*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: We’re delighted to report that due to the recent acquisition of many collections, we’re able to extend our Long Hot Summer event all through the coming winter, with a plethora of Summer and Holiday Specials to come in many categories. This week: 3 Lions (1971-73) in nice shape (1972 pictured VF £30), and 2 Valiants (and TV21) from 1972 and 1973. None of these are common — see our catalogue for full details. And many more to come as you enjoy this taste of summer as you gather round your fires with mugs of hot beverages and mulled wine (or whatever is is you do to pass these long nights!). SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
Category Archives: What’s New
British Update: Jet & Thunder
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Jet & Thunder were two short-lived early 1970s productions from Fleetway, lasting just 22 issues each before being absorbed into Buster & Lion respectively. Their short runs make them highly collectable today. We have a handful of Jet from May-July 1971 new in, plus a couple of Thunder from 1970 & 1971.
British Update: Dig For Victor!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Now there’s no need for any heavy lifting, as we’ve added a more than a boxful of later Victors, ranging from 1977 to 1986 and including ten from 1979, a year that was previously missing. All you have to do is place your order by email, or, if you’re lucky enough to be able to visit in person, gently browse through the boxes to make your selection.
British Update: First Quenchers: Sparky #1 23rd January 1965
*Humour Comics: “A new comic for boys and girls”, averred this 1965 launch from DC Thomson, though it ought really to have said “for white boys and girls”, as the peculiar racist caricature of the titular character would surely offend and deter any readers who were not of the Caucasian persuasion. Nevertheless, the title did have a great deal to offer readers who, it seemed, were slightly younger than the Dandy and Beano set, with an almost fairy-tale character to some of the series like “Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora”, while others – “Freddy the Fearless Fly”, “Keyhole Kate”, et. al – were new versions of old Beano stalwarts with the serial numbers filed off. Even the token adventure strips, such as “Wee Tusky”, lacked the tension noticeable in the other titles. Nevertheless, Sparky had a very respectable run, racking up more than 650 weekly issues until 1977, and this is where it all got started! This copy is a very presentable FA/GD, with moderate wear and browning but all pages complete, at £35. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
British Update: A Date With Judy – Year 1982 of Popular Weekly Restocked
*Girls’ Comics: The year 1982 of the popular British Girls’ Weekly Judy – previously entirely unrepresented in our inventory – has now been restocked, with the majority of the year’s issues including the Christmas and New Year issues. Join ‘Bobby Dazzler’, ‘Junior Nanny’, ‘Wee Slavey’, and all the usual suspects for drama and laughter in the best British tradition!
What’s Old: Fantastic Four #55 with iconic Silver Surfer cover
To complement our new copy of Fantastic Four #50 (see post above), our previously listed feature this week is FF #55, where the Silver Surfer, a huge hit with readers, swiftly returned to the title after the initial Galactus trilogy. This time he picks a battle with the Thing following a jealous hissy-fit involving Alicia. Jack Kirby is at his bombastic best on this stand-out cover, with a luscious purple background. FN+ pence copy at £50.
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.
Books Update: A Fistful Of Digits
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: Just over a handful of fresh Digit books have arrived on the bookshelves: Bulmer’s The Fatal Fire and The Secret Of Zi, Cooper’s Voices In The Dark (short stories), a Kornbluth & Pohl collaboration, Search The Sky and Lan Wright’s Assignment Luther. Saving the best for last, despite coming first alphabetically, we have Aldiss’ Non-stop, the 1st UK PB for this novel, celebrated with a splendid Emshwiller cover.
Window Update: Where’s Eagle’s Dare?
Right here in our latest window display! After the creepy Halloween window even Dr Evilla felt the need for something more wholesome, hence the latest window dedicated to Eagle and particularly to its most famous creation, Dan Dare. Along with his trusted companions and other favourites such as PC 49, Harris Tweed, Riders of the Range, the exploded diagram to show how a machine works and various other features and adverts of the time, this is an unashamed nostalgia fest. Spaceship Away!
British Update: The British Are Coming! High Grade 2000 AD #1-3 (#2 & #3 with Free Gifts)
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Our latest high profile British spotlight falls on 2000 AD, the title that changed the face of British comics forever! 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 comic world; nowhere more so than in the persona of Judge Dredd, the iconic anti-hero who has gone on to become legendary after debuting in issue #2. This very special update we’re featuring the first three issues of 2000 AD in exceptional condition as follows:
#1: Featuring the debuts of Mach-1, Invasion, Harlem’s Heroes, Flesh and the new Dan Dare. A tight, flat copy with good staples and off-white pages; just a faint browning age line along the spine keeps it from grading higher than FN/VF. The Space Spinner is not present, but has left only the most minimal of marks where its tape has been carefully removed from the front cover. Priced at £125.
#2: 1st appearance of Judge Dredd. Again, a tight flat copy with good staples and beautiful near white cover and page quality with no age marks for a sparkling VF grade. The Free Gift, Biotronic Stickers, are unused on original backing sheet and grade at VF+, with just the tiniest of 2 creases at the left hand edge only. The nicest copy and gift we’ve ever seen. Priced at £450.
#3: A little more tan than #1 & #2, but still with great off-white pages (very minor dog-earring to a few). Good tight staples. Grading at FN. The Free Gift, Red Alert Survival Wallet, is present and grades at VF+, never having been assembled and still on original card backing. Priced at £80.
SORRY, THESE ARE NOW SOLD
British Update: Dan Dare: Mission Of The Earthmen
*Collected Editions: The latest in Titan’s Deluxe reprintings of classic Dan Dare strips from the Eagle sees the complete stories ‘Mission Of The Earthmen’ and ‘The Solid State Mystery’, both with art by Don Harley and Bruce Cornwell finding their place in the complete sequence. From Volumes 11 & 12 of the Eagle comic (1960/61). These luxury volumes are beautifully presented on high quality paper with vivid colour and are chock full of extras; in this instance an article on Dan Dare merchandise, profusely illustrated, a Who’s Who in Dan Dare feature and a story checklist. Brand new at £30.
Books Update: Something Nasty On The Bookshelf
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: Three very different forms of horror writing have arrived, perfect for anyone who thinks Halloween is over too soon. Something Nasty In The Woodshed (Bonfiglioli) has a very unheroic hero, Tales Of Horror And The Supernatural Volume 2 (Machen) features a selection of chilling tales and Dracula (Stoker) has Something Very Nasty In The Coffin.
American Update: Batmania continues: Holy Enigma! First Silver-Age Riddler
*DC: An obscure two-time villain in the Golden Age, Edward Nygma, the Riddler, was unexpectedly selected by the producers of the 1960s Batman TV show to be a prominent member of Adam West’s Rogue’s Gallery, and accordingly DC Comics rushed him back onto the contemporary playing field with Batman #171, the character’s third ever appearance. From there, of course, the Riddler became a mainstay of the Gotham landscape, in the comics, in the movies (as – ahem – memorably incarnated by Jim Carrey), and of course in the current hit Gotham TV series, where’s he’s a major player. This ‘revival’ issue is an attractive FN- pence copy, with vivid cover colour, light spine wear and a tiny chip/scuff at the lower right cover edge, but generally a superior example of a highly sought-after issue. On sale at £125.
American Update: The Death and Rebirth of Superman
*DC: In 1993, the wider world was rocked by the demise of Superman, who perished at the hands of the man-monster named Doomsday. Cynical fans, of course, knew better, fully expecting the Man of Steel’s eventual return, but the media brouhaha was considerable, driving civilians into comics shops in unprecedented numbers. We have most of the ‘Death of Superman’ saga new in stock, from the first cameo appearance of the villain Doomsday in Superman (2nd series) #73, Doomsday’s first full appearance in Superman: Man of Steel #18, through to the regular and deluxe (still sealed with free gifts) editions of the actual death issue, Superman #75, and concluding with the return of the Kryptonian Crusader in Adventures of Superman #500, deluxe edition, sealed with trading card. Superman #75 (Deluxe Collectors’ Edition) is NM 1st printing £30; Superman, Man of Steel #18 is VF/NM p £25. Details of the others may be found in our online catalogue. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Stand by for Action Comics! 1950s and 1960s issues restocked
*DC: Action Comics, birthplace of Superman, is eternally popular with our customers, and we’re delighted to restock a selection of classic Silver Age issues, commencing with the pre-distribution #249 (pictured) a classic Luthor/Superman clash VG+ @ £70; with minimal corner & edge wear and a vivid unfaded purple cover, co-starring Congo Bill and Tommy Tomorrow in those pre-Supergirl days. Thereafter, we commence at #294 and have new copies of fifteen issues through to #344, with robots, aliens, misunderstandings and strange bodily transformations galore for the Man and Maid of Steel! All of our new additions are cents copies, with no UK distribution stamps on the covers.
American Update: The New X-Men Take Over! X-Men #94, signed by Chris Claremont
*Marvel: The X-Men, once a Marvel mainstay, had been languishing in the limbo of reprints and guest-shots when Len Wein and Dave Cockrum knocked fandom’s collective socks off with Giant-Size X-Men #1, reshaping the moribund franchise into the form internationally recognised today. With issue #94 of the X-Men’s own title, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler and their chums moved into the formerly reprint series and continued the excitement. This issue, never distributed in the UK and scarce anywhere in the world, is VG+ with moderate corner and edge wear, but glossy, unblemished cover scene and, as a bonus, a signature by writer (technically co-writer, but he was to take on full scripting soon) Chris Claremont, who autographed the lower splash page back in 1982. This copy can be yours for £150. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania continues: Amazing Spider-Man #16 – Early Spidey/Daredevil crossover
*Marvel: Early Amazing Spider-Man with Steve Ditko artwork (‘Proper Spider-Mans’, as we at 30th C call them) are always in high demand, as they established the key notes of Spidey’s ongoing background. Issue #16 does not feature the debut of any characters, but is significant in other regards, in that it teams Spidey with Daredevil for the latter’s first appearance outside his own series and also imports the Ringmaster – originally a foe of the Incredible Hulk, but who went on the become a major thorn in Spider-Man’s side. This is a superior VG pence copy, clean, tight and bright, with cover and centrefold firmly attached and an unmarred white background, on sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Avengers Key Numbers – debuts Collector, Ultron, Valkyrie, Black Panther origin and Epochal 100th Issue
*Marvel: A fistful of major Avengers issues this update, beginning with #28, which saw the first appearance of the cosmic entity known as the Collector, now immortalised in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and other appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This VG cents copy is £40. Issue #55 saw the first full appearance of Ultron, the malevolent mechanism who challenged the team on many occasions. This VG- pence copy is £25. In #83, we were treated not only to the debut of the Valkyrie – admittedly a persona adopted by the evil Enchantress here, but soon to become a star in her own right – but also the Lady Liberators, a team of heroic ladies who were nobody’s weaker vessels! #83 VG pence £25. In #87, we learned for the first time the detailed origin of the African Avenger, the Black Panther – this copy FN+ cents £40; and finally, the 100th issue, a true landmark illustrated by Barry Smith and featuring every single Avenger to that date. Those of us old enough to remember this the first time round will recall the ‘special’ feel of this story. This FN pence copy is £30. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Catalogue Expansion – Punisher Ongoing from 1987
*Marvel: As part of our ongoing Catalogue Expansion, we’re welcoming in selected titles which previously had not been listed in our inventory. This update, we’re joined by early issues of the Punisher’s first ongoing series from 1987, when grief-crazed vigilante Frank Castle consolidated his career after a long string of guest-shots and an acclaimed mini-series. Issue #1 of the Punisher ongoing is VF- p at £20, and is accompanied by other early issues up to #10, the crossover with Daredevil #257.
American Update: Hank n’ Jan n’ Bruce n’ Namor – Tales to Astonish lavishly restocked
*Marvel: Tales to Astonish is a favourite Marvel amongst us DC-philes at 30th Century, with its charming and realistic romance between Ant/Giant-Man and his lovely partner the Wasp, the grandeur and pageantry of the Sub-Mariner series, and… well, yeah, the Hulk was in there too. We have a nice selection of TTA new in, from #37 (Ant-Man’s third adventure in costume), then a consecutive run of #62 to #69, and selections along the way to #99. This run includes the debut of the Hulk’s nemesis the Leader, the ‘New’ Giant-Man, the shapely but sinister Madam Macabre, and a farrago of outlandish super-heroics from Bob Powell, Bill Everett, Gene Colan and diverse other talents. With the exception of #37 (picture FN p £70), all of our new TTA’s are cents copies, with no UK price stamp or overprint. Check our our cataogue for full details.
American Update: Archie and the gang – over a decade of Vintage Fun with Riverdale’s Favourite Son
*Archie: As a coda to our recent ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ event, we feature the original comic book funny teen – though he doesn’t happen to be a girl! Archie Andrews was introduced in the back of the MLJ title Pep Comics, and proved such a smash that the entire publishing line was renamed in his favour, with our maladroit redheaded hero and his pals n’ gals delighting generations of readers – and now, viewers, in the Riverdale television show! We have just over a decade of vintage Archie comics newly added, from 1950 to the early 1960s, with titles such as Archie Annual, Archie Giant Series, Betty & Veronica, Jughead, Pep, and of course Archie himself newly restocked! A ‘new’ vintage title here is Suzie, a ‘cousin’ series which, while published by Archie, wasn’t directly in the same universe, being more in the ‘funny dumb blonde’ tradition. Not previously in our inventory, we now have several Suzies from #56 to #96. Jughead Annual #5 from 1957 (VG- £50) is one of the rarer items from this selection, but prices and grades can all be found in our online catalogue.
American Update: Vintage DC All-Star Western
*Western: When the 1940s craze for super-heroes waned, All-Star Comics, former home of the Justice Society, was succeeded by All-Star Western, with the Trigger Twins, Strong Bow, Dan Foley and Johnny Thunder replacing the likes of the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and, er, the other Johnny Thunder. The revised title rode the 1950s Western fad for more than a decade, with classic creators like Barry, Toth, Infantino, Anderson and Kane turning out superbly-crafted frontier adventures. We have a dash of new All-Star Westerns in stock, commencing with #71 and culminating with #113 in 1961, a few issues before the title’s demise, but still as meticulously-produced as after.
British Update: 2000 AD Annuals from first (1978) to 1985
*Annuals: A stellar collection of 2000 AD Annuals fresh into stock, all in sparkling VF grade from the very first one (1978) right up to and including 1985.
British Update: Spider-Mania UK style! Spider-Man Comics Weekly from #1 1973
*Marvel UK: A nice selection of the Marvel UK imprint ‘Spider-Man Comics Weekly’ from 1973 fresh in. Starting at #1 (in an admittedly disappointing FA/GD at £10), we have most of the first 50 issues, and most of them are in much nicer shape. Reprinting the earliest adventures of your friendly neighbourhood webslinger, these are many readers’ first exposure to the character, and are now keenly sought after, not the least by our American cousins, to whom of course they are much rarer. Check out our catalogue for grades, prices and availability.
British Update: A miscellany of Boys’ Adventure & War inc First Quenchers, Free Gift Farrago and Christmas
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A real mash-up of stuff in this category this week: Action (3rd issue) from 1976, All-War Monthly #1 & #2 from 1981, a stray Lion from 1960, Revolver #1 with Press/Promotional Kit, Roy Of The Rovers Monthly #1 from 1993 with Free Gift, the 1970 Christmas issue of Tiger and two Christmas Victors from 1970 & 1971. Details in our catalogue.
