl athletes & gymnasts into being his spandex-clad army of conquest. As you would. If your objective wasn’t actually conquest. Ahem.) This run commences with the second issue, and features a copy of #3 with the original free gift of a “Lucky Birthday Wheel”. Being a short achieveable run of only 94 issues and with the heavy adventure bias, Sally is always sought after, and we expect the copies we have to be briskly contested – get your skates on!
American Update: 11 Bronze Age Marvel #1’s
*Marvel: With interest increasing all the time in the Bronze Age Of Comics, we offer no fewer than eleven premier issues from the House of Ideas: Astonishing Tales, co-starring Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom; Black Goliath; Captain Marvel; Devil Dinosaur and the Eternals, by Jack Kirby; cult-favourite Howard the Duck; Ka-Zar’s solo title from 1974; short-lived TV star, The Man From Atlantis; Micronauts, illustrated by Mike Golden; the New Mutants; and Rom, Spaceknight! Just short of a dozen dazzling debuts from the outskirts of the Marvel Universe, usually in high grade.
Books Update: A Few Corkers!
*Childrens’ Books: Two Enid Blyton hardcovers and several of Frank Richards’ Billy Bunters join our wonderful Childrens’ section today. The Famous Five Fall Into Adventure and Shadow the Sheepdog is put through his paces. Bunter gets up to his usual hilarious tricks, permanently waiting for the elusive postal order that never comes.
American Update: Tomb of Dracula & Werewolf By Night #1 issues
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980’s: 2 High Grade copies of classic 1970’s Marvel Horror #1’s: Tomb Of Dracula FN/VF £50 and Werewolf By Night VF+ £80. Both copies are characterised by rich red cover colour backgrounds and are unmarked, highly desirable issues, with the Dracula just showing a few stress marks along the spine.