*Marvel: Well, here it is, the final item from the Square Mile Collection, slabbed by CGC. Amazing Spider-Man #1 features the origin of Spidey re-told, and the first appearances of J. Jonah Jameson and the Chameleon, as well as the first ever Fantastic Four crossover. This cornerstone of the Marvel Age of Comics is a 6.5 (FN+) copy that presents beautifully. It’s a UK pence printed variant with off-white to white pages; CGC Universal grade, blue label, no restoration. The crowning glory of the Square Mile Collection and great to own for investment potential as well as for bragging about it in your collection…
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 CGC 6.5 FN+ p £16,750 SOLD
Category Archives: What’s New
American Update: Batmania: P-p-p-pick Up A Penguin! Batman #169
*DC: One of the definitive Batman covers of the new look this week, with Batman #169 and the Penguin in his second Silver Age appearance. Beautifully rendered by Carmine Infantino, the Dynamic Duo watch on as the Master of Fowl Play jets off from a rooftop on his jet-propelled umbrella, against a backdrop sky of the richest, most lush shade of purple that only DC’s colourists could produce. A classic for fans of the contemporary TV series. This is a cover that really needs to be unspoilt, as it is here on this lovely copy, glossy, tight and flat with excellent staples and page quality, the most minor edge wear (except for some very narrow creasing at the right edge) and a tiny chip out of the bottom right corner. For perfectionists, we also have an even nicer copy listed in our catalogue.
PICTURED: BATMAN #169 FN p £95 SOLD
American Update: DC Debuts – 1st Lobo in Omega Men #3
*DC: I make no secret of the fact that Lobo isn’t my personal cup of tea; if I was writing the DCU, he most assuredly wouldn’t be in it. However, there’s no denying that the Main Man has a certain notoriety and popularity with a certain audience, and if you’re one of them, you’re sure to want his first appearance in your collection, which came a staggering 37 years ago in Omega Men #3. A nice (!) copy, with a couple of non-colour breaking creases in the spine area and some handling wear along the top.
PICTURED: OMEGA MEN #3 VF- £30 SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: Superman Vs Spider-Man – Ground-Breaking Tabloid Crossover from 1976
*DC/Marvel: In 1976, after some delicate negotiations, the two major publishers decided to pool their talents and create a team-up between their two iconic characters which proved too big for a regular-sized comic – so the tabloid-sized format, as seen in Marvel’s Treasury Editions and DC’s Limited Collectors’ Editions, was co-opted for this epic event! While Wizard of Oz is technically the first Marvel/DC co-production, that’s really just DC piggybacking onto a project Marvel had already produced, to avoid litigation (long story, Google it if you’re bothered). This was the first true collaboration between the titans of the comics industry, and it’s a tribute to the organisation involved that Superman and Spider-Man (as well as guest villains Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus) are note perfect in this mega-sized saga. This is a FN pence copy of this ground-breaking item, light to moderate edge and corner wear, but clean and unimpaired cover, nice interior pages, and the squarebound spine, though slightly stressed in places, strong and intact.
PICTURED: SUPERMAN VS THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FN p £60 SOLD
American Update: Fantastic Four #16 with Ant-Man & Dr. Doom
*Marvel: Issues of Fantastic Four below #20 are turning up much more rarely these days, and being snapped up when they do. This beautiful copy of #16 features the villainy of Doctor Doom and guest-stars Ant-Man in one of the earliest Marvel crossovers, back when such things were still a special event. Lee & Kirby are at the height of their powers on this early issue. A tight, flat and glossy pence-printed copy with white pages and excellent staples; only minimal corner blunting and the tiniest of creases at right edge top and bottom, only visible on close inspection; there is a very faint line along about 6 cm of the right cover edge, barely visible; wonderfully fresh and unspoilt cover image.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #16 VF- p £375 SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Juggernaut in X-Men #12 & #13
*Marvel: With Jolly Jack Kirby leaving the art chores of the X-Men after issue #11, Stan Lee realised he had to crank up the excitement to keep readers’ attention, and he certainly achieved it with this dynamic two-parter which introduced one of the X-Men’s (and the broader Marvel Universe’s) most powerful opponents, the Juggernaut! Cain Marko, the hitherto unsuspected step-brother of the X-Men’s mentor Professor Xavier, dabbled with arcane forces and was transformed into the embodiment of an irresistible force – giving him the power to crush his hated step-sibling, and his super-powered students! This two-parter reveals the origins of Professor X and the Juggernaut, and reveals some of the reasons why Xavier set about training the new generation of mutants. #12 is a decent lower graded pence stamped copy, slightly mis-cut so that more of the white spine shows towards the bottom, but apart from fine lines of edge wear and corner blunting isn’t too bad. The back cover is actually much worse, with creasing, staining and a small chip out of the edge. Staples are firmly attached and page quality is okay. #13 is a little better, pence printed, edge wear and corner blunting with a long colour-breaking crease across bottom front cover, good staples and page quality and overall a cleaner and fresher copy.
