*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Launched in 1963 in the wake of the success of Victor, Hornet followed its elder brother’s formula of sport, war and adventure stories, with a lot of ‘true life’ tales of heroism, and had a respectable run up until early 1976, when it merged with its stablemate Hotspur. Popular strips include ageless athlete ‘Wilson’; sporting polymath ‘Bouncing’ Bernard Briggs’; and ‘The Swamp Rat’, a muscular tattooed number who ran around the jungle in a pair of cut-off shorts terrorising the invading Japanese with his mongoose. No, that’s not a euphemism. We have a clutch of Free Gift Hornets from 1968 to 1970, opening with #264, where the gift, a gummed sheet of photos of footballers, has become partly stuck to the interiors over the years. #314 features the ‘Hornet Book of Football Facts and Photos’, and both #354 and #355 each feature a sheet of full-colour photo-cards of world cup stars, fortunately not stuck anywhere. #373 has the nicest gift of all, the Hornet Pop-Pistol, still in its original packaging and said packaging still glued inside the comic as it originally was, which unfortunately has caused some distortion and damage to the comic’s pages, but the gift is immaculate. #264 is GD with gift GD- £10; the remainder are pictured: #314 FN with gift VF £15, #354 FN with gift VF £15, #355 GD with gift VF £12.50 and #373 FA with gift VF £20. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Humour Comics: Whoopee was a popular anarchic humour anthology from IPC/Fleetway, launched in 1974 and home to several famous and popular strips, including the ‘Bumpkin Billionaires’, ‘Evil Eye’, ‘Supermum’ and of course ‘Sweeny Toddler’. We have new Whoopee Holiday/Summer Specials in, from 1978 to 1983, plus the first solo special for Ken Reid’s famous creation, ‘Frankie Stein’! Depicted are Whoopee Holiday Special 1976 (VF £20), and the premier Whoopee Frankie Stein Summer Special from 1975 (VF £50).

*Girls’ Comics: Judy, home to Wee Slavey, Nannette of the North, Bobby Dazzler and a host of others, launched in 1960 following the success of its slightly older sister Bunty, and the pair dominated the UK comics scene for several years. The promotional giveaways attached to certain issues are seldom seen with comics of this vintage, so we’re lucky to have acquired several numbers ‘bearing gifts’, beginning with 1960’s #4, and the card promoting ‘Lovely Young Dancers of 1960’; try not to dwell on how they’re all dead or pensioners by now. Issue #211 from 1964 features the lovely ‘Forget-Me-Not’ Necklace, #315 from 1966 has a mysterious sealed envelope which contains something we’re pretty sure is the cover-touted ‘Golden Heart Pendant’, and 1968’s #418 presents the ‘Blue Lagoon’ necklace – Christopher Atkins and Brooke Shields not included. Slight variations in the grades of the comics are caused by the stress on the paper of having the sometimes bulky gifts inside for decades, so the defects are only due to pressure, not tears or staining. Issue #4 is FN with Free Gift VF at £75,#211 is VG with Free Gift VF £40, #315 is FN with Free Gift VF at £45 and #418 is VG with Free Gift VF at £40.

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 files in our American section:
*Marvel  D – L
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: Before John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and the multiplicity of later claimants to the GL mantle, the idea that anyone could challenge Hal Jordan’s supremacy as Green Lantern of Earth was a shocking concept. John Broome and Gil Kane explored that in 1968’s Green Lantern #59, showing what might have happened if an equally qualified candidate had taken the role instead of Hal Jordan. Originally a one-shot novelty akin to the Superman Family’s ‘Imaginary Tales’, GL #59 spiked in price after Steve Englehart brought back Guy as a recurring character almost two decades later. Eventually Guy joined both the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League and remains a fixture of the current DC Universe. This copy of his first appearance is a VG pence copy, sound and unmarred with excellent colour, light edge wear but unimpaired cover scene. There is a small ‘6’ in biro just over the pence distribution stamp, and a previous owner has stamped ‘Comic Room, 8 Han 1973’ on the upper back cover. Nevertheless, a clean, sound mid-grade copy of a ‘sleeper key’. VG p £90.

