*Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #252, like many Secret Wars ‘epilogue’ issues, featured a major ‘twist’ only explained retroactively. In Spidey’s case, it was a dramatic black & white costume which would eventually be revealed as an alien symbiote, which in turn would evolve into Venom, who eclipsed most longer-established villains to become Spidey’s crucial nemesis for the modern era. Although the first appearance of the symbiote in internal continuity was Secret Wars #8, its joint debut in real time was this very issue. This is a lovely high grade issue, tight, flat and glossy with good staples and nice pages; only minor edge handling wear and tiny stress marks at spine (non-colour breaking) stop us awarding an even higher grade.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #252 VF+ £100 SOLD

*Marvel: Stan and Jack pulled out all the stops when it came to the fifth annual for the Fantastic Four. Not only the debut of a new villain – the Psycho-Man – and his flunkies Live Wire, Ivan & Shellshock, not only guest shots by the Black Panther AND the Inhumans, not only a back-up story with the Silver Surfer’s encounter with Quasimodo, not only a Stan & Jack vignette about them creating the FF, not only a pin-up gallery of the FF’s friends and foes, but also a special announcement about a happy event for Sue and Reed, which would culminate in the advent of Franklin Richards in Annual #6 a year later. Quite a package. This is a lovely cents copy, with great squarebound spine, excellent cover colour and gloss, nice tight staples and decent pages; no specific defects.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #5 VF £90 SOLD

*Marvel: One of a series of Hologram Specials released to celebrate Spidey’s 30th Anniversary, the super-sized Amazing Spider-Man #365 bears a hologram re-creating the cover to Amazing Fantasy #15. Chock full of special features, this is a copy in great shape. 
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #365 NM £30 

*Horror 1940-1959: Superior was a Canadian publisher active from 1945-1956 who mostly reprinted American comics from the same time period. They also published a number of original series that were distributed in the United States. Among these were three horror titles famous for their hallucinogenic covers and accomplished Fiction House style interior art. When you see a lot of these together, they have an almost hypnotic and uncomfortable effect. This week we feature Journey Into Fear #7-9; the defects on #7 are noted; #8-9 are mid-grade without specific defects other than general wear.
PICTURED: JOURNEY INTO FEAR
#7 FA £50 Cover almost detached and separated, barely hanging on SOLD
#8 GD/VG £145 SOLD
#9 VG £195 SOLD

*Alan Class Reprints: A chunky update to our regular stocks of Astounding between #3 and #153, mostly pre-decimal issues, including a Human Torch reprint in #3 & #59 (the same one), and the Torch and Dr Strange in #6. See our catalogue for full details. 
PICTURED: ASTOUNDING
#3 VG £35
#6 FN £35

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Following on from #1 a couple of weeks ago (now sold), we’re now releasing issues #3-6 of Commando War Stories In Pictures from the same source. A previous owner at some point decided to place two to four reinforcing staples through the spine, quite skilfully so as to not hamper the opening of the item nor hide any of the content; there is minimal bleed from these staples and the page quality is really rather nice. Nevertheless these are low grade copies anyway with defects as noted. #3 (£25) is coverless but otherwise complete; it’s unusual for us to list a coverless item, but when it’s of this rarity, we figure someone will want it to fill a gap.
PICTURED: COMMANDO
#4 FA+ £65 Back cover detached; thumbnail size chip out right edge front cover centre.
#5 GD- £90 Long cover tear (7 cm); corner off back cover
#6 GD- £50 Back cover stain (5 x 5 cm)

*Humour Comics: From 1970, two consecutive issues of the tabloid format Topper, both with their Free Gifts. Both comics have been folded horizontally (we’ve yet to see a large Topper that hasn’t been), but despite that are in better than usual condition, with virtually no wear at the folds. #923 has the ‘Twin Spin’ toy, still sealed in its original envelope — this gift is quite rare; #924 has the ‘Topper Glow Mask’, still complete with original packet of eyelets for elastic headband still attached — slightly less uncommon, but we’ve never seen these before in 30 years.
PICTURED: TOPPER
#923 VG/FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £60 SOLD
#924 VG/FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £45 SOLD