PICTURED: X-MEN
#12 GD p £140 SOLD
#13 VG- p £65
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: Amazing Annual #5, the story of Peter Parker’s parents
*Marvel: In the fifth Annual (or King-Size Special as they called it back then) of Amazing Spider-Man, Stan Lee and Larry Leiber brought us the previously untold story of Peter Parker’s deceased parents. Were they really spies and traitors? Spidey goes on an international mission of discovery and a trail that leads him to the Red Skull. We have a beautiful copy new in this week, with brilliant cover colour and gloss, no markings, tightly bound with an intact squarebound spine, sharp corners, white pages and only the most minimal wear at top and bottom spine precluding a NM grade. A gem.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #5 VF/NM £130 SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: 1st full Taskmaster app. in Avengers #196
*Marvel: The villain of Avengers #196, the Taskmaster, is slated to be the Big Bad of the upcoming Black Widow movie. The polymath skill-pilferer has proved one of the more popular characters from the later 20th Century Marvel Universe, achieving the status of reluctant anti-hero through nuanced and well-written stints in the series Avengers: The Initiative and Avengers Academy. Having made a menacing last page cameo in the preceding issue, #196 is the Taskmaster’s first full appearance, and this copy is high grade, with virtually no defects except for the tiniest bit of handling wear at top edge. Shiny, tight, flat, sharp and all those other adjectives we apply to really nice copies.
PICTURED: AVENGERS #196 NM- £130
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: Hey Kids! Brain-sucking symbiote! Venom: Nights Of Vengeance
*Marvel: From 1994, another complete Venom mini-series told with the usual finesse and restraint that this character is known to bring out from creators. This time it’s Venom: Nights Of Vengeance, all 4 issues now available in VF/NM or NM grade. See our catalogue for the full listing.
American Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: Space Adventures, Charlton’s famous science fiction anthology
*Charlton: From 1952, the first nine issues of Charlton’s Space Adventures science fiction anthology series. Many notable features of this series: #1 has a world on fire cover by Fago/Morales, #4 & #6 have flying saucer covers, #7 has the famous sex change story ‘Transformation’, #8 has a robot cover and #9 an A-bomb panel. A heady mix of retro interplanetary adventure from way back when. A few issues are pictured below; check out our catalogue listings for full information including condition descriptions.
PICTURED: SPACE ADVENTURES
#2 App FN £95 SOLD
#4 GD £50
#7 App GD/VG £50 SOLD
#8 VG/FN £90 SOLD
American Update: Alan Moore’s Miracleman #15 — the rarest issue
*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: Alan Moore’s sixteen issues of Miracleman are widely regarded as one of the great classics of modern age comics (if you count the 1980s as modern, that is). He took an ersatz Captain Marvel, invented as Marvelman in the 1950s when Len Miller’s license to reprint the captain ran out, and rebranded him as an adult super-hero for the times, in one of the greatest sequences of comics ever created IMHO. Originally serialised in Warrior Magazine, Marvelman changed to Miracleman when published by Eclipse in the USA (need I cite obvious copyright reasons?) and the series got its conclusion there, at least as far as Moore was concerned. When joined by artist John Totleben for the last issues, story and art clicked seamlessly, if somewhat horrifically. Issue #15 has the lowest print run of the series (possibly due to its gruesome content) and is regarded as the key issue featuring the conclusion of Miracleman’s mortal combat with his former sidekick Kid Miracleman — and if that sounds silly, let me assure you it isn’t. Not for the squeamish. A great copy on offer, with only the smallest spine ticks precluding a NM grade or higher.
PICTURED: MIRACLEMAN #15 VF/NM £60 SOLD
American Update: Red Circle Sorcery: Archie’s Best-Kept Secret
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: It was just recently that Will provided a definitive guide to Archie’s brief Red Circle horror line (see Red Circle Sorcery: Archie’s Best-Kept Secret) where there are also lots more images, and there’s nothing I can add to comment on that superb and obscure little excursion by Archie from 1973-74, except to say that what Will’s article doesn’t tell you is how much of a bargain these comics are — we have issues #3-11 or Chilling Adventures in Sorcery/Red Circle Sorcery and #95-97 of Madhouse, the companion title, which comprises the entire 12 issue run (we also have #2 of Chilling Adventures which preceded, but is a different animal). All issues can be picked up for between £2 and £9 each, depending on grade; Will did mention how hard these were to track down, but now we’ve got ’em — in spades, with a choice of grades on most issues.
PICTURED: RED CIRCLE SORCERY
#7 FN+ £8.50
#11 FN £5
MADHOUSE #97 VF £8.25
American/British Update: The Ghost Who Walks – Again — the Phantom is here!
*Phantom: A much overdue top-up to our depleted stocks of Phantom, the ever popular jungle adventurer, all US issues this time. Many King and Charlton issues of the main American run, plus a rare King 1973 reprint and one issue of the DC Mini-Series. There’s a legion of fans out there for this character, and issues rarely stay in stock for long…
PICTURED: PHANTOM #60 FN+ p £7.75
British Update: Marvelous Alan Class
*Alan Class Reprints: A further selection of Alan Class issues reprinting classic Marvel Silver Age stories in Secrets Of The Unknown, Sinister Tales, Suspense and Weird Planets, both certificated by Alan Class himself and regular editions. Characters include: Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Avengers, Captain America, Dr Strange, Silver Surfer and Ant-Man & the Wasp. See our catalogue for more details.
British Update: Free Gift Farrago: A Warlord Triumvirate
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Warlord, starting in 1974, was a late entrant by D C Thomson into the traditional British war comic stakes, but attained a popularity which endured for 12 years and 627 issues. This week we have three consecutive early issues, complete with their spiffy Free Gifts. All three comics vary from GD to VG, mostly because of the ink stacking defect quite common in this series, where an imprint of the back cover of one issue is shown to varying degrees on the front cover of the one is was stacked on before the ink was dry. Free Gifts are nice as follows: #18 has two model fighter planes of WW2, still unassembled in their original envelopes (envelopes slightly grubby, but unopened); #19 has two further such models in the same condition and #20 has a sheet of stick-on badges in pristine condition.
PICTURED: WARLORD ALL SOLD
#18 GD WITH FREE GIFT FN/VF £30
#19 GD/VG WITH FREE GIFT FN/VF £30
#20 VG WITH FREE GIFT VF £25
British Update: Going Commando Again
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: A further update to our stocks of the premier war-themed Picture Library, D C Thomson’s Commando, all in the 800’s, mostly in VF grade with a few FN issues; a lot of numbers previously missing from our listing. Consult our catalogue for full details.
British Update: Quirky Corner/Free Gift Farrago: Gerry Anderson’s Candy #1 1967
*TV & Film Related Comics: Undoubtedly, the most obscure Gerry Anderson comic is Candy, a Younger Readers’ series which Anderson conceived as a comic with photographed rather than drawn images. It’s the story of two dolls (Candy & Andy) who live with their guardian giant pandas (don’t ask me why). Legend has it that Anderson was hoping this set up would take the world by storm, and that he was hoping for a TV series, but frankly, given the stills which adorn the covers, the characters come across as more creepy than cuddlesome, but nevertheless the comic lasted 150+ issues, enhanced by the media presence of co-stars Topo Gigio, Tingha and Tucker, and Winnie the Pooh. The unusual landscape format of the earlier issues lends the series an added quirkiness. In recent years, the series has gone from obscure oddity to cult collectable amongst Fandersons with rising prices, although it’s by far the rarest of all the Anderson material. We doubt there are too many copies of #1 around still with its Free Gift, but we’re very fortunate to have one this week. The comic is VG/FN, with very minor spine wear, clean and unmarred; we don’t know if this issue was published with staples, but this copy has never had any. The Free Gift (Candy’s Magic Painting Book), is an unused VF/NM. I doubt you’ll get many chances to add this to your collection.
PICTURED: CANDY #1 VG/FN WITH FREE GIFT VF/NM £150 SOLD
British Update: Princess 1960-1967
*Girls’ Comics: From 1960 to 1967, Princess weekly delighted a generation of proper young ladies, with its pretention to being a ‘magazine’ – photo-covers and lots of educational, historical and how-to features. But the comic strips kept the readers coming back for more, including ‘Alona the Wild One’, ‘The Happy Days’ and (in glorious painted colour) ‘Amber Ridd, Daughter of Lorna Doone’. New in this week we have a selection from 1960 and 1963-67, including Christmas and April Fool issues and 14th August 1965, with the first part of the adaptation of John Wyndham’s ‘Chocky’.
PICTURED: PRINCESS 14/8/65 VG £4 SOLD
Clearance Corner: A Baker’s Dozen from Dragon Lady Press: Classic US Newspaper Strips; 13 volumes for just £25 post free
*Clearance Corner: In the 1980s, Dragon Lady Press produced magazine-sized collections of several of the classic American newspaper strips, usually of 60+ pages each and beautifully reproduced in crystal clear black and white. We have 13 of these volumes, all in high grade, in this week’s clearance, comprising the following strips: Mary Perkins on Stage by Leonard Starr, Secret Agent X9 by Al Williamson (x 2 different), Mandrake the Magician by Lee Falk, Tales Of The Green Beret by Joe Kubert, Smilin’ Jack by Zack Mosley, Dick Tracy by Collins & Locher, Brenda Starr by Dale Messick, Buz Sawyer by Roy Crane (x 3 different) and Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy also by Roy Crane (x 2 different). A wealth of reading with these iconic characters for just £25 post free in the UK (only). A photo sample of some is shown here.
