*Marvel: The Claremont & Cockrum ‘New’ X-Men was already a critical hit when #101 turned up, and in a dramatic turn of events, Jean Grey, former weak sister of the team, 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 manifested itself in her form (and a swingin’ new costume), but nevertheless, this remains a key and highly sought after issue. This is an attractive VF copy, ND in the UK, for £135. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
Category Archives: What’s New
American Update: Suddenly… A Symbiote! Amazing Spider-Man #252 with Black Costume!
*Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #252, like many Secret Wars ‘epilogue’ issues, featured a major ‘twist’ only explained retroactively. In Spidey’s case, it was a dramatic black & white costume which would eventually be revealed as an alien symbiote, which in turn would evolve into to Venom, who eclipsed most longer-established villains to become Spidey’s crucial nemesis for more than a decade. Although the first appearance of the symbiote in internal continuity was Secret Wars #8, its debut in real time was this very issue. This is a highly collectable VF grade pence copy at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Three early issues of Avengers
*Marvel: A triple-threat this week, with issue #6 of the Avengers, featuring the diabolical debuts of both Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil, in VG- p at £40. Issue #7 presents another unholy alliance – Zemo, the Enchantress and the Executioner – causing civil war (hmm…) among the Avengers; GD+ p £30. And we wrap up for now with #11, with our heroes seemingly at war with Spider-man… or is it a plot by the nefarious time-twister, Kang? VG+ p £50. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Complete run of Marvel’s Battlestar Galactica
*Marvel: Like it or loathe it, there’s no doubt that Battlestar Galactica was one of the more successful attempts to cash in on the Star Wars wave in the late 1970s, and Marvel, no slouches themselves at cashing in, gave us a 23 issue series which lasted from 1979-1981. For all you fans (and we know you’re out there), we have every issue of that run now in stock, mostly in around VF and nearly all cents copies, so a great opportunity to pick up a complete run of a (for many) classic sci-fi series. Personally, I found the original BG a bit too cheesy, but I was quite a fan of the remake some years ago — just wanted to share that with you…
American Update: Jonah Hex, selected issues from #1 to #91
*Western: Following his lengthy spells in All-Star Western and Weird Western, Jonah Hex, the disfigured gunfighter ‘inspired’ by the spaghetti western films of the 1970’s, got his own series in 1977, running for a grand total of 92 issues – a stellar achievement at a time when the market was rejecting virtually anything other than super-heroes! The character’s co-creators, John Albano and Tony DeZuniga, were involved, as were other talents such as Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Mike Fleischer, giving Jonah’s opportunistic, nihilistic and frequently downbeat adventures a very different and bloodier spin than the squeaky-clean Marvel cowboys. We have more than twenty new issues of Jonah Hex in stock, beginning with his debut issue (FN+ £30), and wrapping up with the penultimate #91.
American Update: Babes, Bullets and Bloodshed! Punisher’s origin in Marvel Preview #2 plus more Marvel and Warren Mags!
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: Small but significant top-ups to Marvel and Warren’s lines of magazine-sized comics, headlined by Marvel Preview #2, the issue of Marvel’s ‘Showcase’ mag which featured the first full-length origin of the Punisher, then one of Marvel’s hottest new characters! Behind a splendid Gray Morrow cover, Gerry Conway and Tony DeZuniga bring us an action-packed story in which, as a bonus, we find out how Frank Castle went crackerdog. In addition, the back-up is the first appearance of Howard Chaykin’s rogueish paladin, Dominic Fortune. This copy is FN+ at £40. More Marvel mags include Haunt of Horror, and Monsters Unleashed, with Gabriel Demon Hunter, Tigra the Were-Woman, Son of Satan and their pals, and from Warren we have Monster World (no comics, but features on Hammer Horror, the 50s Superman TV show and the Ghost in The Invisible Bikini, among others), and Vampirella #2, with the curvaceous bloodsucker from Drakulon in fine fettle.
American/British Update: Early US Classics Illustrated (inc. many firsts) with line drawn covers
*Classics Illustrated: It’s the turn of the American editions of Classics Illustrated for this update, and a real enthusiast’s selection added this week: 18 early editions, all with the rarer line-drawn covers (a feature of the older editions) and including many first editions: #14 (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), #28 (Michael Strogoff), #44 (Mysteries Of Paris), #53 (A Christmas Carol), #54 (The Man In The Iron Mask), #56 (The Toilers Of The Sea) and #64 (Treasure Island). A selection from this update are shown below and full details may be found in our catalogue.