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: …to give it its full title. A huge update to this popular title, with dozens of issues added between #7 & #300, including very many previously missing from our catalogue. These lovely done-in-one tales are great fun and great value.  
PICTURED: BUNTY PICTURE LIBRARY #7 VG £12

*DC: Personally, I’ve always counted the four main villains from the 1960s Batman TV show (and film) as Batman’s main foes, the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman and the Riddler, so it came as no surprise when the latter three were revived in the Silver Age to tie in with their on screen appearances (the Joker never really having been away). This update we’re concerned with the first two Silver Age appearances of that fowl fiend the Penguin, which spanned both the old and new look in Batman. The first appearance of the Penguin in the Silver Age came in Batman #155, with its dramatic fire-breathing dragon cover. Our copy is a solid mid-grade pence stamped example, with some spine and edge wear, but good tight staples and decent off-white pages. One or two of the spidery wear marks at the spine break colour, as does a tiny crease across the bottom right cover, but all in all a very presentable copy. Pengy next appeared in #169, a favourite Carmine Infantino cover as I’ve mentioned before with a rich purple sky background. Our latest copy is a superior unmarked copy with just slight edge wear, pence stamped, flat and tight with staples firmly attached and nice off-white pages. What could be better than a pair of Penguins?
PICTURED: BATMAN
#155 VG+ p £200 SOLD
#169 FN/VF p £110

*DC: We continue our epic trawl through the DCU alphabet as we reach the letter ‘F’. Alongside almost a complete run of First Issue Special (featuring Kirby & Ditko try-outs), almost a complete run of Kirby’s Forever People, and top-ups to both the Bronze Age Freedom Fighters and reprint sci-fi anthology From Beyond the Unknown, there is a mammoth update to the Fastest Man Alive, with dozens of issues of Flash between #125 and #314, including lots of issues previously missing from our listings. See our catalogue for full details. 

*Marvel: What’s Old is our feature where we highlight stuff from our catalogue that you may have missed. Most collectors will be aware that the first six issue run of the Incredible Hulk is tough to come by; harder still is it to get them in decent shape, so we’re particularly pleased that the Square Mile Collection brings us a copy of #6 in FN+ (pence printed) grade. (You can read about the Square Mile Collection here.) Whilst the Hulk was very definitely a Kirby designed creation, you can get a real kick out of seeing how Steve Ditko tackled ol’ green-skin in this full length adventure up against the Metal Master. Great cover colour and gloss, tight, flat and fresh, excellent staples, sharp corners, with just minimal spine creases and a very faint suggestion of slight historic stain in a 5p sized area above the number box; there is also the slightest sign of a very faint small crease across the bottom right corner with just the faintest trace of a colour break across 1 cm of the Hulk’s foot, but I’m being really picky here! A beautiful addition to any Hulkophile’s collection! High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: HULK #6 FN+ p £750

*Marvel: Felicia Hardy AKA the Black Cat has become one of the most popular figures in Spider-Man’s corner of the Marvel Universe, and here we have a pair of high grade issues featuring one of her earliest appearances in a two-part storyline from Amazing Spidey #226 & #227. Great additions to your Spider-Man/Black Cat collection.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BOTH SOLD
#226 NM- £25
#227 VF+ £23.50

*Marvel: We’ve reached the letter ‘H’ in our alphabetical run through the Marvel Universe, represented by a soupcon of Howard the Duck and a great big helping of Hulk between #266 and #350, including the runs by John Byrne and Peter David/Todd McFarlane, among many other creators. As always, check out our catalogue for details.

*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: It’s a little hard to believe, but Image Comics is now nearly 30 years old, and their characters and early issues are virtually old enough to be considered vintage. We make no apology for adding a few of their #1 issues from 1992/93 to our catalogue, since there are doubtless fans out there who fondly remember them (even if we don’t count ourselves among them). There’s no denying the influence their creators had on both the DC and Marvel Universes post Image, even if Image today is a very different beast to how it started out back then. So, four #1 issues: Pitt by Dale Keown, Spawn by Todd McFarlane (with poster), Wildcats by Jim Lee (Gold Edition with trading cards) and Youngblood by Rob Liefield (also with trading cards), all in nice shape.
PICTURED:
PITT #1 VF/NM £10
SPAWN #1 VF+ £40
WILDCATS #1 (GOLD) VF/NM £30
YOUNGBLOOD #1 VF £10

*Memorabilia & Esoterica: Issued in 1992 to retailers as a thank you for their part in making the launch of the new X-Men series the ‘Best Selling Comic Of All Time’, this attractive comic-sized hologram (inc. card mount) features the cover scene’s homage to the original X-Men #1.
PICTURED: X-MEN #1 HOLOGRAM NM- £10 SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Over a dozen issues of Fleetway’s Battle Picture Library added to our catalogue this week, all between #165 & #345, all filling gaps in our inventory.

*Humour Comics: Although starting out in 1939 as mostly a Humour title and rival to Dandy & Beano (which is why we list it in our Humour category), after the second World War more and more adventure strips started appearing, so that by the time of the issues featured in this update (1955-1958), it was really what we would term a Boys’ Adventure & War title. Many stories featured known media characters such as Davy Crockett, Hopalong Cassidy and Sexton Blake, and there were quality originals as well, such as master pilot Johnny Wingco, science fiction thrills with Space Family Rollinson, Thunderbolt Jaxon, Firebrand the Red Knight and more. Of course, some humour strips remained, most famously Billy Bunter, but by 1956 the adventure stories had taken over the cover and set the tone for the remainder of the series. In this update, a handful from 1955, two from 1956, one from 1957 and lots from 1958. 
PICTURED: KNOCKOUT #1027 (1958) FN £6  

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Just a tiny update to this category this week with three issues of Amalgamated/Fleetway’s Confessions/Romantic Confessions Library: #5, #14 & #59.

*DC: After #123 (‘Flash of Two Worlds’, as if you need telling), and the premier issue (#105), probably the most in-demand issue of the Silver Age Flash is #139, which featured the first appearance of Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen’s super-swift nemesis from the far-flung future, whose appearances in the popular Flash television series have caused his early appearances to zoom (sorry) upwards in value. We are delighted to welcome the Reverse-Flash back into our inventory – though we anticipate not for long. This pence stamped copy is a relatively affordable lower grade with spine roll and wear (it looks like the spine may have been glued at the rear), edge wear and minor creasing, but a colourful, unmarred cover image and decent page quality; staples are attached. 
PICTURED: FLASH #139 GD p £125

*DC: Our stock updates to Detective Comics continue, this time focusing on the ‘New Look’ for Batman which commenced with issue #327 in 1964. Editor Julius Schwartz took over the title, bringing with him the creators he had worked with elsewhere in the DCU. Gone were the aliens, monsters and most of the Batman ‘family’, replaced with more ‘down to Earth’ storylines with gangsters and super-villains. There was an emphasis on mystery: gone too was the Martian Manhunter (to House Of Mystery), replaced in the back-up feature slot by the Elongated Man. Personally, although I enjoyed Carmine Infantino’s art on the Batman strip (where he did many of the stories), and his covers were often spectacular, it was the Elongated Man stories that were the highlight for me. Infantino again, usually self-inking, which lent the series a nuance unseen in his work elsewhere; the Elongated Man stories were perfect little vignettes of mystery and ingenuity penned by the masterful Gardner Fox. And the banter between Ralph and Sue was spot-on and a vital element to the strip’s success. Most collectors I expect buy these issues for the Batman stories — I have them in my personal collection for the Elongated Man. Ralph lasted until #383, after which he was replaced in the back-up slot by Batgirl, but that’s a story for another update; here we are concerned with the Elongated Man years. In #331, Bats & EM joined forces in a ‘triple treat thriller’.   
PICTURED: DETECTIVE COMICS #331 FN+ £21.25 SOLD

*Marvel: It’s been a little while since we’ve had these most coveted issues of the Silver Surfer (1st series 1968) through our hands. And while you won’t find the grades and conditions of these copies exciting, you should like the prices… Following his debut in Fantastic Four #48, Norrin Radd, Herald of Galactus, gained popularity as a recurring guest star, and his status was confirmed when Marvel launched the Silver Surfer’s own series in the double-sized format in 1968. This premier issue featured, for the first time, John Buscema’s illustrations on the Surfer, a body of work generally acknowledged to be among his finest, and presented also for the first time a 38 page account of the Surfer’s origins, plus (in the back) a 13 page tale of the Watcher, detailing the reasons behind the Watcher’s oath of non-interference. Issue #4, with its iconic cover featured the Surfer encountering Thor, Loki and co in an adventure in Asgard; the Asgardians have never looked better. The first run of the Surfer’s solo series has achieved cult status, with the early double-sized issues in particular being keenly sought out. #1 sadly suffers from a faded cover and a front spine split half way along from the bottom; remarkably it still retains some cover gloss! The page quality is quite decent and it’s also a cents copy. #4, a pence stamped copy, has vibrant cover colour with some gloss and good off-white pages; the spine is split about 3/4 of its length from the bottom, where a narrow piece of tape has been used which is no longer functioning; some edge wear and creasing, but the cover image is largely unmarred. So, non-beautiful copies of beautiful comics but great gap-fillers if you’re on a budget.
PICTURED: SILVER SURFER BOTH SOLD
#1 FA £110
#4 FA/GD p £115  

*Marvel: There were few more significant debuts, in the latter days of the 20th Century, than everyone’s favourite brain-eating symbiote Venom. The joint first appearances of the black costume that would become Venom happened in ‘real time’ in Amazing Spider-Man #252, Marvel Team-Up #141 and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #90, all released the same month, with the latter two often overlooked by collectors. It’s the Spectacular Spider-Man #90 that concerns us here; ostensibly an issue starring the Black Cat, Spidey doesn’t appear until the last full page panel, but what an entrance, unveiling the black costume. A lovely high grade copy, with just very minor spine stress marks on the back cover. 
PICTURED: SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #90 VF/NM £40 SOLD

*Marvel: We continue our alphabetical additions to our Marvel stock with just one title beginning with ‘F’, but we’ve got a lot of it! Fantastic Four between #68 and #298, from Kirby to Byrne and all points in between. Over 100 issues added, with several new to our listings, and several others now available in a choice of grades. If you’re looking for FF within that huge span, chances are we’ve got it — check out our catalogue. 

*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: We celebrate the conclusion of our long-running ‘Date With Patsy’ event with a selection of Patsy & Hedy, which ran for 110 issues between 1952 and 1967. All things Patsy Walker have come through our hands this past year or two, and this long-running series showcased her friendly rivalry with Hedy Wolfe (all Betty & Veronica-like if you ask me). It’s fascinating to look through these and see how times, moods and fashions changed in the 15 years of the series duration, ending up as ‘Gals On The Go-Go’ in ‘Beach-Party Bombshells’. It’s been a delight sharing this corner of the Marvel Universe with you. Goodbye Patsy, until you cross our path again!   
PICTURED: PATSY & HEDY #108 VF £21

*Marvel/Memorabilia & Esoterica: What’s Old is our feature where we highlight stuff from our catalogue that you may have missed. On instruction from our consignment client, we’re now offering our one remaining piece of original comic art by long-serving Spidey artist Ross Andru at a reduced price, down from £1500. This is page 12 of Marvel-Team-Up #3 featuring the Human Torch and Peter Parker changing into Spider-Man. Ross Andru was THE prominent Spider-Man artist of the 1970s, drawing many famous issues including the deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin, the debut of the Punisher and the whole clone saga, among many others. This represents a very rare opportunity to grab a piece of original art from the most popular comic character of them all, seldom if ever offered for sale from a UK dealer. High resolution images are available on request. 
PICTURED: MARVEL TEAM-UP #3 PAGE 12 £1,250