*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Six issues of various Charlton horror/mystery series from the 1960s and 1970s. Lots of Ditko in these.
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
GHOSTLY TALES #67 GD- £3.75 Ditko cover and art
HAUNTED #16 FN+ p £8 Ditko cover and art
HAUNTED #19 FN+ p £5
BARON WEIRWULF’S HAUNTED LIBRARY (continuation of Haunted) #22 FN £5
HAUNTED LOVE #4 VG/FN p £5.75 Ditko art
MANY GHOSTS OF DR GRAVES #46 FN p £4
30CC
British Comics Update: Alan Class File Copies inc. Tales Of The Underworld #1
*Alan Class Reprints: From the personal archives of Alan Class, we’re delighted to present another selection of copies certificated by Alan himself. Five copies of various pre-decimal titles, including Tales Of The Underworld #1, a rarer crime title that lasted 10 issues. The file copies were used by Alan Class for reference and are sometimes in variable condition, but usually quite good. A reminder that you can view some detail of the contents in our Rough Guide to Alan Class Reprints.
IN THIS UPDATE:
OUT OF THIS WORLD (1ST SERIES) #4 VG+ £12.50
OUT OF THIS WORLD (1ST SERIES) #23 FA £4
OUTER SPACE #4 GD/VG £10.50
TALES OF THE UNDERWORLD #1 (PICTURED) GD £19.75 Small section at bottom cover covered by white stuck patch from another publication; see scan.
WEIRD PLANETS #3 VG- £13.50
British Comics Update: When You’re A Jet…
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: …well, it’s not long before you become a Buster, as it happens; but Jet, the 1971 adventure weekly launch from IPC/Fleetway, started strongly, with a line-up of well-crafted series along the well-trod path of war, sci-fi and sport, along with Ken Reid’s superb Faceache. For some reason, however, the series just didn’t ‘take’, despite other stellar contributors such as Solano Lopez and Eric Bradbury, and after a short run of 22 issues, it was inexplicably merged with the humour weekly, Buster, rather than another adventure series. The Sludgemouth Sloggers, Von Hoffman’s Invasion, Faceache, and The Kids From Stalag 41 made the leap. For a long time Jet languished forgotten. Recent interest in short-run titles has increased, however, and here we have an opportunity for you to sample Jet with 12 of the 22 issues new in. See our catalogue for full details. We can’t resist the giant frog cover!
PICTURED: JET 12/6/71 VG £4
Books Update: Re-Working Our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category: Spotted: Philip K Dick Part 3
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror category for Philip K Dick, one of our best-selling authors; many would consider him the finest exponent of science-fiction of the late 20th century. I guess his themes of religion, drugs, counter culture and destructive relationships hold wide appeal. We are blessed with an excellent stock of his works, the enhanced re-listing of which will be spread over several updates. This third part, like its predecessor, features a choice of edition for many novels, plus the classic Martian Time-Slip, where Dick explores the material and mental problems of the struggle for survival on the red planet. We’ll be spotting more Dick soon…
PICTURED: ALL BY PHILIP K DICK
MARTIAN TIME-SLIP NEL 1977 1st UK PB VG/FN £10
A MAZE OF DEATH Pan 1973 1st UK PB VG £10
A MAZE OF DEATH Pan 1977 2nd UK PB VF £15
NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR Panther 1975 1st UK PB VG £8
OUR FRIENDS FROM FROLIX 8 Ace 1970 1st US PB VG £7
OUR FRIENDS FROM FROLIX 8 Panther 1984 UK PB VG £6
THE PENULTIMATE TRUTH Penguin 1970 1st UK PB GD/VG £10
THE PENULTIMATE TRUTH Triad Granada 1984 UK PB FN £8
Books Update: 3 green hardcovers by Peter Cheyney
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We return to the thrillers of English author Peter Cheyney, who flourished between 1936 and 1951. Three hardcovers are just in, each with a distinctive green background cover. Two of these are in Cheyney’s Lemmy Caution series, ersatz American detective mysteries, with wonderful cover art by John Pisani and these editions are rare, particularly with their dust jackets. The third is a non-series novel, Try Anything Twice, set in England and featuring Nicholas Gale, private investigator. Full details as always in our catalogue.
PICTURED: ALL BY PETER CHEYNEY ALL SOLD
DAMES DON’T CARE Collins 1951 8th UK HC VG/FN £25 With DJ (GD)
POISON IVY Collins 1952 UK HC VG/FN £30 With DJ (VG)
TRY ANYTHING TWICE Collins 1948 UK HC VG/FN £10 With DJ (VG)
Books Update: 2 1950s UK version sci-fi pulps with classic covers
*Pulp Fiction: We’re delighted to feature this week two 1950s UK versions of famous American pulp titles with classic covers.
PICTURED:
AMAZING STORIES (UK) MAY 1953 GD/VG £15. Cover by Lee Ramon Summers. US version November 1952. Cover is one of the most memorable images from Brian Aldiss’ book Science Fiction Art, on sale in our Books About Books category
STARTLING STORIES (UK) Undated #5 VG £12. Complete novel The Seed From Space by Fletcher Pratt. Material from US version May 1951. Fabulous classic retro sci-fi cover and great interior art too!
Taking A Break
We’re taking a short break next week, after filling orders received up to 4 pm today (17th Feb) and posting them next Wednesday (21st). There will not be a Newsletter nor stock updates next Saturday, but they will be back on 2nd March. After this coming Sunday 18th, we’ll next be filling orders on 3rd March. You may of course continue to place orders at any time; we will acknowledge them and reserve items for you wherever possible.
American Comics Update: Pre-Code Horror Fest: Phantom Stranger #4 1953
*DC: As rare as hen’s teeth! In 30+ years of flogging comics, we’ve only ever had a couple of issues of the first series of Phantom Stranger through our hands before. In 1952, he appeared from nowhere, without explanation or origin to be DC’s mysterious omniscient and omnipotent being of mystery. Despite numerous theories in the DCU, no concrete information has ever been revealed about his true nature. Edited by Whitney Ellsworth, and created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, this series had the finest creators of the time working on it in a number of horror/supernatural stories. Here we get scripts by John Broome and Manly Wade Wellman with pencils by Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson and Gene Colan. Whilst perhaps not as Pre-Code horrifically as the fare of other less polished publishers, the Phantom Stranger made up for that in the quality of substance and style of his stories. This lower-graded copy has a narrowly taped spine, but the staples seem to hold it together firmly regardless. Cover colours are strong, with some short colour-breaking creases at edges and corners only. Page quality is a nice off-white to cream.
PICTURED: PHANTOM STRANGER #4 GD £190
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: Green Lantern #46-51
*DC: Six consecutive issues of the Silver Age Green Lantern for your delectation, featuring The Guardians, the Green Lantern Corps inc Katma Tui, Dr Polaris, Goldface, the Dazzler (no, not that one) and Hal Jordan’s split with Ferris Aircraft, a turning point in our hero’s development.
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
GREEN LANTERN
#46 FA p £4 Restapled
#47 FA/GD p £5.75 Loose centrefold
#48 VG p £13
#49 FA £4.25 Spine part re-glued
#50 GD p £7.50
#51 GD+ p £7.50
American Comics Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Agatha Harkness in Fantastic Four #94
*Marvel: Agatha Harkness has long been a staunch ally of the Fantastic Four and a mentor to the Scarlet Witch, but has occasionally shown darker tendencies and a mordant sense of humour. In her debut in Fantastic Four #94, she’s hired by Reed and Sue to look after ‘Little Franklin’, but her role develops into more than just a baby-sitter, particularly when the Frightful Four make the scene. This is a nice, glossy black background pence-stamped copy with very minor wear around the upper staple area and a tiny dink at the base of the spine. Near white pages and firm, tight staples complete this very attractive package.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #94 FN/VF p £110
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania/The Totally Amazing Spider-Man Collection: Annuals #2 & #3
*Marvel: If you’re looking for really nice copies of Amazing Spider-Man for your collection, then look no further than the Totally Amazing Spider-Man Collection. All high grade; even the few that fall below VF (and most are above) are really good-looking copies – no duds here, and nearly all cents copies. This week, lovely copies of the second and third Amazing Spider-Man Annuals. #2 features a lovely 20 page new story co-starring Ditko’s other co-creation Dr Strange (and reprints of early Spidey stories and a Rogues’ Gallery pin-up section). Steve Ditko was given full rein on his two major Marvel co-creations and was equally at home in moody cityscapes and fantastic mystical realms. A real treat. #3 where the new story is drawn by John Romita and Don Heck, features Spidey auditioning to join the Avengers by bringing them the Hulk; as you can imagine, guest stars galore (plus reprints of the Dock Ock classic from Spidey #11/12).
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL
#2 FN+p £180 This is really nice copy. Although a lower grade than usual for this collection (and also unusually pence-stamped), the collector couldn’t find a better copy. Totally intact spine, with corners that are virtually square, staples are tight and firm. The only defect is a slight puckering of the front cover near the spine, probably due to slight shrinkage of the glue that binds this squarebound together. This is fairly minor.
#3 VF £235 An exceptional copy for a squarebound annual. Spine totally intact, square corners, supple off-white pages, tight and firm staples, flat and glossy. Just the merest hints of edge wear preclude a higher grade. SOLD
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Absorbing Man in Journey Into Mystery #114/115
*Marvel: From the Good Doctor Collection this week: One of Marvel’s long-running and more beloved villains, Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, premiered in Journey Into Mystery (with Thor) #114, with his ability to absorb and replicate the properties of any person, object or substance causing quite a headache for our favourite Thunder God! Despite his surly mien, many folks feel that Crusher Creel is, to quote the Shangri-Las, ‘Good-bad, but not evil‘, and he has quite the fan-base, especially in latter decades since he married Titania. This initial two-part encounter concluded in #115, an issue which also revealed the detailed origin of Loki.
PICTURED: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY
#114 GD+ £45 A solid copy with strong colour despite a small hazy stain in the bottom left corner over Thor’s calf, which may be water damage as the lower staple is rusty but firm (upper staple fine). Strong spine and reasonable page quality, marred by wear to the right edge margins only which extends through the comic, and affects the right edge of the cover.
#115 FN p £55 Nice pence-stamped copy with great colour, staples and nice off-white pages. Just minor reading wear at spine.
American Comics Update: Wolverine 1988
*Marvel: A quartet of issues from Wolverine’s first ongoing solo series new in this week as follows:
IN THIS UPDATE:
WOLVERINE
#18 NM £6.75
#22 FN+ £3.50
#42 VF £15 (PICTURED) Sabretooth proved not to be Wolverine’s father.