*DC: Superman #98 and #99 are in stock this week, in pretty beaten-up shape, but complete and readable, from the time before distribution in the UK. Issue #98, FA £28, has a glued & taped spine, light cover colour touches, and a previous owner’s name stamped on the lower splash margin; #99, also FA £28, has the cover off both staples, and considerable edge wear. However, all stories, including ‘Clark Kent Outlaw’, ‘Superman’s Secret Life’, and ‘The Incredible Feats of Lois Lane’ are ready for your enjoyment! SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Marvel: After a long hiatus in reprint limbo, the X-Men, with a new international line-up, made a spectacular return in Giant-Size X-Men #1, and #94 of the ongoing X-Men title marked the return to all-new stories. Scripter Len Wein handed over to Chris Claremont, and Dave Cockrum’s superb illustrations continued to impress. This issue is notoriously hard to find anywhere, being the first New X-Men in the previously reprint title, and its scarcity is compounded here in the Old Country by the fact that it wasn’t distributed in the UK at all (the distributors in their wisdom bringing in Tomb of Parsnips #47 or somesuch instead, because all of those ‘Yankee Horror Comics’ are alike, right?). Our latest copy of X-Men #94 is FN/VF, minimal wear at the cover edges and a few spine ticks, but deep vivid cover colour, on sale at £265.

*Marvel: Although Marvel’s Master of the Mystic Arts had premiered some issues earlier, it was Strange Tales #115 which explained how dissolute and egotistical surgeon Stephen Strange had sought help from mystical sources and been drawn on to the path of heroism following a life-altering accident. This, however, was a secret well-kept by Marvel, who were still plugging the Human Torch as a solo star at this point, and as such gave his match-up with Spidey foe the Sandman all the cover space, without even mentioning the Doctor was In! Nevertheless, this is the first telling of Strange’s origin, as greatly expanded upon in the widely-acclaimed cinematic blockbuster. This is a pence copy, graded GD-, essentially sound but with two faint Book Centre Stamps on the cover, plus tape at the upper spine and tape residue lower spine. On sale at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: The woman of the moment, Carol Danvers, the first Ms Marvel (and now Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) gets a turn in our What’s New spotlight this week, with most issues new in of her original 23 issue run. Several of these are in a choice of grades (high Near Mints down to cheap and cheerful Very Goods, so take your pick!

*Marvel: A nice update to our Incredible Hulk stocks this week between #108 and #345, plus annuals. Highlights include MacFarlane art in later issues, the first annual with classic Steranko cover and the first Her in Annual #6. Consult our catalogue for details.

*Marvel: Always a pleasure to welcome the Sub-Mariner back to our updates, a firm favourite here at 30th Century. This time we have issues between #14 (vs the Torch) and #50 (1st Namorita), along the way taking in the shocking death of Lady Dorma in #37, a Spider-Man appearance in #40 and a clash with Dr. Doom in #47-48. From Gene Colan to John Buscema to Marie Severin to Bill Everett — the Silver Age Subby was greatly enhanced by many great artists. 

*Marvel: We’ve added a high grade complete run of Marvel Feature 2nd series, issues #1-7 starring Red Sonja. #1 is VF+ £20; #7 is NM £23.25 (vs Conan). Details of the remainder, as always, in our catalogue; chain mail bikinis are optional.

*Horror 1940-1959: Our latest Pre-Code Horror Fest continues! A highly sought-after series is Star’s Ghostly Weird Stories, a peculiar hybrid title. Each issue features brand new and (rather spiffy) horror tales illustrated by cult artist Jay Disbrow, backed up, presumably in a cost-cutting exercise, by edited reprints, primarily of Fox material. Jo-Jo the Congo King, drawn either by Matt Baker or Jack Kamen imitating him, appears in all four newly-listed issues, and the aquatic superhero Torpedoman in one, but their series titles are removed and given generic horror names. Major selling point of the series, however, is the covers; L B Cole, artistic director of Star, illustrated 95% of the company’s covers, and his lurid, feverish style, almost hallucinogenic, was never on finer display than in these examples. These are mid to low grade copies, but given the very high prices for nicer, these are relatively affordable. Issue #120 is FA £65 (lower corner of most interior pages missing, stories unharmed), #121 is PR £45 (covers detached and separated), #123 VG- £185 and #124 GD- £95 (cover detached). SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: From the 1950s stable of the indefatigable Len Miller, re-packer of US comics, we have a selection of seven issues of Confidential Romances, which became Confidential Stories (we think – as with so many 1950s British titles, the timelines are a matter of conjecture.) Behind original – and generally rather unpromising – cover illustrations, five of these seven issues feature the works of the superb team of Dana Dutch and Matt Baker, writer & artist for St. John publishing, who gave us tales with come-on titles like ‘Road to Disgrace!’, ‘Menace to Marriage!’ and ‘I Hired A Gigolo!’. Issues newly stocked from #2 to #36, averaging VG condition. Illustrated: #18 FN £20 (3 Matt Baker stories), and #22 VG £15 (6 Matt Baker stories plus clumsily-traced Baker cover!).  SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: This monster update refreshes highly depleted stocks of 2000 AD’s earliest years. Running from #4 to #100, with only a handful of gaps, this selection encompasses the debuts of long-running series ‘Tharg’s Future-Shocks’ and ‘Robo-Hunter’, as well as the first amalgamated issue of 2000 AD and Star-Lord, in which ‘Ro-Busters’ and ‘Strontium Dog’ joined the lineup, for much lengthier careers than in their original home. The finest British comics talents on display – Ian Gibson, Dave Gibbons, Kevin O’Neill, and a Bonanza of Brian Bolland, including his work on the epic ‘Cursed Earth’ saga! Tharg says, “Spend Your Galactic Groats now, Earthlets!”

*TV & Film Related Comics: Launched in 1920, Film Fun, devoted to the then relatively new mass medium of the cinema, had a very respectable run until 1962, when it ‘tripped and fell’ into the upstart Buster. We have 30+ issues new in from the years 1951 to 1953, when Laurel & Hardy ruled the roost on the front cover (in that strange hybrid realm shared with the Dandy’s Desperate Dan, where they talked like Americans but paid in pounds, shillings and pence!), backed up by other big screen funsters such as George Formby, Old Mother Riley, Joe E. Brown and Abbott and Costello, plus a selection of (mostly Western) adventure strips loosely adapted from B-movies. Also a random issue from 1961, the series’ penultimate year, where Donald Duck and Goofy have joined the line-up!

*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: A whole slew (and I use the word advisedly) of Fritz Leiber first PB editions join our listings this time, in a mixture of UK and US editions spanning four decades. Leiber’s versatility is reflected in the range of books offered here, although he’s best known for swords and sorcery (thereby inspiring Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series) and horror. Leiber knew H P Lovecraft, and his ability to evoke an atmosphere of horror and threat in stories such as those about the Snakes & Spiders rivalled that of Lovecraft. This update includes four books from the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series: Return To Lankhmar,  Swords Against Death, Swords & Deviltry and The Swords Of Lankhmar, and three collections: Night’s Black Agents, Shadows With Eyes and The Best Of Fritz Leiber. We also have five novels consisting of the comedic (The Silver Eggheads), futuristic (Gather, Darkness! and The Green Millennium), horrific (Our Lady Of Darkness) and the seminal (The Big Time).

*DC: A Golden Age item in this week’s Slab Happy update! From 1941, Action Comics #35 featured one of the first ‘wartime’ cover images, with Superman taking on a slightly-disguised German gunman – at a time when America wasn’t even involved in World War II! Featuring, of course, the Man of Steel in the lead, this issue also has Pep Morgan, Mr. America, Clip Carson, the Three Aces, the Black Pirate and Zatara the Magician in its pages. This is a CGC blue label copy, low grade but no restoration. The CGC grade is 1.5 (Fair/Good equivalent), with the graders having noted a detached cover prior to slabbing. This rare wartime DC comic is on sale at £200. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: A 1975 successor to the long-running Showcase, First Issue Special arose out of an… unusual inspiration by then-publisher Carmine Infantino, who reflected “Well, first issues sell better. So why not a series of nothing but first issues?” And that’s what we got, a succession of one-offs spotlighting some of the more fringey ideas in mainstream comics, as well as attempted revivals of tried and true characters. This complete 13 issue series of FIS is in very high grades, averaging NM-. Notable contributors include Jack Kirby (Atlas in #1, Manhunter in #5, Dingbats of Danger Street in #6), Steve Ditko (Creeper, #7) and Walt Simonson (Dr. Fate, in the rather magnificent #9). Other interesting concepts – depending on your precise definition of ‘interesting’ – were Mikaal Thomas, the second version of Starman, in #12, better remembered from James Robinson’s multi-award-winning Starman revival; the Return of the New Gods in #13 and two issues beloved by kitsch aficionados everywhere, the Outsiders in #10 and Lady Cop in #4. For all of this experimentation, though, the only FIS feature to gain its own long-running series was Warlord by Mike Grell, which made its debut in #8 (VF/NM £40 pictured).

*Marvel: From 1968, a gamma-infused milestone, with the first issue of the Hulk’s own series, eccentrically numbered #102, as he assumed the numbering of Tales to Astonish, the split-book which had been his home for several years. This was Brucie’s big break, his comeback vehicle after his early 60s 6 issue flop, and the start of the long-running series most associated with him. Mirthful Marie Severin illustrated not only a recap of Bruce Banner’s irradiated origin, but also a new story thread with Jade Jaws frolicking with some of Thor’s Asgardian chums, including the Warriors Three! (Bonus points for the appearance of guest-villainess the Enchantress (obviously)). This copy of Bruce’s premier ish is a CGC Blue Label copy, no restoration, graded by them at 8.5 (VF+ equivalent), and on sale at £270. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Issue #49 of the X-Men’s series saw the introduction of a young lady who at first appeared to be a minor league damsel in distress and potential love interest for the recently dumped Iceman. But she turned out to be a great deal more, as Lorna Dane was a fellow mutant who was shockingly revealed to be none other than the daughter of the X-Men’s arch-nemesis, Magneto! (And then for a while she wasn’t; but I think they’ve retconned the retcons and she is again. At least this week.) Whatever her parentage, it wasn’t long before Lorna realised her true powers, eventually stepping up to join the X-Men, X-Factor, and occasional other teams without an X in them, to become a major figure in the Marvel Universe. This copy of Lorna’s first appearance (with an eye-catching Jim Steranko cover) is a clean and bright Fine at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: After his successful run in Marvel Premiere, Iron Fist graduated to his own solo series, by (mostly) the acclaimed team of Claremont and Byrne, then tearing up the sales charts with an obscure little title called the X-Men. Well-crafted, popular with fans, and critically well-received, sadly Iron Fist’s title still failed to attract a mass audience, and was cancelled with issue #15, which featured a sales-boosting X-Men X-over that unfortunately didn’t come in time to save the series. This title has increased in value lately, in the wake of the Iron Fist TV show (and its associated Defenders spin-off, cancelled on Netflix but rumoured to be returning on Marvel’s own network). We have issues #2 through to #13, and two copies of #15, new in stock, cents copies with no pence price or overstamp, averaging VF grade, with several significantly higher. Illustrated are #9 NM/M £50, #10 NM £65 and #15 VF+ £50; for details on the others, please check our catalogue listings.

*Marvel: A big boost this week to our stocks of the Man Without Fear in the above number range. Highlights include lots of issues co-starring the Black Widow, inc. #88 with the Purple Man and details of Natasha’s origin, #105 with the origin of Moondragon, issues #108-111, uncommon in the UK, issues #132 & #141 with early Bullseye appearances and the Ghost Rider crossover in #138 with art by John Byrne, plus lots more, as detailed in our catalogue. 

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Our Atomic Sci-Fi event continues! 1952’s Crusader From Mars had a bit of an off-beat premise; we first meet our heroes when they’re on trial for murder (and accessory to same) as two sides of a love triangle, Tarka having apparently killed the fiancée of the lovely Zira in a crime of passion! Rather than accept the Martian tribunal’s verdict, Tarka (without consulting Zira, I might add) proposes that he and Zira, as punishment, be exiled to the primitive and vicious planet Earth, to bring reason to it with their super-scientific knowhow. You’ve got to admit, as premises go, it was a good ‘un, and we follow our heroes as they strive to enlighten the primitives of Earth, with somewhat hit & miss success. Only running for two issues, Crusader From Mars sports beautifully painted covers reminiscent of Ziff-Davis’ pulp heritage. Issue one of this pulp SF classic is GD/VG £80, with a slightly faded cover and a detached top staple bringing the grade down of a basically sound copy. Issue #2 is a lovely VG/FN at £135. Buy them both – you’ve collected the set!

*Alan Class Reprints: Five more plate sets from the Alan Class Private Collection, each one reprinting a story from the Silver Age of Marvel’s super-heroes – in most cases, as previously remarked, the first reprinting of these classic tales, very shortly after their first release! All five feature, in addition to publisher Alan Class’s file copies of the comics, the four lead printing plate sets originally used in production, plus a hand-signed Certificate of authenticity from Alan Class himself. All sets are supplied in a plastic presentation/display case.

We open with a double-feature: Creepy Worlds #67 & #133, both of which reprint Avengers #6, the first appearance of Baron Zemo and His Masters of Evil; the pre-decimal #67 is GD/VG, while the post-decimal #133, with identical content, is FA. Comics and plate set on sale at £35.

Creepy Worlds #69/132 reprints Spider-Man #13, the debut of Mysterio. Unfortunately, we only have a post-decimal copy of #132 in GD, but a cover proof of #69 in FN is included. Comic, proof and plate set on sale for £35.

Secrets of the Unknown #38 re-presents the second-ever Thor (and the first Jane Foster, soon to be Thor on the big screen!) from Journey Into Mystery #84! This is FA/GD, and the comic and plate set are £45.

Sinister Tales #35 is VG, featuring Ant-Man and the Wasp from Tales to Astonish #45, (second Wasp appearance) battling ‘The Return Of Egghead!’. This VG pre-decimal comic and plate set are on sale for £30.

And Sinister Tales #84, though not sporting a Marvel cover, reprints one of the most significant Marvel stories: inside, the very first tale of Iron Man, Tony Stark, from Tales of Suspense #39. This re-presentation of a pivotal origin tale is FA/GD, and together with the plate set will cost you £35.

More from the Marvelous Alan Class collection very soon!