British Update: First Quenchers with Free Gift Farrago: Fury and Mighty World of Marvel #1 issues
*Marvel UK: Two significant Marvel UK items in our First Quenchers #1 issue event. From 1977, their entry into the war comics field, Fury, with reprints of the eponymous Sergeant (and his Howling Commandos) behind a Dave Gibbons cover. This copy has the bonus of the Free Gift (plastic model warplane) still unassembled and on its framework. Comic is FN, gift is NM, £25 for the pair. And going further back in time, from 1972, Mighty World of Marvel #1, the very first Marvel UK release, with the debuts of the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man all reprinted within its pages. Generally in very nice condition, only slight tanning at the top edge prevents a higher grade; VG at £40.
British Update: First Quenchers+! Scarce 1966 Champion series, a selection from first to last!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: No relation to the earlier story paper, 1966’s Champion launch was an oddball mishmash of European reprints combined with a selection of new homegrown series such as Return of the Stormtroopers, School for Spacemen, and what eventually emerged as the breakout strip, the Phantom Viking, a Thor-adjacent superhero who transitioned from timid schoolteacher Olaf Larsen whenever his Viking ancestry was aroused by imminent danger. Despite being heavily promoted as ‘A companion paper to Valiant!’, Champion was amalgamated into Lion after a mere fifteen issues, with the Phantom Viking going on to have a respectable run in his second home. The presence of some a-list creators and the appeal of a short achieveable run has made this highly sought after in later decades. We have nine individual issues (with a couple of duplicates) including both the first and final issues. Issue #1 (pictured) is FN at £50.
British Update: 1980s Eagle extensively restocked, including ‘Scream’ Merger!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: More than 70 copies of the 1980s Eagle revival are new to our lists, dates ranging from 17/9/83 through to 30/3/85 – the latter being the issue before absorbing fallen veteran stablemate Tiger. Although Eagle Mk II is under-rated by many, owing to its first-year habit of running a great many naff photo-strips, by now it was a solid SF anthology, featuring talented creators (John Burns, Oliver Frey, Jesus Redondo, Ian Kennedy, Ron Turner) and popular and well-remembered series such as ‘Manix’, ‘Doomlord’, ‘Danny Pyke’, Valiant-import ‘One-Eyed Jack’, and of course, the third iteration of ‘Dan Dare’. This selection is VG/FN, clean respectable copies, and highlights include the 100th issue (18/2/1984), the first merger with the short-lived Scream, bringing ‘Monster’ and ’13th Floor’ aboard (1/9/1984), and the 1984 and 1985 Holiday Specials.
British Update: Christmas in July Part 1
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A little out of season, we’ve just had in a small collection of Christmas issues covering many titles and three of our categories. We didn’t want to keep you waiting half a year for them, so they’re all listed this week. We kick off with three Boys’ titles: Rover (1970), a scarce Thunder (1970) and Tiger (1984). See below for the rest of this mini-event.
British Update: Christmas in July Part 2
*Humour Comics: We’re playing it for laughs in the second part of our mini-event, with festive editions of all your favourites: Beano (1970), Buster (1981), Cor (1970), Dandy (1986), Whizzer & Chips (1973) and Whoopee (1983). These seasonal delights are always the first plucked from our boxes!
British Update: Christmas in July Part 3 (inc First Quenchers & Long Hot Summer)
*Younger Readers’ Comics: The final part of our Christmas mini-event turns to Christmas in little kiddie land, with a couple of Christmas issues, plus a couple of #1’s and a Summer Special. Spend Christmas with Bobo Bunny (1970) and Twinkle (1970), laze the summer away the Disneyland Summer Special 1973, and thrill to #1 issues of Fun Time (Hanna-Barbera’s) (1972 plus bonus #3), and Hey Diddle Diddle (1972). There’s also one final issue of Twinkle, #105 1970, which is rather special because it’s the issue that came with the Free Gift of the Nurse Nancy Outfit. Although the outfit is sadly missing here, we know there must be somebody out there somewhere with a Nurse Nancy Outfit in their closet, just waiting for this issue to turn up and match it up. Well, here it is!
British Update: It’s a Long Hot & Poptastic! Summer…
*Girls’ Comics: Lucky thirteen Summer specials for ‘young ladies’ new to our listings! After they got too old for Bunty and Tammy, female readers were cunningly graduated into weeklies like Blue Jeans, Jackie, and Patches, which offered tales of (safe, tame) romance, features on fashion, beauty and pop, and friendly older-sister problem page presenters who were actually resentful middle aged men. These popular weeklies spun off their extra-length Summer Specials, and we have “Sunsational” stocks of Blue Jeans, Jackie and Patches Summer Specials, ranging from the 1970s to the 1990’s, as well as a stray Mirabelle Summer Special from, we think, 1977 (it’s a bit coy about giving any actual info., but it references punk bands, so…) Details on prices and grades in the Girls’ Comics section of our Online Catalogue.
British Update: June & School Friend Picture Library – a bumper selection!
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: A substantial haul of the extremely popular June & School Friend Picture Libraries fresh in — from the 4th issue (#331) to the 4th to last (#576), running from 1965 to 1971. Dozens of issues added to our listings, the vast majority previously missing. Many favourite recurring characters recur, such as Mimi the Mesmerist, Zanna The Jungle Princess, Sue (the adventuress/mystery solver), Sally (the ballerina), Mam’selle X WW2 secret agent (our favourite) and several others. Mostly in nice grades, these always attract attention when we get a new batch in, and this is the most we’ve seen for a while, so we recommend gobbling them up quickly.
What’s Old: Golden Age Captain America #1-10 slipcased hardcover 2 volume set – Recalled and Pulped!
In this week’s What’s Old spot, where we feature items from our previously-listed inventory, one of the earlier attempts at reprinting Golden Age Marvel material: the 1991 Captain America: The Classic Years Slipcased Edition, which collected, in two hardcover full-colour volumes, the first ten issues of Captain America Comics from 1941, by the team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Long neglected (apart from a few heavily-edited reprints in the 1960s) these stories from the beginnings of the Super-Soldier of World War II should have been a big hit – but unfortunately, someone in the colour separation department decided to add crude drawings to the yellow plate, resulting in inappropriate images coming out in the final print. Embarrassed, Marvel hastily ordered a recall of the product, and the vast majority were destroyed. This is a NM copy of the original printing (not the 1999 re-release, which was corrected and the offending images removed), and is on sale at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
Clearance Corner: 33 2nd series Air Ace, Battle & War Picture Libraries for £10
*Clearance Corner: Our latest rock bottom price bargain consists of our entire stock of the second series of three of Fleetway’s most famous war-themed Picture Libraries: Air Ace, Battle & War. 33 issues on offer for just £10. (Air Ace x 3 – #26, 49, 52; Battle x 7 between #28-255; War x 23 between #3-324). These fit into a small box to make a package weighing 1.6 kg and UK postage (if required) would be an additional £3.50. SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD
Clearance Corner: 28 Edgar Wallace Books for £5! “Another foot or two for your collection”
*Clearance Corner: We believe it was Agatha Christie’s character Tuppence Beresford who came up with the above quote when referring to her husband putting up an Edgar Wallace bookshelf, but there is no doubt that Wallace was one of the most prolific crime writers of the 20th Century. Here’s a chance to sample his wares for yourself with a varied selection of his novels, 26 in paperback and 2 in hardback (no DJs), all different. Publishers include Arrow, Collins, Digit, Hodder & Stoughton, John Long, Pan & Ward Lock. Dates range from 1930s to 1970s, with an emphasis on the 1950s. At just £5 for 28 books, how can you go wrong? These fit into a medium box and UK postage (if required) would be an additional £13.50.
American Update: Harley, Harley, Harley! Early appearances of Ms. Quinn!
*DC: After kicking off with Harley Quinn’s first appearance in comics, Batman Adventures #12, (now sold!) recently, we augment our stock of the Jokers’ partner-in-crime/punching bag with a constellation of her other early comic-book appearances: Batman Adventures Annual #1 (3rd Harley, after BA #12 and the Mad Love one-off) NM p £30, Batman Adventures #28 NM p £27,Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1 NM p £20, and two team-ups with Harl’s gal-pal Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin Adventures #8 NM £20 and Batman: Gotham Adventures #29 NM £12. Taste the crazy!
American Update: A Half-Dozen Dynamic DC Debuts From Three Decades!
*DC: First issues of DC series from three decades: from the 1960s, Rip Hunter Time Master, currently starring in the “DC Legends of Tomorrow” TV series; Plastic Man, the malleable manhunter created by Jack Cole and reinterpreted by Arnold Drake & Gil Kane and the Phantom Stranger, re-introduced to tie in to DC’s burgeoning horror/mystery line. From the 1970s we have Black Lightning #1, DC’s first attempt at an urban black crimefighter as created by Isabella and Von Eeden and the nefarious Joker by O’Neil and Novick, in his own (sadly shortlived) series at last; finally, from the 1980s, Arak, Son of Thunder, one of DC’s fantasy/sword & sorcery stars. Black Lightning #1 is FN+ £10; the Joker is FN/VF £30; and Rip Hunter FA/GD p £25. For the others, check out our online listings. SORRY, BLACK LIGHTNING & RIP HUNTER NOW SOLD
American Update: Early Daredevil issues in superior grades with debuts of major villains! (And the Matador…)
*Marvel: A trio of early Daredevil issues, featuring the debuts of long-lasting members of the Man Without Fear’s Rogues Gallery! In #4, DD met the Purple Man, a.k.a. Killgrave, who was destined to become a major thorn in the side of the Marvel Universe in general. Now a recurring character on TV’s “Jessica Jones”, Killgrave has never been more popular, so this FN+ cents copy of his debut is relatively bargainaceous at £125! In issue #5, Matt Murdock met the Matador – despite his long lineage, not really one of the better Marvel villains – but, more importantly, after a rotating-door of artists in his first few issues, DD gained the artistic talents of Wally Wood, whose luminous illustrations catapulted him to a new level of popularity! #6 is a FN+ cents copy at £75. And in #6, the Ox (a former foe of Spider-Man) and the Eel (a rare Human Torch opponent who wasn’t a fat beardy bloke in an overcoat) joined forces with a brand-new villain, Mr. Fear, to form the Fellowship of Fear! In a selection of high-grade early Marvels, this issue is in exceptional condition, VF+ at £145.
American Update: The Doctor Is In! Doctor Strange #1 from 1974, back in stock!
*Marvel: In Marvel Premiere in the early Seventies, Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, returned to active service after a few years in limbo. While his new solo series took a while to catch on, by 1974, under the auspices of Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, it had gained sufficient ground to relaunch his title, and this debut issue features both Englehart and Brunner at their best, with Brunner’s illustrations, in particular, being remarkably lovely. This copy of Doctor Strange #1 is an attractive FN+, with only minimal corner and edge wear not impacting the cover scene, at £35. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Heroic Autobots! Evil Decepticons! Marvel’s Transformers Joins Our US Catalogue!
*Marvel: Once again, we expand our catalogue range, this time to include a much-loved, classic science fiction saga of heroic crusaders from outer space… Star Wars? Star Trek? Nope, it’s Transformers, the battling shape-shifting robots who fought a covert war to save Earth while disguising themselves as common vehicles, according to the popular toy & cartoon series from the 1980s! The Marvel US title is now listed in our catalogue, for the comfort and convenience of Transfans everywhere! The series originally launched in 1984 as a four-issue mini, but response and sales were so huge that with #5, it became an ongoing title, eventually racking up 80 issues plus a number of spin-offs before the wheels fell off in 1991. We have more than thirty issues of the original run (between #2-63), mostly in high grades, averaging VF, plus the first issue of Transformers – The Movie, and all four Transformers Universe, the “Who’s Who” for late-arriving punters!
British Update: First Quenchers! Fantastic #1 plus…
*Power Comics: Mostly, this is an update of Fantastic, the 1967 series which started serious sequential reprints of the Marvel Super-Heroes for the UK audience; we have the first thirteen issues in stock, with the #1 being a respectable GD at £30, prevented from a higher grade only by a slight narrow ‘chip’ at the front cover’s top corner. As a bonus, we have added the final issue of the senior Power title, Wham!, which – still more resembling a traditional British humour comic – hung up its cane and mortarboard with #167, now available in VG £15. For the other entries in this selection, check out the catalogue listing.
British Update: An A-Z of Boys’ Adventure Annuals!
*Annuals: From the 1970’s to the new Millennium, new stock of Boys’ Adventure Annuals including Action Force (the UK ‘re-branding’ of the American GI Joe franchise) from 1987 to 1990, Battle from 1979 to 1984, GI Joe: The Action Force from 1991 (clearly the point at which the publishers decided “Stuff It” and reverted to the US name…), Zoids from 1986, and a couple of oddities: the retro-compilation of Tiger’s Hot Shot Hamish in a faux-Annual from 2009, and the 1971 Smash! Fun Book – this latter features exclusively comedy strips, but because Smash! is traditionally listed with our Boys’ Adventure Annuals, it’s in here anyway – a softcover compilation of new & reprint chuckles created by the Odhams team.
British Update: Girl power! Girls’ Annuals from the 50s to the 70s!
*Annuals: A brisk top-up to the Girls’ Annuals subdivision, with new stock for June (1969 and 1971), Penelope (1971), Pixie (1975), and School Friend (1972). The traditional mix of ballet, equestrienne, and boarding-school stories, with the occasional departure (the Penelopes still having a smattering of Gerry Anderson related stories plus a bunch of tough spy schoolgirls – no, really!) The doyenne of this selection is the very first Girl Annual, (distaff companion to Eagle), from 1952 in VG/FN at £15.
British Update: Long Hot Summer! Valiant Summer Specials from 1969 to 1975
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A quartet of Summer Specials from one of Britain’s best beloved titles, Valiant, home of the Steel Claw, the Wild Wonders, Billy Bunter, Kelly’s Eye, and many more! This selection leads off with a 1969 Summer Special in an extraordinary state of preservation, FN/VF, and continues with new issues from 1972, 1974, and 1975. With reprint and original material, these extra-thick compilations whiled away the traditional rainsoaked summer holiday for a generation. 1969 is FN/VF at £45; 1972, incorporating the felled ‘TV21’ second series, is FN at £25; 1974 VG £20 and 1975 VG/FN £22.50. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: Nightmare Suspense Picture Library and Tales Of Terror
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Horror is a genre rarely represented in the picture library format, which is why we’re particularly pleased this week to be offer to able you even just a soupcon of it in the form of a handful of issues of Nightmare Suspense Picture Library and Tales Of Terror from the 1960s.
British Update: Buster Adventure Library
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Although primarily thought of as a humour title, the Buster comic also featured many adventure strips, and in 1966/67 lent its name to a series that, rather than present stories from Buster, reprinted adventure strips from both Thriller Picture Library and Super Detective Picture Library. We have about half the 36 issue run new in stock, including stories of John Steel, Robin Hood and Rick Random.
British Update: First Quenchers! Cor!! – Two first issues – regular release and ultra-rare Publisher’s Promotional Variant!
*Humour Comics: One of the most popular humour titles of the 1970s was Fleetway/IPC’s Cor!!, a cheerfully anarchistic medley of protagonists who mostly revolved around getting the better of the older generation, as exemplified by its cover guy Gus the Gorilla, who drove besuited types to apoplexy on a weekly basis; other well-remembered strips introduced were proto-feminist Tomboy, class struggle avatars Ivor Lott and Tony Broke, and token adventure strip Kid Chameleon, another in the long line of ‘orphan raised by critters’ strips, whose hue-changing antics nabbed him the full-colour centrefold. We are delighted to have a double-dose of debuts this week: not only the regular, newsagent-distributed issue #1, but the incredibly hard to find Publisher’s Promotional Variant, sternly marked “Not For Resale” where the price should be! The final release #1 doesn’t differ from the Promo in terms of content – though there are colouring variations between the two – but the scarcity of the Promotional Edition makes it a highly attractive acquisition, particularly in higher grades. Our ‘regular’ #1 (right) is GD at £25; the Promotional Variant (left) is FN at £100.
British Update: It’s Poptastic! Jackie 1977-1985 (and 2009!)
*Girls’ Comics: What can we say about Jackie that we haven’t said before? Frankly, nothing, so here it is again: Jackie, the comic for the teenage girl, is restocked in our boxes this week with many issues from 1977-85. A heady mix of pop, comic strips and features of the utmost importance to girls of a certain age, Jackie is famously remembered by a generation or more and has spawned much nostalgia, including reprint volumes and, so we believe, a stage musical! Special bonus: The commemorative collector’s edition for 2009 is also included!
British Update: Judy Picture Library
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Dozens of new issues fresh into stock this week for Judy Picture Library, the immensley popular done-in-one series with one complete long story per issue. This update features issues from the 1960s to the 1970s, between #34 and #233. Intriguing titles such as ‘The Sixpence That Changed Into A Swimming Pool’, ‘The Girl From D.O.R.S.E.T.’, ‘The Day Of The Planets’ and ‘A Home For Six Kittens’ adorn covers that offer just as much charm, fun and entertainment within.
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:
*Charlton
*Dell
*Gold Key/Whitman
*Harvey
*IW/Super
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
What’s Old: Catch A Rising Star! Golden Age Starman in Adventure Comics
For this week’s visit to our previously listed stock, we focus, quite literally, on one of DC’s super stars of the 1940s. Ted Knight, the Golden Age Starman, in addition to being a key member of the Justice Society of America and the founder of an heroic dynasty that stretches into today’s DC Universe, was one of the more meticulously-crafted strips offered by 1940s DC. A crusading astronomer who harnessed the energy of the stars with his gravity rod – akin to Green Lantern’s Power Ring – was created by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Jack Burnley, a mature artist who had developed a polished style, giving the series a sophistication which made it stand out from the crowd. Delightful and imaginative, the Starman stories are highly regarded by connoisseurs of the Golden Age, and the combination of quality and rarity makes them extremely collectible today. In addition to Starman, of course, Adventure featured several other popular series, including Sandman, the Shining Knight (whose first appearance was in one of our issues spotlit today), Hourman, and the underestimated Genius Jones. We present seven issues of Adventure for your consideration, from 1941 to 1944. All but one have Burnley Starman covers (and the last one’s a Simon & Kirby Sandman cover, so nothing to look down on!). Issue #62 VG £310, #64 GD/VG £235, #66 GD/VG £285, #67 GD+ £210, #68 FA+ £100, #70 GD+ £210 and #93 VG+ £180.
American Update: Bronze Age Fantastic Four & Hulk
*Marvel: Lots of additions to two popular Marvel mainstream super-hero titles from their Bronze Age periods: Fantastic Four between #141 & #292 and the Incredible Hulk between #126 and #200. In both cases, the giant-sized 200th anniversary issues are included and all additions were previously missing from our listings.
Clearance Corner: Full Set Marvel’s ‘The Saga Of Crystar’ For £5
The latest of our rock-bottom priced bargains comprises a full set of Marvel’s ‘The Saga Of Crystar’ from 1983-85. All 11 issues are included, all in grades of VF or better, for just £5. One of numerous toy tie-in titles of this period, with many nice painted covers (some by Michael Golden), and guest-starring Nightcrawler, Dr. Strange and Alpha Flight from the Marvel Universe. UK postage on this set (if required) would be an additional £3.50. Our Clearance Corner bargains have been moving faster than you can say Mxyzptlk lately, so if you fancy this, better get in quick!
American Update: Angel & The Ape – cult comedy series restocked with early issues!
*DC: In 1968, Angel O’Day and Sam Simeon made their debut in a delightfully light-hearted spoof of the ‘odd couple’ genre. She’s a babe! He’s a gorilla! They’re detectives! From the mind of E. Nelson Bridwell and the illustrative skills of Bob Oksner, this short-lived daffy spoof had great charm, and is fondly remembered by a generation. We have the pair’s very first appearance in Showcase #77, and the first two-issues of their own series, which followed shortly thereafter. Showcase #77 is VG p £7.50; Angel & The Ape #1 is GD p £3.25 and #2 GD p £2. Bargainaceous!
American Update: Batman Family Bonus! First Batman Beyond in Comics, 1st Catwoman Ongoing, 1st Nightwing solo series!
*DC: From more modern times than our usual stomping grounds, some Batman-related series which have acquired greater importance in recent years: Catwoman’s ongoing series, from Jo Duffy and Jim Balent, launched in 1993, and while undoubtedly popular, was also controversial because of its highly fetishized portrayal of Selina Kyle. Judge for yourselves, as we now have the first issue, embossed for your enjoyment, NM p £8. Nightwing, the former Robin the Boy Wonder, graduated from the Batman’s shadow and gained his own solos series in 1995; a four-issue mini-series with a one-off special, “Alfred’s Return”, as a kind of coda, we are selling the complete series, #1-4 + Special, all NM p for £25 (#1 pictured below). And finally, the biggest surprise – at least to Old Gits like ourselves – issue #1 of the first Batman Beyond mini-series, from 1999, which marked the comic book debut of the character Terry McGinnis, a near-future teen who takes over the Batman mantle from Bruce Wayne in the then-popular TV cartoon. This is a NM copy on sale for £20.
American Update: DC Silver/Bronze Sweep – Scattergun Style!
*DC: This week, rather than do our usual methodical alphabetical update, we just snatched up some interesting and quirky (but generally low-grade and affordable) items from the vast realm of the DCU! Adventure Comics features the debut of the Spectre’s controversial series by Fleischer and Aparo, while Aquaman brings us the debut of Mera, and the “Duel of the Sea-Queens!”. The Dark Knight returns, with #3 acclaimed Frank Miller series, and Brave & Bold is recharged with team-up issues from #50 onwards, including the first Teen Titans ‘Prototype’ in #54! DC 100-Page Super-Spectacular and Detective Comics also receive attention, with the debut of the villainous Doctor Phosphorus in the latter title, and there are new issues in of the Phantom Stranger with chilling Neal Adams cover art. Lastly, two Showcase debuts: #74, starring Anthro by Howie Post, and #75, with the first appearance of tormented crime-fighting siblings, the Hawk and the Dove by Steve Ditko!
American Update: When Worlds Collide! Scarce Spider-Man and Batman One-Shot from 1995!
*Marvel: Following the success of DC Vs. Marvel/Marvel Vs. DC, a number of crossover specials were produced during the short-lived collaboration between the Big Two during the latter part of the 20th Century. One such was the Spider-Man and Batman one-off by DeMatteis and Bagley, and, like all such latter Marvel/DC crossovers, it had a comparatively small print run, and is highly sought-after now. This copy, new in, is a shiny NM at £15. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: “From The Holocaust… A Hero!”: Captain Marvel’s Debut and first solo issue!
*Marvel: One of the forerunners of the ‘second wave’ of the Marvel Universe in 1968 was Captain Marvel, warrior of the mighty Kree Empire, which had featured in the Fantastic Four and elsewhere. Exiled on Earth and forced to live among humans, Mar-Vell found his loyalties strangely shifting. Originally created – now it can be told – as a cynical exercise in copyright protection (a minor publisher had produced an unsuccessful ‘Captain Marvel’ series a few years before, and Marvel Comics didn’t want their ‘brand’ hijacked by another company!), Captain Marvel, as well as the Silver Surfer, expanded the Marvel Universe beyond the confines of Earth and put the Marvel heroes firmly on the cosmic stage. We have the good Captain’s premier appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 new in, in a highly attractive FN £50, and his first solo issue (third appearance), #1 VGp £30. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: New Mutants #87: “Here Comes The Man Called…Cable!”
*Marvel: … And a generation of lame jokes about television reception was launched. Issue #87 of the ‘junior X-Men’ series, New Mutants, saw the first full appearance (he’d stuck his face in for a foreboding panel or two the issue previously) of Cable, the time-travelling man of mystery. Who was he, really? What was his agenda? What the hell were his powers, again? Some of these questions would be answered more promptly than others (apart from the Big Gun & Mullet ensemble, I still to this day don’t know what the hell his powers are…), but he stuck around to become the leader of the New Mutants, then, after that series’ cancellation, honcho of X-Force, and star of several solo series. Currently, he’s co-starring in the second Deadpool movie (rumours of Jennifer Saunders interpreting the role are sadly exaggerated…), so his star is ever-rising! This lovely VF+ p copy of New Mutants #87 is on sale at £80. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: “Among Us Stalk… The Sentinels!”
*Marvel: Marvel’s Misunderstood Mutants, the X-Men, took down many fearsome menaces in their early days, but with the debut of the Sentinels, in issue #14, they faced, for the first time, implacable robotic killers designed specifically for them – to overpower and eliminate the mutant species! The Sentinels have been a bane of the X-Men ever since, and this is an opportunity to own their premier appearance in FN+ p at £75, a beautiful copy with unbroken vivid cover colour and gloss. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Avengers Assembled – And Collected! 1st “New” Avengers and Collector debut back in stock!
*Marvel: Two key issues form the earliest days of the Avengers are now restocked: issue #16, in which the team lost Iron Man, Thor, and Giant-Man and the Wasp, but gained Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye for one of their most popular line-ups; and #28, in which the cosmic menace known as the Collector (soon to feature prominently in the Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise!) made his first appearance. #16 is an attractive VG/FN p copy at £55, and issue #28 VG+ p at £40. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: War – DC, Marvel & others from the 50s to the 90s!