Super-Housekeeping Update
Since we’re now trading by mail order only, it gives us the chance to maintain our catalogue even more accurately. All items sold since lockdown are now being deleted within a few days of sale. We are also working through our entire catalogue to delete those items that sold pre-lockdown since files were last updated. This means that as we finish updating a file, you can rely on the catalogue for that category being (and staying) as close to 100% accurate as it is possible to get, with virtually everything available, apart from items sold in the last few days (and just a tiny amount of human error). We have now completed this exercise for the following category from our American section:
*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics
and from our American/British section:
*Tarzan/E R Burroughs
*Phantom
*Flash Gordon
*Spirit
*Classics Illustrated
*Mad & Other Parody
*Undergrounds
*Memorabilia & Esoterica
All categories down to this point in our Catalogue Index have now been Super-Housekept! Thus we have completed all American and all American/British stock; British categories commence next week. We will continue to post here as we make progress.
THE SQUARE MILE COLLECTION: PENULTIMATE RELEASE
This is an early Silver Age Collection from an original owner notable for the freshness and vibrancy of the cover colours and page quality; even those with minor reading and handling wear are vastly superior to the majority of comics that have been in circulation since the 1960s. The average grade is well above Fine, with many much nicer.
We’ve been releasing comics from this amazing collection since last November and we’re down to the last two comics now, but stick around for the grand finale next week — it’s a doozy! Each comic will come branded with a special label and certificate of authenticity verifying it as part of the Square Mile Collection. Here’s this week’s (and if you think this is sensational, just wait till next week):
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Fantastic Four #5 with the Debut of Dr. Doom
*Marvel: With the fifth issue of the flagship title of the Marvel Universe, the FF met the Big Bad: Victor Von Doom, Monarch of Latveria, a scientific genius who had to hide his disfigured features behind a metal mask (and went in for a whole suit of armour to boot). Doom started out here, and went on to become not only the FF’s arch-nemesis, but arguably the major villain of the entire MU. This Square Mile Collection copy is typical of this pedigree, with lovely white pages and just a minimum of wear at spine and edges, very fine creases just breaking colour. A beautiful clean cover image with great gloss and colour. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #5 FN- p £4,500 SOLD
American Update: DC Debuts: 1st Deathstroke in New Teen Titans #2
*DC: Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke (also known for much of his career as ‘the Terminator’, until Arnie’s agents said the magic words, ‘Cease & Desist’) made his first appearance in New Teen Titans #2, the successful Wolfman/Perez revival of the faltering franchise. Already a hit, the New Teen Titans’ fortunes rose with those of Mr. Slade as their recurring arch-nemesis, and eventually he went on to star in several series of his own, as well as media appearances in the ‘Arrow’ TV show and elsewhere. This is a very nice copy, with a tiny non-colour breaking crease across the right top corner and minor handling wear at the spine, but tight staples, great cover colour and gloss.
PICTURED: NEW TEEN TITANS #2 FN/VF p £75
American Update: Batmania: Batman #120
*DC: A good, solid, pre UK distribution Batman comic from 1958 this week. Batman #120 features three crime mysteries pencilled by Sheldon Moldoff and cover features ‘The Airborne Batman’ with art by Curt Swan. A decent Good graded copy with edge wear and a small lower spine split, but unmarred cover image and good staples. Also available in VG as listed in our catalogue.
PICTURED: BATMAN #120 GD £50 SOLD
American Update: Superman (& Supergirl) in Action
*DC: A nice run of Action Comics in this week, between #271 and #300. My favourite period for the Man and Maid of Steel this, at the artistic hands of Curt Swan and Jim Mooney respectively, with famous storylines and guest appearances from their Silver Age cast. Issues include #284 with Mon-El, #286 with the Legion of Super-Villains, #287 with the Legion of Super-Heroes, #296 with giant ants, #298 (Lex Luthor gets super-powers) and the less common #300 with its classic cover shown here.
PICTURED: ACTION COMICS #300 VG p £19
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: Amazing #16: Spidey Vs Daredevil
*Marvel: We’re always happy to welcome an early Spider-Man issue illustrated by Steve Ditko (the only ‘proper’ Spider-Man artist, excellent later contributors notwithstanding), and this one’s a bit special, featuring as it does the first guest appearance of the then-fledgling Man Without Fear, Daredevil, and, we believe, his only guest-appearance in his original black & gold costume! Teamed with Spider-Man against the menace of the Ringmaster (against whose hypnosis DD’s blindness gives him an unexpected immunity) and his Circus of Crime, this action-packed issue is a nice companion to Daredevil #16 (which we featured last week), in that it features Ditko’s art on Daredevil, rather than Romita’s on Spider-Man. A nice copy with square corners, an unspoilt cover image and only very minimal spine wear; the only notable defect is that the staples are slightly to the back of the spine and have become slightly loose as a result of that on the back cover only. A very handsome addition to a Ditko Spidey collection.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #16 VG/FN p £200 SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of the Vision in Avengers #57
*Marvel: A significant latecomer to the Silver Marvel Age, the enigmatic synthezoid, the Vision premiered in Avengers #57 as a villainous pawn of the evil Ultron. Rapidly being discovered to be misguided, he was offered membership the next issue, in one of the most rapid reforms ever, and became a mainstay of the Avengers and the MU in general, particularly through his convoluted relationship with the Scarlet Witch. Based on a Simon & Kirby character from the 1940s, Roy Thomas’ love affair with all things Golden Age stood him in good stead, as the Vision captured the hearts and minds of readers worldwide… though the exquisite art by John Buscema doubtless didn’t hurt! Now a pillar of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Vision’s star continues to rise. This copy of his debut issue is in clean, umarred condition, with just a little spine and edge wear and slight corner blunting precluding a higher grade. Excellent tight staples and nice off-white to white pages.
PICTURED: AVENGERS #57 FN- p £160
American Update: Slab Happy/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Tales To Astonish #49: Ant-Man becomes Giant-Man
*Marvel: By 1963, I guess Smilin’ Stan the Man had had enough of ants and ‘tiny’ menaces, so he came up with the idea to re-invent Hank (Ant-Man) Pym as Giant-Man, although the Wasp stayed small — perhaps the world wasn’t ready for a 12 foot high Janet Van Dyne. And to celebrate this event, Stan had the new Giant-Man go up against possibly one of the silliest villains of the Marvel Age, the Living Eraser (I mean, if he wasn’t living what good would he have been?). How did that work out? Well, you can’t tell from this slabbed copy, because you can’t get past the cover without breaking open the slab. But it’s a striking cover all the same! CGC 4.5 VG+ UK pence variant unrestored blue label on this landmark issue.
PICTURED: TALES TO ASTONISH #49 CGC 4.5 VG+ p £120 SOLD
American Update: X-Men #50 with classic Steranko cover
*Marvel: Lorna Dane had met up with the X-Men in the previous issue, rescued by Iceman after being caught up in one of the bouts of anti-mutant hysteria which sweep Marvel-Earth twice a week, but it wasn’t until issue #50 that she had her Big Reveal: she was the daughter of Magneto, Master of Evil Mutants and heir to all his power! Fortuitously, this issue was one of a handful drawn by Jim Steranko, and his innovative layouts, cinematic storytelling and nifty costume design for Lorna (who, though generally known as Polaris, didn’t formally adopt that codename until later) made this story a gripping read with stunning visuals, nowhere less so than on the dynamic green-tinted cover, one of the great iconic masterpieces of the later Marvel Silver Age. To say that Lorna’s history has been convoluted is an understatement – the ‘official’ position as to whether she’s Magneto’s offspring or not has changed many times (she is at the moment, but give it a week or two…), but – except when she’s had psychotic breaks and become a villain, as you do – she’s been a stalwart member of the X-Men and/or X-Factor for decades now. This copy is mid-grade, with small creasing at bottom right corner, the residue of a colour-breaking subscription crease down the centre and a back cover corner crease. But nice tight staples and decent page quality. Copies of this issue always move very quickly when we get ’em, and this one is bound to be no exception.
PICTURED: X-MEN #50 VG+ p £55 SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: The McFarlane Years
*Marvel: Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Todd McFarlane’s art brings out strong reactions in Spider-Man fans, so we’re pleased as Punch to bring another selection of the cream of his couple of years on Amazing Spider-Man, here from #301-325 complete, with, as you might expect, lots of Venom. #301, with its ‘negative’ version of #300 and white background, has greatly increased in value and collectability in recent years.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #301 VF/NM £70
American Update: The Doctor Is In: 2nd series Dr Strange
*Marvel: The second series of Doctor Strange from the 1970s maintained consistent quality throughout its 81 issue run. Much clever storytelling employing the mystical heritage of the series and great art from the likes of Frank Brunner, Gene Colan and Marshall Rogers among many others. Lots of issues fresh in between #4 and #50 – check out our catalogue for details.
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: Hey Kids! Brain-sucking symbiote: Venom: Dark Origin
*Marvel: From 2008, another complete Venom mini-series told with the usual finesse and restraint that this character is known to bring out from creators. This time it’s Venom: Dark Origin, all 5 issues now available in VF/NM grade. See our catalogue for the full listing.
