*Annuals: In keeping with our recent series of updates for Look-In weekly, we follow up with a selection of Annuals, ranging from 1974 to 1990 (and including the 1975 TV Comedy Annual, which we’re not sure whether or not that’s a separate ‘thing’ – any knowledgeable folks out there care to enlighten us?) These average FN condition, with several VFs, and take us through a kaleidoscope of popular entertainment from ‘Doctor In The House’, through ‘Mork and Mindy’ to ‘Alf’ and ‘Neighbours’, with a bewildering array of often forgotten (and sometimes deceased – try not think about it too much, it’ll depress you…) stars of yesteryear in comic-strip adaptations of their TV antics!

*Humour Comics: A substantial top-up to our stocks of Sparky, the 1960s companion title to Dandy and Beano, with a slightly more whimsical bent than either of its stablemates. Well-remembered features from Sparky include our eponymous hero – a racist caricature who’s shockingly un-PC in retrospect – ‘Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora’, ‘The Moonsters’, ‘Hungry Horace’, ‘Keyhole Kate’, and ‘Pansy Potter, the Strongman’s Daughter’ (a title which only rhymes if you pronounce it wrong). Plus, of course, one can never speak of Sparky without mentioning ‘Invisible Dick’. (No, really. There’s a rule and everything.) This selection of almost 50 numbers ranges from 1965’s #5 to the Christmas 1968 issue (#206, pictured), averaging VG or FN, very presentable copies of a seldom-seen series, with plenty of special issues – Easter, April Fools’, etc.

Our spotlight on previously listed stock this week falls on Nutwood’s favourite son, Rupert the Bear. An iconic British character, established since the early part of the 20th Century and immortalised in Annuals which still continue to this day. He is a fond favourite of ours here at 30th Century, although sadly, following a surge in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, the advent of the internet seems to have brought more copies on to the market over the last 20 years, with the result that prices have dropped. Ever mindful of this sort of thing, we have now rationalised our Rupert stock prices, resulting for the most part in substantial reductions. Additionally, we have refurbished our stock in brand new bags and consistent livery labelling. All our Rupert stock (Annuals and Adventure series) may be viewed in the Rupert category in our catalogue; many examples are shown below. 

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 American/British section:
*Undergrounds
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*Marvel: After a long run as the co-star of Tales of Suspense, Iron Man was given his own title in 1968, when the ‘Berlin Wall’ of Marvel’s distribution was broken down, and they were allowed to expand their range of titles. New in this week, a VG+ copy of Iron Man’s first stunning solo issue, continuing from where his strip in Tales of Suspense left off, with Gene Colan’s hyperkinetic art driving the drama onward! A key item for collectors and investors alike, this is a pence copy, with mostly unblemished deep purple cover background, and only minimal wear towards the upper half of the spine. Iron Man’s pivotal status in the Marvel Universe means that demand for this issue is only going to increase as the years go by. #1 VG+ p £170.

*Marvel: The second issue of the Silver Surfer’s first solo series saw the debut of the Badoon, a baleful alien race who were to become the bane of the Surfer, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Defenders… oh heck, they just don’t get along with anybody! The Silver Surfer book featured what is generally acknowledged to be John Buscema’s finest art and… many, many long words from Stan Lee. The extra pages in the early issues brought double the delight from John B’s delineations, and even left space for a Watcher back up into the bargain. This copy is FN+ p; minor wear at the top and bottom of spine, a common drawback with these Marvel squarebounds, but crisp corners, firm staples, and beautiful unmarred cover colour. On sale at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Following their ‘stealth pilot’ appearances in Sub-Mariner’s own series, the non-team of Namor, Doctor Strange, the Hulk and (on & off) the Silver Surfer proved such a hit that the powers-that-be brainstormed the idea of an alliance of Marvel’s most determined loners, who were forced by circumstances to work together whether they liked it or not! The Defenders premiered in 1971’s Marvel Feature #1, an extra-length issue which also brought Doctor Strange back from his fleeting ‘masked superhero’ phase in a separate back-up. This copy is an attractive FN+, minimal corner wear and slight ‘ballast mark’ at top and bottom being the only significant flaws. This is the comic which kicked off 150+ issues of the Defenders’ original series, plus myriad relaunches – and, as an additional factor, it was never distributed in the UK! FN+ at £60. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In keeping with the current sporting zeitgeist, we’re releasing a selection of specials featuring Melchester’s favourite son, and one of the most famous English footballers, Roy of the Rovers! Beginning in Tiger in 1954, Roy Race’s career spanned four decades, spinning off into his own self-titled series in 1976, and he’s still well remembered by generations of readers! These are later Holiday Specials from Roy’s career, beginning with the 1984 release, and running (not consecutively) to 1990, as well as two Winter Specials from 1988 and 1989 respectively. (Interesting sidebar; when Roy’s earliest adventures were reprinted in the Hurricane weekly, the editors – to avoid confusion with Roy’s contemporary adventures – re-named him ‘Harry Kane’! Eerily prophetic, or what?)

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Around 100 new issues of Commando added to our inventory this week, from issue #113 to #818, including many pre-Decimal numbers, and a selection – admittedly from the latter part of the range – in the surprising grade of VF, not normally attributed to British comics of this vintage. Commando remains in publication today – one of the handful of British comics titles still standing – and here’s a chance to nab some outstanding copies. Backing up Commando, we also have new additions to a select few series: Air Ace Holiday Special, Battle and Battle Holiday Special, Eagle Picture Library (from #1), Lion and Valiant, War Holiday Special, Western Library, and Pearson’s Western Picture Library.

*Girls’ Comics: A handful of Debbie from 1978, a year previously unrepresnted in our listings, during the period when it had merged with fallen sister Spellbound (though, alas, after the ‘Supercats’ run in the title – though readers were still encouraged to join the ‘Supercats club’!). The Romero studios, former Supercats illustrators, were still gainfully employed, however, with the ‘House of Cats’ (we know a lot of people who have one of those…), and supernatural antics remained in the fore with ‘Valley of Fear’, as well as more mundane yet peculiar strips like ‘The Big Cheese’. (Two young girls roll a giant cheese from London to Diddlecombe because… the editor had a hangover that week? We’re just guessing.) Anyway, new Debbies, just pre- and post- the 300 mark, averaging VG to FN.

Like thousands of comics fans all over the world, we were greatly saddened to hear, on the morning of the 7th of July, of the death of legendary artist Steve Ditko, co-creator of, among myriad others, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. The term ‘iconic’ is much abused in the contemporary arts, but Ditko’s individual, fascinating, and instantly recognizable style truly deserves the description.

Mr. Ditko, aged 90, was found at his Manhattan apartment on the 29th June by the authorities, and pronounced at the scene as having been dead for approximately two days. Preliminary investigations indicated the cause of death was heart failure as a result of chronic cardiovascular disease.

Born November 2nd 1927, Ditko studied at the New York Cartoonists and Illustrators School, and began his comics career in 1953, assisting at the Simon & Kirby studio, then beginning a long association with Charlton Comics which lasted intermittently until the company’s demise in the 1980s. Around 1960, he co-created Captain Atom, perhaps Charlton’s most memorable super-hero.

In the late 1950s, he also began working on the mystery line at Atlas, the company which would become Marvel Comics, becoming known for short twist-ending sci-fi stories. These ‘Lee & Ditko shorts’ proved so popular with readers that in 1961 Marvel devoted a title exclusively to them, Amazing Adult Fantasy. Although popular with fans, AAF was not a commercial hit, so with its final issue it was retooled into Amazing Fantasy, and featured the first appearance of Spider-Man, one of the lynchpins of the Marvel Universe. Shortly thereafter, Ditko illustrated the premier appearance of Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #110, and developed a phantasmagorical style which inadvertently presaged the ‘Op Art’ movement.

Following disputes with Stan Lee, Ditko left Marvel and moved to DC, where he co-created the Creeper and the Hawk and the Dove, as well as becoming a pioneer in the ‘alternative comics’ movement with his uncompromising moralist, ‘Mr. A’. At Charlton, he contributed to their action hero line with a revised Blue Beetle and co-created The Question, both generally rated as amongst his finer works.

Mending fences somewhat at Marvel in the 1980s, he continued working both there and at DC until 1998. One of his later assignments was a seemingly throwaway debut of a character who later became a success – Squirrel Girl. After retiring from the mainstream, he continued to produce his own self-published comics of political and social commentary, until shortly before his demise.

Notoriously reclusive, Ditko avoided publicity – he reputedly attended one comics convention in the early 1960s, and, not caring for the experience, never repeated it. Only a handful of photographs of him are known to exist, none dating later than circa 1965. He routinely declined interviews, preferring to let his work speak for itself without justification or explanation.

*DC: Riddle me this: when did the X-Men, Sub-Mariner, Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four co-star in Action Comics? When it was Action Double Double Comics, of course! In the Sixties, it was a common practise of the UK distributors Thorpe & Porter to return the covers of unsold copies for credit, then re-purpose the ‘destroyed’ coverless copies, four to an issue, under a new cover – usually an ineptly-recoloured stat of a US original.

These Double Double Comics are literally random – any given issue of, for example, Superman Double Double Comics might have copies of Superman, but is just as likely to have any other DC title of the period, from super-hero to comedy to romance to war, or even the occasional Marvel and ACG comic that slipped into the pile, depending on what was in T & P’s piles of unsolds in the warehouse! The only consistent rule we’ve established – so far – is that even though the same distributor handled Charlton and the Archie super-heroes, we’ve never found any of them in a Double Double Comic. At least not yet. Even copies of the same issue, according to the cover, usually have significantly, sometimes entirely, different contents, as will be evidenced in our detailed listings! Thorpe & Porter also produced similar Annuals in hardcover, for the lucrative holiday market. These gather up six unsold copies, rather than four, and, doubtless in an attempt to look more ‘festive’ the rebound unsolds are allowed to retain their original covers. Three of these Annuals – Aquaman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman – are also new in, and like their ‘floppy’ brethren, the ostensible stars often bear only a passing resemblance to their actual contents.

It was known at one time, when Double Doubles were to be had cheaply, for less scrupulous dealers to ‘strip them for parts’ -use pieces, most usually the centrefolds, on incomplete copies with covers to ‘Frankenstein’ together an apparently complete copy. This resulted in a scarcity today, of unmutilated Double Doubles, which is why we’re particularly delighted to have so many in at once – previously, we’ve only ever seen them in quantities from pairs up to half a dozen, but this collection of almost 60, wide-ranging in grade, also gives an insight into the bewildering variety of content. Completists should tread carefully, as virtually every single copy is a variant issue, once you get behind the cover – you’ll never “get them all” – until you get them ALL!!

In addition to the ‘team photo’ of the collection en masse, we illustrate here four of the many highlights: Batman Double Double #2 VG £60, with, among others, Batman #181 with the Poison Ivy origin – centrefold removed by a previous owner, but the Ivy debut is complete!; Lois Lane DD NN (#1) FN+ £40, with Lois #70, the Silver Age return of the Catwoman; Strange Adventures DD #1, with Hulk #102, first Silver Age issue of the Jade Giant and Aquaman Annual VG £40. Thorough details on content, grade and price of everything else may be found under the ‘Double Double Comics’ header in the DC category of our catalogue.