*War: The ever-popular war genre is extensively restocked this week with new stock from Marvel – Sgt. Fury from #44 to the final issue of #167 (reprinting #1), plus Annuals – and with a tad more variety from DC, with GI Combat, Our Army At War (including the special issue #300), Our Fighting Forces (from #33 onwards), the surprisingly enjoyable Sgt. Rock Special from 1992, and Weird War Tales (including the first GI Robot!). Not content to stop there, we also have two additions from Atlas Comics – but from the two different companies of that name! From the 1950s, Man Comics, with mighty-thewed men fighting the Commie Menace, and from the 1970s Blazing Battle Tales, with ‘Sgt. Hawk’ and other not-at-all-derivative features.
British Update: Marvellous Alan Class Reprints Redux – Avengers, Spider-Man, Daredevil and more!
*Alan Class Reprints: The latest instalment of two crossover regular features sees more copies from the Alan Class Collection of issues of his classic titles – Creepy Worlds, Secrets of the Unknown and Uncanny Tales – with reprints from the earlier years of the Marvel Universe. Frequently the first ever reprintings of these classic tales, the highlight of this selection of twelve is the reproduction of Avengers #54 – debut of Ultron – in Uncanny Tales, with other issues featuring the Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil and Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD!
British Update: By Jove, It’s Captain Britain – With Jolly Old Free Gifts!
*Marvel UK: Our latest Free Gift Farrago is a goodie! In 1976, Marvel UK’s attempt to broaden their readership by generating a new British hero, Captain Britain was the subject of much controversy, not least because he was created by two Americans (Chris Claremont & Herb Trimpe) who, from the evidence presented here, had never met an English person, and whose interpretation of the UK’s manners and mores made the Austin Powers films look like documentaries. Be that as it may, the character endured to become a respected icon of the medium, and these early issues are now attracting keen collector attention, primarily because of early appearances by characters who have become, as the young people say, ‘hot’ in the media. This is a nice sequential run, featuring all the landmark first appearances associated with the series – the good Captain himself, in #1 of course, plus his supernatural guardians Roma and Merlin; our hero’s psychic sister Betsy Braddock, later to become the X-Men’s Psylocke, in #8 and Lance Hunter, later better known as ‘Mr. Mockingbird’ from Marvels ‘Agents of SHIELD’ television series in #19. #1 is FN with Free Gift (CB Mask) VF at £40 (taped inside as orginally presented); #2 VF with Free Gift (Boomerang) in FN at £30; #8 VF £80; #19 VF £15 and #24, in our experience the rarest of the three Free Gift issues, is FN with Free Gift (Super-Jet glider) in VF at £50; all other issues can be checked out in our online catalogue. Rumours still abound of the Defender of Albion being optioned for his own media crossover, so better buy now while the opportunity’s there!
British Update: First Quenchers! Eagle Annual #1 (plus bonus #2 & #3)
*Annuals: Following its stupendous debut in 1950, the Eagle weekly, home to Dan Dare, Harris Tweed, PC 49 and the Riders of the Range among others, lost no time in issuing the traditional hardcover Annual edition in late 1951 (generally known as the ‘1952’ Annual, as British Annuals always looked forward to the year ahead, so to speak). Eagle also had the habit of numbering its Annuals, so Annual Number One, ‘for’ 1952, was released towards the close of ’51, all clear? We are pleased to welcome back the first three Eagle Annuals, in superior grades – Numbers One and Two are VG/FN at £50 and £25 respectively, while Number Three is FN £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: Victor 1970-72
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A large update to our stocks of Victor, the long-lived war story themed title from the years 1970-1972, greatly increasing the choice of grades available in our catalogue for those years.
British Update: Long Hot Summer – Super Picture Library plus War, Battle, Suspense – Seaside Fun For All The Family!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: While most Summer/Holiday Specials of weekly comics expanded their height & width, with Picture Libraries, it was all about the thickness! Ooer, Matron, etc.) These sturdy Holiday editions of the digest-sized Picture Libraries boasted at least three times the pages of their punier siblings, sometimes even more! We have a new selection of Battle, Suspense and War Picture Library Holiday Specials for you to choose from, but the Big Daddy of this influx is 1969’s Super Picture Special – a sort of ‘ancestor’ of several of the ancillary titles, this stonker, too big for merely one theme, offered war, suspense, science-fiction and sport in an unfeasibly engorged 448 pages! Because of its page count, the Super Picture Special is prone to ‘moulting’ pages, and few copies survive in anything like decent shape. This copy is a superior GD/VG at £30. After all, when are you going to see another?