American Update: A Charlton miscellany, with Ditko plus #1 issues
*Charlton: That most esoteric of publishers, Charlton, is represented with several additions to our catalogue, mostly in the super-hero, science-fiction or mystery genres. New stock includes: Blue Beetle (1965 pre-Ditko series), Captain Atom (including lots of Ditko, 1st Nightshade in #82 and Blue Beetle apps), Charlton Bullseye (#1 1981, with Blue Beetle & the Question), Hercules (#1), Outer Space, Six Million Dollar Man, Space War, Strange Suspense Stories, Thunderbolt (Peter Cannon, inc. #1) and Unusual Tales.
PICTURED: CAPTAIN ATOM #82 VG SOLD
American Update: A Superior Pre-Code Horror Fest: Mysteries Weird & Strange
*Horror 1940-1959: Superior was a Canadian publisher active from 1945-1956 who mostly reprinted American comics from the same time period. They also published a number of original series that were distributed in the United States. Among these were three horror titles famous for their hallucinogenic covers and accomplished Fiction House style interior art. When you see a lot of these together, they have an almost hypnotic and uncomfortable effect. Our focus this week is on the first four issues of one of those titles: Mysteries Weird & Strange; lowish grade but presentable copies, so we have set out the defects issue by issue.
PICTURED: MYSTERIES WEIRD & STRANGE
#1 GD- £115 Back cover tear, thumbnail size lower spine; off staples at front cover only.
#2 GD+ £110 Off lower staple front cover only SOLD
#3 GD+ £100 Thumbnail size piece out back cover; 4 cm cover tear SOLD
#4 FA/GD £60 Spine splits with small pieces of spine missing
American Update: Huge Charlton 1970s/80s Horror Incoming
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Charlton produced a great number of horror/mystery comics in the 1970s and 1980s, some of variable quality but all of a kind to instil an uneasy mood among their appreciative audience. Although their ‘big name’ creator was Steve Ditko, whose art appears in very many issues, other fine artists were at work here too, including Tom Sutton, Don Newton and Wayne Howard. Titles included in this substantial update are: Creepy Things, Ghostly Haunts, Ghostly Tales, Ghost Manor (both series), Haunted (inc later issues as Baron Weirwulf’s Haunted Library), the gothic horror/romance of Haunted Love, Many Ghosts Of Dr. Graves, Midnight Tales, Monster Hunters, Prof. Coffin and Scary Tales. All issues new in are numbers previously unlisted in our catalogue.
British Update: Miller’s Spellbound #54 & #55, reprinting Avengers #2 & #3
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Len Miller was the premier UK publisher of ‘faux’ American-sized British comics in the 1950s and early 1960s. He published a wide range of material, both original and US reprint, perhaps most famously Marvelman and Young Marvelman. Although succeeded by Alan Class, there was a period in the early 1960s where both publishers overlapped and some of Miller’s titles (Mystic, Spellbound, Voodoo and Zombie) closely resembled the type of content also being used by Alan Class, reprinting Atlas, pre-hero Marvel and other early horror, with occasional forays into the Marvel Super-Hero Universe. Such examples are Spellbound #54 & #55, where, among such horror/mystery reprints, early Avengers issues were reprinted (in black and white, as were all these titles) complete with covers. Both are crisp, clean copies with sharp corners and a minimum of wear. #54 reprints Avengers #3 and has a small 1.5 cm piece of the bottom spine missing; #55 reprints Avengers #2.
PICTURED: SPELLBOUND
#54 VG/FN £50 SOLD
#55 FN+ £60 SOLD
British Update: Free Gift Farrago with Scorcher 1973
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: By 1973, the football-themed Boys’ weekly Scorcher had combined with Score and was going strong. Two splendid Free Gifts were issued with consecutive issues: 13th October had the Super Stars Football Wheel, where you could rotate a football disc for facts on footballers famous at the time, and 20th October had the Scorcher Rosette with enough adhesive letters to make up the name of your favourite team (even if it was Hamilton Academicals). Both comics and both gifts are in excellent shape here.
PICTURED: SCORCHER
13/10/73 FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £30 SOLD
20/10/73 FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £30 SOLD
British Update: Early Air Ace & War Picture Libraries
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: A nice influx of early issues of Air Ace (from #3) and War Picture Library (from #2) fresh in this week, two of the most popular series in this category. The War in particular features most of the first 20 issues (and many later). Most issues of war between #3 & #20 have a vintage price sticker on the cover, thoughtfully positioned; bearing in mind that these themselves show pre-decimal prices, they must have been in place over 50 years, so we’re not going to try to remove them. Actually, I think they add a nice sense of retro charm to the items without spoiling the excellent painted covers.
