*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for this books category, with an image for each book. This week we reach the works of Lionel Roberts, a not too-disguised pseudonym of R L Fanthorpe, who wrote much of the output of Badger Books, under a wide variety of aliases. Badger Books was an imprint of the publisher John Spencer in the 1950s and 60s and produced books in all popular genres, although we are concerned here with their SF (Science Fiction) and SN (Supernatural) series. Fanthorpe is a priest (now retired), entertainer, TV presenter, author and all-round eccentric. If you have a love of the schlocky and pulpy side of science fiction and horror, here’s your man. At the height of his productivity, Fanthorpe is said to have written a book every 12 days. This update includes four sf and horror written under the name of Lionel Roberts. Badger Books have grown over the decades to have something of a cult following. Some are rare, and, with only one printing of each (as far as we know) it’s difficult to complete a set(t) of them, but you collectors out there like a challenge, eh? More details as always in our catalogue. 
PICTURED: ALL BY LIONEL ROBERTS ALL SOLD
CYCLOPS IN THE SKY Badger 1960 1st UK PB GD £10
THE LAST VALKYRIE Badger 1960s 1st UK PB GD £15
THE SYNTHETIC ONES Badger 1961 1st UK PB GD £10
TIME-ECHO Badger 1959 1st UK PB GD £8

20 issues of Commando War Stories In Pictures, the premier war-themed picture library still going to this day. These date from 1977 to 1991 and are mostly in tip-top shape FN to VF. 
Issue numbers are: 1112, 1122, 1123, 1128, 1181, 1321, 1433, 1565, 1766, 1901, 1928, 1949, 1982, 2029, 2064, 2093, 2133, 2171, 2269, 2496
All 20 for £15
Post Free to GB addresses

*DC: In the Sixties, it was a common practise of  the UK distributors Thorpe & Porter to return the covers of unsold copies for credit, then re-purpose the ‘destroyed’ coverless copies, four to an issue, under a new cover – usually an ineptly-recoloured stat of a US original. Thus the contents of any given issue are random, so we list the issues contained within each copy in our stock. As you can see from the two copies we have of Action Comics Double Double #4, contents will vary even within issues with the same covers and numbers. Often, other publishers such as Marvel & ACG are also represented. 
PICTURED: DOUBLE DOUBLE COMICS
Action DD 4 GD/VG £17.50 SOLD Action 363, Avengers 53, Brave & Bold 74 & Green Lantern 60
Action DD 4 VG £20 SOLD Action 364, Avengers 36, Brave & Bold 72 & Superboy 148
Strange Adventures DD 1 GD/VG £17.50 Tales Of The Unexpected 99, Strange Tales 164, Challengers Of The Unknown #50, Unknown Worlds 52
Superboy DD 2 FN+ £27.50 SOLD Superboy 148, Jimmy Olsen 108, Flash 163 & Green Lantern 57
Superman DD 2 VG/FN £22.50 SOLD JLA 45, 50, World’s Finest 158 & Hawkman 14
Superman DD 3 VG £20 SOLD Superman 188, 204, 205 (NB 1st 2 bound-in upside down) & Lois Lane 84

*Marvel: Smiling Stan tested the waters for a fully-fledged return of Captain America with this appearance in the Human Torch story in Strange Tales #114. Spoiler Alert: Of course, this wasn’t the real Cap; as revealed at the story’s conclusion, it was really the Torch’s old foe the Acrobat. But Stan made no bones about testing the water for Cap’s proper return, asking for letters to see if fans wanted the real Cap back. Of course, it was just a short while until Avengers #4, and the rest is history! Speaking of letters, the third ever Dr Strange story appeared as back-up here, in response to fans’ positive reaction to the character in #110 & #111, with the first appearance of Victoria Bentley.  So, a very significant issue. CGC 7.0 FN/VF, pence printed variant, universal blue label, case perfect, white to off-white pages. CGC Ref: 4307574007. 
PICTURED: STRANGE TALES #114 CGC 7.0 FN/VF p £250 

*Marvel: Five lower-graded issues of Thor from the peak of the Lee & Kirby splendour, with all the pomp and pageantry of Asgard and the Norse pantheon.
IN THIS UPDATE: THOR ALL SOLD
#138 GD p £6.75
#146 GD/VG p £9
#151 GD p £5.75
#155 GD/VG p £6.25
#159 VG p £8.75 