#50 VG £5 Die-cut cover with Wolverine claw marks. Some wear.
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Crime, Spies and… Suspense from the 1940s/50s
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: From the Bute Collection this week, five issues of nefarious deeds as below.
PICTURED:
CLIMAX #1 VG £32 1 of 2 issues of suspense, mystery and intrigue from Gilmor 1955. SOLD
DATE WITH DANGER #6 FA/GD £23 1 of 2 issues of spies and espionage from Standard 1953 with atom bomb story. Art by Mayo, Morisi, Sekowsky and more. Long spine splits SOLD
PUBLIC ENEMIES #5 GD/VG £27 Gangsters and bad ‘uns from DS 1948; 52 pages. Tiny corner off at bottom spine.
REAL CLUE CRIME STORIES V4 #12 FN- £32 More gangsters with historical and humour stories amongst the bad stuff. Hillman 1950. Art from Powell and Rosenberger among others.
WANTED #45 VG+ £42 From Orbit 1952 With art by John Buscema and Mort Meskin among others. Marijuana story.
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: DC House of Mystery, House Of Secrets, Unexpected
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Six examples of DC’s quality horror line from the 1970s this week, with top notch artists and features.
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
HOUSE OF MYSTERY #177 FN- p £20.25
HOUSE OF MYSTERY #179 VG- p £26 (PICTURED) Neal Adams, Joe Orlando and 1st pro work by Bernie Wrightson
HOUSE OF MYSTERY #309 VG £5 I, Vampire
HOUSE OF SECRETS #90 GD+ p £7.50
UNEXPECTED #118 FN+ p £10.75
UNEXPECTED #128 GD p £4 Wrightson art
American Comics Update: 2nd Moon Knight in Werewolf By Night #33
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: The first appearance of Moon Knight in Werewolf By Night has now risen to staggering values, putting it beyond the reach of many collectors, as is increasingly the case with a lot of Marvel big key issues. Some collectors are turning to second appearances as a consolation, and although prices on these are rising as a result, many of them are still within reach. Here we have the second appearance of Moon Knight, one issue after the first, in Werewolf By Night #33. A lovely pence priced copy with brilliant colour and gloss, white pages, sharp corners and tight staples. With almost no wear, it’s kept from an even higher grade by a short non-colour breaking crease from the Comics Code Box to the logo and a tiny crease across the bottom corner, with just a 0.5 cm colour break. A lovely item.
PICTURED: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #33 VF p £100
British Comics Update: Fantasy & Macabre Stories
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In the 1960s, publisher John Spencer attempted a line of American-sized comics (in black and white with full colour covers), that rivalled in tone the bulk of Alan Class comics for subject matter, although the stories within were British originals rather than a reprint. The tag-line on them was ‘The Unknown and Supernatural’ and that’s certainly the fare on offer. We have some examples from two titles in the range fresh in this week.
PICTURED: ALL SOLD
FANTASY STORIES #3 GD/VG £10
FANTASY STORIES #4 VG £12
MACABRE STORIES #1 GD £10 Upper spine split
British Comics Update: Magazines/Books About Vintage UK Comics joins our Half Price British Comics Sale
*Magazines/Books About Vintage UK Comics: Compared to the US market, there’s a dearth of material out there about the UK comics industry, so this is only a small category in our listings. Our Mega British Half Price Comics Sale continues apace, with many titles now running low in stock, so we thought to stoke the fire a bit with the entire contents of this category now reduced to half price. The names referenced are like a Who’s Who of British comics artists: Bellamy, Turner, Embleton, Hampson and many others. Consult our catalogue but move fast to grab a bargain.
PICTURED: TRUE BRIT SC NM was £25 now £12.50 Spotlight on 21 celebrated British comics artists.
Books Update: Two by Edmund Cooper
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: Two further editions by Edmund Cooper this week. Cooper was an English science fiction author active from the 1950s to the 1970s; his work often depicts unconventional male heroes facing unfamiliar and remote environments.
PICTURED: BY EDMUND COOPER
THE CLOUD WALKER Coronet 1980 3rd UK PB VG/FN £4
THE TENTH PLANET Readers Union 1974 2nd UK HC FN £5 With DJ (FN)
Books Update: Re-Working Our Crime, Spies and Sleaze Category: Mike Shayne by Brett Halliday Part 1
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Crime, Spies and Sleaze category for the first of a two-part re-listing of the adventures of Mike Shayne by Brett Halliday. Halliday was the primary pen name of Davis Dresser, who wrote in a number of genres, but whose major work were the Mike Shayne private eye novels for which he used the name. It’s a bit more complicated than that, since it’s believed that most or even all of the Shayne novels after 1958 were ghost-written by others (there are around 70 novels in all). The world of Mike Shayne was cool, tough, sexy and full of mystery and action. Our first selection dates from the mid-sixties and is blessed with fabulous covers by the famous artist Robert McGinnis.
PICTURED: ALL MIKE SHAYNE MYSTERIES BY BRETT HALLIDAY ALL SOLD
ARMED…DANGEROUS… Dell 1966 1st US PB GD £4
THE BODY CAME BACK Dell 1964 1st US PB VG £5
GUILTY AS HELL Dell 1967 1st US PB FN £5
HEADS YOU LOSE Dell 1965 1st New Edition US PB VG £4
THE HOMICIDAL VIRGIN Dell 1967 1st New Edition US PB VG/FN £6
IN A DEADLY VEIN Dell 1968 1st New Edition US PB VG/FN £4
MERMAID ON THE ROCKS Dell 1967 1st US PB VG £5
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Batmania/DC Debuts: Batman #16 (1943) Landmark issue with the Joker and 1st Alfred
*DC: The earliest issue of Batman we’ve unearthed so far from the Bute Collection, and what a significant issue it is. A striking cover by Jerry Robinson, a reverse scene of the classic cover on #9, a Joker lead story The Joker Reforms by Bob Kane, two more mysteries drawn by Jack Burnley, before the final story by Kane again, debuting Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler, an integral part of the Batman family ever since and star of big and small screens. This of course is the fat Alfred before he got skinny as a result of a stay at a health resort not too long after. This is a sound copy of this landmark issue, with a rich, deep colour reflective cover almost entirely without markings or creases. There is a small mark above Robin’s head in the spotlight, which looks like a wax crayon mark as used by a US newsstand vendor. Very tiny bits of wear at top edge. Extremely tiny chip out 1 cm down from top of spine as part of an upper spine split of about 3 cm. Neat spine tear around upper staple, but cover is still attached there. Other than that, staples are firm. Page quality is an excellent white to just off-white. Slight tanning to inside cover edges. One of the nicest copies of an early Batman I’ve ever seen. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: BATMAN #16 VG- £3.000
American Comics Update: DC Debuts: 3 #1 issues: Captain Action, Forever People, Spectre
*DC: 3 Silver/Bronze Age DC #1 issues this week, all with artwork by comics greats. Captain Action was in fact a spin-off from a toy franchise, but with story and art by Jim Shooter and Wally Wood, and a guest appearance by Superman, this #1 issue has a lot going for it. Jack Kirby’s Forever People was part of his Fourth World sequence at DC in the 70s, and #1 features not only the first appearance of the Forever People themselves, but also the first full appearance of Darkseid, the Big Bad. The Spectre was granted his own series following a successful try-out run in Showcase, and Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson continued their wonderful work there on the Ghostly Guardian.
PICTURED:
CAPTAIN ACTION #1 FN- £17
FOREVER PEOPLE #1 VG- p £30 Slight spine roll and some corner and edge wear. SOLD
SPECTRE #1 GD- p £20 Creases and tears to right edge and corners. SOLD
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: Adam Strange in Mystery In Space
*DC: One of the most well-received articles posted here during lockdown was the one I wrote on Adam Strange, the interplanetary adventurer, my favourite DC science-fiction hero. So, we’re delighted to present half a dozen of his adventures in Mystery In Space, consecutive from #71-76, including the famous JLA guest appearance in #75. The finest examples of this sort of thing ever produced, IMHO, and with the best creators. These are mostly lower graded reading copies, providing excellent budget entertainment.
IN THIS UPDATE: MYSTERY IN SPACE ALL SOLD
71 FA/GD p £11 Restapled
72 FA/GD p £8 Restapled
73 GD- p £9 Lower spine split
74 FA p £5.50 Long central spine split
75 FA p £8.50 (PICTURED) Guest stars JLA. Tape, felt tip pen mark, residue stain on logo.
76 GD p £10.25
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania: Amazing Spider-Man #19 – Human Torch, Sandman, Enforcers and more
*Marvel: Ditko Spider-Mans are always a welcome addition to our lists, and this one seems to be less common than most. Returning from a period of insecurity and self-doubt, Spidey roars back into action despite the Daily Bugle’s carefully-orchestrated smear campaign, aided by his best ‘frenemy’ the Human Torch, as they take on the combined menace of the Sandman and the Enforcers. A Lee/Ditko classic, with all the tropes you look for – JJJ’s insane ranting! Aunt May’s dicky ticker! Betty and Veronica – sorry, Betty and Liz’s – dating shenanigans! And, as a bonus, the first fleeting appearance of MacDonald ‘Mac’ Gargan, the man who would become the Scorpion. A decent enough cents copy, a bit worn but with no cover markings. A colour-breaking vertical crease left of centre from logo down across title box, but no colour breaks as far as Spidey’s figure. Minor chipping to top and right edge, corner blunting with tiny tear at top of spine. Staples are tight and firm, pages are off white to cream with small stain to top of margin on just a few pages. A little tired but not bad.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #19 GD/VG £110
American Comics Update: X-Men #95, Death of Thunderbird
*Marvel: In just the second issue of the ‘New’ X-Men, the team suffered its first fatality as Thunderbird, the native American X-Man, bit the dust in the wrap-up of the Count Nefaria story from the previous issue. #95 was never distributed in the UK and is therefore keenly sought on these shores. This is a very attractive copy, fresh and glossy with bright colours, firm, tight staples and supple white to off-white pages. One of two minor spine ticks, a little bit of reading wear at bottom right cover and a tiny dink at top of spine just breaking colour prevent a VF or better grade.
PICTURED: X-MEN #95 FN/VF £90 SOLD
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Tales Of Suspense #76-80, 1st Peggy Carter, Cosmic Cube
*Marvel: A nice five issue consecutive run of Tales Of Suspense from the Good Doctor this week. By the time we got to issues #76-80, the title was in full flow and featured some of the great stories of this double-barrelled title. Iron Man came up against the Mandarin plus Ultimo, and the Sub-Mariner with Warlord Krang in tow. Cap faced up to Batroc Ze Leaper, Them (who somehow morphed into AIM), the Red Skull and the Cosmic Cube, plus in a wartime story, we discovered Peggy Carter as the girl from Cap’s past. (Peggy, of course, went on to star in her own well-received TV series, which I must say I enjoyed myself.) Quality stuff in superior grades.
PICTURED: TALES OF SUSPENSE
#76 FN+ £22.50 SOLD
#77 VG+ £55 (PICTURED) 1st Peggy Carter SOLD
#78 FN+ £22
#79 VG p £16.25 SOLD
#80 FN+ £32
American Comics Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: Space Patrol #1 1952
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: A nice example of retro science-fiction: Ziff-Davis’s Space Patrol #1 from 1952, featuring the outer space adventures of Commander Buzz Corry and his friends and foes. Despite being blessed with a lovely Norman Saunders painted cover and accomplished interior art by Bernie Krigstein, the series, like so many of this genre from this period, only existed for a short run, in this case two issues. This is a lowish graded copy, quite sound apart from small corners off at top left and bottom right of front cover, a tiny chip out centre top cover and some back cover scribble. Very evocative of its time.
PICTURED: SPACE PATROL #1 GD- £85
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: Adventures Into The Unknown with Nemesis
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Adventures Into The Unknown from ACG was the earliest ongoing horror title, starting in 1947. It’s the Silver Age incarnation that concerns us here, when the horror of pre-code had given way to the more whimsical fantasy/mysteries for which ACG became known in the 1960s. As the run drew to a close, recurring super-hero characters started to appear, such as Nemesis, who debuted in #154 and took over the lead in each issue, still with those supernatural back-ups.
IN THIS UPDATE: ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN ALL SOLD
127 VG p £7.25
154 VG £8.25 (PICTURED) 1st Nemesis.
155 FN £10
157 VG £6.75 John Force, Magic Agent story
158 VG £6.75
159 VG £6.75
British Comics Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: He is Groot! Mystic #40 reprints 1st appearance
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Something rather special this week. We occasionally get issues of L Miller’s Mystic through our hands, but we’ve only ever had this one once before, attesting to its rarity. Issue #40 reprints the first appearance of Groot, darling of the Guardians of the Galaxy, from Tales To Astonish #13, as well as an Atlas Sub-Mariner and sundry crime and horror reprints from Fawcett and Atlas. (Mystic was far thicker than a standard Marvel or Atlas comic). Groot, by the way, says rather more in his cover speech balloon than I believe he has uttered in his MCU career (cover by Kirby and Ditko). Not cheap, but have you seen the prices on Tales To Astonish #13 recently? A low grade copy, with a 5 x 2 cm hole in the lower front cover and first page (no significant damage to the story). The spine is a little rolled with a 4 cm lower split. Staples a little rusty but firmly in place; creamy coloured pages in decent shape.
PICTURED: MYSTIC #40 FA £135 SOLD
British Comics Update: Low grade 2000 AD #1
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In 1977, 2000 AD launched into the consciousness of the nation, and for better or for worse, the comics world was never the same again! Oddly enough, the title’s most famous denizen, ‘Judge Dredd’, didn’t make it into the first edition, debuting in #2, but the five strips that did premiere in #1 pushed the boundaries; ‘Flesh’ saw a starving near-future use time-travel to go back and harvest dinosaurs – what could go wrong? ‘Invasion’ saw a band of rebels standing alone against the ‘Volgans’ who had conquered the United Kingdom; ‘Harlem Heroes’ produced a violent reprise of the original ‘Rollerball’ movie, and ‘MACH 1’, with its bionically-enhanced action hero, was a clear homage to… oh, well, have a guess. No, not ‘Get Smart’. Topped off by a ‘reimagining’ of the classic hero ‘Dan Dare’ designed to induce apoplexy in aficionados, the violent, bloodier ‘heroes’ set the scene for myriad imitators, some more successful than others. This is a low grade copy for the budget conscious, with a 5 x 2 cm chunk out of the front cover lower margin (only) and a water stain at the top of the spine which permeates through the comic. There’s a short cover tear top centre, and the top right edge has been dog-eared and straightened out to some extent. Only very minor residue where free gift has been removed from the cover and page quality, apart from the stain, is okay.
PICTURED: 2000 AD #1 FA £40
Books Update: Re-Working Our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category: Spotted: Philip K Dick Part 2
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror category for Philip K Dick, one of our best-selling authors; many would consider him the finest exponent of science-fiction of the late 20th century. I guess his themes of religion, drugs, counter culture and destructive relationships hold wide appeal. We are blessed with an excellent stock of his works, the enhanced re-listing of which will be spread over several updates. This second part features a choice of edition for many novels, including Eye In The Sky, a highly original personal favourite; it also includes The Man In The High Castle, Dick’s tour de force of a future alternate world where the Axis powers won the second world war. We’ll be spotting more Dick soon…
PICTURED: ALL BY PHILIP K DICK
EYE IN THE SKY Arrow 1971 1st UK PB GD £4
EYE IN THE SKY Ace 1975 US PB VG £8
THE GAME PLAYERS OF TITAN Sphere 1969 1st UK PB GD £5
THE GAME PLAYERS OF TITAN Harper Collins 1996 UK PB GD £3
THE GOLDEN MAN Methuen 1981 1st UK PB GD/VG £8
THE GOLDEN MAN Methuen 1983 2nd UK PB VG £12
LIES, INC Granada 1985 1st UK PB VG £12
THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE Penguin 1965 1st UK PB VG £15
Books Update: Three Sir Henry Merrivale Mysteries by Carter Dickson
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: The crime writer John Dickson Carr, in common with many other authors, published books under a different name, in his case Carter Dickson. Whatever name he used, readers could be assured of a well-told, well-plotted story, often with a seemingly insoluble mystery. Carr was an acknowledged master of the locked room mystery. Under his own name, his main recurring detective was Gideon Fell; he used Carter Dickson for his second most featured detective Sir Henry Merrivale. We have three such mysteries fresh in this week: two are uncommon 1st UK paperback editions, the third is a second edition hardcover of the first Merrivale mystery.
