*Memorabilia & Esoterica: Something very out of the ordinary this update with three pieces of vintage merchandise: 1 DC Calendar from 1977 and 2 Marvel Calendars from 1976 & 1980. The Super DC Calendar from 1977 features all-new artwork from a roster of DC’s artistic super-stars – Neal Adams, Curt Swan, Joe Kubert, Wally Wood, Kurt Schaffenberger and more, with pages devoted to Wonder Woman, the Justice Society, the Justice League, Superman, Batman and all the others you’d expect. Highlight for Legion of Super-Heroes completists will be the centre double-page illustration of a Legion Vs. Fatal Five showdown! In VG/FN grade at £20. From 1976, the Mighty Marvel Bicentennial Calendar features Marvel’s most famous characters in a plethora of patriotic situations; all the Marvel ‘big names’ are here, so fans of the Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, FF, Avengers and – of course – Captain America will be well satisfied, but there’s also pages devoted to some outer fringes of the Marvel Universe, such as the cosmic heroes (Warlock, Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel), Marvel Monsters (Dracula, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing), the Invaders, and the Black Panther. All-new illustrations by Brunner, Starlin, Kane, Romita, Buscema and more. VG/FN at £20. From 1980, the Marvel Calendar features the Occult World of Doctor Strange, with each month featuring the Master of the Mystic Arts – though some of his most famous team-ups, like Spider-Man and the Defenders, also get a look-in! Tom Sutton, Gene Colan, Ernie Colon, John Byrne, George Perez, Mike Zeck and more re-create famous moments from Strange’s history in all-new pin-ups. This is slightly lesser condition than the others at VG, (the first two months have small tape reinforcements where the calendar’s been hung up), but it’s also less common than the others, so we’re asking £17.50.
Category Archives: What’s New
British Update: Marvellous Alan Class Plate Sets: Spider-Man, FF, Surfer and more
*Alan Class Reprints: At long last some freshly excavated Printing Plate sets now available! Although all of the Alan Class line of reprint comics are increasingly collectible, thanks to their eclectic mix of Superheroics, supernatural thrillers, war, western and miscellany, among the most highly prized are those reprinting tales of the Marvel Universe – often the first reprinting after the original publication! We have seven sets of such issues this update, from the publisher’s private archive, comprising the comic itself, the four lead printing plates used for the full-colour covers, Certificates of Authenticity signed by Alan Class, and occasional ‘bonus features’. Marvel stars include Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD by Steranko. Astounding Stories #66, Secrets of the Unknown #67/134 (pre- and post-decimal editions), #103, #122, #123, & #124 and Sinister Tales #55. Prices range from £50 to £75 per set. See our online catalogue for more details!
British Update: Mighty World of Marvel Series 2 – with Moore/Davis Captain Britain
*Marvel UK: After a critically popular run in Marvel Super-Heroes, the groundbreaking Alan Moore/Alan Davis iteration of Captain Britain moved to the second series of Mighty World of Marvel, a magazine rather than its weekly antecedent. The invention continued to come thick and fast, as Captain Britain company faced off against reality-altering threats. Towards the end of CB’s run, Moore drifted away, and the remaining episodes were scripted by artist Davis in conjunction with Mike Collins, but the quality of the narrative remained undiminished. We have several issues from this acclaimed and sought-after series in the middle of a new batch of MWoM II from #2 to #17. Not all issues featured the Captain – he came and moved on during the title’s run – but all issues featuring his strip are ‘tagged’ in our new listing.
British Update: Long Hot Summer – A Trinity of Gerry Anderson Specials from 1965 – TV Century 21, Stingray and International Extra
*TV & Film Related Comics: Perhaps the most keenly sought issues of Gerry Anderson’s craetions represnted in comics are the various TV Century 21 Summer Specials and Extras: 48 pages of adventure and action in a not-too distant future, and we’re lucky enough to have three of them back in stock. 1965’s TV Century 21 Stingray Special starred the eponymous heroes of W.A.S.P., based in Marineville, illustrated by Ron Embleton, backed up by Marina, Girl of the Sea (drawn by Rab Hamilton) and Oink the Seal. This is a very nice copy, light horizontal fold marks esp. at left cover edge, but clean and tight, no interior markings. VG at £100. 1965’s TV Century 21 Summer Extra featured Lady Penelope, Stingray and Fireball XL5 among others, with contributing artists Frank Hampson and Ron Embleton. This is a GD copy, moderate spine and edge wear but no interior markings – puzzle pages are often done in copies of this – on sale at £80. And 1965’s TV Century 21 International Extra is another Stingray-heavy issue (Stingray was a hit on US TV at the time) but also featured Fireball XL5, Lady Penelope, Supercar and a behind-the-scenes photo feature on the making of the Stingray TV show. Contributing artists include Ron Turner. This unusually nice VG copy with only light wear at spine and edges, unmarred cover image, is on sale for £120.
British Update: Lots More Look-In – Years 1977 to 1979
*TV & Film Related Comics: Our Look-In recharge continues, with the years 1977 to 1979 substantially restocked – not every issue, but the majority, with several duplicated copies giving a choice of grades and prices for the same issues. This is generally regarded as the height of Look-Ins comic strip content, with artists of the calibre of John M. Burns, Martin Asbury, John Bolton and more turning out top-notch TV adaptations on a weekly basis. Another attractive feature of Look-In is that by this time it had ditched the photo-covers for striking painted portraits of TV and pop stars. This selection features the debuts of the strip adaptations of ‘Battlestar Galactica’, ‘ChiPS’, ‘Sapphire and Steel’, ‘Charlie’s Angels’, ‘Worzel Gummidge’, ‘Dick Turpin’, and the combo strip ‘Bionic Action’, among others. Approximately 120 issues new in, grades ranging from GD to VF, but averaging attractive VG/FN.
British Update: First Quenchers with Free Gift Farrago! A miscellany of TV & Film Related #1 issues from the 1980s and 1990s; many with Gifts
*TV & Film Related Comics: It seemed like the market was being flooded with new TV & Film Related titles in the 1980s and 1990s, and we’ve got a whole caboodle of them for you this week! Titles include (all #1 issues): Captain Scarlet, Cartoon Time Presents Scooby Doo, Casper (with Free Gift), James Bond Jr, Joe 90, Popeye, Real Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Star Trek The Next Generation (1990 with Free Gift & 1992), Stingray (with Free Gift), Thunderbirds Are Go (with Free Gift) & Visionaries (with Free Gift).
What’s Old: Slab Happy! Sub-Mariner #1 concludes our Marvel 1968 rundown
We conclude our look at Marvel in the year 1968 (for the time being), with a goodie from our vaults! One of our favourite Marvel anti-heroes here at 30th Century is the Sub-Mariner, aka Prince Namor the First, Monarch of Atlantis, whose heroism is outstripped only by his arrogance and his eye for the laydees! Following the breakage of the distribution embargo in ’68, Namor, who had been rooming with the Hulk in Tales to Astonish, got his own solo series for the first time since 1955, and the grandeur and pageantry of his undersea adventures was aptly depicted by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, who also threw in a few hitherto unrevealed titbits about Namor’s ancestry. This copy is a CGC Blue Label, indicating no restoration, graded at 8.5, a VF+ equivalent, on sale at £225.
Housekeeping Update
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:
*Horror 1940-1959
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980’s
*Romance
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
Clearance Corner: 66 issues of Boys’ World in 2 bound volumes for £66
*Clearance Corner: We generally don’t keep bound volumes of comics in stock, since they have proven less popular with our customers, but here’s one set that’s particularly appealing. From the IPC Magazines Central Reference Library, two bound volumes of Boys’ World, the companion comic to Eagle, with which it eventually merged. Home to ‘Iron Man’ (not the Marvel one), ‘Billy Binns’, ‘Merlo the Magician’, ‘Angry Planet’, and the superbly-illustrated mythological adventure ‘Wrath of the Gods’, this well-remembered series featured the high standard of both script and art expected of an Odhams publication. These two bound volumes run from Vol 1 #24 (6th July 1963), through to the final issue, Vol 2 #40 (3rd October 1964). The plain cloth bindings show moderate wear, but the comics inside (66 individual issues), allowing for the trimming and binding process, average Fine, though one issue has had a small piece removed which does not significantly impact the stories. Both volumes are available for £66 the pair – £1 per issue, as opposed to our usual price of £4.50 each per individual issue in Good grade. UK postage, if required, would be an additional £14. SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD
Last Call for Clearance Corner: Viz – 40 issues for £25
As you may realise, the purpose of our Clearance Corner lots is to clear space in our shop by discontinuing titles we’re no longer carrying to make way for new and incoming stuff. As such, they will only be offered for a short time. This Clearance Corner lot, listed on 27th April, has not been snapped up and is nearing the end of its time with us. If not purchased by the weekend, we will have to dispose of it. Here are the details from our original listing:
‘This week’s bargain lot features Viz, the ‘adult comic’ that shamelessly exploits classic tropes of traditional humour weeklies with a scatological twist. Home of ‘Johnny Fartpants’, ‘The Fat Slags’, ‘The Pathetic Sharks’, ‘Millie Tant’, ‘Sid the Sexist’ and a personal fave here at 30th Century, ‘Meddlesome Ratbag’. This infamous parody mag was once the best-selling magazine in the UK, and is still going strong today every other month, but we feel it sits ill with our more conventional funnies, so we’re waving bye-bye to this torrent of toilet humour. Forty issues: 19, 21-25, 27, 34-49, 51-55, 58, 59, 61, 62, 67, 70, 71, 90, 91, 93, 97 and 98, averaging FN, originally on sale for a cumulative price of £142.50, now yours for £25! UK Postage (3.7 kg parcel) if required will be a further £14 for hours of sweary fun!’ SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: A classic! Flash Of Two Worlds: Flash #123
*DC: At a time when the Flash is more in the public eye than he has been in decades, we’re very pleased to have back in stock one of his most significant issues. When Barry Allen took over the mantle of the Flash, he acknowledged the original, Jay Garrick, as his inspiration – but only by the medium of comic books he’d read in childhood! It wasn’t until Flash #123, when Barry’s heroic career was well established, that he, and the readers, discovered Jay Garrick wasn’t mere fiction, but was the hero of a parallel world, along with his comrades in the Justice Society of America! This was the first historic meeting between the two Scarlet Speedsters, and opened the interdimensional door to the entire Earth-2 legend, with the Justice Society of America and in due course their heirs and imitators, brought to new generations of readers! Writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino were at their respective peaks, and this is one of the most sought-after DC landmarks of the Silver Age. This copy is a UK-stamped pence priced version, a clean, tight VG- with minimal edge and corner wear, supple interiors. The only significant flaw is a light fold (not a subscription crease, we believe) which does break the colour on the ‘A’ of the logo. Nevertheless, a highly desirable copy at £275. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Beast Boy Begins! Debut of Gar Logan in Doom Patrol #99
*DC: The Doom Patrol is one of the under-regarded classics of the Silver Age, but its breakout character, peculiarly, didn’t make his debut until the series was well established. In Doom Patrol #99, the team met Beast Boy, an orphan with the uncanny ability to change into any creature, under the control of his evil guardian. This launched two long-running plot-threads, as the DP fought beside, and sometimes against Beast Boy, while Elasti-Girl and Mento sougt to free him from his guardian’s influence and become his new family! Beast Boy (occasionally known as Changeling) has been a major player in the Doom Patrol, the New Teen Titans, the Teen Titans Go! cartoon and will soon be a featured character in the Teen Titans live-action TV show, so now is the time to lay hands on his premier appearance! A highly attractive VG+ pence copy, minimal edge and corner wear, available for £100.
American Update: Hawkman – the First Ten Issues! (Minus #4)…
*DC: DC having recently announced the return of Hawkman in the modern DCU, we seize the opportunity to remind you of when Hawkman was actually good, with the first ten issues (minus #4, the previously-listed Zatanna debut) of his 1960s series, following his tryouts in Brave & Bold. By Gardner Fox, illustrated by Murphy Anderson, this version of the classic character ditched the 1940s reincarnation angle for science fiction. Katar and Shayera Hol, man-and-wife police officers from the planet Thanagar, came to Earth to use weapons of the past and science of the future against the crimes of today. Shadow thieves, random sky-gods, flying gorillas and a miscellany of menaces pit their wits and weapons against our daring duo, in tales that were exciting, inventive and playful! Issue #1 (pictured) is GD p £40; grades and prices of the others may be seen in our online catalogue, but they do carry 30th Century’s Seal of Approval.
American Update: X-Men #94 – Return of the Mutants
*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…). This copy is a GD-, with a not-quite vertical crease breaking the cover colour, an approximately 3″ diagonal crease at the cover’s right corner, and other minor corner and spine wear. There is also a tear of approximately 1″ in the upper left back cover. However, the interiors are utterly unmarred, and this is a relatively affordable opportunity to obtain a non-distributed and significant item. GD-, cents copy (obviously), £70. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: ‘Among Us Hide…The Inhumans!’ Fantastic Four #45 & #46 with Inhumans & Black Bolt Debuts
*Marvel: 1965’s Fantastic Four #45 saw the culmination of a long-running subplot – and the introduction of a whole new family of supporting super-stars. Since #36, the mysterious Madame Medusa had been a thorn in the side of the FF, and latterly, from #44, she had been pursued by the equally mysterious Gorgon. Now, the pair’s true origin, and their royal heritage, was revealed, as the monarchs of the Inhumans made their debut in these two issues. Black Bolt, Crystal, Triton, Karnak and Lockjaw rounded out the Royal Family tree, and became long-running allies of the Fantastic Four. New copies of both #45 and #46 in this week. #45 is VG+ p, with deep unmarred cover colour flexible cream interiors and very minor corner & edge wear, at £135. #46 (the first full Black Bolt, having teased us with a cameo in the preceding issue) is a similarly attractive VG+ p at £70. Neither has any significant marks or defects, but just minor wear concomitant with age.
American Update: Spider-Mania continues: ‘Face It, Tiger, You Just Hit the Jackpot!’ and much more
*Marvel: A Spider-Stonker this week, with around sixty new entries in the Amazing Spider-Man section, commencing with #42, the first ‘Full MJ’, (Mary Jane Watson had cameoed in a few preceding issues, but her face was artfully concealed; this was the famous issue in which Peter Parker realised he’d hit the jackpot…), and encompassing most issues through to #97, plus Annuals #3 to #7, taking in along the way the first appearances of friends, foes and frenemies the Prowler, Silvermane, the Schemer, the Shocker and the ever-kuddly Kangaroo, as well as famous clashes with the Avengers, Quicksilver, Madame Medusa, the Black Widow and of course Spidey’s classic Rogues: Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, the Vulture and so on. Mostly in attractive mid to high grades, these stories by Stan Lee and (mostly) John Romita will enhance every Spider-Phile’s collection! #42, pictured, is VG/FN at £50, a stunning cover with superb deep unfaded colour and gloss; for grades and prices on the rest – well, you should know where to look by now, True Believer! SORRY, SPIDEY #42 NOW SOLD
American Update: Marvel 1968: ‘Out of the Holocaust… A Hero!’; Captain Marvel’s #1 issue
*Marvel: Following his tryouts in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 & #13, Mar-Vell, the Kree warrior sent to conquer Earth from within, got his own series in Marvel’s 1968 expansion year, chock-a-block with intrigue as his superior officers schemed to overcome the planet, and Captain Marvel played a double game. Overtly a good soldier complying with his superior officers, he secretly strove to thwart their agenda, as he came to sympathise more with Earthlings, primarily in the form of Carol Danvers, the security agent who would, decades down the line, take over the role of Captain Marvel herself. This copy of Captain Marvel #1 is a FN p copy, beautiful unmarred purple cover background, high gloss, only a tiny ‘bump’ on the lower left corner bringing its overall grade slightly down. On sale at £40. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Huge Silver/Bronze Marvel sweep: A-F
*Marvel: Time to top up our Marvel boxes in earnest, since you’ve been buying so much they’re getting increasingly floppy! Marvel titles added this time include Atonishing Tales (Ka-Zar, IT & Deathlok), Avengers (between #25 & #165 plus Annuals #1-3), Daredevil (from #2), Dr. Strange (1st series) & Fantastic Four (dozens of issues between #57 & #288 plus Giant-Size #2). Make Yours Marvel!
American Update: Binky, My Little Margie, Winnie Winkle and the Farmer’s Daughter
*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: No, it’s not the opening line to a risqué story, but the latest parade of the changing role of the teenager in popular fiction. We open with The Farmer’s Daughter from Stanhall, a 1954 publication relying on knowledge of the stock figure from endless filthy jokes; this ‘bigfoot’ comedy #1 is a somewhat bowdlerised version. Groovy, from 1968, was Marvel’s short-lived attempt to muscle in on the gag-mag market, with a festoon of one-panel jokes or short strips. DC’s long-running Archie-alike Binky (Leave It To…) has additions from the very end of its run and My Little Margie, Charlton’s adaptation of a once-popular, now-forgotten TV show, has new listings for the parent title plus the first issue of spin-off My Little Margie’s Boyfriends. We close with the first issue of Winnie Winkle from Dell. Originally subtitled ‘The Breadwinner’, this 1948 issue collects the popular newspaper strip about a young woman earning her own living, but by this time it had reverted to standard romantic comedy tropes. A mixed bag of adolescence from four decades.
British Update: Mystic, Spellbound, Voodoo and Zombie! Miller’s ‘Big Horror Four’ thoroughly restocked inc. early Marvel reprints
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Among the multitude of 1950s UK publishers who made a career of repackaging US material during those non-distributed days, one of the most prominent was Len Miller, whose enterprise produced myriad faux-US format titles, reprinting American strips and sometimes (most famously with Marvelman) creating entirely new stories for the comics-starved UK market. His big four titles, however, were the horror/sci-fi anthologies Mystic, Spellbound, Voodoo and Zombie, with a heady and seemingly random selection of Pre-Code horror, Marvel ‘Big Panty Monster’ tales, crime stories, and surprisingly frequently, early reprints from Marvel Comics, before Mr. Miller’s demise in the early 1960s left the Marvel licence to be taken up by Alan Class. We have a large number of Mystic and Spellbound newly stocked, ranging from #13 to #66 of Mystic and Spellbound from #7 to #64, plus a smaller selection of Voodoo and Zombie. Several of these feature early Marvel super-hero stories including Dr. Strange, the Human Torch, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor and Ant-Man, and there are occasional other surprises: the 1950s revivals of Captain America, the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner from Young Men #24, and an entire issue of Quality’s Blackhawk (in which our team of international aviators take on the Black Widow!) Another talking point is the reprinting of ‘Stretching Things’, the first published story by a young promising talent named Steve Ditko. Illustrated are Mystic #45 FN £25 and #48 FN £25; Spellbound #43 GD £15 and #45 FN £25; Voodoo #9 FN £15 and Zombie #9 £20; full range of issues available, with grades and prices, is shown in our website catalogue. .
British Update: First Quenchers with Free Gift Farrago – Thrill-Power Begins! 2000 AD #1 with Free Gift Space Spinner
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: At the beginning of 1977, around about the onset of punk music, a comic was launched that captured the zeitgeist of the times, darker, more anarchic and anti-establishment than anything that had come before it in the British comics world. The first issue dated 26th February 1977 launched the careers of long-running series ‘Flesh’, ‘MACH 1’, ‘Invasion’, ‘Harlem Heroes’ and a revised version of the classic Eagle hero ‘Dan Dare’. This copy is VG, a tight, flat copy with good staples and off-white pages; just faint discolouration in one small location where the free gift was originally taped into the cover. The free gift – Space Spinner – is also present, in FN condition, clean and unmarked. The debut issue of the series which redefined British comics complete with Free Gift is on sale at £275.
British Update: Look Out For Look-In! Massive update to our stocks from 1971 (first year) to 1977
*TV & Film Related Comics: A plethora of new issues of Look-In, the ‘Junior TV Times’ best remembered now for its comic strip adaptations of TV series of the day, frequently drawn by the cream of British comic artists. Examples include Mike Noble on ‘Timeslip’ and ‘Follyfoot’, John M. Burns on ‘Tomorrow People’, John Bolton on ‘Bionic Woman’, and many more. This 150+ issue update includes many from 1971, the first year of publication, a dash of 1972, and substantial portions of 1973, 1974 and 1976 (years either minimally or non-represented before), and plenty of gaps filled in our 1977 listings. Two free gift issues from 1971 are included, as well as a scattering of Christmas issues!
British Update: Free Gift Farrago! 1st Whizzer & Chips/Knockout Merger with Free Gift
*Humour Comics: In 1973, the then-indefatigable Whizzer & Chips gobbled up another of its fallen brethren, Knockout Mk II, in the ‘hatch, match & despatch’ stratagem beloved of UK comics. This issue, though, in addition to the traditional transfer of the fallen weekly’s most popular series to their new home, featured a selection of two free gifts, one inspired by each ‘half’ of Whizzer & Chips. This copy of the merger issue, dated 30th June 1973, offers ‘Shiner’s Holiday Humour’; folks seeking the alternate gift, ‘Sid’s School Smiles’ will sadly have to wait a while yet. Comic in VG and Free Gift in FN on sale for £20. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
British Update: Long Hot Summer – June & School Friend Summer Special 1980
*Girls’ Comics: June, the grand old dame of Fleetway/IPC’s girls’ line, hung up her hockey sticks in 1974, but in the British Tradition, both Annuals and Summer Specials continued to be issued for years after the weekly’s demise. 1980, however, saw the very last June and School Friend Summer Special, and that issue is newly arrived in our inventory. Oddly, it’s got few of the series associated with June weekly – Bessie Bunter and Lucky’s Living Doll show their faces, but the rest of the comics content is stand-alone mystery and adventure stories. Nevertheless, this last J & SF Special is also the rarest, so this attractive VG copy, with moderate spine wear, is on sale at £40. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
Housekeeping Update
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 British section:
*Girls’ Comics
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.
What’s Old: Detective Comics #225, 1st Martian Manhunter
Our spotlight on previously listed stock this week falls on the 225th issue of the comic that gave DC its name, which featured the debut of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Opinions differ on which comic started the Silver Age; many consider that Showcase #4 with the debut of the Barry Allen Flash was the first Silver Age comic, but Detective Comics #225 from November 1955 preceded that by almost a year and featured a brand new super-hero rather than a re-invented one, so you pays yer money and you takes yer choice. Anyway, our issue of Detective #225 is a bright attractive copy, with nice page quality, graded at FN-; the defects comprise a small back cover tear (about 1″), minor spine wear and a very minor crease at the bottom right corner of the cover. Given the Martian Manhunter’s prominence in the DC Media Universe – currently a major player in the hit Supergirl TV series – recorded sales on this issue are spiralling, but we’re holding firm at the price we originally listed it at of £2,500, offering a solid investment opportunity. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
Clearance Corner: 130 issues of My Guy for £25!
*Clearance Corner: A huge bargain bundle this week as we clear our shelves of our stock of My Guy from 1992-1995. 130 issues on offer in one big box ranging from #731-873 (with a few gaps). By the 1990s My Guy, the glossy pop comic weekly, had forgone its comics strip content for photo-love stories so popular at the time, together with pop photos, gossip and everything essential to its teenage girl target audience. So, if this sounds like your sort of thing, make the most of this one-off opportunity for a huge wodge of pop hunkdom and get your order in quick for this rock bottom priced bargain. 130 issues for just £25. UK postage (Parcelforce 48 small parcel at 9 kg) would be an extra £17.50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
Last Call for Clearance Corner: First Kingdom: 22 issues for £12
*As you may realise, the purpose of our Clearance Corner lots are to clear space in our shop by discontinuing titles we’re no longer carrying to make way for new and incoming stuff. As such, they will only be offered for a short time. This Clearance Corner lot, listed on 20th April, has not been snapped up and is nearing the end of its time with us. If not purchased by the weekend, we will have to dispose of it. Here are the details from our original listing:
“Artist and writer Jack Katz, despite a career dating back to the 1940s, felt unfulfilled by the art form to which he had devoted his professional life, and in 1974, he took inspiration from the underground commix movement, and the move towards black & white magazine comics by publishers such as Warren and Skywald, to create his own graphic opus, the First Kingdom, in which he saw the potential to create his own story without editorial interference. The First Kingdom is a 24-issue, 768-page series which took Katz twelve years to complete, from 1974 to 1986. The twice-yearly publication and adult content meant that First Kingdom never found broad commercial success, but this story of a post-nuclear civilization rebuilding itself with help from gods and aliens, inhabited by a plethora of characters, is generally regarded as a forerunner of today’s independent comics movement. We have 22 of the 24-issue run, in VF average condition (some second printings) lacking only issues 14 and 21 for the complete set. Average retail was £3-£4 per issue, 22 issues now available for £12. Weight 1.5 kg. UK postage, if required, will be an additional £3.50 as a small parcel.” SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Batmania finale – Harley Quinn Early Appearances – Mad Love & More
*DC: We conclude our current short Batmania event with three sought-after appearances of Harley Quinn, the Joker’s former lover who became the breakout DC character of the late 20th Century! We open with 1994’s Batman Adventures: Mad Love, the Paul Dini/Bruce Timm one-off which was Harley’s second comic-book appearance, following her debut in Batman Adventures #12. Mad Love was a huge hit, defining the Harley/Joker relationship, and consolidating her stardom. In 1997, another one-shot, Batman & Superman Adventures: World’s Finest, by Dini and Staton, combined the two popular DC TV Animated franchises, as Supes & Bats joined forces against the Joker and Lex Luthor, with both villains’ henchwomen (Mercy Graves and Harley Quinn) in close attendance. Finally, Batman ’66, the recent series inspired by the classic Batman TV show, scored a triumph when its 25th issue introduced a retro version of Dr. Harleen Quinzel as the Harlequin! Batman Adventures: Mad Love is NM p (1st printing) at £75; Batman & Superman Adventures: Worlds’ Finest is VF £12 and Batman ’66 #25 is VF £20. SORRY, MAD LOVE HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: A Torrent of DC Tabloids! Batman, Superman, and the Legion of Super-Heroes
*DC: In the 1970s, both major companies experimented with tabloid formats, and DC’s was the Limited Collectors’ Edition, selected reprints in oversized format, which proved popular enough to spread to subsidiary series – Famous First Editions (reprinting historic issues in full), All-New Collector’s Edition (with, as the name implies, non-reprint stories of major characters). We have selections from all these gargantuan behemoths new in. Their unusual dimensions meant that they were not well-distributed by newsvendors in the States, nor have they generally fared well in long-term storage. Added to that the fact that they barely saw any distribution in the UK at all, and their rarity will be appreciated. We have one Famous First Edition new in, C-61, reprinting Superman #1 from 1938, FN p £10. From the main Limited Collectors’ Edition series, we have C-31 GD £5, reprinting a selection of vintage Superman stories, GD £5; C-37, a Batman All-Villain Special, (pictured) with an all-star roster – Catwoman, Joker, Two-Face and the Penguin; this is a beautiful VF at £25; C-47, Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, is FN/VF £10 and the star of the update is one of thee most sought-after issues – and by a long way the most contentious – All-New Collectors’ Edition C-55, starring Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, at that time one of DC’s strongest-selling series. Featuring the wedding of two founding Legionnaires, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, this was completely undistributed in the UK and not commonplace in the US, with the result that rabid completist Legion fans (yes, like us!) had to have it, and sought it out regardless of expense or effort, despite the fact that, frankly, the expanded page size did the Grell & Colletta ‘artwork’ no favours whatsoever. Didn’t matter to the diehard Legion folks – and still doesn’t, decades later, as every copy to come through our hands has vanished as if abducted by the Time Trapper! This copy (pictured) is an outstanding VF/NM at £50. SORRY, PICTURED ITEMS NOW SOLD
American Update: DC Silver/Bronze Sweep M-S inc. three #1 issues
*DC: A chunky run through the DCU this week for titles beginning with M-S, as follows: Metal Men, Metamorpho (inc #1), Mystery In Space (#87 with start of Hawkman series), Plastic Man, Rip Hunter Time Master (from #2), Sea Devils, Secret Six (from #1), Shazam (from #1) & Strange Adventures. A mixed, quirky yet somehow compelling bag!
American Update: JLA/Avengers Slipcased Hardcover – Epic Busiek/Perez Volumes
*DC/Marvel: In 2003, DC and Marvel collaborated to bring together their premier super-teams; in a four-part prestige Format crossover, the Justice League of America and the Avengers clashed, then cooperated, in an epic reality-twisting battle which encompassed every member of both teams at some point, as well as myriad friends, foes and forces of the universe, as Krona and the Grandmaster manipulate two universes to their own ends. The following year, this slipcased hardcover edition was released, featuring not only an expanded version of the full story, but also the 21 pencilled pages of the original aborted Avengers/JLA crossover from 1983, and a plethora of other features! George Perez’s stunning art is even better at the super-sized 9″ x 12″ dimensions, for a truly immersive reading experience! This is a NM copy of a book long out of print, with slipcase, dustjackets and volumes virtually as new, with only the most minuscule ‘shelf wear’ from long term storage. On sale at £125.
American Update: Spider-Mania: Where Leaps…The Lizard! Debut of classic Spidey foe in Amazing #6
*Marvel: One of the more tragic entries in Spider-Man’s Rogue’s Gallery is the Lizard, a.k.a. Dr. Curt Connors, a dedicated scientist and devoted husband and father whose research into a regenerative serum, to help himself and other amputees, went horribly wrong when the lizard-like properties of tissue regeneration ran rampant, turning him into a humanoid reptile. The Lizard debuted in the sixth issue of Spider-Man, and we are delighted to have in stock this VG- p copy, which would grade higher but for the placement of a Book Centre Stamp over the Lizard’s tale, as may be seen in the illustration. Nevertheless, a clean, tight copy of one of the Wall-Crawler’s earliest adventures, which as getting harder and harder to come by as the years roll on. Amazing Spider-Man #6 VG- p £225. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Marvel 1968: The Silver Surfer soars in first solo issue
*Marvel: Following his debut in Fantastic Four #48, Norrin Radd, Herald of Galactus, gained popularity as a recurring guest-star, and his popularity was recognized when Marvel launched his 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 for the first time reasons behind the Watcher’s oath of non-interference. Uncommon in any grade, this newest copy of Surfer #1 is a superior VG+ pence copy, light creasing at spine and far cover edge, but unimpaired cover scene with great eye appeal. On sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: First Falcon! – Sam Wilson’s heroic debut in Captain America #117
*Marvel: Three years after the debut of the Black Panther, 1969’s Captain America #117 saw the debut of Marvel’s second African-American super-hero. Having switched bodies involuntarily with the Red Skull, Cap ends up on Exile Island, being hunted by the Skull’s henchmen. Rescued by a young man named Sam Wilson and his pet hawk, Redwing, Cap persuades Sam of the importance of a costumed identity as a symbol, and Sam adopts the guise of the Falcon, first to inspire revolution in the native population of Exile Island, and later as an aspirational figure in Sam’s Harlem home. The Falcon and his avian sidekick Redwing would become a mainstay of Cap’s series, and of course figure largely in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, so this first appearance, long undervalued, is now climbing. This is an attractive VG, cents copy with no pence price or overstamp, clean and tight with only minimal wear at the cover edge, on sale at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Quirky Corner – Avengers #1… Dis-Assembled?