*DC: After #123 (‘Flash of Two Worlds’, as if you need telling), and the premier issue (#105), probably the most in-demand issue of the Silver Age Flash is #139, which featured the first appearance of Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen’s super-swift nemesis from the far-flung future, whose appearances in the popular Flash television series have caused his early appearances to zoom (sorry) upwards in value. We are delighted to welcome the Reverse-Flash back into our inventory – though we anticipate not for long – with this attractive mid-grade copy of his debut. Clean and sound, with moderate spine edge and corner wear, but unimpaired cover scene, firm at staples and decent interior, this copy is VG- p £165.

*DC: Starting in the 1950s, and lasting over 100 issues, the Showcase title gave first outings for many of DC’s most famous characters, many of whom later graduated to their own series and remain stalwarts of the DCU to this day. THis update, we add to our  listings #28 (2nd Sea Devils), Cave Carson, the Spectre, first Inferior Five in #62 (a  personal favourite), first Creeper in #73 by Steve Ditko and later issues with Nightmaster & Firehair. A great variety of material in this kaleidoscopic title.

*Marvel: These days, when the roster of the Avengers seems to change every other week, it’s refreshing to remember the first big membership shake-up, in the 16th issue of the Avengers. Yes, the team had gained and lost members before – the Hulk leaving and Captain America joining – but this was a radical event as the remaining four founding Avengers stepped down to leave the team in the hands of Cap – only recently returned from frozen limbo – and three former super-villains, Quicksilver, Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch! The gamble played off, and the ‘Cap’s Kookie Quartet’ years are fondly remembered by most veteran readers. This is the issue that kicked over the traces, in a remarkable FN+ grade, with beautiful deep cover colour, a cents copy with no pence pricing. Only one small patch of cover wear mid-spine prevents a still higher grade on this beauty. On sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: As we’ve discussed many times recently, the lifting of the distribution embargo meant that the divided titles such as Tales of Suspense could ‘fission’ into independent series starring each character – and so it was with Captain America, who took over Tales of Suspense’s numbering with issue #100, making it his first solo issue of the Silver Age! While following the dangling plot threads from TOS #99, flashbacks of Cap’s history skilfully brought new readers up to speed, and from there he was launched onto adventures anew, initially drawn by his co-creator Jack Kirby, then by Romita, Colan and a promising young lad named Jim Steranko! This selection of Cap’s Silver Age series ranges from that debut issue, #100 (GD+ £55; respectable copy, but one small tear in cover’s upper edge) through to #129, plus his first Annual. Along the way, the Star-Spangled Avenger meets and/or clashes with the Red Skull, Batroc Ze Leaper, Trapster, the Hulk (in the glorious Steranko-illustrated #110, depicted here FN/VF £55) the voluptuous Madame Hydra (making her debut in #111), the Falcon, the Scorpion, Suprema, Satan’s Angels and more! Approximately thirty new entries for our inventory.

*Marvel: New listings for this hugely popular category of tabloid comics compilations, with a brace of Conan the Barbarian (including #4, illustrated by Barry Smith, whose work looks even more lush at the larger size) and a Giant-Size Holiday Grab-Bag #13, with a plethora of festive superhero frolics!

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Two of Marvel’s 1970’s horror reprint anthologies copiously topped up this week: Monsters On The Prowl and Where Monsters Dwell. Home to the reprint versions of such beloved Lee & Kirby (& others) Big Panty Monster (as we call ’em) tales from the days before the Marvel super-hero universe got going. Grogg, Sserpo, Monsteroso, Fin Fang Foom, Elektro, Metallo, Tragg, Gorgolla and many others all awsait you within these pages, many of them sporting a fetching pair of (often purple) big panties to protect their modesty.

*Phantom: Iconic characters such as Lee Falk’s Phantom are being continually reinvented over the decades, and one of the more popular ‘reboots’ of the early 21st Century was the 2003 series of the Phantom from independent publishers Moonstone, who produced new adventures in the classic style with high production values, including many painted covers. We have the Moonstone Phantoms new in stock from #4 to the final issue #26, as well as the first two Annuals.

*TV & Film Related Comics: We’ve been particularly blessed this year to have been able to purchase multiple collections of Gerry Anderson comics, and here’s our third TV Century 21 #1 of the year. Published on 23rd January 2065 (1965 – duh!), this is the comic that launched one of the most popular and enduring line of British comics ever to be published. Featuring Stingray, Fireball XL5, Supercar, the (non-Anderson) Daleks and, making her first apppearance anywhere, before the Thunderbids TV show, Lady Penelope, as well as other strips. This copy, FA/GD at £175 is in decent shape, with reasonable nice near white pages and no pen or pencil marks either on the cover or within. There are a few minor edge tears, with just one at 1.5″ centre right edge cover. Bottom right corner very slightly dog-eared, and the spine is quite worn at bottom and middle, but still intact. We shouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if this copy sells just as quickly as the previous ones we’ve recently had in, so early ordering is advised. 

*Humour Comics: By the late 1970s, Buster weekly had almost entirely switched gear to funnies rather than its traditional adventure/humour mix, and this trend was exacerbated when it merged with Monster Fun. The popularity of the Buster and Monster Fun amalgam weekly was such that from 1977 to 1995 a separate Buster & Monster Fun Holiday Special ran in parallel with the Buster Holiday Special, resulting in two ‘dollops’ a year for the Buster buff! We have new listings for Buster Holiday Special from 1977 to 1993, and for Buster & Monster Fun Holiday Special (and one anomalous ‘Spring’ Special in 1979) from 1977 to 1982. Pictured are Buster Holiday Fun Special from 1977 FN/VF £17.50 and Buster & Monster Fun Holiday Special 1981 FN/VF £12.50; grades and prices for the rest may be found in our online catalogue.

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:
*TV & Film Related Comics
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: The groundbreaking run of Green Lantern, in which he and Green Arrow set out to confront the failing American Dream, resonates with audiences even today, as, sadly, corruption, pollution, overpopulation and the other issues raised seem even more relevant today. The Comics Code Authority had long prohibited the mention of drug use, but that being one of the issues the editors wanted to address, creators Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams took advantage of a then-recent liberalisation of the Code to have a shocking story in which Speedy, Green Arrow’s former sidekick, was revealed to be a heroin user. The controversial cover was banned in many parts of the USA, and the story, though naïve, was a sincere attempt to address the issue for only the second time in mainstream comics. This is a FN+ copy, pence stamped, with superior inside pages and the historic cover scene unmarred, on sale at £70. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Following the arrival of the ‘New’ X-Men, a lot of people felt the ‘old’ X-Men were somewhat redundant. This was more so in the case of Jean Grey, Marvel Girl, who didn’t seem to have any identity other than being an X-Man and Cyclops’s love interest. But that was rectified in issue #101 when Jean was escalated into a powerhouse when a cosmic ray storm seemed to transform her into the entity known as Phoenix – and a major, ultimately tragic, story arc for the X-Men began. The legend was somewhat tarnished in later years by Marvel’s shifting position on whether Jean actually was the Phoenix, or whether the Phoenix force just assumed her form (and a swingin’ new costume), but nevertheless, this remains a key and highly sought after issue. With the Phoenix looming large in the forthcoming X-Men movie franchise, now is the time to get this pivotal story. This is a VF- pence copy on sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: From 1968 onwards, most of the early issues of Iron Man from his first solo series back in  stock, almost all issues from #2 to #27 (many in a choice of grades) plus Annual #1. Shell-Head was establishing himself in his own series and coming up against such fearsome foes as the Demolisher, the Freak, the Unicorn, the Crusher, the Gladiator, the Mandarin, the Controller, the Red Ghost, Lucifer, the Crimson Dynamo, the Titanium Man, Firebrand and many more. This range, still very reasonably priced, are always popular when we get them.