*Marvel: I always thought when reading Amazing Spider-Man #30 that it was a little off-beat compared to what had gone before, a one-off tale of a fairly nondescript cat burglar, somewhat understated when compared to most of Spidey’s rogues gallery. Years later, I realised that this was probably due to the fact that Steve Ditko had (uniquely) plotted this issue, and that his art gave the story a distinct noir flavour I came to appreciate. This copy from the Good Doctor Collection, a pence-printed ‘Marvel Pop Art Production’, is very nice with rich, moody colour cover and residual gloss. Minor corner blunting with a small dink at top left spine and small stress marks along the spine. Nice white to off-white pages and tight staples. Presents very well.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30 VG/FN p £85
Category Archives: What’s New
American Comics Update: Venom: The Madness – Complete Set #1-3
*Marvel: From 1993, another complete three issue mini-series of Venom: The Madness. This is the one with Juggernaut, featuring an embossed cover on #1. All in pristine NM condition. If you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you’ll like.
PICTURED: VENOM: THE MADNESS #1; Complete Set #1-3 All NM £15 SOLD
American Comics Update: The IW/Super Extravaganza: Fantastic Adventures
*IW/Super: We continue with our series of updates from that most esoteric publisher IW/Super. IW Publications was a short-lived comic book publisher in the late 1950s and early 1960s, named for the company’s owner Israel Waldman. Comics were published under both the IW and Super imprints and were notable for publishing unauthorised Golden Age reprints of other company’s properties. Usually these companies were out of business, but not always. Basically, it seemed to be whatever they could get their hands on that determined the esoteric nature of their output. Thus you get super-heroes, war, romance, western, funny animals, crime, horror, science fiction and just about every genre within their pages. Full details of what was reprinted in what are listed in our website catalogue. NB usually with newly-drawn covers. Over the next few months, we’ll be presenting a series of issues from this publisher. Inasmuch as most IW/Super titles were portmanteau series, Fantastic Adventures, with its mix of war, crime, horror, good girl, jungle, adventure etc, all from different sources, was a typical example. 6 out of the 7 known issues here, starting at #10 and running to #17 (there were no issues #13 or #14 and we don’t have the final issue, #18) (we told you that the IW numbering system was esoteric, right?)
IN THIS UPDATE: FANTASTIC ADVENTURES ALL SOLD
#10 VG+ £5.75 Reprints He-Man #2 Toby 1954. New cover by John Severin.
#11 VG £6.75 Reprints Blue Bolt Weird Tales #118 Star 1951. New cover by Ross Andru.
#12 VG £5 Not reprints. Unused Chesler material, most likely would have been Zor the Mighty #3. Cover by Ross Andru.
#15 FN+ £9 Reprints Spook #23 Star 1953. New cover by Ross Andru. Pictured below
#16 VG £5 Reprints Dark Shadows #2 Farrell 1958. New cover by Ross Andru
#17 GD- £3 Reprints Seven Seas #6 Iger 1947. New cover by Ross Andru
American Comics Update: The Arch Collection: Modern Comics 1948-1950 with Blackhawk Femme Fatales & Torchy
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: One of the features I liked best about Blackhawk stories from this period is the line-up of femme fatales that the Magnificent Seven constantly seemed to come up against. Three such examples this week from our fabulous Arch Collection, featuring Madam Butterfly in Modern Comics #78, Twilight (a deadly female spy) in #86 and Tanara, exotic queen of evil (and her alluring accomplices, the Seven Sirens) in #94. And if that array of (evil) pulchritude wasn’t enough, there are also back-up stories starring Torchy, Bill Ward’s Good Girl who always seemed to lose her clothing at the wrong moment (how careless of her!). Plus other teen and humorous back-ups.
PICTURED: MODERN COMICS
#78 GD £35 Great cover image. Chips out at edges (half thumbnail size at right edge; 3 cm upper spine split. Decent staples and page quality. SOLD
#86 VG £50 Solid copy with bright colours. Nice pages and staples. Tiny corner off top right cover and first few pages; stories not affected. Small chip (still attached) bottom edge.
#94 FA/GD £20 6 cm lower spine split with chunk out at bottom (narrow on front, larger on back cover). Some wear and colour-breaking creases; staples still attached. SOLD
British Comics Update: Alan Class Printing Plate Set: Suspense #115, reprinting Daredevil #60
*Alan Class Reprints: Long-time visitors to our site will remember that we’ve been selling the Printing Plates from Alan Class’s Private Archive for many years. Although they ran out in 2023, there has always been the possibility of a few more being located with the co-operation of Alan himself. Such has now happened with Suspense #115, which reprints the cover and story from Daredevil #60 and is a 100 page special. The set comprises the lead printing plates used in the original comic’s colour cover printing, a copy of the comic printed with these plates and a signed certificate of authenticity signed by Alan Class himself. These are packaged in a special protective presentation case. Full details follow (please remember that these sets are not available for postage to addresses outside the UK).
PICTURED: SUSPENSE #115 Comic and Plate Set £100 SOLD
*Comic VG. Vibrant colour, solid spine with very minor wear at bottom. Reading crease at spine, with further creases at right edge and across bottom right corner. 100 pages; nice clean copy. Reprints Daredevil #60, plus Charlton, ACG, Atlas, inc 1 story by Bill Everett.
*Colour cover plates: 4
*Signed certificate of authenticity
*Presentation case
British Comics Update: Love Story Picture Library – 10 issues from 1967/68
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: This week’s release of Love Story Picture Library, the longest running romance picture library from Fleetway, comprises 10 issues from 1967/68, between #642 to #655. The series always maintained a high standard and the very accomplished art reflected the fashions and mood of the times. All between FN and VF.
IN THIS UPDATE: LOVE STORY PICTURE LIBRARY ALL SOLD
#642 FN/VF £6
#643 VF £7
#644 FN/VF £6
#649 FN/VF £6
#650 FN/VF £6
#651 FN/VF £6
#652 VF £7
#653 FN £5
#654 FN £5
#655 FN £5
Books Update: Re-Working Our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category: Hill to Holly
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror category for authors alphabetically from Hill to Holly. Douglas Hill edits an anthology of adventure on other planets with stories from some big names in science fiction; The Judges Of Hades is a collection of occult mysteries with Simon Ark, seemingly immortal investigator into the paranormal; Chain Reaction is a ‘mushroom cloud’ thriller by Christopher Hodder-Williams; and J Hunter Holly contributes three engaging space opera romps.
PICTURED
DOUGLAS HILL (Ed): ALIEN WORLDS Piccolo 1982 1st UK PB GD/VG £3
EDWARD D HOCH: THE JUDGES OF HADES Leisure Books 1971 1st US PB VG £13 SOLD
CHRISTPHER HODDER-WILLIAMS: CHAIN REACTION Corgi 1966 1st UK PB thus VG £4
J HUNTER HOLLY: THE GREEN PLANET Monarch 1961 1st US PB GD £4
J HUNTER HOLLY: THE GREY ALIENS Mayflower Dell 1964 1st UK PB VG £10
J HUNTER HOLLY: THE RUNNING MAN Monarch 1963 1st US PB VG/FN £4
Books Update: Re-Working our Crime, Spies & Sleaze Category: A Mixed Bag of Crime & Sleaze with new addition and classic Heade cover
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, a mix of four books, some crime, some sleaze and some that blur the boundaries between the two. Monty Nash in Scream Bloody Murder (new in) is from the Department of Counter Intelligence, starring in a murder thriller. Law Of Lust is about a depraved judge. The half-Aboriginal detective Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony) stars in Arthur Upfield’s Australia-set mystery The Mountains Have A Secret. A classic Reginalds Heade cover graces Roland Vane’s tale of sordid Soho and garish glamour Sinful Sisters.
PICTURED: ALL SOLD
RICHARD TELFAIR: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER Gold Medal 1961 1st UK PB VG £4
BOB TRALINS: LAW OF LUST Tuxedo 1962 1st US PB thus VG/FN £10
ARTHUR UPFIELD: THE MOUNTAINS HAVE A SECRET Pan 1954 1st UK PB GD £6
ROLAND VANE: SINFUL SISTERS Archer 1951 1st US PB GD £10
Books Update: Queens Of Crime: Margery Allingham
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: All the Queens Of Crime had their recurring detectives of course, and Margery Allingham’s was Albert Campion, a suave sleuth of noble blood, perfectly portrayed on TV by Peter Davison. Four Allingham Penguins in classic green and white stripe livery from the 1950s/60s fresh in this week, three featuring Campion in typically clever murder mysteries, and the fourth a double bill of suspense stories. Although perfectly readable, these copies are not in the best condition; full details, including condition notes, await you in our catalogue.
PICTURED: ALL BY MARGERY ALLINGHAM ALL SOLD
THE CASE OF THE LATE PIG Penguin 1961 5th UK PB GD £4 A Campion Mystery
DEATH OF A GHOST Penguin 1959 4th UK PB GD £4 A Campion Mystery
THE FASHION IN SHROUDS Penguin 1954 2nd UK PB FA/GD £4 A Campion Mystery
NO LOVE LOST Penguin 1959 1st UK PB thus GD £4
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection: Batman & Superman both hit the big 100th issue!
*DC: We start the New Year with both Batman’s and Superman’s 100th Anniversary issues from the Midas Collection. Both feature fabulous covers displaying famous historical covers from past issues; no doubt these were the inspiration for Annuals and 80 Page Giants that followed in the Silver Age. Batman #100 dates from 1956; Superman #100 from 1955. Unfortunately, there are no special stories within either and no notable villains, although Superman’s origin is briefly retold in one of his stories. These are low grade copies, very handy for filling a gap in your collection.
PICTURED:
BATMAN #100 FA £150 Lower half of cover split and detached, so off bottom staple, also detached at centrefold. Top staple attached at spine and centrefold. Wear and tear on back cover, with small corner off top left edge back cover. Front cover very worn with lots of colour-breaking creases. Although the covers are flimsy, the interior page quaility is quite nice, and the issue is complete SOLD
SUPERMAN #100 PR £60 Sadly, this copy is a bit of a train wreck. The detached cover is taped on with a number of pieces of tape horizontally. There are chips out (some sizeable) at spine, corners and edges, back and front. One non-story page is missing a corner, which is detached but present. Worst of all, the pages are brittle and separated, although all present. Were this of less historical significance, we would not be marketing a comic in this condition. As it is, although it’s a nice one to cross off your wants list, this copy will not reward frequent attention, since it will crumble in your hands. SOLD
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection: Robin Hood Tales
*DC: DC took over the Quality title Robin Hood Tales with issue #7, and the adventures of the legendary archer lasted from 1957 to the final issue, #14 in 1958. We have from the Midas Collection this week three of the DC issues, including the first. The art is all by the classic team of Andru and Esposito (cover on #7 only by Novick, Kane and Kubert); writers included Bob Haney and Bill Finger. The DC iteration of Robin Hood also appeared in early issues of Brave & Bold.
PICTURED: ROBIN HOOD TALES
#7 GD- £28 Off top staple; considerable spine wear, colour-breaking creases.
#10 VG £53 Structurally, a solid copy, with colour-breaking creases at edges and a longer fainter crease across the moon.
#11 VG/FN £66 Nice solid copy without significant defects; just minor edge wear.
American Comics Update: Doctor Strange #169, 1st issue of 1st series
*Marvel: Following the relaxation of distribution regulations in 1968, Marvel expanded by cancelling its double-featured books Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish and Tales of Suspense, giving each hero space to breathe in his own comic. Three, however, continued the numbering of their parent titles, and one such was Doctor Strange, former star of Strange Tales, whose first solo issue was numbered #169. This opening issue of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme was a book-length retelling of his origins, scripted by Roy Thomas and lavishly illustrated by Dan Adkins, often regarded only as an inker but here supplying full and excellent artwork. This is a great pence stamped copy, glossy with rich vibrant colour against a deep black background. Tight and flat with supple, near white pages and firm staples. Only very minor corner blunting and suggestions of minor wear at edges and blunting at corners prevent an even higher grade.
PICTURED: DOCTOR STRANGE #169 VF+ p £400
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection/Mighty Marvel Firsts: 4 x Tales Of Suspense
*Marvel: We present the last four issues of Tales of Suspense to go on sale from the Good Doctor Collection, issues #67-69 and #75, featuring some significant milestones in the history of both Iron Man and Captain America; the first three feature Cap & Bucky in WW2 adventures.
PICTURED: TALES OF SUSPENSE
#67 FN- £45 Nice glossy copy with great colour; some wear along top edge.
#68 FN £35 Nice glossy copy with great colour; minor edge wear and corner blunting; small colour-breaking crease across extremity of bottom right corner. SOLD
#69 FN/VF £95 1st Titanium Man. Really nice glossy copy with great colour; just very minor edge wear and a tiny nick top spine
#75 FN £80 1st Sharon Carter, 1st Batroc. Nice glossy copy with great colour; just minor edge wear and corner blunting.
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania: The Totally Amazing Spider-Man Collection: Amazing #301
*Marvel: If you’re looking for really nice copies of Amazing Spider-Man for your collection, then look no further than the Totally Amazing Spider-Man Collection. All high grade; even the few that fall below VF (and most are above) are really good-looking copies – no duds here, and nearly all cents copies. This week, a very nice copy of Amazing Spider-Man #301, popularly known as the ‘negative’ version of #300 due to Spidey being back to his original costume plus the white background. This high grade copy is near pristine, with great cover colour and gloss, and barely a mark or defect. Tight and flat with firm staples and white pages. You really wouldn’t need nicer than this.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #301 NM- £90
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: X-Men between #208-215
*Marvel: Six more issues of the X-Men, as we continue John Romita Jr’s run on Marvel’s Merry Mutants, with guest artists Barry Windsor-Smith (#214) and Alan Davis (#215). These issues feature, among other things, the Mutant Massacre.
IN THIS UPDATE: X-MEN ALL SOLD
#208 VF+ £5.50
#209 GD/VG £2.75
#210 VF £13
#211 VF+ £16 (PICTURED)
#214 VF £6.75
#215 VF+ £4.75
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection: All American Men Of War #127 (#1)
*War: A significant milestone from the Midas Collection in the shape of DC’s All American Men Of War #127, the first issue to bear that title, continuing the numbering from All American Western (it was quickly renumbered). This first issue from 1952 has a Jerry Grandinetti cover, with stories drawn by Irv Novick, Mort Drucker, Irwin Hasen and Frank Giacoia. Structurally, a solid enough copy (there is a little pull by the lower staple, but both staples remain attached) There is a reading crease between the staples which does not break colour and minor edge and corner wear. Pages are cream-coloured. The front cover is a little grubby and stained with probable remnants of a book store stamp. But all in all a reasonable copy of the first issue of one of DC’s premier war titles of the late Golden/early Silver Age.
PICTURED: ALL AMERICAN MEN OF WAR #127 (#1) GD £160
American Comics Update: Complete Run of Marvel’s Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: The 1970s was the heyday of magazine comics, and Marvel were one of the biggest contributors. This week we have a complete run of their Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction, issues #1-6 plus the one Special, where some of their greatest artists illustrated stories by many of the US & UK’s greatest science fiction authors: Bradbury, Wyndham, Bester, Shaw, Ellison, Niven, Herbert, Van Vogt, Silverberg, Moorcock, Sturgeon and many others.
IN THIS UPDATE: UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION ALL SOLD
#1 VF £17 (PICTURED)
#2 VG+ £5.75
#3 VF- £13
#4 VF- £13
#5 VF- £13
#6 VG £5
Special 1 FN- £7
British Comics Update: Six Of The Best: UK/Aus Reprints
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Another selection of these faux US comics from the 1950s, when you couldn’t get the real thing over here.
IN THIS UPDATE:
BLACK ROGER #5 VG £10 (PICTURED) Australian reprints of Quality pirate stories
BRICK BRADFORD #1 GD £12 (PICTURED) 68 Pages
JOE PALOOKA #2 FA £3
KID ETERNITY #17 FA £8 Full colour; uncommon; Quality reprints.
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN #2 FN £20 (PICTURED) 68 pages SOLD
MANHUNT COMIC ALBUM #1 VG £20 (PICTURED) Album featuring two long Secret Agent X-9 stories
British Comics Update: Eagle Overhaul: Volumes 1 & 2 (1950-52)
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Following strong sales and a big influx of new stock, we’re totally overhauling and relisting our Eagle stock: many additions and deletions and new streamlined pricing. One of the icons of British comics’ history, Eagle started up in 1950; every issue of its twenty year run starred Dan Dare, its most famous son, as well as loads of other strips, featuring the cream of British artists and superior quality printing and paper. Starting this week, Volumes 1 & 2 are now processed and re-listed. Please refer to our catalogue for details. Volumes from 3 upwards will be dealt with over the coming weeks, but for now they remain at half the old prices in our half-price sale.
British Comics: Dandy 1953 – New and Improved
*Humour Comics: Continuing our policy of providing more information for Beano and Dandy, we have an overhaul of the year 1953. Several issues new in for this year, one particularly rich in strip debuts; we have five of them. For full details of our stock for 1953, as always, consult our catalogue.
PICTURED: DANDY #608 VG £12 1st Bandy Shand & Great Big Bess
Books Update: Complete set of the Baroness 1-8
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: Something rather special this week as we present a complete set of the Baroness series, all eight books written about Penelope St John-Orsini, aka the Baroness. To the world a model, millionairess and international playgirl, but to a crack team of superspies she’s the chief -the deadliest of them all. She knows how to make it hot for a man – in bed or in action! Written by Paul Kenyon, a nom de plume for Donald Moffitt. The book synopses alone as shown below will give you a flavour for this series from the mid-1970s. Offered here as a complete set of eight, not individually.
PICTURED: COMPLETE SET OF THE BARONESS #1-8 £140 BY PAUL KENYON SOLD
Pocket Books 1974/75 All with cover art by Hector Gando; uniform editions
THE BARONESS #1: THE ECSTASY CONNECTION
VG 1st US PB Mild cover creasing; some spine fading 671779060
‘She likes her action fast…and her men one hundred proof!’
THE BARONESS #2: DIAMONDS ARE FOR DYING
GD 4th US PB Light creasing front, heavy creasing back; looks better; slight staining to some pages 671779044
‘The Sexy Superspy tangles with modern-day Nazis deep in the Brazilian jungle!’
THE BARONESS #3: DEATH IS A RUBY LIGHT
VG/FN 1st US PB Some spine fading 671777289
‘It’s America’s sexiest spy against a mad Chinese scientist and half the Red Army’
THE BARONESS #4: HARD-CORE MURDER
VG/FN 3rd US PB Very slight fading to spine 671779184
‘The Sexy Superspy in a sizzling scenario of gangland warfare’
THE BARONESS #5: OPERATION DOOMSDAY
VG 3rd US PB Reading creases at spine 671777629
‘The Sexy Superspy must save the world from a deadly lunar virus!’
THE BARONESS #6: SONIC SLAVE
VG 1st US PB Slight spine fading; small corner crease back cover 671779494
‘The Sexy Superspy in a scorching desert duel of sonic death’
THE BARONESS #7: FLICKER OF DOOM
VG 1st US PB Spine fading 671779613
‘The Sexy Superspy in an ultraviolent clash with Arabic death’
THE BARONESS #8 BLACK GOLD
VG/FN 1st US PB Slight spine fading 671779621
‘The Sexy Superspy in a wildcat war against SPOLIER – and a slimy struggle for world domination’
Books Update: Re-Working our Crime, Spies & Sleaze Category: Dr Syn
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we’ve reached Dr Syn by Russell Thorndike in our Crime, Spies & Sleaze category. Thorndike wrote seven adventures of this swashbuckling smuggler and pirate, known as the ‘Scarecrow of Romney Marsh’, who operated from the town of Dymchurch. Dr Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh was the first in the series (published in 1915) and we have an early edition in hardcover published in 1933 available here, one of the oldest books in our inventory. Book and DJ in remarkable state of preservation; just small sticker residue on back of DJ.
PICTURED: RUSSELL THORNDIKE: DR SYN: A TALE OF THE ROMNEY MARSH Johnathan Cape (Florin) 1933 UK HC FN £40 With DJ (VG/FN) in removable archival film SOLD
Books Update: Six Of The Best: Join The Professionals
*TV/Film Tie-Ins: The Professionals was a TV crime-action series from the late 1970s/early 1980s, created by Brian Clemens who had been a driving force behind the Avengers. Unlike the latter’s unique and surreal quirky eccentricities, the Professionals was an all-action hard-hitting crime series, with a trio of memorable male leads. 15 books were published from the series, each one adapting one to four of the scripts for the TV show. We have six of these new in as follows:
PICTURED: THE PROFESSIONALS by KEN BLAKE SOLD
#7: HIDING TO NOTHING Sphere 1981 UK PB FN £6
#9: NO STONE Sphere 1981 1st UK PB VG/FN £5
#11: SPY PROBE Sphere 1981 1st UK PB FN £6
#12: FOXHOLE Sphere 1982 1st UK PB FN £6
#13: THE UNTOUCHABLES Sphere 1982 1st UK PB FN £6
#14: OPERATION SUSIE Sphere 1983 UK PB VG/FN £5
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
This is our last posting and newsletter of 2024. We’ll next be updating this page and sending the next newsletter on 4th January 2025. It just remains for me to remind you that today, 14th December, up to 4 pm, is the last day for you to place an order to be sent out before Christmas (next Tuesday, in fact).
Finally, all of us here at 30th Century, humans and otherwise, thank you all for your custom in 2024, and look forward to many more collectables in 2025. Compliments of the season!
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection/Slab Happy: Superman #84, #85, #88 from 1953/54
*DC: Three slabbed issues of Superman from 1953/54 lead off our Midas Collection updates this week. #84 and #88 are CBCS graded, #85 is CGC.
PICTURED: SUPERMAN
#84 CBCS 4.0 VG £160 Unrestored. Serial number 17-33CC7DE-065. Off-white to white pages. Case perfect. In the lead story, Superman travels back in time and creates a new life for himself as a disc jockey. In the second story, Superman is captured by aliens and becomes their “super-pet.” In the cover story, Lois and Clark join the Metropolis Police Department to get an insider’s perspective. Cover by Win Mortimer, interior art by Al Plastino and Wayne Boring.
#85 CGC 4.0 VG £160 Unrestored blue label. Serial number 1495537004. Cream to off-white pages. Case perfect. In the lead story, Luthor pretends to turn good. In the second story, the Planet’s publisher temporarily turns the reins over to his prudish sister. In the cover story, a college professor develops a way to imitate Superman’s incredible powers. Cover by Win Mortimer, interior art by Wayne Boring and Al Plastino.
#88 CBCS 3.0 GD/VG £115 Unrestored. Serial number 17-33CC7DE-069. Off-white to white pages. Case perfect. In the cover story, Superman takes on the Terrible Trio – Luthor, the Toyman and the Prankster. Cover by Win Mortimer, interior art by Al Plastino and Wayne Boring.
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection: Green Lantern #9 (1943)
*DC: From the Midas Collection, early adventures of the first Green Lantern (Alan Scott) in #9 of his own title from 1943. Cover by Sheldon Moldoff, with interior art on the three GL stories by Marty Nodell; interestingly, all three were scripted by science-fiction great Alfred Bester. Green Lantern and comedy sidekick Doiby Dickles tackle the Whistler, female mob leader Venus O’Mylo and three men named Tree. Back-up strips feature Hop Harrigan and Mutt & Jeff. A low grade copy; it looks like the front cover has been almost all detached at one time (apart from the lower staple, which still holds), and taped back together. Tape all along spine about from bottom staple area. Top staple is off cover, but both staples are attached at centrefold. There is more tape at top right corner and it looks like there may have been some colour touching to the black there. One of two small ink blobs are on the cover, but overall, it doesn’t look too bad. Lots of edge wear on front and back covers, but the pages themselves are a remarkable white to off-white. All complete and perfectly readable.
PICTURED: GREEN LANTERN #9 PR/FA £100 SOLD
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection: 3 DC Blackhawks from 1957-1959
*DC: Concluding our Midas selections for this week, we have 3 issues of Blackhawk which follow on from DC’s takeover of the title from Quality. #117 features a villain called Mr Freeze, but we don’t believe there’s a connection to the later Batman foe.
PICTURED: BLACKHAWK ALL SOLD
#117 GD+ £16
#135 GD/VG £13
#138 GD- £8
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection: X-Men #60-63: The Sauron/Savage Land/Magneto Quartet by Neal Adams
*Marvel: Almost the swan song of Neal Adams remarkable and acclaimed run on the X-Men, four consecutive issues from the Good Doctor Collection. Bitten by mutant pterodactyls (watch out for them, kids!), Dr Karl Lykos was transformed into the hybrid pteranodon known as Sauron, who debuted in #60, leading to an adventure for the X-Men with Ka-Zar in the Savage Land, where Magneto and his new Evil Mutants were hanging out. It’s a great shame that this quality run on the title didn’t save it from cancellation just a few months later.
PICTURED: X-MEN
#60 VG+ £55 1st Sauron. Decent copy with some spine and edge wear Firm staples and white to off-white pages and a crease across the bottom right cover corner which just breaks colour. Small arrival date in wax crayon over the ‘X’ in logo.
#61 FN/VF p £60 Nice pence printed copy with great colour and gloss. Firm staples and white to off-white pages. Small dink with no colour break top right corner; minor corner blunting.
#62 VF+ p £100 Excellent fresh pence-printed copy with great colour and gloss. Firm staples and near white pages. Tiny amounts of edge wear at spine and just a little more at top edge.
#63 VG+ p £25 Decent pence-printed copy with some pressure marks to cover, not breaking colour. Nice staples but off at lower centrefold. Nice near white pages. Minor edge wear.
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Fantastic Four #20-23
*Marvel: Four very decent mid-grade early issues of the Fantastic Four from the Bute Collection this week, featuring the debuts of the Molecule Man and the Hate Monger, a return engagement with the Mole Man and the Master Plan of Dr Doom.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR
#20 VG/FN p £190 1st Molecule Man. A sound pence-printed copy with great colour and gloss. Firm staples and supple off-white pages. Minor edge wear and corner blunting.
#21 VG+ p £90 A sound pence-printed copy with good colour and residual gloss. Firm staples and supple white to off-white pages. Minor edge and spine wear and corner blunting.
#22 VG £105 A sound copy with great colour and gloss. Firm staples and supple white off-white pages. Minor edge wear and corner blunting. There are a couple of small tears bottom edge back cover, with a small piece out near bottom staple, which hardly shows on front cover.
#23 VG+ p £95 Dr Doom cover and story. A sound pence-printed copy with good colour and residual gloss. Firm staples and supple white to off-white pages. Minor top edge and spine wear and corner blunting. SOLD
American Comics Update: The Mighty Thor x10
*Marvel: Ten more rollicking adventures with the God of Thunder and his chums this week, with an array of villains old and new (inc Loki, Mephisto, the Absorbing Man and Ulik) in issues between #203 & #218, wherein Thor and the gang go all cosmic into outer space shenanigans, olde England, Halloween hi-jinks and more.
IN THIS UPDATE: THOR
#203 FN/VF p £9.75
#204 VG p £4.75 Stacking ink imprint over logo
#205 VF p £12.50
#206 VF+ p £15.75
#207 VG/FN p £7.50 (PICTURED)
#208 VF p £12.50
#209 VF p £12.50
#210 FN/VF p £9.75
#211 VF+ p £15.75
#218 VG p £4.75
American Comics Update: IW/Super Extravaganza: Planet Comics #1
*IW/Super: We continue with our series of updates from that most esoteric publisher IW/Super. IW Publications was a short-lived comic book publisher in the late 1950s and early 1960s, named for the company’s owner Israel Waldman. Comics were published under both the IW and Super imprints and were notable for publishing unauthorised Golden Age reprints of other company’s properties. Usually these companies were out of business, but not always. Basically, it seemed to be whatever they could get their hands on that determined the esoteric nature of their output. Thus you get super-heroes, war, romance, western, funny animals, crime, horror, science fiction and just about every genre within their pages. Full details of what was reprinted in what are listed in our website catalogue. NB usually with newly-drawn covers. Over the next few months, we’ll be presenting a series of issues from this publisher; this week, the #1 (of 2) of Planet Comics, which reprints stories from Planet Comics #41 (Fiction House 1946) with art by Lily Renee, Joe Doolin, Murphy Anderson and more. Interplanetary adventure with many a scantily-clad female. New cover art by Gray Morrow.
PICTURED: PLANET COMICS #1 VG+ £40 Solid mid-grade copy with some edge wear and soft creasing (mostly not breaking colour). Nice firm staples and clean white to off-white pages. SOLD
American Comics Update: The Arch Collection: It’s A Jumbo Out There! 4 Jumbo Comics from 1951
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: From our fabulous Arch Collection: 4 issues of the Fiction House anthology series Jumbo Comics from 1951. You could be forgiven for thinking that Jumbo was another of those jungle comics so prevalent at the time, and while every issue of its 167 issue run from 1938 to 1953 starred Sheena, the original Jungle Queen, who was cover featured (usually prominently) on nearly every single one, the other stories in each issue were very varied. In 1951, the year of the issues in this update, you got spooks with the Ghost Gallery, piracy with the Hawk, western with Long Bow and sometimes a second Sheena story. Cover art was by the wonderfully luminous Maurice Whitman, featuring superb Fiction House colouring.
PICTURED: JUMBO COMICS
#147 GD+ £27
#148 GD+ £27
#151 FN+ £75 Solid square-edged copy with beautiful colour and gloss, totally unmarked with great staples and pages; just pretty minor edge and spine wear. Looks great. SOLD
#152 VG- £35 SOLD
American Comics Update: Frank Miller’s Sin City: That Yellow Bastard Complete Set
*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: Frank Miller’s Sin City burst on to the comics scene in 1991, firmly establishing the neo-noir mood he had built on in his earlier classic run on Daredevil and the seminal Dark Knight Returns. The original Sin City series (later entitled The Hard Goodbye) originally appeared in serial form in Dark Horse Presents, and That Yellow Bastard (a six part mini-series) was the sixth instalment of these stories of Basin City and its denizens. It tells the tale of retired cop John Hartigan and his harrowing encounters with the title character over many years. It’s chock-full of the dark, seedy characters that inhabit the city and the locations that form it. The film noir influence on the series’ artwork is seen in its use of shadow and stark backgrounds. Black and white are the sole colours most of the time, with other colour used sparingly to highlight certain characters. The writing style also draws heavily on detective and crime pulp fiction. We’re delighted to present all six parts of That Yellow Bastard in pristine condition from an original owner collection.
PICTURED: SIN CITY: THAT YELLOW BASTARD #1; COMPLETE SERIES #1-6 All NM £30 SOLD
British Comics Update: Alan Class Secrets Of The Unknown
*Alan Class Reprints: A nice update to our regular stock of Alan Class this week with six pre-decimal issues of Secrets of the Unknown, which along with Creepy Worlds, is Alan’s oldest title. Issues between #32 and #59. Please note these are not file copies and are uncertificated, and can be found in the regular stock part of our catalogue listing. Content guidance can be found in our Rough Guide to Alan Class feature.
IN THIS UPDATE: SECRETS OF THE UNKNOWN
#32 VG+ £6.25 (PICTURED)
#51 GD £3.75
#54 VG £4.75
#56 FA/GD £3.25
#58 FN £5.75
#59 GD £3.75
Books Update: Re-Working our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category: 3 x Frank Herbert
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category for three works by Frank Herbert. Now, I’m not a great fan of Herbert; personally, I find his writing a bit overblown and almost pompous. I couldn’t get on with Dune and its numerous sequels, but I know it’s a concept of immense popularity, so yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice. However, my favourite novel by him is The Heaven Makers, which we have here, a tale of alien abduction and manipulation, full or paranoia. I read it again recently and thoroughly enjoyed it.
PICTURED: ALL BY FRANK HERBERT
THE HEAVEN MAKERS NEL 1975 3rd UK PB FN £5
HELLSTROM’S HIVE Corgi 1982 1st UK PB FN £6
THE WORLDS OF FRANK HERBERT NEL 1975 3rd UK PB VG £3 8 short stories
Books Update: Queens Of Crime: Agatha Christie in Great Pan
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was surely between the 1920s and the 1950s, and in this period several women dominated the genre. We refer to them collectively as the Queens of Crime, but of them all, Agatha Christie is surely the High Queen. The most read author in the English language, her works continue to populate our media, whether on TV, in films and theatre and, of course, books. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more books by her in circulation than anyone else. A diverse range of offerings from Ms Christie this week: one Poirot (The Murder On The Links) two Tommy & Tuppence (the espionage novel N Or M? and the short story volume Partners In Crime) and the distinctive The Hound Of Death, twelve mostly eerie stories of the supernatural, but with the famous story Witness For The Prosecution tucked in the middle. All in attractive Great Pan livery. More information, including condition notes, as always in our catalogue.
PICTURED: ALL BY AGATHA CHRISTIE ALL SOLD
THE HOUND OF DEATH Great Pan 1960 UK PB GD £5
THE MURDER ON THE LINKS Great Pan 1960 UK PB VG £6
N OR M? Great Pan 1959 UK PB FA £4
PARTNERS IN CRIME Great Pan 1962 UK PB FA £4
Books Update: Cult 1960s series I Spy
*TV/Film Tie-Ins: I have fond memories of the 1960s secret agent series I Spy, which brought together the already established actor Robert Culp and newcomer Bill Cosby as the co-leads. It was the first time a black American actor had been cast as lead in a prime-time American TV show. Cosby’s race was almost never remarked upon. They toured the world under the guises of tennis pro and coach, and popularised the witty banter of the Buddy genre. Often featuring Cold War threats tackled on behalf of an unnamed American agency, the plots were often on serious subjects, despite the wit, although a few episodes were totally comedic. There were seven original novels in the spin-off book series written by Walter Wager under the pseudonym John Tiger; we have #2-5 freshly in this week.
PICTURED: 1 SPY by JOHN TIGER ALL SOLD
#2: MASTERSTOKE Popular Library 1966 1st US PB VG £5
#3: SUPERKILL Popular Library 1967 1st US PB GD/VG £4
#4: WIPEOUT Popular Library 1967 1st US PB VG £5
#5: COUNTERTRAP Popular Library 1967 1st US PB VG £5
Last Date for Christmas Orders Reminder
Please remember that if you want us to post an order before Christmas, the last date to place an order is Saturday 14th December by 4 pm.
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection/Batmania: Christmas 1940s: Batman #27, #33, #45
*DC: Headlining our Christmas 1940s style updates are three issues of Batman from 1945, 1946 & 1948, all with delightful Christmas covers and stories to match. All from the wonderful Midas Collection.
PICTURED:
BATMAN #27 Apparent VG £350 Splendid Jack Burnley cover. The interior art is shared between Burnley and Jerry Robinson on the three main Batman stories and the Adventures of Alfred short. Stories by Don C Cameron & Joe Samachson. Lead story is The Penguin’s Apprentice, featuring the wily old bird training up a newcomer. The second story involves Batman & Robin in a mystery within the Explorer’s Club. And in the third story, Batman attempts to convince a very young “Scrooge” of the true meaning of Christmas. This is a decent solid copy with an unmarked and good colour cover. A central vertical crease can only really be seen on the inside front cover; inside covers are a little tanned. The staples are pulled a little, but still securely attached at spine and centrefold. There is a small 2 cm upper spine split. We have awarded an ‘Apparent’ grade because we believe this copy may have been trimmed slightly at bottom and right edges. The finishing on Golden Age comics was notoriously inconsistent, and it’s always difficult to be sure, but by comparing this with contemporary copies and images of this issue online, we think that trimming is probable and have priced this issue to take account of that. None of the content is affected in any way. SOLD
BATMAN #33 VG/FN £575 Great cover by Dick Sprang. Interior art all by Win Mortimer on Batman stories. Lead story by Bill Finger; other writers unknown. Lead story involves the Penguin and mobsters. Second batman story features crooks and earthquake prediction. Third story is the Christmas one, The Search For Santa Claus, which of course involves nefarious deeds. This is a really nice mid-grade copy with a white background cover which is well preserved and unmarked; there is a shallow and faint crease of about 7 cm across the Christmas tree, which does not break colour. The spine is solid with the staples secure there and at centre. Beautiful white to off-white pages. High resolution images are available on request. SOLD
BATMAN #45 Apparent FA+ £125 Charming cover by Win Mortimer. Interior art on Batman stories by Charles Paris. Stories by Bill Woolfolk & Bill Finger. The lead Batman story stars Catwoman in The Lady Rogues. The Christmas story is second, featuring Bruce Wayne, a double and many seasonal mishaps. Third story features an arsonist villain called the Match. This low grade copy has a taped spine and is restapled; there is a 6 cm vertical tear just in from the top of the spine along the taped edge; a similar 2 cm tear is up from the bottom edge. Cover is an okay image, with a faint dust shadow along the top edge. Small corner off bottom right. Reasonable off-white page quality. We have awarded an ‘Apparent’ grade because we believe this copy may have been trimmed slightly at right edge. The finishing on Golden Age comics was notoriously inconsistent, and it’s always difficult to be sure, but by comparing this with contemporary copies and images of this issue online, we think that trimming is probable and have priced this issue to take account of that. None of the content is affected in any way. SOLD
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: World’s Finest, cheaper than chips!
*DC: Here’s some stocking fillers in the shape of six Silver/Bronze issues of World’s Finest, all in very affordable lower grades (have you seen the price of a bag of chips lately?). The earliest is from the Silver Superman/Batman run; later issues pair up the Man of Steel with different heroes.
IN THIS UPDATE: WORLD’S FINEST ALL SOLD
#162 FA/GD p £3
#200 GD p £3.25 Robin; loose centrefold
#206 GD/VG p £5.75 Giant
#207 GD/VG p £3.50 Batman
#210 FA/GD p £2.50 Green Arrow
#213 GD p £2.25 Atom
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Face It, Tiger… Iconic ‘Reveal’ of Mary Jane Watson in Amazing #42
*Marvel: There are two great lines in Spider-Man history. The first – ‘with great power there must also come — great responsibility!’ was not original to Stan Lee, but as far as we know the second – ‘Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot!’ is entirely Stan’s own work. Well, we’re not offering you the first this update (fresh out of Amazing Fantasy #15 for now), but we do have the second in the shape of Amazing Spider-man #42. In this issue, the astronaut offspring of J Jonah Jameson gained super-powers and posed a threat to Spider-Man… but let’s be honest, who really cares? Because the Big Deal this time was the revelation, finally, of Mary Jane Watson, the mysterious lady who’d been hovering in the odd panel, her face always obscured, for several previous issues! When Stan Lee and John Romita finally showed us the ‘Full MJ’, it was like all Peter’s Christmasses came at once, with one of the most famous intro lines in the history of comics! This is a superior cents copy (there was a UK dock strike on at the time, and for two months, no Marvels were imported through normal channels), with a strong reflective colour cover, tight, firm staples and supple white to off-white pages. Small amounts of edge wear and corner blunting, with tiny micro-creases across top and bottom right corners which break colour.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42 FN/VF £175
American Comics Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Spider-Woman in Marvel Spotlight #32, plus more
*Marvel: Spider-Woman, like She-Hulk, was created as a last-minute copyright defence by Marvel when a TV company planned a “Spiderwoman” TV series. Rushed into production, the origin of the arachnid avenger was intended as a one-off to ‘guard’ the name, and it was to everyone’s astonishment when sales spiked to the extent that a rapid return for Spider-Woman – first in a Marvel Two-In-One story arc, then in her own series. We present here her first appearance in Marvel Spotlight #32, then her complete four issue story arc in Marvel Two-In One, where she teamed up with the Thing and other Marvel luminaries. Pucker up under the mistletoe this Christmas for the Kiss of the Spider-Woman…
IN THIS UPDATE:
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #32 FN £45 (PICTURED) Nice above average copy with great colour and gloss, tight, firm staples and near white pages. A few stress marks at spine (a couple just break colour) and a minor bit of corner blunting.
MARVEL TWO-IN- ONE ALL SOLD
#30 FN £7.50
#31 VF £6.75
#32 FN+ £5.50
#33 FN+ £5.50
American Comics Update: Iron Fist #15 – with Claremont and Byrne’s X-Men
*Marvel: Marvel’s ‘other’ Kung Fu phenomenon, Iron Fist, enjoyed an upswing in quality when taken over by the then-team supreme of the X-Men, Chris Claremont and John Byrne. The final issue of Iron Fist’s first run guest-starred the ‘classic’ Uncanny X-Men, in a highly commercial move which everyone expected! This is a lovely high grade copy with great colour and gloss, flat and tight with great staples and supple white to off-white pages. Only the tiniest stress marks at spine prevent a NM or higher grade. This is an outstanding copy from an original owner collection, bought new in 1977 on a New York newsstand, and carefully preserved ever since.
PICTURED: IRON FIST #15 VF/NM £75 SOLD
American Comics Update: Two Carnage One-Shots
*Marvel: I think Marvel really missed a trick by not marketing a Carnage soft toy. I mean, what toddler wouldn’t wake up with a delighted gurgle on Christmas morning at finding a cuddly symbiote toy under the tree? Here are two one-shots of the spawn of Venom for your Christmas consumption (Hmm, the second one would have a great title for a Christmas issue…)
PICTURED: CARNAGE
MIND BOMB NM £25
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE VF/NM £15
American Comics Update: Christmas 1940s: The Bute Collection: Xmas Comics 1941
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: This is a strange one from the Bute Collection. Back in 1941, 50 cents would have bought this mammoth tome. Its 324 pages contained various Fawcett comics published in their entirety minus covers. It was in fact the first of 7 such seasonal giants published in the 1940s. The contents comprise New Captain Marvel Adventures #3, Bulletman #2, Whiz Comics #21, Wow Comics #3 and Master Comics #18, all from 1941, so you get Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, Mr Scarlet, Minuteman, Bulletman & Bulletgirl and loads of other heroes and villains including Sivana and Hitler. Originally thought to be unsold rebound copies, the current thinking is that they were extra copies from the original print runs set aside specifically for these festive treats. This is a decent copy with strong binding and an intact spine. Surplus glue can be seen along the inside spines front and back, but all of the few copies we have seen online appear to be the same. The cover has bright, vivid colours and the back cover has a great ad for Whiz Comics in full colour featuring Captain Nazi. Page quality is pretty good; one or two taped tears and/or missing corner margins, but nothing horrible. You probably won’t get many chances to pick up this ‘Giant Xmas Gift For Every Boy And Girl’! High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: XMAS COMICS #1 VG £800
American Comics Update: Six Of the Best: Charlton 1970s Horror
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Half a dozen more distinctive gems from Charlton’s 1970s output in this vein.
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
GHOSTLY TALES
#70 VF/NM £20
#113 VG £5
#115 VG £5
GHOST MANOR (1971) 18 FN p £6.75
SCARY TALES
#1 VG p £4.25
#37 FN p £4.75
American Comics Update: The Midas Collection: Heart Throbs
*Romance: Also from the Midas Collection this week, three issues of Heart Throbs from 1957-59, the long-running DC title that started as a Quality publication, but was absorbed by DC in the 1950s. The series lasted until 1972. Always a high quality of art on DC romance titles, with Sekowsky, Romita, Drucker, Sachs, Roth and many others featured in these issues. I particularly like the heart symbol in the DC logo on these.
PICTURED: HEART THROBS
#49 VG+ £19
#51 GD/VG £13
#59 VG £17
British Comics Update: Battle Picture Library: 20 issues from 1969
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: 20 issues of Battle Picture Library newly added from 1969 between #387 and #409. All are in nearly uniform nice shape, FN/VF with a few VF and a couple slightly lower, clean, bright and unmarked, with virtually no staple rust. Full details as always in our catalogue.
British Comics Update: Christmas 1940s: The Christmas Dandys from 1947 & 1948
*Humour Comics: Our Christmas 1940s celebration concludes with two Christmas issues of the Dandy from 1947 & 1948. ‘All your pals are here to wish you – A Merry Christmas in this issue’: Desperate Dan, Black Bob, Julius Sneezer, Raggy Muffin, Danny Longlegs and many more beneath splendid Korky the Cat Christmas covers. Both issues are flat and clean copies without significant condition problems; 1947’s #359 has a small horizontal tear right edge margin; 1948’s #385 has a slightly rough right edge.
PICTURED: DANDY
#359 1947 GD £50 SOLD
#385 1948 GD £50
Books Update: Re-Working our Crime, Spies and Sleaze Category: Michael Storme Gangster Pulps with new addition
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Crime, Spies & Sleaze Category for the works of Michael Storme (real name George H Dawson), purveyor of British Gangster Pulps, that famous sub-genre of UK authors in the 40s and 50s producing hard boiled crime stories with an American setting. Several of Storme’s novels in the ‘Make Mine’ sequence featured his private eye Nick Cranley; three examples here including the newly-added Make Mine A Shroud. Much of his output featured the cream of contemporary British cover artists, including Reginald Heade and John Pollack. More details as always in our catalogue, including condition notes.
PICTURED: ALL BY MICHAEL STORME
HOT DAMES ON COLD SLABS Leisure Library 1952 1st US PB GD £6
MAKE MINE A CORPSE Archer 1950 1st UK PB FA/GD £25
MAKE MINE A HARLOT Archer 1952 1st US PB VG £30
MAKE MINE A SHROUD Leisure Library 1952 1st US PB VG £6
UNLUCKY VIRGIN Archer 1951 1st US PB VG £35