PICTURED:
AIR ACE #3 VG £25
WAR #4 GD/VG £17.50 SOLD
British Update: Free Gift Farrago: Girls’ Crystal from 1958
*Girls’ Comics: The schoolgirl protagonists of the long-running Girls’ Crystal were always seemingly off adventuring in the Alps or some Pacific island — I knew schoolgirls back in the 1950s (because I went to school with them) and they didn’t get much further than Bognor Regis then, but, after all, this is comics! A rare example here from 1958: #1199 complete with Free Gift, the Magic Birthday Wheel. The comic suffers from rusty staples and small rust stains throughout; the gift is in nicer shape, except the two components of the wheel have become separated, but it’s all there.
PICTURED: GIRLS’ CRYSTAL #1199 GD WITH FREE GIFT VG £25
British Update: Famous Romance Library
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: The gimmick of Fleetway’s Famous Romance Library was that it adapted romance novels by famous authors of the time, such as Ruby M Ayers, Sara Seale, Patricia Robins, Faith Baldwin and many more (hey, even I’ve heard of some of these!). With beautiful painted covers and gorgeous interior art, these really are a treat! No one’s quite sure how many issues this series ran to from the late 1950s to the late 1960s, but we have several dozen them in this week, from #1 through to #171. They’re really nice copies with virtually no wear, sharp corners and white pages; the only problem is that they suffer from rusty staple syndrome, which in many cases has edged into the interiors. We have therefore graded them relatively low, and the grade reflects the degree of rust rather than any other wear. You can get an idea of the rust from the images of #1-3 shown here, which are examples of how bad it gets; many are nicer.
PICTURED: FAMOUS ROMANCE LIBRARY
#1 GD £15 SOLD
#2 GD £10
#3 GD £10
British Update: From Fantastic, the Complete Johnny Future
*Collected Editions: A brand new reprint volume from the excellent Rebellion, the Complete Johnny Future reprints the entire saga of this much-loved character from Odham’s Fantastic. Created by Alf Wallace, the managing editor of Power Comics and the Spanish artist Luis Bermejo, the series started out as the Missing Link, a Hulk like being who later evolved after a bombardment of nuclear radiation into a super-powered heroic character (as you do) called Johnny Future. I remember reading Fantastic as a kid and only looking at this strip after I’d finished all the Marvel reprints, but these days I see it with new eyes as a stylish and innovative series, a ‘missing link’, you might say between British and American comics. The complete series (including the colour strip from the Fantastic Annual 1968) is reprinted in this handsome hardcover volume of over 200 pages.
PICTURED: THE COMPLETE JOHNNY FUTURE HC NEW/MINT £20
Super-Housekeeping Update
Since we’re now trading by mail order only, it gives us the chance to maintain our catalogue even more accurately. All items sold since lockdown are now being deleted within a few days of sale. We are also working through our entire catalogue to delete those items that sold pre-lockdown since files were last updated. This means that as we finish updating a file, you can rely on the catalogue for that category being (and staying) as close to 100% accurate as it is possible to get, with virtually everything available, apart from items sold in the last few days (and just a tiny amount of human error). We have now completed this exercise for the following categories from our American section:
*Horror 1940-1959
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s
*Romance
*Teen Humour/Funny Girls
*War
*Western
*Modern Reprints
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics
All categories down to this point in our Catalogue Index have now been Super-Housekept! We will continue to post here as we make progress.
Clearance Corner: AC Golden Age Reprints — A Baker’s Dozen of Bumper Volumes for just £25 post free
*Clearance Corner: Most famous perhaps as the publishers of Fem-Force, AC also produced a plethora of (mostly) black and white reprints from the Golden Age, covering a wide range of super-hero, science-fiction, good girl art and westerns. This clearance lot features no less than 13 such editions with no duplications. Golden Age Greats, Men of Mystery, Thrilling Science Fiction and others. Characters include the Ghost Rider, Phantom Lady, Fighting American, Cat-Man, Starr Flagg, Rocketman, Fighting Yank, Doll Man, Torchy and many others too numerous to mention. You’ll find famous artists within these pages, such as Simon & Kirby, Lou Fine, Bill Ward, Reed Crandall, Alex Toth, Matt Baker, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, Bernie Krigstein, Bob Powell, Joe Kubert and many, many more. Hours of reading pleasure in these bumper volumes, most of them running to dozens or more pages each and all in great condition. An £85 value lot — yours for just £25 post free (UK only). How’s that for a bargain? SOLD
THE SQUARE MILE COLLECTION
This is an early Silver Age Collection from an original owner notable for the freshness and vibrancy of the cover colours and page quality; even those with minor reading and handling wear are vastly superior to the majority of comics that have been in circulation since the 1960s. The average grade is well above Fine, with many much nicer.
We’ve been releasing comics from this amazing collection since last November and we’re down to the last few comics now, but stick around for the grand finale — it’s a doozy! Each comic will come branded with a special label and certificate of authenticity verifying it as part of the Square Mile Collection. Here’s this week’s:
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Fantastic Four #48, with Debuts of the Silver Surfer and Galactus
*Marvel: One of the most sought-after Marvel Comics of the 1960s is Fantastic Four #48, which introduced the Silver Surfer, a cosmic-powered being the equal of the combined FF… and the Surfer’s master, Galactus, an entity of even more monstrous might! Both became major figures in the Marvel Universe, with the Surfer repenting his role as Galactus’ herald and choosing the side of justice, while Galactus’ insatiable hunger drives him ever onwards to more heinous acts. This Square Mile pence printed copy is very nice, typical of the collection, bright with vivid colour and decent gloss, white pages, tight and flat with firmly attached staples and a minimum of corner blunting. There are a couple of pen marks near the upper left corner: faded felt-tip over the character heads in the masthead, and a small ’20’ in pen in the top bar of the ‘F’ in ‘Fantastic’, but otherwise an unspoilt cover image, which very minor edge and spine wear do not detract from. There are small pressure and handling marks which barely show on the cover. Great visual appeal on this classic issue. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #48 FN p £1,050
American Update: Batmania: Batman #251, classic Neal Adams Joker
*DC: While it’s not strictly accurate to say that this game-changing issue was solely responsible for the transition to the ‘Dark Knight’ iteration of Batman – he had been becoming more serious in the preceding few years – this definitely distilled all the elements which would become the template for the Batman as we know him. By Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, this tense murder mystery draws the reader in from the stunning cover, and keeps the tension mounted high as the Joker, stripped of the lingering miasma of the TV series, transformed from a buffoon into once again a top-ranking menace. One of the best comics of the 1970s, by almost everyone’s assessment – even folks who think both the Joker and the Batman are horrendously overrated (writer raises hand) think this one’s a cracker! This FN+ copy is very nice, tight and flat, with only the tiniest corner blunting, great cover colour and gloss, and an unspoilt cover image (apart from the pence stamp placed, as it always inevitably is, over the playing card). Firm, attached staples, off white pages; faint stamped small arrival date above DC in masthead, very slight edge wear top edge, minute crease across top right cover (1 cm) and a tiny (we do mean tiny) chip off from the top right back cover. But a copy that would sit well in a nice collection.
PICTURED: BATMAN #251 FN+ p £250
American Update: Blackhawk with 2nd App. Lady Blackhawk
*DC: A nice Blackhawk update this week, starring #140, the second appearance of Zinda Blake, aka Lady Blackhawk, another favourite character here at 30th Century. Plus a fair helping of later issues, including #200, where Lady Blackhawk becomes Queen Killer Shark (a role she was to return to many times), plus #251, the first issue of the quality 1982 revival. See our catalogue for full details.
PICTURED: BLACKHAWK #140 VG £45
American Update: Batmania Bonus: ‘old look’ Detective Comics
*DC: From the late 1950s/early 1960s comes this selection of Detective Comics, with Batman backed up by J’Onn J’Onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Back in these days, Batman was far more likely to run into bizarre aliens than the Joker or the Penguin. A mixture of pre-distribution and distributed pence copies in a variety of grades. Includes appearances by Batwoman and Bat-Mite as well as a double debut in #311 with the 1st Cat-Man (menacing Batman) and the first Zook (aiding and abetting the Martian Manhunter). Issues between #254 and #315 fresh into stock.
American Update: Spider-Mania Max: Amazing Spider-Man #5: Vs Dr Doom
*Marvel: There must have been something in the stars for Dr Doom and the number 5; after debuting in Fantastic Four #5, he turns up in Amazing Spider-Man #5 to take on everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler. How can Spidey beat the monarch of Latveria? Well… he can’t actually, but I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. A superior pence printed copy, tight and flat with excellent staples and a minimal amount of corner blunting; hardly any edge wear, white to off-white pages and an unmarked cover image. Another Lee & Ditko classic! High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5 FN+ p £950 SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: X-Men #4, with the Debuts of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Mastermind and the Toad
*Marvel: The debut of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, thus 1st appearances of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Mastermind and the Toad in the fourth issue of the X-Men from 1964. It’s a great pity that no one told Wanda that the clue to her costume colour was in her name, and thus she posed in a fetching shade of Emerald for the cover. This is a low grade pence-printed copy, with a decent cover image, heavy spine wear, some edge wear, blunt corners and a looseness at both staples, leading to back cover tears in those areas. Page quality is okay. Another Lee/Kirby classic and the first appearances of Wanda and Pietro, who were destined to become cornerstones of the Marvel universe.
PICTURED: X-MEN #4 FA+ p £200