British Update: Victor 1975/76
*Boys’ Adventure and War Comics: A whole box full of Victors added to our shelves this week from the years 1975 & 1976, with virtually every issue for those years now available. Most of our new additions are VG or FN with some GD.
British Update: Name, Rank & Serial Number – More Warlords
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Plucky Warlord reinforcements from 1979 to 1984 have joined the fray. The majority are fighting fit in FN or VG grades.
British Update: Candy – Obscure Junior Gerry Anderson Title from 1967
*Younger Readers’ Comics: Of the many comics adaptations of Gerry Anderson’s TV oeuvre, one of the more obscure is Candy, a Younger Readers’ series which focussed on a show which never actually happened. Legend has it that Anderson tried to sell a juvenile series, “Candy and Andy”, for which extensive prop and costume work was done, and when no TV producers took it up, used it instead as the basis for the third ‘Century 21’ comic, after TV 21 and Lady Penelope. Frankly, given the stills from the show which adorn the covers, the characters come across as more creepy than cuddlesome, but nevertheless the comic lasted 150+ issues, enhanced by the media presence of co-stars Topo Gigio, Tingha and Tucker, and Winnie the Pooh. The unusual landscape format makes these rarer than most Anderson-related memorabilia. We have a couple of earlier issues, #8 and #10, new in, then a selection from the #30’s to #50, including the Christmas issue from 1967 (pictured).
What’s Old: Pulp-Style Sci-Fi with Amazing Adventures #1 (1950)
Already a successful publisher of pulp magazines, Ziff-Davis decided to diversify into comic books, and one of their outstanding contributions to the field was Amazing Adventures, an anthology devoted to high-flying science-fiction adventures, complete with daring heroes, voluptuous (and sometimes sinister) ladies, and weird aliens galore! This first issue is in a remarkable state of preservation for its vintage, its cover promising delights which were lived up to in the interior line-up: contributing artists include Wally Wood, Alex Schomburg, Murphy Anderson, and Ogden Whitney on lurid thrillers ‘Asteroid Witch’, ‘A-Day’, ‘Winged Death On Venus’, ‘Trespasser In Time’, and ‘The Stone Men’. Grab a slice of yesterday’s tales of tomorrow! This beauty is FN £150.
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:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics (W – Z)
*Humour Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
Books Update: Comic Strip Books
*Comic Strip Books: We’ve added five new books to this compact and bijou section: The Executive’s Comic Book featuring Goodman Beaver (Kurtzman & Elder) and Fiction Illustrated # 1 – 3 (considered to be among the first graphic novels). #1 features Schlomo Raven Public Detective (Preiss & Sutton), # 2 features Starfawn, ‘in the tradition of Star Trek’ (Preiss & Fabian) and #3 features Chandler, ‘a hard-boiled detective’, written and drawn by Steranko. More alert readers will have counted up to four and be wondering what the fifth book is – in addition to the standard version of Fiction Illustrated #3 we also have the Curtis Circulation variant, distinguished by the ‘cc’ logo and numbered 02764 instead of P4078.
Books Update: It’s a Raymond Chandler Evening…
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: …or so says Robyn Hitchcock in the song of the same name (look it up!). But you can enjoy Chandler any time of day with our impressive new selection of his vintage paperbacks, a mix of novels and short stories. Star of the show is Chandler’s most famous privtae eye, Phillip Marlowe, in arguably his greatest novel ‘Farewell, My Lovely’; that most famous of hard-boiled detectives also features in ‘The Lady In The Lake’, and several earlier protagonists star in ‘Pearls Are A Nuisance’, ‘Killer In The Rain’, ‘Smart Alec Kill’ and ‘Trouble Is My Business’. These are all Penguin 1970s editions and most feature recoloured movie covers, many with Humphrey Bogart, the definitive on screen Marlowe. We also have one earlier Ace anthology, a UK 1st PB, of ‘Pick-Up On Noon Street’. Great reads all.
Clearance Corner: Mighty World of Marvel #1-10 (missing #2) for just £10
*Clearance Corner: This week’s bargain lot comprises issue #1 and #3-10 of the flagship title of Marvel UK, Mighty World Of Marvel from 1972, 9 issues for just £10, in grades ranging from to GD to VG. These reprint the earliest stories of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Hulk (issue #1 has parts of FF #1, Hulk #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15). What’s the catch? Well, they’re all missing the coupon that you cut out to send off for a Free Gift, which infringes on one story per issue (#10 is actually missing a whole page). These fit into a medium Jiffy envelope weighing 0.7 kg and can be posted to a UK address for an additional £3.50 if required. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Showcase #34 – First Silver Age Atom
*DC: Following the successful ‘reboots’ of the Flash and the Green Lantern, DC, in the late 50s/early 60s, rushed to reinvent more of its Golden Age characters with a Space Age twist. One such was the Atom, who in the 1940s was just a short guy who beat people up a lot (overcompensating much?), but in the 1960s became scientist Ray Palmer, who harnessed the power of White Dwarf star matter to become the Atom, a Tiny Titan adventuring in a land of the giants! Gardner Fox’s imaginative script, if somewhat shaky on the hard science, ran high in drama, and the superb kinetic artwork of Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson made this a memorable debut. Now a staple of DC’s ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ TV series, the Atom has gone through many iterations, but remains a central figure in the DC Universe. This copy of his first appearance is a VG+ cents copy, with only a 2″ diagonal tear at the base of the back cover – relatively unobtrusive – precluding a still higher grade. On sale at £260. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Batmania continues! A Death In The Family – Complete In Four Parts
*DC: One of the most controversial storylines of the Modern Age was the ‘A Death in the Family’ four-parter, wherein the second Robin, Jason Todd, fell foul of the Joker while on the trail of his parents, and – in a move that caused highly-lucrative publicity – Robin’s final fate was determined by a phone-in hotline. (Don’t try calling in now, kids – the phone lines are closed, but you may still be charged…) The tale ran over Batman issues #426-429 in 1988, and all four parts are back in stock. Issue #426 is VF/NM p £17.50, #427 VF p £10, #428 VF/NM £25 and #429 VF/NM p £10.
American Update: Crisis On Infinite Earths #1-6
*DC: 1985 saw the release of DC’s universe-redefining series, Crisis On Infinite Earths, in which worlds lived, worlds died, and all the surviving parallel Earths were merged into one, causing headaches for writers and apoplexy for fans for a generation! Created to celebrate DC’s 50th Anniversary of publication, this series was both a major event and a quality item, being created by Wolman and Perez, the team behind DC’s then-hottest property, the New Teen Titans. There was a genuine feeling of momentous changes, and while knock-off reality-altering ‘epics’ have become repetitive and predictable, the original series has never been equalled. We have the first 6 issues of this 12 issue series fresh into stock; the first issue is VF+ at £10; for details on the price and grades on the others, see our online catalogue.
American Update: DC/Marvel: More Amalgam issues
*DC/Marvel: More of the DC/Marvel mash-up of characters for the Amalgam event, with fresh issues of both series from 1996 and 1997.
American Update: Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four – #6 & #9 new in
*Marvel: A brace of early classics from the Fantastic Four, the foundation of the current Marvel Universe: issue #6 featured the first pairing of Doctor Doom and the Sub-Mariner as ‘The Diabolical Duo’ and issue #9 features the eviction of the FF from the Baxter Building as they become bankrupt, and their unexpected debut as movie stars, in one of the more off-beat early adventures! Both of these beauties are cents copies, no UK price stamp or overprint, with vivid unfaded red cover backgrounds, firmly attached covers and centrefolds, and superior inside page quality, only minimal corner & edge wear (fractionally more so on the #6) displaying their vintage. The #6 is GD/VG £265; #9 VG £225.
American Update: NYX #3 – debut X-23/Laura/’Wolverina’
*Marvel: A breakout hit of recent years was issue #3 of the short-lived series of NYX – short for ‘New York X-Men’ if you’re wondering – which featured the first appearance of Wolverine’s ‘cloned daughter’ (it’s comic books, don’t worry about it), a brainwashed psychotic assassin who moonlighted as an underage hooker. And they say the age of heroes is dead. Be that as it may, the character’s popularity mushroomed as she was featured in Avengers Academy, New X-Men, and other popular series of the 21st century, and she currently holds the title of Wolverine in her own right – well, as of this writing, anyway! (things are prone to changing rapidly in the current Marvel Universe). Interest was piqued further by a version of the character making her cinematic debut in the ‘Logan’ movie, causing this low-print run modern comic to acquire what seems to a casual eye a disproportionate ‘heat’. This copy of NYX #3 is VF+, on sale at £225. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania Continues – First Issue, Special Edition and Wedding Bells
*Marvel: A quartet of Spider-Man specials from three decades: 1976’s Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1 marked the second ongoing Spider-Man title published by Marvel, in what people feared might dilute the franchise – if only they knew! Intended originally to focus more on Spidey’s civilian alter ego, it rapidly evolved into an adjunct to and frequent crossover with Amazing Spider-Man, founding the practise which was to become industry standard in later decades. This copy of PPSM #1 is FN/VF p at £20. In 1987, Peter/Spidey and his long-time sweetheart Mary Jane Watson tied the knot in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, which featured two variant covers by John Romita Sr. – a ‘civilian’ version, and a ‘superhero’ variant! Both are now highly sought-after, and we’re delighted to offer both this update, the ‘civilian’ edition VF+ p £20, and the ‘superhero’ edition FN p £15. Finally, 1992 saw the extremely limited release of Spider-Man Special Edition: The Trial of Venom, a one-shot originally only available through the mail after making a donation to UNICEF. This is NM at £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Catalogue Expansion: The Thing (1983)
*Marvel: At the same time as John Byrne was doing excellent work on the Fantastic Four in the 1980s, he also scripted the Thing in his own 36 issue series, commencing in 1983, succeeding the long-running Marvel Two-In-One and starring Ben Grimm in solo adventures. Following on from our FF expansion into the Byrne years, we’re pleased to further expand our catalogue with most issues of the Thing series, including a sparkling NM pence copy of #1 at £25; see our catalogue for details of the rest. SORRY, #1 NOW SOLD
American Update: Amazing Adventures (2nd series) #1-10
*Marvel: Marvel revived the title Amazing Adventures in 1970 and reintroduced the double feature format so popular in the 1960s, this time featuring the Inhumans and the Black Widow. The Inhumans strip lasted ten issues and the Black Widow eight, but both were illustrated by a dazzling array of artistic talent: Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, John Buscema, Gene Colan and Bill Everett all worked on this title within the first 10 issues, all of which are now new into stock in a variety of grades. See our catalogue for full details.
American Update: Weird Mystery Tales
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: A relatively short-lived entrant in DC’s early 1970s horror boom was 1972’s Weird Mystery Tales, presenting superior horror stories with most of the usual cast of DC’s horror artists of the time represented. Most issues now in stock.
British Update: Long Hot Summer: Victor Summer Specials 1967-1983
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Summer rolls on here at 30th Century with the latest entry into our Summer Specials event. This week: 16 issues of the Victor Summer Special ranging from the very first one (1967) right up to 1983 (with just 1979 missing). Everything up to 1980 is in the attractive tabloid format with large, distinctive art. Grades range from FA to FN, and prices from £7.50 – £25; full details in our catalogue. The 1960s issues are, we believe, genuinely scarce. Pictured below (left to right): 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977 & 1978. SORRY, MOST OF THESE NOW SOLD – JUST A COUPLE LEFT!
British Update: Read Misty For Me… Classic Girls’ Horror Weekly restocked from #1 upwards
*Girls’ Comics: Once more, the twilight curtain parts… to reveal a substantial restock of the cult girls’ weekly Misty, the horror/mystery anthology which redefined the expectations of girls’ comics during its brief span. Our sloe-eyed hostess (created by artist Shirley Bellwood, who illustrated many ethereal covers and frontispieces) narrated, week after week, tales of mystery and imagination written and drawn by many of IPC/Fleetway’s finest. Owing to the proliferation of sought-after artists, Misty is keenly collected, and prices trend high, and this new selection, averaging VG, are clean attractive copies with moderate wear, comprising 80 issues from the 102 issue run, and ranges from the first to the penultimate issue, with, as a bonus, the 1979 Holiday Special, which, like all the Holiday Specials, features a centrefold pull-out, and is seldom found intact. Issue #1 is GD/VG at £50, and the 1979 Holiday Special is VG also at £50. For prices and conditions of the others, consult the auguries and oracles… or better yet, our online catalogue!
British Update: A miscellany of Girls’ including Free Gift Farrago
*Girls’ Comics: It’s been too long since we’ve had a canter through many of our best-selling Girls’ titles, so we’re taking the opportunity this week to refresh many of them with new stock: Bunty from 1972 & 1985, a soupcon of Diana from 1972, a couple of Jackies from 1972 and 1975, a snippet of Judy from 1972, lots of Mandy from 1984, a couple of Nikkis inc. #3, one stray Sandie from 1972 (but the third issue), a 1963 School Friend (first with Girls’ Crystal), a couple of Tammys from 1971, then lots from 1973 (a year previously unrepresented in our listings), a rare Tina from 1967 (#2) and finally a Free Gift issue of Valentine (19/6/71 as pictured) VF £20 (with VF Free Gift: Sex & the Teenage Girl book).
Books Update: Strange, Weird, Eerie – Badger Supernatural Stories
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re delighted to have new in 8 of Badger’s Supernatural Stories. The series ran from 1954 to 1967 and was mainly written by Robert Lionel Fanthorpe and John Glasby, using a variety of pseudonyms. Each book was rigidly written to have 45,000 words, leading to some incongruous instances of padding or extremely rapid plot resolutions, depending on how close the author got to the target. A mere £22.50 was paid for each book, so the publishers got what they paid for! Most issues resemble pulps, having several short stories instead of one novel; these are listed under the editor’s ‘name’, John S Manning (actually Maurice Nahum), while single story issues are listed by author. Each comes with a lurid cover, usually courtesy of Henry Fox. Just a few titles to whet your appetite – enough to show that they lived up to their slogan – Centurion’s Vengeance (SN 49), The Phantom Ones (SN 48) and The Sorcerers Of Bast (SN 31). We also have the last in the series, SN 109, which has as its feature story The Thing In The Mist by Max Chartair.
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:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics (V)
*TV & Film Related Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
British Update: Marney the Fox and Scream & Misty Halloween Special
*Collected Editions: We’re delighted to see the wealth of classic British material being reprinted in handsome new editions these days and welcome them to our catalogue. A classic example is Marney the Fox from Buster (1974-76), the adventures of a fox cub alone in the beautiful but deadly Devon countryside, and featuring the wonderful artwork of John Stokes; the complete story in Hardcover for £18. Not technically a reprint since it features new stories from favourite strips, the Scream & Misty Halloween Special for 2017 nevertheless belongs here alongside its spiritual cousins in this eagerly awaited revival of two favourites from the 1970s/80s; Softcover at £4.
Clearance Corner: 38 issues of Viz for just £10!
*Clearance Corner: To make room for yet more incoming goodies, we’re disposing of our stock of Viz, the adult iconoclastic humour title, from issues above #100 plus specials. So we have another bargain lot to offer: 31 issues of Viz, ranging from GD to FN, between issues #101-157 (with three duplicates) plus a tatty #35 plus 6 specials for a grand total of 38 issues for just £10. (NB only for sale to 18+). These fit into a medium box but are heavy at 5.4 kg and UK postage if required would be an additional £17.