*Marvel: Okay, of all the oddities we’ve offered you over the years, this is one of the oddest: most of Avengers #1, the Lee/Kirby epic which united Marvel’s Mightiest for the first time! This is the real deal, not a reprint or facsimile, but the front and back covers and the front and back interior pages are missing. This means that in addition to being coverless, the splash page and page two of the story are absent, and, while the rest of the story is present, the final two interior ad pages are also gone. Coverless copies of Avengers #1 have been recorded as selling in the hundreds of pounds – hard to believe, but there we are – so we’re asking £100 for this incomplete copy, which, to employ a euphemism commonplace to our rival dealers, is “ripe for restoration”, ahem ahem. Image shows the final page of the story where our heroes ‘get it together’. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Marvel 1968 Bonus! Don’t Yield – Back SHIELD! First Fifteen Issues (almost) of Nick Fury’s Pals N’ Gals In Stock
*Marvel: When the distribution restrictions eased, and Marvel’s split books fissioned into solo series, Jim Steranko really cut loose with his kinetic, cinematic style, heavily influenced by the Op Art movement of the era, but founded on meticulous narrative principles, producing some epic work in his sadly short comic book career. Nowhere was this more evident than in his work on Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, where he combined the secret agent tropes popular in the day with his own visual flair, producing iconic works that still resonate decades later. We have the first fifteen issues of this series, (sans #13) in stock; Steranko sadly didn’t do all of the early issues – his attention to detail was deadline-unfriendly – but he was ably substituted by Frank Springer, an under-estimated artist who has seldom been better than when he was emulating Steranko’s approach. Issue #1 is VG+ p £25; details of the remainder may be found in our online catalogue. SORRY, ISSUES #1-3 NOW SOLD
American Update: Horror (Mostly Marvel) – Man-Things and more
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Following brisk sales, we’re welcoming more of all that creep and crawl into our crypts, and apart from a sprinkling of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not from Gold Key, we’re mostly about the Marvel this week: early and non-distributed first series Man-Things (beginning with #3, the first Foolkiller) and his Giant-Size spin-off, the stylish anthology Chamber of Darkness (from #1), second series Journey Into Mystery (from #2), Weird Wonder Tales, Giant-Size Werewolf (for when a normal werewolf just isn’t enough), and rounding up with a second outing for some classic Lee/Kirby Big-Panty-Monsters in Where Monsters Dwell!
American Update: Western Round-Up: Various publishers from the 1940s to the 1970s
*Western: A selection of western adventures from four decades and five publishers: the 1940s brings us Timely’s Tex Taylor #8, and the 1950s offers two Magazine Enterprises titles – Bobby Benson’s B-Bar-B Riders #13, with a splendid Frazetta cover, and Durango Kid #8, with interior Frazetta art – and two issues of Prize Comics Western, with John Severin art among others. The 1960s shows up with two Marvel titles – a dash of Rawhide Kid, and a couple of the giant-sized Mighty Marvel Western issues and the 1970s is heralded with Weird Western Tales #18, the first all-Jonah Hex issue.
British Update: First Quenchers Plus with Free Gift Farrago: Marvel Action #1-3 with Gifts
*Marvel UK: From Marvel UK’s ‘Second Wave’, this 1980 anthology launch boasted a stronger and less random line-up than most (Thor, Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four) and the debut issue boasted an early pro cover by Alan Davis. The first three issues are new in stock, each in FN with the Free Gift stickers (of the FF, Thor and Doctor Strange respectively) in VF. Issue #1 is £15; issues #2 and #3 are £12 each. Plus, a second #2 in Fine with free gift in FN at £10! SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: Lion to the last, inc the final issue
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Lion is a popular series in all its iterations, but in the final few years – 1972 to 1974 – it had a top-notch line-up of fantasy and adventure which was, honestly, too good for the general readership. (Is the writer here a prejudiced witness, being a former Lion reader? Perhaps.) With ‘The Spider’, ‘Dr. Mesmer’s Revenge’, ‘Robot Archie’, ‘Spellbinder’, ‘Adam Eterno’, ‘The 10,000 Disasters of Dort’ and okay, if you must, ‘Carson’s Cubs’, it was a cracking read – which leaves scholars baffled as to why it faltered, losing sales and even, in its final year, skipping some weeks. Must have been inter-office politics. Be that as it may; we are delighted to have around twenty new issues in from this period, including the very final issue, in attractive grades, averaging Fine; the last-ever Lion dated 18th May 1974 is FN at £20. The others may be found in our online catalogue.
British Update: Nightmares and Chills! Horror Picture Libraries Are Risen From The Grave!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Two popular and scarce Picture Libraries newly stocked, both with supernatural themes: with titles like “Daughter of Darkness”, “Ritual By Moonlight”, “Hell On Earth” and “Doctor Satan”, these done-in-one digests provided furtive chills for readers theoretically too young to get into a horror film in the pre-Internet days! From 1966, Nightmare Suspense Picture Library gains a quartet of issues from #5 (pictured, VG £5) to #15; while 1971’s Pocket Chiller Library gains 34 issues between #1 (pictured, GD £15) through to #74.
British Update: 2nd series TV 21 (And Joe 90) – Early Issues New In
*TV & Film Related Comics: After a long run of 242 issues, TV Century 21, the Gerry Anderson-inspired comics showcase, without pausing for breath, reinvented itself as TV 21 & Joe 90, starting with a new #1, and scooping up its fallen stablemate, co-opting the titular speccy hero, ‘Star Trek’, and ‘Land of the Giants’ from Joe 90 weekly and teaming them with the star features ‘Thunderbirds’ and ‘The Saint’ for a refreshed line-up. We have several of the earlier TV 21 & Joe 90 new in, including the first four and then a further half-dozen issues between #9 and #23. Issue #1 (pictured) is GD/VG at £35, and price and grade details of the others, as always, may be found in our online catalogue. SORRY, #1 & #2 NOW SOLD
British Update: First Quenchers Plus with Free Gift Farrago: Blake’s 7 #1-5
*TV & Film Related Comics: Released in 1981 – just when the cult TV show was coming to its close, great timing Marvel UK – Blake’s 7 featured photos, articles and features on the plucky revolutionary fighter of the far-flung future and his wacky chums. In addition, there were new comic-strip stories set in the TV universe, pitting our intrepid heroes against the sinister Servalan, whose attitude and dress sense demonstrated that women, too, could aspire to be drag queens! The first five issues are back in stock, in mid to high grades. All come with the original bound-in poster pin-ups, and #1 has the free gift of an Iron-On transfer. #1 (pictured) is FN with VF free gift at £20; details of the rest may be seen in our online catalogue. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
Clearance Corner: 1960s Marvel Giant Reprints: 18 for £18
*Clearance Corner: Up for grabs this week is a batch of 18 of those wonderful Marvel Giant squarebound reprint comics from the mid-late 1960s. This lot comprises 6 x Marvel Collectors’ Item Classics (#1, #2, #3, #5, #7 & #20), 7 x Marvel Super-Heroes (#21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26 & #27) and 5 x Marvel Tales (#4, #5, #6, #8 & #10). Condition averages VG ish. Full of glorious tales from the earliest days of the Marvel Universe, at just £18 (£1 each!), this lot represents tremendous reading value – the FF, Spidey, Ant-Man, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Dr Strange, the X-Men, Daredevil etc — they’re all here! UK postage on this lot if required would be an extra £3.50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American/British Update: Original Judy Club Badge from 1960
*Memorabilia & Esoterica: We’re delighted to have acquired an original Judy Club Badge from 1960. Never given away directly with the comic, this was sent out to members of the Judy Club, who diligently sent in their postal orders. While we don’t know the production run of these items, it’s a fairly safe bet that the number of girls who joined the club, excuse the expression, was only a fraction of the general readership, so these can’t be commonplace. White and blue enamel on metal with a pin back, these are sturdier than the flimsy bits of tin and/or plastic that were the usual materials for later club premiums. In VF condition, this piece of memorabilia is on sale for £25.
What’s Old: Dagar, Desert Hawk from Fox comics 1948/49
Our spotlight on previously listed stock this week falls on a pair of beauties from the notorious American publisher Fox of the 1940s/50s. Most Victor Fox publications were printed on the cheapest paper stock available to him, and were shameless in their exploitation of lurid and scantily clad heroines and femme fatales, plus violence and gore were not underused in these pre-code days. Here, for example, the titular character, Dagar the Desert Hawk, a male desert adventurer, was upstaged on the covers (and mostly on the interiors) by exotic damsels. A Fox book is an experience quite like nothing else — crude and unsophisticated for the most part (Matt Baker’s Phantom Lady aside), but with a certain manic energy and drive. Dagar #16 (the series started at #14) is VG- (small piece of clear tape upper centre cover) at £65; #22 (the penultimate issue) is GD/VG at £50. Both have varying degrees of spine wear, but attractive and unspoilt cover images and reasonable page quality.
Last Call for Clearance Corner: Magnet & Gem – 67 issues for £25
As you may realise, the purpose of our Clearance Corner lots are to clear space in our shop by discontinuing titles we’re no longer carrying to make way for new and incoming stuff. As such, they will only be offered for a short time. This Clearance Corner lot, listed on 13th April, has not been snapped up and is nearing the end of its time with us. If not purchased by the weekend, we will have to dispose of it. Here are the details from our original listing:
“In our clearance bargain area this week, two of the most venerable comedy story papers of the 20th Century are making way on our shelves. We have 61 issues of Magnet, including 2 facsimiles of #1 from 1908 (with and without wraparound cover) and 1 facsimile of #194 from 1911, plus 58 original issues between 1934 and 1939, including 2 Christmas issues. These are augmented by just 6 issues of Gem from 1915-1938 for a grand total of 67 issues at a clearance price of just £25. These fit into a small parcel box weighing 3 kg and UK postage if required would be a further £14. Conditions range between Fair and Good, with some a little better. Home to Billy Bunter of Greyfriars and Tom Merry of St Jims, these fondly-remembered comedy and adventure stories are an iconic part of British 20th Century literature. We really like these, but with over 3,000 issues in the series, we don’t have space to store any significant quantities and so they have to go!”
Window Update: Up for the Cup!
‘BUT,’ I hear the cries of non-footie fans (including Dr Evilla), ‘surely the football season is over!’ They haven’t reckoned with the forthcoming World Cup. Despite her lack of respect for the beautiful game Dr Evilla has been cajoled into producing a window display celebrating the doyen of British football (and comics), Roy Of The Rovers, even going so far as to find the issue where Roy wins the World Cup (in his dreams).
Housekeeping Update
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 file in our British section:
*Rupert
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.