*Marvel: The first and second appearances of Deadpool, Marvel’s Merc With A Mouth, are new in stock! His premiere appearance in New Mutants #98 – also the first sighting of Domino and Gideon, for the record – is a Near Mint cents copy offered for £200; perfect condition but for tiniest bit of label residue over end of logo, but you have to look really hard to see it! His second appearance, in X-Force #2, is a FN/VF pence copy at a bargainaceous £10. Although the current iteration of the character is very different (and let’s be honest, way more entertaining) than Nicieza and Liefeld’s original conception, these are the first appearances of the star of Marvel’s most record-breaking movie franchise yet, so the investment potential is high.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: The first twenty issues of the UK’s definitive sci-fi shock weekly, 2000 AD! Launched in 1977, the home of such series as ‘Flesh’ ‘Invasion’, and ‘MACH-1’ got a boost when its headline character, Judge Dredd, Lawman of the Future, rolled up in its second issue! We are offering the first twenty weekly issues, with issue #1 in an appealing GD+ at £40, and #2 VG/FN at £100; the rest of the first twenty average VG/FN, very presentable copies given their vintage and the cheap pulp paper they were printed on. In addition, we have the four issues which, owing to their use of copyrighted properties, were until recently banned from being reprinted; #’s 71 and 72, the ‘Burger Wars’ issues, which caused umbrage with MacDonalds and Burger King; and #’s 77 and 78, the ‘Jolly Green Giant’ numbers, in which a certain verdant behemoth (no, not the Hulk) was an antagonist. Despite the reprint embargo having recently been lifted, we predict that demand for the originals will remain high, and offer all four – all FN – at £25 each.

*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: Again, just one book this week, but another goodie! From 2004, Vanguard’s Domino Lady, the Steranko deluxe signed slipcase edition. An A4-sized hardcover, with covers, design, title page illustrations and a glorious 15 page full colour art deco portfolio by the great man, capturing the feel of the pulp era in which the Domino Lady first appeared. Also included are several interior illustrations from the original pulps. Okay, so Domino Lady may not have been high art, but at Steranko’s hands, she becomes an iconic talisman of the literature of a bygone era. Only 750 copies of this edition were printed. The book itself is NM, the slipcase VF/NM with the slightest dink to one corner. You won’t see many of these for sale in the world, let alone the UK, but a must for the Steranko completist at £75. The book cover is so high gloss that the image shown here doesn’t really do it justice!

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:
*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards
*Teen Humour/Funny Girls
*War
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Hal Foster’s seminal ‘Arthurian’ adventure strip, Prince Valiant, is here presented in black and white comic form by Associated Newspapers of Australia, published from 1954. We believe this to be a complete run of all 20 issues, plus 2 Special Editions. A handful of issues of this run we’ve had in are incomplete, but so as to keep the run together and available, we’re giving these away free with the purchase of selected complete copies. See our catalogue listing for details. Many of even the complete issues are low grade and thus work out very affordable; #20 (last regular issue) pictured.

*Modern Reprints: A mixed bag of classic reprints from the Big Two this week, inc the DC Millenium Editions of Adventure Comics #247 (1st Legion), Superboy #1 & Young Romance #1, plus the complete Neal Adams Green Lantern/Green Arrow saga in 7 prestige volumes, a Frank Frazetta Shining Knight and Silver Age Classic Showcase #4 (1st Flash); and from Marvel, Incredible Hulk and Wolverine (reprinting the latter’s first appearance), Golden Age Human Torch #5 and Marvel Milestone Iron Fist #14 (1st Sabretooth). Your chance to read some of the classics for a fraction of the price of the originals.

*DC: Aquaman has arguably never been more popular than he is now, with a hit New 52 series behind him, a hit Rebirth event and series just starting and a movie in the offing to boot. It’s been far too long since we’ve had an update to DC’s Monarch of Atlantis here, so we’re delighted to add about 20 issues from his Silver/Bronze Age series between #25 & #63, including the debut of Aqua-Girl in #33. This title was graced with some wonderful artists, including Jim Aparo and Neal Adams, but for us the premier Aquaman artist (after a nod to the talented Ramona Fradon) will always be Nick Cardy, whose covers for this series are among some of the finest work in comics, in our humble.

*Marvel: In the wake of the Kung Fu craze which swept the mass media in the 1970’s, Marvel, having already scored big with Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, tried to repeat the success with Iron Fist, an orphaned Caucasian boy who learned mystical martial arts in the hidden land of K’Un Lun. Danny Rand had a successful run in Marvel Premiere, then graduated into his own title, co-starred with Power Man for years, and remains an active part of the Marvel Universe to this date, mainly in various Avengers titles. New in, we have Marvel Premiere #15, his first appearance, in which Roy Thomas and Gil Kane kicked off the career of the fisting fury (no, that sounded wrong). A highly attractive VF+ cents copy (never distributed in the UK), this is offered at £200 – but given the imminent Netflix TV show, just see where it goes in a few months’ time… SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Following in the teeny-tiny footsteps of Hank Pym, second-rate second-storey man Scott Lang borrowed – okay, stole – Hank’s cybernetic gear to become the second Ant-Man – but it was to save the life of his dying daughter, so he was doing the wrong thing for the right reason! John Byrne and David Michelinie’s reinterpretation of the classic Marvel hero took a while to catch on (Hank himself resumed the role on more than one occasion), but Scott endeared himself to the readership over time (a long stretch co-starring in Jessica Jones’ ‘Alias’ title not hurting his exposure…) and now, as the star of his own successful comic book and movie franchise, Scott seems firmly entrenched in the old insect hat. This was Scott’s first appearance in costume (he had had a fleeting cameo in Avengers, prior), and is a VF+ pence copy offered at a comparatively bargainaceous £50.