PICTURED: ALL BY CARTER DICKSON ALL SOLD
CROSS OF MURDER WDL 1959 1st UK PB GD/VG £10
MURDER IN THE ATLANTIC WDL 1959 1st UK PB GD £10
THE PLAGUE COURT MURDERS Heinemann 1966 2nd UK HC FN £25 With DJ (VG/FN)
Books Update: Batman, Battlestar Galactica, Danger Man
*TV/Film Tie-Ins: 3 new additions in this popular category. Batman & The Three Villains of Doom is a novel very much tie-ing in to the 1966 Batman TV show and features the Joker, The Penguin and Catwoman. Fan favourite show Battlestar Galactica is represented with a photostory (over 700 stills) of the cinema release of the original series. Secret Agent: The Exterminator is an American edition Danger Man story (the series was marketed as Secret Agent in the USA).
PICTURED:
BATMAN VS THE THREE VILLAINS OF DOOM: WINSTON LYON Four Square 1966 2nd UK PB FA £6 SOLD
Only a reading copy.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PHOTOSTORY: GLEN A LARSON Berkley 1979 1st US PB FN/VF £8
DANGER MAN SECRET AGENT: THE EXTERMINATOR : W A BALLINGER MacFadden-Bartell 1967 1st US PB FA £6 Rough copy with stains, scuffs and foxing. SOLD
American Comics Update: Batmania: Batman #189 – 1st Silver Age Scarecrow
*DC: One of the least explored of Batman’s classic villains is the sinister Scarecrow, who appeared but once in the 1940s, then stayed in limbo until resurrected for Batman #189 in 1967. Psychology professor Johnathan Crane used the mechanics of fear in his crime sprees, and despite numerous appearances since his revival, remains – certainly by comparison with the much-loved but over-used ‘Big Four’ Batman villains – enigmatic and compelling. This is a low grade copy of this key issue, pence-stamped with a label removal scuff over the stamp. Cover off lower staple; centrefold loose at upper staple. Quite a bit of edge wear with colour-breaking creases, particularly along the right edge. Striking cover image and nice white to off-white pages.
PICTURED: BATMAN #189 FA/GD p £100 SOLD
American Comics Update: Two Early Silver Age Flash
*DC: A couple of early Silver Age Flash issues this week that have seen better days, but still stylish Carmine Infantino classics guest-starring Kid Flash and the Elongated Man.
PICTURED: FLASH
#116 FA p £17.25 Cover detached and split about 2/3rds of the way up.
#119 FA+ p £21.25 Previously taped but now removed, leaving a brown residue at spine edge (non sticky). Small upper spine split but pages still attached. SOLD
American Comics Update: Two Super-Chicks on a New Kick! Supergirl and Wonder Woman star in Brave & Bold #63
*DC: When Brave & Bold became a team-up title with #50, I can remember there was some excitement over the possibility of what characters would appear together. Before it became exclusively a Batman team-up title a couple of years later, there were plenty of intriguing combinations. And I’m sure a Supergirl and Wonder Woman story was among the most in demand, even if it entailed our heroines casting off their ‘frumpy’ super-heroine duds to become a Paris model and a jet-setting glamourpuss (as you do). But have no fear, there’s plenty of action in costume against the villainy of Multi-Face. A superior cents copy here, with strong colour and gloss, tight, firm staples and supple white to off-white pages. Just minor handling wear and corner blunting, with a tiny dink at the base of the spine.
PICTURED: BRAVE & BOLD #63 FN+ £30
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Amazing Spider-Man #300 with Debut of Venom
*Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #300 is just about the most sought after post Bronze Age comic, so we’re delighted to present a new copy just arrived this week. There were few more significant debuts, in the latter days of the 20th Century, than everyone’s favourite brain-eating symbiote Venom, who graduated from being a genetically modified costume in a jar to the Alpha Dog of Spidey’s Rogue’s Gallery! Having debuted in Secret Wars #8 as a semi-sentient blob which configured itself into Spider-Man’s new costume, the ‘symbiote’ became a regular feature in Spidey’s own series before being revealed as a malevolent alien parasite! Unlike a lot of copies we’ve seen, the right edge on this one is sharp and doesn’t have the ‘blunt guillotine’ defect that came about in the printing process. There is a tiny but quite shallow dink at the top of the spine, a similar dink towards the bottom of the spine and a very small soft crease at the extremity of the bottom right corner; none of these break colour. One or two miniscule ticks at centre spine. Extremely tiny handling wear can barely be seen. Flat, glossy and vibrant with tight staples, square corners and white pages.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300 VF+ £360
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Medusa, the first of the Inhumans in Fantastic Four #36
*Marvel: The first Inhuman to appear in the Marvel Universe, Medusa was presented here in Fantastic Four #36 as a mystery woman of unknown origin in command of her ‘living’ hair, and recruited by the Wizard into his fledgling Frightful Four. The Good Doctor Collection copy is a nice mid-grade pence stamped example, with good colour and no creases other than light to moderate wear at spine and top edge. Tight firm staples and supple off-white pages.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #36 VG+ p £120
American Comics Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Rogue in Avengers Annual #10
*Marvel: Ms. (later Captain) Marvel, Carol Danvers, had left the Avengers in issue #200, in a controversial and rather offensive departure which raised the hackles of fandom assembled, utterly subverting the character’s independent agenda. In Avengers Annual #10, Chris Claremont ‘fixed’ the storyline, with an amnesiac and powerless Carol being rescued by Spider-Woman, and the discovery of her escape and reawakening commencing. It was a rather skilful job, assisted by the moody, evocative, and too-seldom-seen art of Mike Golden, plus, when the villains of the issue arrived – the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants – they had a spanking-new member, Rogue, who was the reason for Carol’s confused and powerless state. Rogue, of course, swiftly moved to the ‘light side’, joining the X-Men and becoming a key character (see our X-Men update further down this page) – and this is where she got her start, but the issue has more to offer than only that! Ignore the rather messy and bitty cover; the interior’s a gem! This is a nice cents copy, bright and glossy, with tight staples and off-white to white pages. Small reading mark at middle of right edge and tiny crease across the extremity of the bottom right cover are the only flaws.
PICTURED: AVENGERS ANNUAL #10 FN £45 SOLD
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: Star Wars #7-12
*Marvel: I don’t need to tell you much about Star Wars, do I? Suffice it to say that after adapting the first film in Star Wars #1-6, Marvel went on to tell new stories of Han, Luke, Leia and the gang from #7 onwards.
IN THIS UPDATE: STAR WARS ALL SOLD
#7 NM- £22.75 (PICTURED)
#8 VF- £11
#9 VF £12.25
#10 NM- £22.75
#11 VF £12.25
#12 VF- £11
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: X-Men #166-171
*Marvel: Six consecutive issues of the X-Men from #166-171 with Paul Smith at the artistic helm, except for #171, where Walt Simonson guests (what a fill-in to have!). The Brood rampage, Callisto and the Morlocks emerge and Rogue joins the X-Men.
IN THIS UPDATE: X-MEN ALL SOLD
#166 VF £6.75 Double-sized
#167 £7.50 With Tattooz
#168 FN/VF £6
#169 VF+ £8 1st Calisto & the Morlocks
#170 VF £6.75
#171 NM £37 (PICTURED) Rogue joins
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: A Mixed Bag of Charlton
*Charlton: There’s no doubt that Charlton produced a quirky mix of material. Rumour has it that rather than let their printing presses sit idly, they kept them rolling 24 hours a day, which may explain some of the material they produced. Here we have super-hero adventure with Son of Vulcan and Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt, cartoon comedy with Atomic Mouse and Li’l Genius, and science and supernatural fiction with Strange Suspense Stories and Shadows from Beyond (the last one puzzled me a bit, until I realised that, at #50, it was the continuation of Unusual Tales and the only issue to bear that title).
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
ATOMIC MOUSE #48 FA/GD p £3
LI’L GENIUS #50 GD £2
MYSTERIES OF UNEXPLORED WORLDS #46 GD £3.25 1st Son Of Vulcan
SHADOWS FROM BEYOND #50 GD £4.25 (PICTURED) Ditko cover
STRANGE SUSPENSE STORIES #71 GD £4.25
THUNDERBOLT #51 GD £2.75
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Two 1940s Anthology Titles: Prize & Thrilling
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Two anthology titles so popular in this period from the Bute Collection this week: Prize #47 from 1944 and Thrilling #73 from 1949.
PICTURED:
PRIZE COMICS #47 FA/GD £35 An intriguing mix of adventure, comedy, super-hero and horror, featuring Boom Boom Brannigan, Yank & Doodle with the Black Owl, Frankenstein by Dick Briefer, Flying Fist & Bingo and World-Beater. Lowish grade, intact cover with some right edge chipping. Single central staple (as printed) almost loose small spine splits and small corners chips off.
THRILLING COMICS #73 GD £38 Beneath an Alex Schomburg western cover await western thrills with Buck Ranger, jungle adventure with Princess Pantha, funny girl humour with Kathy and fantasy comedy with Looie Lazybones with stunning art by Frank Frazetta. A decent if worn copy with some cover chipping, good staples and okay pages.
American/British Comics Update: Six Of The Best: UK Classics Illustrated
*Classics Illustrated: 6 UK versions of Classics Illustrated now added, most of them previously missing from our listings: and all cover priced 1/3. Listed below. For full details of editions, please consult our catalogue.
IN THIS UPDATE: CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED UK
#55 VG £6 Silas Marner
#64 FN £3.75 Treasure Island
#78 FN £7.50 (PICTURED) Joan Of Arc
#89 VG/FN £3.50 Crime And Punishment
#98 VG £3 The Red Badge Of Courage
#122 FA/GD £3.50 The Mutineers
British Comics Update: Marvelous Alan Class File Copies: Avengers. X-Men, Spider-Man & Daredevil
*Alan Class Reprints: We are delighted to present four further gems unearthed from the archives of publisher Alan Class. Each of these features a major Marvel character or team and comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Alan Class. Whilst not in the best of shape, they reprint key stories from the Marvel Age of Comics.
PICTURED:
ASTOUNDING STORIES #28 FA £12 Reprints X-Men #9 vs the Avengers. Taped spine and sealed cover tear. 1st page is taped to inside cover and has ragged edge. Creases and small tears, but complete.
CREEPY WORLDS #71 FA/GD £40 Reprints Amazing Spider-Man #9 1st Electro. 1st page is taped to inside cover. Small upper spine split which runs through opening pages. Small creases and minor edge wear.
CREEPY WORLDS #101 GD £25 Reprints Amazing Spider-Man #51 & #52 1st Kingpin cover. Last page is taped to inside back cover. Glue coming loose at spine interior. Minor creasing.
SUSPENSE #60 PR £10 Reprints Daredevil #8 1st Stilt Man. Cover heavily taped over worn spine. Small tears and creasing. Complete.
British Comics Update: Thriller Comics/Picture Library #21-30 Complete
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: This digest-sized comics series, most famous under its later title of Thriller Picture Library, ran for 450 issues until 1963, and while it featured a plethora of characters during its lengthy run, the trend for the early years was for historical swashbucklers based on fictional (but serendipitously copyright-free) characters, but also featuring crime, war, western and science-fiction adventures. The artists were all accomplished Fleetway professionals, and readers thrived on these beautifully-illustrated pocket adventures. Issues #21-30, fresh in this week, feature The Saint, Robin Hood and the Three Musketeers among many other one-off characters. Full details as always in our catalogue.
PICTURED: THRILLER COMICS/PICTURE LIBRARY
#23 GD/VG £17.50 The Saint In California
#29 GD £15 Ivanhoe
Books Update: Two J G Ballard First Edition Hardcovers
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re delighted this week to feature two first edition hardcovers by one of the greatest British authors of the 20th Century, J G Ballard. His haunting themes of desolate landscapes, decline and decay, peopled by extraordinary characters, are unique and unmatched.
PICTURED: BY J G BALLARD
LOW-FLYING AIRCRAFT Jonathan Cape 1976 1st UK HC VG £40
With DJ (GD) in removable archival film.
Short stories. DJ was previously covered in poor quality plastic and taped to book, leaving tape marks on DJ edges and on book itself. This plastic cover has since been removed, leaving the DJ slightly crumpled in places, with some residue, and has been recovered in new removable archival film, which vastly improves its appearance.
THE UNLIMITED DREAM COMPANY Jonathan Cape 1979 1st UK HC FN £45
With DJ (FN) in removable archival film
‘Surely the best thing this fine author has ever done’ – Anthony Burgess
Books Update: Re-Working Our Crime, Spies & Sleaze Category: Greene to Grisman
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Crime, Spies & Sleaze category for a miscellany of authors whose names begin with ‘G’. We start with Hugh Greene, who edits More Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, an anthology of Edwardian tales of cosmopolitan crime. Then, from Netta Grey, a rare 32 page ‘booklet’, Romance In Algiers, from the late 40s; danger, adventure, love and death in the Kasbah with
cover art by Oliver Brabbins. Then a gangster pulp from the infamous Griff, City Of Lost Women, a dark tale of the ‘snatch racket’. Finally, a new addition for this update, Arnold E Grisman’s Early To Rise, a young man on the make in sleazy New York, with a cover by the great Robert Maguire.
PICTURED:
HUGH GREENE (Ed): MORE RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Penguin 1976 2nd UK PB GD £4 SOLD
NETTA GREY: ROMANCE IN ALGIERS Hamilton late 1940s 1st UK PB 32 pp VG £8
GRIFF: CITY OF LOST WOMEN Modern Fiction 1953 1st UK PB GD £30
ARNOLD E GRISMAN: EARLY TO RISE Berkley 1959 1st US PB GD/VG £6
Books Update: Superman & Thor comic strip paperbacks
*Comic Strip Books: Two new entries in this category this week from the 1960s featuring the strong guys of the DC and Marvel universes, reprinted in standard paperback format. The Superman volume features classic stories from the 50s and 60s, while the Thor volume reprints some of the classic Lee/Kirby Thor stories from Journey Into Mystery. Both volumes have suffered a bit condition-wise over the years, with spine tears, creasing and rubbing, but are not common and feature great entertainment.
PICTURED: BOTH SOLD
SUPERMAN Four Square 1967 1st UK PB GD/VG £10
THOR COLLECTOR’S ALBUM 2 Souvenir Press/Four Square 1967 1st UK PB GD £8
Mega British Comics Half Price Sale continues…
Our half price or less Mega British Comics Sale enters its second month. Whilst some titles are now running low in stock, there’s still thousands of bargains available in our catalogue, where sale prices are marked in red, in the British weekly categories as shown below. Some titles are all at half price; others may just be selected years – if it’s not in red, it’s still full price.
*Power Comics
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics
*TV & Film Related Comics
*Humour Comics
*Girls’ Comics
The terms and conditions for this sale are as follows:
Unlike our previous sales, this sale is open to all customers worldwide
There is no minimum quantity required for an order, but the value (at sale prices) must meet our regular level, i.e.
In the UK: £10
In the EU: £50
Rest of the World: £25
Our regular postage and packing charges will be extra on top of these minimums; please note we cannot give a postage quote until you have made a selection.
Sale stock may be mixed with full priced stock in the same package.