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Published by Pacific Comics, starting in 1982, Twisted Tales was a horror anthology written by Bruce Jones, with a bevy of distinguished artists including Richard Corben and John Bolton. Explicitly gruesome, these would have been very pre-code had they been published in the 1950s. Almost all the first run in this update.
IN THIS UPDATE: TWISTED TALES ALL SOLD
#1 VF £10 (PICTURED)
#2 VF £8
#3 FN/VF £7
#4 FN+ £6
#5 VF £8
#6 VF £8
#7 VG/FN £5

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Soloway was a publisher of, among many things, US-sized comics in the 1940s. Printed in black, white and red with 16 pages per issue. Three anthology titles available in one lot this week: All Star and Comic Capers run to 16 pages each; Red Star is 8 pages and shows the publisher as A Halle, but since it has the same address and printer as Soloway, and shares the same characters, we reckon it’s classifiable as a Soloway. All adventures series such as Dandy McQueen of the Royal Mounted, Igor, Halcon, Lord of the Crater-Land, Cedric the Bowman, the Avenger and others. We are offering all three issues from this esoteric and distinctive publisher for one price, all in pretty nice VG/FN condition. 
PICTURED:
ALL STAR V4 #4
COMIC CAPER V5 #4
RED STAR (NN)
All for £25 SOLD

*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: This week, we return to the famous and long-running Sexton Blake Library. Often dubbed ‘the poor man’s Sherlock Holmes’, there’s still no doubting the popularity of Sexton Blake, who has probably had far more fiction written of him than the world’s greatest detective. Six consecutive issues newly listed, from Fleetway from 1962/63, by which time they’d taken over publication. These are picture library sized, but mainly text. The series ran from 1915 to 1968. These issues follow the 1956 revamp by W Howard Baker when the covers took on a more gangster/sleazy mode. Written by a crew of notable writers, the longevity of the series is testament to the quality of the plotting and writing.
PICTURED: SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY: ALL SOLD
#511: THE BIG SMEAR: W HOWARD BAKER VG £6
#512: SAVAGE VENTURE: W A BALLINGER VG £6
#513: THE MAN WHO KILLED ME!: ARTHUR MACLEAN VG £6
#514: A CORPSE FOR CHRISTMAS: W A BALLINGER VG £6
#515: ANGER AT WORLD’S END: DESMOND REID GD/VG £5
#516: DEATH IN SMALL DOSES: MARTIN THOMAS VG £6

*DC: Another iconic Joker cover from the Midas Collection this week, by Dick Sprang, illustrating the lead story where the Joker organises a syndicate of Jokers so that there can be a Joker in each of the 48 states. In the second story, to fulfil a promise to a dying police officer, Bruce becomes a policeman. Then, Batman and Robin face a new villain, The Gong, who commits crimes based on bells. Stories by Bill Finger and unknown, art by Sprang (on Joker story), Bob Kane and Charles Paris. This is a low grade copy, with good central cover scene and bright colours. Front and back covers are detached from staples (but still attached to each other). The spine is quite worn, with two holes at the staple areas, chips out at top and bottom spine and bottom edge, Ragged top edge and colour-breaking creases, including a long diagonal one across the cover. There is another chip out right edge, plus a tear of 4 cm without loss. Staples hold the pages together and are strong throughout, including the centre. Pages are a decent off-white, with a couple of corners torn off within the margins. 
PICTURED: BATMAN #55 FA+ £280 

*DC: One of the stories which redefined the concepts of comics narrative and super-heroic iconography in the 1980s, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen has been constantly in print since its 1986 debut, with myriad editions, collections and archives, but these are the original comics which set comics fandom and the industry alight. At first intended to be a ‘grim and gritty’ reinvention of the Charlton Comics heroes, who had only recently then come into DC’s possession, Dick Giordano convinced Moore to come up with original characters instead. Often imitated – frequently to the detriment of the medium – but never equalled, the 12-issue series is on sale in its entirety as a complete set, all very high grade with an average of VF/NM. 
IN THIS UPDATE: WATCHMEN #1-12 COMPLETE SET Av VF/NM £120; #1 PICTURED. SOLD

*Marvel: Well, I don’t think anyone saw this coming back in 1973! In Amazing Spider-Man #121, Gwen Stacey died at the hands of the Green Goblin, and that villain perished himself in the very next issue. These landmark stories still resonate to this day, and although perhaps somewhat diluted by the return of both characters (hey kids, this IS comics!), the impact at the time was momentous and both issues still attract much collector interest. Here we offer a CBCS copy of Amazing Spider-Man #122 in 8.5 (VF+) Unrestored, case perfect, white pages. CBCS ref: 16-1B0D51D-005. You should note that there are a couple of small purple ink smudges on the left of the logo. 
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #122 CBCS 8.5 (VF+) £335

*Marvel: If you want to read about Klagg, the Creature in the Black Bog and Monstrollo, you’ve come to the right place, as these are featured in these three pre-hero issues of Tales Of Suspense, from the Kirby/Ditko Big Panty Monster era. 
IN THIS UPDATE: TALES OF SUSPENSE
#21 GD p £34 SOLD Pence printed. Klagg. Kirby and Ditko. Spine wear, cover creasing and corner blunting. Small biro price above logo; small bookshop stamp. 
#23 PR/FA p £13.25 Pence printed. The Creature in the Black Bog. Kirby, Ditko, Reinman. Ugly tape along spine. Cover very worn and creased with chip out bottom centre and biro name below logo. Loose centrefold. 
#25 GD/VG £65 (PICTURED) Monstrollo. Kirby, Ditko, Reinman. Okay copy with handling wear and small water stain at spine. Staples and pages both good.  

*Horror 1940-1959: A trio of Pre-Code chillers from the Bute Collection this week, in fact the final three Pre-Code issues before the code came in with issue #37 of Atlas’s Mystic. An intriguing mix of ‘Mystic Tales’. 
PICTURED: MYSTIC
#34 GD/VG £60 Pre-code. Cover by Russ Heath. Art by Tony DiPreta, Tony Mortellaro, Sid Check, Chuck Winter, Tom Cooke. Decent copy with nice colours, some gloss, very short nicks at upper and lower spine, spine and handling wear, stamped arrival date on ‘M’ of logo, firm staples off-white to cream pages.  
#35 FN/VF £150 SOLD Pre-code. Cover by Sol Brodsky. Art by Dick Ayers, Robert Q Sale, Al Hartley, John Forte, Pete Tumlinson. A superior copy with great colours and gloss, some handling wear including stress marks at spine. Great near white pages, tight staples. Presents very well. 
#36 FN £100 Pre-code. Cover by Carl Burgos. Art by Howie Post, Jay Scott Pike, Art Preddy, John Tartaglione, Bob Brown. Nice black background cover good colours and some gloss. Some stress marks at spine and handling wear, particularly along right edge. Supple off-white pages and nice staples.   

*Alan Class Reprints: From the Alan Class Personal Archive, we’re delighted to present ten issues of Uncanny Tales between #36 and #135. The first seven are pre-decimal issues. All in nice, above average grade, never read or circulated, and each with a certificate signed by Alan Class.
IN THIS UPDATE: UNCANNY TALES
#36 FN+ £7 (PICTURED) SOLD
#55 FN £7.50 (PICTURED) SOLD
#56 FN+ £7.25 SOLD
#67 FN/VF £7.25
#72 FN+ £7
#73 FN £7
#80 FN/VF £7.50
#81 FN/VF £4
#111 FN/VF £4
#135 VF £4.50

*DC: Our star item this week is from the Midas Collection, Batman #10 from 1942. With an iconic cover by Fred Ray and Jerry Robinson, this seminal issue features a Catwoman story by Jack Schiff with art by Ray & Robinson. Catwoman is in the cat-head mask before she adopts her more familiar green and purple livery (see below). There’s also a story where Batman and Robin crash-land on an island inhabited by prehistoric men and creatures by Joseph Greene, Bob Kane and Robinson. Also, Batman rescues a young runaway, by the same creative team, and an adventure in a Western ghost town by Bill Finger, Kand and Robinson. This is a quite sunning copy, clean, unmarked, with minimal wear and a bright, glossy cover. Just slight stress marks at the spine, tiny bits of edge wear and two creases which do not break colour bring the grade down. These two creases are virtually unnoticeable on the front cover, but can be seen on the inside front cover; they appear to have flattened out. Slight foxing or tanning to inside covers, but the pages are lovely, supple and very near white. Staples are tight and excellent at the spine and centrefold (where there is some foxing in the margins). All in all, a beautifully presenting copy, far superior to the condition that contemporary issues usually turn up in. High resolution images are available on request. 
PICTURED: BATMAN #10 FN £2,500 

*DC: House Of Mystery was DC’s premier horror title, starting in 1951. Science fiction and monsters aplenty as well. Six issues in this update from 1960-61, all originally priced at 10 cents.  
IN THIS UPDATE: HOUSE OF MYSTERY ALL SOLD
#102 GD p £6.50
#103 FA+ £5.75
#104 FA/GD £7
#105 VG £17.75 (PICTURED)
#106 GD+ p £10.25
#108 GD/VG £13.50

*Marvel: Always a joy when an early issue of Amazing Spider-Man comes fresh into stock, especially when it’s such a nice copy as this one. Issue #11 features the second-ever appearance of Doctor Octopus, who vies with the Green Goblin for the position of Spidey’s #1 foe. A Stan Lee/Steve Ditko classic. A beautiful clean copy with vibrant and glossy colour cover (no markings), pence printed, tight, firm staples and lovely, supple near-white pages. Very minor handling wear at edges with some small stress marks breaking colour at spine. There are a couple of faint white vertical creases just a few mm length at Dock Ock’s face and arm, and one of about 2 cm below the title blurb box, but these barely detract from the dynamic cover. High resolution images are available on request. 
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #11 FN p £535

*Marvel: The first ongoing series of Moon Knight from 1980 was a fine, clever and intelligent comic by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz.  The multiple secret identity super-hero often considered an ersatz Batman has been around now since 1975. With Adamsesque art and some stunning covers, this has very much become a fan favourite series. 27 of the first 29 issues in this series newly added from #1 onwards.
IN THIS UPDATE: MOON KNIGHT MOSTLY SOLD, JUST A FEW LEFT
#1 VF+ p £50 (PICTURED) A high grade pence printed issue, glossy with rich colour, great pages and staples and a perfect spine. Just a suggestion of handling wear at top edge. Pictured below.
#2 VF £13
#3 VF/NM £23 1st Midnight Man
#4 FN £7.50 with Werewolf By Night
#5 VF/NM £5
#6 NM- £6.75
#7 FN- £2.50
#8 NM- £6.75
#9 VF/NM £5
#10 VF+ £4.75
#11 FN £2.75
#12 VF £4.25
#13 VF+ £4.75
#15 VF £4.25
#16 VF £4.25 with the Thing
#17 VF+ £4.50
#18 NM £6
#19 VF+ £4.50
#20 NM- £5
#21 NM- £5
#22 FN/VF £3.75
#23 VF/NM £13
#24 NM- £16.25 (PICTURED)
#26 VF/NM £13
#27 FN- £4.75
#28 VF £9
#29 FN+ £12 (PICTURED) with Werewolf By Night

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Dead Of Night was a Marvel series (1973-1975) in their Bronze Age horror revival, reprinting horror stories from the 1950s. The final issue (#11) debuts this iteration of the Scarecrow. We’re offering here the complete set of 11 issues in nice grades, with an average of FN. 
IN THIS UPDATE: DEAD OF NIGHT Complete Series #1-11 Av FN £125
PICTURED: #1 VG/FN, #11 FN SOLD

*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: A mixture of four very different books here this week. In Frederik Pohl’s The Age Of The Pussyfoot (with striking Bruce Pennington cover), the protagonist is revived five hundred years after death to a very different world. Tim Powers’s famous The Drawing Of The Dark is a clever and intelligent tour de force of sword and sorcery. Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon: Space Circus is an interplanetary adventure of the famed spaceman. I – Alien is an illustrated novel of a spaceman stranded on Earth. 
PICTURED: 
FREDERIK POHL: THE AGE OF THE PUSSYFOOT Corgi 1971 1st UK PB GD £5
TIM POWERS: THE DRAWING OF THE DARK Del Rey 1985 2nd US PB VG/FN £6 SOLD
ALEX RAYMOND: FLASH GORDON: THE SPACE CIRCUS Avon 1974 1st US PB VG £6 SOLD
J MICHAEL REAVES: I — ALIEN Ace/Tempo 1978 1st US PB VG/FN £5

39 issues of Sparky, from 1971-1974 in mixed grades, but all reasonable with no duplicates
1971 17 issues
1972 10 issues
1973 8 issues
1974 4 issues
All 39 for £25
Shipping to GB addresses only (post free)

Joyously evocative of childhood, 5 Annuals of the Little Bear from 1937 to 1969.
1937 NM Facsimile (PICTURED)
1946 VG/FN (PICTURED)
1950 VG/FN (PICTURED)
1959 GD/VG
1969 VG/FN
All 5 for £45 SOLD
Shipping to GB addresses only (post free)

*DC: We’re featuring a Supergirl mini-event this week, and what better place to start than Kara Zor-El’s very first appearance? In the May 1959 issue of their flagship title, Action Comics #252, DC introduced another survivor from Krypton, Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, who called herself Supergirl. She would go on to become a prominent member of the DCU, until killed off in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. Since then, she has appeared in a number of iterations too numerous to go into here. Suffice it to say that Kara remains a firm fan favourite character and one of DC’s mainstays. This is the first copy of her origin story we have had in stock for a very long time. This is the beginning of Supergirl’s regular strip in Action Comics, and there’s also a Congorilla story and a Superman story featuring the first appearance of Metallo; what a landmark issue! It’s a lower to mid-grade copy, pre-distribution so cents of course. The cover image is bright and colourful and the comic presents reasonably well, with firm staples and decent cream coloured pages. Although the central cover image is unmarked, there are signs of reading wear at central right edge in the form of (probably) finger marks leading to smudgy creases which break colour over the tail fins of Supergirl’s rocket (see scan). The other significant flaw is a lower spine split of about 4 cm which extends throughout the pages to lesser degrees. Nevertheless, a good-looking copy of a major key issue which would be beyond a lot of collectors’ budgets if in much higher grade. High resolution images are available on request. 
PICTURED: ACTION COMICS #252 GD/VG £1,350

*DC: We conclude our Supergirl mini-event by getting far more up to date than the paths we normally tread with the Supergirl: World Of Tomorrow 8 issue mini series from 2021. Written by fan favourite writer Tom King, with distinctive art from Bilquis Evely, this full series, the basis of the 2026 Supergirl movie, is presented here in sparkling NM condition. 
IN THIS UPDATE: SUPERGIRL: WORLD OF TOMORROW: COMPLETE SERIES  #1-8 NM £120 (#1 PICTURED)

*DC: Four consecutive issues of Batman from 1952/53 from the Midas Collection this week, #74-77, with the Dynamic Duo leaping, jumping, swinging and bursting into action on all four covers. 
PICTURED: BATMAN
#74 GD+ £120 Lead story The Crazy Crime Clown, where the Joker commits seemingly crazy crimes and is sentenced to an insane asylum for access to a fortune. Batman goes undercover as an asylum patient. Other stories involve a movie murder plot and the villainous Mr Hydro. Stories by Al Schwartz & Bill Finger. Cover by Win Mortimer. Art by Dick Sprang, Bob Kane and Lew Sayre Schwartz. A lower graded copy with colour breaking cover creases, a couple of chips out of cover and a central spine split. Lower staple off cover. Decent off-white pages. 
#75 FA+ £75 SOLD Silver Age fans will remember this cover image from its vivid depiction on Batman Annual #3 from 1962. Cover by Win Mortimer and Lew Sayre Schwartz. In the cover story, an executed gang boss has his brain transplanted into the body of a giant gorilla. Plus an encounter with the villainous Mr Roulette and an adventure in an outlaw western town. Stories by David Vern and John Broome. Art by Dick Sprang, Bob Kane and Lew Sayre Schwartz. Good cover image, but extra staples . Cover off lower staple and loose at top. Edge wear with small chip off bottom right cover and lower staple area. Decent off-white pages. 
#76 VG+ £230 SOLD In the lead story, Batman joins the Danger Club to track down the killer within. Also features the Joker in flashback. Plus, the Penguin has a new ruse with mythical giant birds and Batman trades places with a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. Cover by Dick Sprang. Stories by Edmond Hamilton and Bill Finger, art by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Jim Mooney. Fabulous rich colours on this cover, with a glorious deep purple sky. Solid spine with minor stress marks, minor handling wear, a couple of small colour-breaking creases at right upper edge and a small tear (no loss), right lower. Excellent near white pages and firm staples. 
#77 FA+ £75 Things appear to go wrong when Batman and Robin use a machine to predict crimes; Commissioner Gordon recruits the Secret Star, five men who can stand in for Batman, and the Assistant Commissioner has the Dynamic Duo sorting mundane police matters while ongoing mysterious robberies plague the city. Cover by Win Mortimer. Stories by Edmond Hamilton, Al Schwartz and Bill Finger. Art by Bob Kane and Lew Sayre Schwartz. A tatty copy just hanging on at the staples. Wear and tear along the spine (particularly the staple area, and along the ragged right edge. Small corner off bottom right cover. Several colour-breaking creases and heavy corner blunting.