*Modern Reprints: A devil’s dozen reprint editions of EC’s classic horror tales under the Tales From The Crypt banner, five from Gladstone in 1990 and seven from Russ Cochran in 1991. Yes, you’re right, these have been reprinted ad infinitum in more formats than you’ve had hot dinners, and you know why? Because they’re among the best comics ever crafted and published; EC defined the horror comic. This is an inexpensive way to see what all the fuss is about without investing in either the originals or the luxury format reprint editions.

*DC: Our Batmania Max events carries on, this time featuring five tricky-to-get Batmans from the period before UK distribution started in the late 1950’s. Star of this show is Batman #92, with the first appearance of Ace the Bat-Hound, a very decent VG+ copy at £265 with a rich blue background colour, tight staples and nice page quality; a couple of minor cover creases at the corners (not across the cover images) prevent it grading higher. The other four issues in this update are #104, #106, #107 & #113, and while these are not up to the grade of the #92, all having some defect such as partially taped spines or minor cover scuffing, they are all okay copies which would sit well in a collection. Check our catalogue for full details of the grades and prices on these.

*Marvel: It’s the mid 1970’s and Marvel introduces us to a big dose of sci-fi as the ‘War Of The Worlds’ series debuts with issue #18 of Amazing Adventures. Loosely (and we do mean loosely) based on the H G Wells classic of the same name, the series features Killraven as the central heroic character against the Martian invaders. The series ran up to #39 and we have all issues new in, all in high grade cents copies (lowest being FN+). Relative bargains (until they announce a film of it), this sci-fi saga features the art of Neal Adams in the first issue and such luminaries as Howard Chaykin and P. Craig Russell subsequently.

*Girls’ Comics: Another entry in our Poptastic! range, this time Valentine, the long-running pop/comic strip hybrid. More than 10 issues in from 1958-1960, when the cover feature gimmick was a comic strip illustrating the story of a hit song of the time, plus one stray issue from 1972, the New Year edition in fact.

*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: Just one book in this week’s update, but it’s a rare gem! From 2001, the very limited edition of Anthony Skene’s Monsieur Zenith, the Albino, published by Savoy Books, a chunky VF/NM hardback with a VF/NM dust-jacket. Although Zenith started out as a nemesis for Sexton Blake, and indeed went on to become his most famous opponent, he evolved into stories in his own right, published in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Monsieur Zenith has more than a passing resemblance to Sherlock Holmes, being a prodigious user of opiates, a master of disguise and a virtuoso violinist. Although Zenith operates on the wrong side of the law, he is morally on the side of justice, for all his amoral posturing. Savoy’s presentation here makes the volume nothing less than a paean to weird pulp in all its crazed glory. Not only is the original text incredibly obscure — the publishers are aware of only three extant copies of the 1936 edition — but Savoy have also included original Zenith illustrations, including a number of covers from the likes of Detective Weekly and Union Jack, as well as new illustrations, an exhaustively researched introduction by Jack Adrian and a fascinating foreword by Michael Moorcock in which he cites Zenith as the inspiration for his own creation Elric. A beautiful thing at £60. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: A terrific trio of titles in Marvel magazines this week, as we add several issues of Deadly Hands Of Kung Fu (from #1 onwards), Rampaging Hulk (later just Hulk) and Monsters Unleashed. Many issues new to our listings; consult our catalogue for full details.

This coming Thursday 16th June, our basement, where we have all our British comics and the vast majority of American back issues from 1976-2015 will be closed for a stock ‘shuffle’ to facilitate better access to certain areas. There will be no customer access to our basement on this day (one day only). Please take this into account if planning a shop visit!

*DC: Our second visit to our Batmania Max event this week features something different. In the mid-1970’s, when comics sales were at their lowest ebb, desperate publishers were trying new formats and wonky ideas, and Batman Family – on the surface, a silly idea – developed into a popular and well-produced title. Originally intended for an issue of the showcase title First Issue Special, a team-up of Batgirl and Robin by Elliot S. Maggin and Mike Grell languished in an inventory cupboard until someone decided to use it to front an extra-thick title of mostly reprints, focussing on the supporting cast of the Batman mythos. Batman Family #1, released in 1975, proved an unexpected hit, and after an all-reprint #2, subsequent issues featured the “Dynamite Duo”, as the Batgirl/Robin combo became known, either teamed up or in solo stories. The unlikely crimefighting partnership blossomed into an even less Likelier romance between the teenage (but legal) Boy Wonder and the twentysomething Dominoed Daredoll,and they found true lurve while battling the Cavalier, Killer Moth, and Joker’s Daughter – who made her debut in issue #6, before returning in #’s 8 & 9 – as well as teaming up with forgotten characters like Batwoman (#10 and subsequent) and the original Bat-Girl. The reprints were sidelined as the series went all-new in its teens, and a Man-Bat series was added, while some interesting art by (then) relatively new illustrators was featured; Marshall Rogers, Michael Golden, and some stunning Mike Kaluta covers being the highlight. When, with issue #17, the title went to ‘Dollar Comic’ size, and the Huntress series was added, it was a varied and intriguing read – but sadly, the infamous ‘DC Implosion’ of the late ’70s took its toll, and the title as cancelled with #20, with several features being absorbed into Detective Comics before it, too, shrank back to normal size. Great fun while it lasted, and often a quirky experimental read. This high grade complete run features as highlights a VF/NM first issue at £40, and all three early stories featuring the Joker’s Daughter character: #6 NM- £75 (pictured), # 8 VF/NM £15, and #9 NM £40 (pictured, first cover app). At best patchily distributed in the UK, and with many issues never released to newsagents, BatFam, as it’s familiarly called, is one of the scarcer DC’s on these shores in any grade.

*Marvel: Laura Kinney, the cloned daughter of Wolverine who has now succeeded to her almost-Dad’s name and role, made her debut in an inauspicious series called NYX (2003), which had already been cancelled and reconfigured once prior to its launch. A low-interest title, with few reader expectations and an extremely limited press run, the later popularity of the character has taken collectors by surprise, and back issue sales of her premiere, NYX #3, have gone crackerdog on the internet. We have NYX #3, with a cover featuring Laura in teenage hooker finery, new in in an exceptional Mint condition, offered at £175. And yes, that is a lot, but check out what’s being asked for it elsewhere! SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: Normally Quirky Corner is reserved for the more outlandish and esoteric sectors of our beloved hobby, the titles or characters of which one says; “I can’t believe they did that!”. In this case, it’s a little different. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, by its eighth issue in August 1989, was already making waves around comics critics, but interest piqued when #8 introduced the sister of the hero, Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream of the Endless. Death, in the form of a chirpy goth maiden with far too much eyeshadow, introduced a much-needed humourous note into the series, and became a star of her own mini-series in due course. This particular version of #8, however, suffered from a rather peculiar printing error, in which editorial and advertising matter was transposed from other publications. The story pages are all present and in the right order, so the important content is unaffected, but for some reason this misprint, of which there are only approximately 600 copies known, has caught the collector’s eye, and is going for insane prices on the American collectors’ market, where slabbed NM copies have sold for as high as $1300+. This VF+ pence copy is a tough one to value, but we believe our asking price of £500 represents a good investment potential and compares very favourably with recorded sales of this esoteric oddity.

*Humour Comics: Listen kids, it’s time for fun — it’s a great new comic and it’s No. 1! Yes it’s Oink #1, the irreverent Viz-like cult hit from 1986, complete with its Free Gift: a pig-shaped pink plastic record featuring The Oink Song and Oink Rap by the Oinklettes. Both comic and Gift are FN at a total of £15. And as a bonus, we also have a VG copy of Cracker #2 from 1975 also at £15 with a Fine Free Gift: the Cracker Big Bang. Both gifts guaranteed to make some noise!

*Humour Comics: A further update to our stock of Buster, one of our best-selling titles, this time a couple of hundred issues new in between the years 1972-1979, inc. many Christmas, New Year and Easter issues. Also included is the first ‘Leopard From Lime Street’ strip in the issue dated 27th March 1976.

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:
*Girls’ Comics
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: From the early 1970’s, over a dozen new copies of Star Love Stories in Pictures fresh into stock. This always popular title is an attractive package, with a ‘done-in-one’ poignant picture story romance tale within a gorgeously painted full colour cover and a back cover and interior covers with pop pin-ups (I was delighted to spot personal favourites Dave Cousins, Medicine Head, Frank Zappa and the Edgar Broughton Band rather than the usual pop fare). All copies VG except a few FNs.

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980’s: By its tenth issue, Wolfman and Colan’s highly-acclaimed run on Tomb of Dracula was in full swing, racking up plaudits from critics and fans alike, when suddenly there came a character who was to outstrip the success of his comic-book ‘parent’. Blade the Vampire Slayer debuted in issue #10, and, numerous comic-book appearances and a highly successful movie trilogy (Marvel’s first such, in fact) behind him, remains one of the more enduring breakthrough characters of the 1970’s. This VG/FN pence copy is sound, with strong staples, excellent page quality, unbroken cover colour, and only minimal fine creasing at the corners precluding a higher grade. Offered at £70. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD