British Update: Free Gift Farrago – By Thunder! Sought-After Short Run Series, including Early Issues With Gifts
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: It was common practise in UK comics for decades to create intentionally short-run ‘Feeder’ titles, with the express purpose of providing ‘new blood’ to refresh longer-running titles. One such was Thunder, which launched in 1970. Thunder developed several popular features, including time-stopping musician ‘Phil the Fluter’ (don’t ask), WWII robot ‘The Steel Commando’, junior Doctor Doolittle ‘Fury’s Family’, crime-fighting whiz-kids ‘The Jet Skaters’, and lovable mad scientist ‘Black Max’. Star of the show, however, was ‘Adam Eterno’, cursed to wander the Earth forever until killed by a weapon of gold – unfortunately for our hero, whenever he looked like being able to end his interminable existence, Circumstances Intervened. Despite a strong line-up, Thunder folded after 22 issues, and all of the above strips leapt into Lion, with, appropriately, Adam Eterno dodging death again when Lion was absorbed by Valiant! We have roughly half of Thunder’s run back in stock this week, including the final issue and the first three, each with the original Free Gift; issue #1 is frankly Poor, with a substantial corner missing from the front cover, but the gift of a ‘Jumping Kangaroo’ (Ozzie from ‘Fury’s Family’, no less) is FN, with only very slight glue discolouration due to age precluding a VF grade. Issue #2 is FN, with the gift of ‘Black Max’s Black Bat’ in VF. Issue #3 is VG with the ‘Little Peelers’ (15 mini-stickers) VF – not peeled, still on backing paper and in original envelope. #1 (17/10/70) PR with FG FN is £50; #2 FN (24/10/70) with FG VF £60 and #3 (31/10/70) VG with FG VF £50. Details on all the others in our online listing. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD