*DC: Flash #137 was a landmark issue in Gardner Fox’s reintroduction of Golden Age characters into the Silver Age DC Universe. Not only did it feature the third appearance of Earth II (the parallel world that Barry Allen read about in comic books when he was a kid!), and Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash, it was also the first Silver Age appearance of the villainous Vandal Savage and the first in-continuity appearance of other members of the erstwhile Justice Society (following a flashback sequence in Flash #129) who decide to get the gang back together in this very issue! This absolute corker of an issue is a sensational VF+ pence stamped copy with just the most minor wear at corners, great cover gloss and white pages, tight and flat with excellent staples. The condition truly matches the quality of the story, art and subject matter!
PICTURED: FLASH #137 VF+ p £295
Category Archives: What’s New
American Update: Daredevil Battles Sub-Mariner in DD #7
*Marvel: After a little artistic floundering in his early issues, the Sightless Swashbuckler lucked out when the superlative Wally Wood took over illustrating his adventures. This is probably the finest Wood issue, marked not only by the premiere of the red Daredevil costume, (replacing his original outfit, which actually looked like it was designed by a blind man…) but also by a genuinely gripping battle in which Daredevil, overpowered by the vastly superior might of the Sub-Mariner, shows such courage and determination that even Namor’s scaly heart is moved to compassion. A lower graded issue by comparison with most of the square Mile Collection, this VG pence stamped copy of Daredevil #7 has some colour-breaking creasing above the logo and a (non-severe) vertical crease, as well as some spine and edge wear. Nevertheless, it is solid with tight staples and white pages and an unspoilt cover image.
PICTURED: DAREDEVIL #7 VG p £150
American Update: Fantastic Four vs. Dr Doom in FF #17
*Marvel: The early issues of Fantastic Four were characterised by the many encounters with their arch-nemesis, Dr. Doom. Typical of this is issue #17, where our heroes clash for the umpteenth time with the monarch of Latveria. Stan & Jack at their absolute best, in the humble opinion of yours truly. This is a FN+ pence printed copy of this early issue, with minor edge wear along the top, and very tiny creasing below the issue number box, but flat and tight, with excellent staples, great page quality and cover image. A very superior copy.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #17 FN+ p £175 SOLD
American Update: Tales Of Suspense #30
*Marvel: The Square Mile Collection has a number of pre-hero Marvel issues, often known (by us) as the Big Panty Monster era, and this is the first to be listed. No BPMs sadly on the cover of this issue of Tales Of Suspense #30 (‘The Haunted Roller Coaster!’), but the Creature from Krangro waits inside, alongside work from Kirby, Ditko and Heck. A VG+ pence printed copy, tight and flat with great cover colour and gloss, minimal wear, good staples and page quality, marred only by some Marvel chipping to the right cover edge.
PICTURED: TALES OF SUSPENSE #30 VG+ p £50 SOLD
More from the Square Mile Collection next week!
American Update: Slab Happy: World’s Greatest Super-Heroes
*DC: This week’s listing in our ongoing event featuring third party graded ‘slabbed’ comics is DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #6 from 1971, proudly headlined ‘World’s Greatest Super-Heroes’. Sporting a new wraparound cover by Neal Adams, this 100 pager reprints a host of stories featuring the JLA and the JSA, including the inaugural Crisis on Earths 1 & 2, as well as a previously unpublished Golden Age Wildcat story. This is a CBCS graded copy at 7.5 VF- and a bumper bargain bundle for the price!
PICTURED: DC 100 PAGE SUPER-SPECTACULAR #6 CBCS 7.5 VF- £60
American Update: DC Debuts: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World: Mister Miracle
*DC: It’s the turn of Mister Miracle in our Jack Kirby Fourth World spotlight this week, with many issues of the original series from 1971 from #2 upwards fresh into stock. Many debuts included, significantly that of Big Barda in #4, a lovely FN+ pence copy with just minor edge wear. For full details, consult our catalogue listings.
PICTURED: MISTER MIRACLE #4 FN+ p £85 SOLD
American Update: Batmania: Year Of The Villain: Joker Bolland Promotional Variant
*DC: What’s that I hear you cry? A comic published just last week in our listings? Ah yes, but rather a special one. It’s the one-per-retailer promotional variant of the Year of the Villain Joker with a striking cover by fan favourite Brian Bolland. Blink and you’ll miss it – don’t let someone else have the last laugh!
PICTURED: YEAR OF THE VILLAIN JOKER BOLLAND PROMOTIONAL VARIANT MINT £20 SOLD
American Update: DC Silver/Bronze Sweep – ‘K’ to ‘P’ titles
*DC: We continue our sweep through the DC Silver/Bronze Ages with selections from the following titles: Karate Kid (#1), Kingdom Come (Mark Waid/Alex Ross’s wonderful alternate future of the end of the DCU), Legion of Super-Heroes (#259, 1st issue of series), Lois Lane (from #28), Man-Bat, Metal Men and Phantom Stranger (later issues with Black Orchid & Deadman).
American Update: Spider-Mania – Amazing #121 & #122: Death Of Gwen and the Goblin
*Marvel: Well, I don’t think anyone saw this coming back in 1973! In Amazing Spider-Man #121, Gwen Stacey died at the hands of the Green Goblin, only for Gobby himself to perish in the following issue. These landmark issues still resonate to this day, and although perhaps somewhat diluted by the return of both characters (hey kids, this IS comics!), the impact at the time was momentous and both issues still attract much collector interest. Our latest copy of #121 is VF, tight flat and glossy, while the #122 is FN+, a little more worn and tanned, but complete with jeweller’s insert. Both are cents copies of course, since these issues were not distributed in the UK.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
#121 VF £260 SOLD
#122 FN+ £120 SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Three more Avengers key issues: debuts of Mantis, Hellcat & Scott Lang
*Marvel: A further triptych of Avengers debuts this week as we present Avengers #112 (1st Mantis FN+ p), #144 (1st Hellcat FN £27) and #181 (1st Scott Lang – the man who would be Ant-Man – VF p). Still relatively affordable key issues!
PICTURED: AVENGERS
#112 FN+ p £35 SOLD
#144 FN £27 SOLD
#181 VF p £33
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: A pair of debuts in Marvel Super-Heroes – Captain Marvel & Guardians Of The Galaxy
*Marvel: Not one, but two debuts from Marvel Super-Heroes this week. First up, in #12, Captain Marvel (the first one), the Kree born space-faring super-hero; a VG pence copy with a small lower spine split. Secondly, in #18, the original Guardians Of The Galaxy in their first outing, a lower grade FA/GD copy with worn spine and edges and small cover tear.
PICTURED: MARVEL SUPER-HEROES
#12 VG p £55
#18 FA/GD £55
American Update: X-Men #95: Death Of Thunderbird
*Marvel: In just the second issue of the ‘New’ X-Men, the team suffered its first fatality as Thunderbird, the native American X-Man, bit the dust in the wrap-up of the Count Nefaria story from the previous issue. A nice, glossy VG+ issue, cents of course since #95 was never distributed in the UK and is therefore keenly sought on these shores.
PICTURED: X-MEN #95 VG+ £45 SOLD
American Update: Dr Strange inc Marvel Premiere issues
*Marvel: A big chunk of the Master of the Mystic Arts added to our catalogue this week. First up, from the good doctor’s first (1968) series issues between #170 & #183, with art mostly by the wonderful Gene Colan. Then, a complete run of Doctor Strange stories from Marvel Premiere from #3 to #14, starting off with art by Barry Smith and winding-up with the equally superlative Frank Brunner; many of these are in excellent high grades. Consult our catalogue for full grading and pricing details.
American Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: An Earth Man On Venus
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: The latest offering in our Atomic Sci-Fi event is an Avon one-shot from 1951: An Earth Man On Venus. Based on the novel ‘The Radio Man’ by Ralph Milne Farley, this is an exciting tale of interplanetary adventure in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs and H G Wells. With sumptuous artwork by the great Wally Wood, this is also a visual treat (it’s a pity he didn’t get to draw the cover as well). Sadly, this copy only rates PR/FA; the cover is held on by the spine being heavily taped, and there is also heavy tape round the edges of the inside front cover; But the pages are okay and it’s still a lovely thing to own.
PICTURED: AN EARTH MAN ON VENUS PR/FA £65.
American Update: Post Code Horror Fest presents Six of the Worst! Low grade Atlas horrors!
*Horror 1940-1959: All six of the Atlas post code horror comics in this update have something wrong with them, but they’re cheap! Journey Into Unknown Worlds #59 is App. FA, trimmed top edge and glued spine £7; Marvel Tales #158 is App. VG, trimmed on three sides £28; Mystical Tales #4 is App. FA, trimmed on three sides £9; Spellbound #27 is App VG+, trimmed on three sides £34; Spellbound #31 is App GD-, trimmed on three sides and glued £11; and Spellbound #33 App FA/GD, trimmed on three sides £11. All stories complete; at these prices, we don’t expect these to hang around for long!
American Update: DC Debuts: 1st Swamp Thing in House Of Secrets #92 FA+
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Not long after House of Secrets’ ‘rebranding’ as a horror title (following its decades as a genteel sci-fi series), issue #92 saw a story that transcended the traditional one-off horror genre, and launched a character who became a major star for DC, culminating in his recent TV series. (We won’t talk about the movies. Ever.) In ‘Swamp Thing’, we were introduced to Alex Olsen and Damien Ridge, 19th Century best friends whose love for the same woman led Damien to murder Alex after Alex had married the beautiful Linda. Later, however, when Linda began to suspect the truth, Damien planned to murder her too: but her life was saved by Alex, returned from the swamp as a subhuman plant-creature. Linda fled from the creature in horror, never realizing that the beast who saved her was her beloved Alex. This classic tale of love, betrayal and revenge, masterfully told by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, struck a powerful chord with the readership, and a 20th century version of the character was launched in his own series, and has starred in some of the most critically-acclaimed stories in the comics medium. This is a low grade House Of Secrets #92 for the budget conscious, graded at FA+; it is well worn, with cover creasing (particularly a long colour-breaking crease down the front cover, with a 1″ tear at the top sealed by tape on the inside; whilst less than fresh, the staples are okay (someone has inserted an unnecessary extra one towards the bottom of the spine) and the page quality isn’t bad. There is minor wear damage at the back bottom cover and rear pages, which doesn’t hurt the stories. Some pen marks around the logo area. All together perhaps not as bad as it sounds and a great way to fill that annoying gap in your House Of Secrets collection.
PICTURED: HOUSE OF SECRETS #92 FA+ £200
American/British Update: US Classics Illustrated
*Classics Illustrated: Another batch of American versions of the famous Classics Illustrated series this time, as we round up some recent incoming issues. Among the many included in this update are The Three Musketeers (#1), Ivanhoe (#2), A Tale Of Two Cities (#6), Robinson Crusoe (#10), Don Quixote (#11), Dr Jykell & Mr Hude (#13), The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (#18), Frankenstein (#26), The Mysterious Island (#34), 20.000 Leagues Under The Sea (#47), The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (#50), Joan Of Arc (#78), Daniel Boone (#96), William Tell (#101), Soldiers Of Fortune (#119) & The Invisible Man (#153). Our catalogue gives full information on the editions as well as grading and pricing.
PICTURED: CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED
#26 FRANKENSTEIN FN £4.75
#119 SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE FN- £27
British Update: Festival of Britain/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Captain Britain 1st series inc 1st Cap & 1st Betsy Braddock
*Marvel UK: We’ve been trawling through the various series/appearances of Captain Britain in Marvel UK titles these past few weeks and this week we reach the grand finale, back where it all began with the first series of Captain Britain from 1976. As Smilin’ Stan himself wrote in the very first issue: ‘We present the mightiest, most mysterious man on Earth, the one and only Captain Britain!’ (Never one for undersell, ol’ Stan…). This selection includes early issues from #1 (alas, no gifts) and stars #8, the first appearance of Betsy Braddock, she who would become Psylocke of the X-Men. Interest in the Captain has never been higher, so your early attention is recommended.
PICTURED: CAPTAIN BRITAIN #8 FN £100
British Update: A Miscellany of Annuals
*Annuals: Mopping up a few miscellaneous annuals that have accumulated while we’ve been listing the ‘immaculate annuals’, a few nice items in this update: A low grade Beano 1954 (currently our earliest), Cor Book Of Gags 1975, TV Comic Annuals from 1968, 1972 & 1973 (the 1968 FN £25 has Patrick Troughton Dr Who and Adam Adamant stories) and Eagle Annual #3.
British Update: Free Gift Farrago! Bullet #1 & #2
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In our Free Gift spotlight this week we present the first two issues of Bullet. From 1976 onwards, in the decade that taste forgot, we have issues #1 & #2 of D.C. Thomson’s hard-edged Bullet weekly, starring medallion man Fireball, Wonder Mann, Survivor and a host of other action heroes. Both issues are complete with their Free Gifts: #1 (FN) has Free Gift (VF): Survival Folder and Wallet; #2 (FN with some stacking ink markings) has Free Gift (VF): the rarer Secret Sign Ring and Symbols.
PICTURED: BULLET
#1 FN WITH VF FREE GIFT £30
#2 FN WITH VF FREE GIFT £40 SOLD
British Update: Near complete run of Jag, including first and last issues
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In 1968, Fleetway/IPC launched Jag, the third (after Lion and Tiger) of their ‘big cat’ anthologies – and this was the biggest, measuring 12″ by 14″. This awkward size, somewhere between TV 21 and Beezer, meant that it was usually displayed folded even when brand new in newsagents. Despite its imposing size, much of Jag’s content was surprisingly by-the-numbers, and it wasn’t until mid-year that it acquired a ‘star’ feature – ‘Football Family Robinson’ – ably illustrated by Joe Colquhoun, which went on to a much longer life in Tiger. Football strips are of course plentiful, but FFR had the familial angle to engage the readership, and the formidable presence of manager Ma Robinson, a classic battleaxe in the Peggy Mount/Giles tradition, gave the strip its comedy impetus. Our latest copies are no exception to the ‘newsagent rule’, in that the larger format issues are folded, but otherwise in excellent condition, mostly fine or VG. Included are the first issue (pictured), the debut of Football Family Robinson (27/7/68 FN £20), and the final (smaller format) issue (29/3/69 VG £10). Just a handful of issues missing from the complete run.
PICTURED: JAG 4/5/68 (#1) VG £35 ALL ISSUES OF JAG NOW SOLD
British Update: Krazy For You! 1976 Weekly Restocked from #1 on
*Humour Comics: Krazy launched in 1976, lasting 79 issues of comedy which largely revolved around the audaciousness of its frontman Cheeky (later to get his own ongoing weekly) and other members of his ‘Krazy Gang’, and parodies of TV shows such as ‘Birdman and Chicken’ and the ’12 1/2p Buytonic Boy’. In an attempt to move in a fast-paced, ‘sketch-show’ direction, it printed jokes and illustrations tucked between the panels, and in between the regular strips were a host of one-off spoofs and fake ‘guides’. The back covers were given a twist too, being ‘disguised’ in some way, like the cover of a fake Maths book, ostensibly so any watching authority figure could be fooled that the reader was doing something more productive. We have twelve new issues of Krazy in stock, all from the first year of publication, commencing with the very first.
PICTURED: KRAZY #1 VG £15
British Update: A Jinty Jamboree! 85 issues newly in, from 1974 to 1976
*Girls’ Comics: Debuting in 1974, and lasting a respectable 393 issues until 1981, Jinty, although it featured many traditional girls’ strips, rapidly distinguished itself from the pack by having a large proportion of science-fictional or fantasy stories. Maladroit schoolgirl ‘The Jinx From St. Jonah’s’ and canine maid-of-all-work ‘Dora Dogsbody’ were leaders among the traditional fare, but some of the best-remembered stories are ‘The Human Zoo’, ‘Fran of the Floods’, ‘Land of No tears’, the genuinely unnerving ‘Worlds Apart’ (six schoolgirls find themselves in a succession of parallel worlds created by each girls’ hidden fear – and they can’t escape until that world’s ‘creator’ is killed!) and the notorious ‘Slave of Form 3B’. We have 85 new issues of Jinty for our inventory, beginning with the fifth issue, and running up to late 1976, including the 8th November 1975 issue in which Jinty absorbed its short-lived sister Lindy.
PICTURED: JINTY 13/7/74 VG £4
Window Update: Ho ho ho! It’s Chrrrrissssstmasssssss
Our exclusive window designer, Dr Evilla, has concocted a festive forest wonderland for our Christmas display this year. What’s that Doc? It’s just something you cobbled together in five minutes? Ssshhh, don’t tell everyone — they’ll never believe you… View our grotto in the flesh, so to speak, or, if you can’t get to our shop this season, take a look at the image here.
American Update: Fabulous Facsimile Editions: A Long Time Ago… Star Wars #1 and more
*Modern Reprints: Marvel’s new facsimile editions continue with Star Wars #1, about which we assume no more needs to be said. Also this update we introduce DC’s Dollar Comics and Marvel’s True Believers to our range, bargain-priced classic reprints at just £1 each. Dollar Comics has Swamp Thing #1, True Believers has two tales of Jean Grey as Marvel Girl and Phoenix, from X-Men #48 and What If #27 respectively.
PICTURED STAR WARS #1 FACSIMILE NEW/MINT £4
Books Update: John Brunner Novels
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’ve just added more than 10 works by John Brunner, the British author who wrote so convincingly about American catastrophes. The latest additions range from early works with a space opera flavour to later books that extrapolated trends into a variety of future Earths, and also includes the famous fantasy work Traveller In Black. There’s a variety of publishers, including an Ace double (Enigma From Tantalus/The Repairmen Of Cyclops) and both UK and US editions. The Ace double has a cover each by Jack Gaughan and John Schoenherr. The Day Of The Star Cities and The Stardroppers also have Gaughan cover art, while The Dreaming Earth has a Schoenherr cover. The Jagged Orbit has Josh Kirby cover art. The remaining books are Into The Slave Nebula, Telepathist and The Whole Man (variant titles of the same book), The Infinitive Of Go, The Squares Of The City, The Stone That Never Came Down and Total Eclipse.
American Update: More Marvel Epic Collections
*Modern Reprints: Two more Marvel Epic Collections, collecting the earliest adventures of Marvel’s pantheon of heroes. This week: the Avengers (reprinting Avengers #1-20) and the Hulk (reprinting Hulk #1-6, Fantastic Four #12, #25-26, Amazing Spider-Man #14, Tales To Astonish #59 and Journey Into Mystery #112). Your chance to build an entire library of the classic Marvel stories!
PICTURED:
AVENGERS EPIC COLLECTION NEW/MINT £32
HULK EPIC COLLECTION NEW/MINT £32
Housekeeping Update
On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our American section:
*Archie
*Charlton
*Dell
*EC
*Gold Key/Whitman
*Harvey
*IW/Super
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
British Update: From the pages of Lion & Thunder… Dr. Mesmer’s Revenge!
*Collected Editions: From Lion & Thunder 1971/72 comes the classic Mummy/Egyptology tale Dr. Mesmer’s Revenge, wherein the aforesaid resurrects a five thousand year old mummy to recover artefacts stolen from him. Terror and destruction ensue (well, they weren’t just going to have a tea party, were they?). Written by Donne Avenell and illustrated by Carlos Cruz, the complete story is now collected in one of Rebellion’s handsome softcover editions. Brand new at £15.
PICTURED: DR. MESMER’s REVENGE £15
British Update: A Brace of Blaise! Manuscript Press Modesty Blaise Editions from 2002
*Collected Editions: Around the early 21st Century, when Modesty Blaise was seen only in serialisations in Comics Revue Magazine, the publishers of CR, Manuscript Press, released a couple of MB collections in trade paperback format. Both of them reprinted three complete adventures of Modesty & Willie Garvin, akin to the Titan reprints of the 1980s and 1990s, and sported brand-new and rather spiffy full-colour covers by artist Tom Yeates. They are both now in stock : ‘Lady In The Dark’ (which also presents the stories ‘The Big Mole’ and ‘The Girl from The Future’) and ‘Live Bait’ (co-featuring ‘Milord’ and ‘Samantha and the Cherub’). All tales illustrated by Romero, and written, of course, by Modesty’s creator, Peter O’Donnell. These are both NM, on sale at £10 each.
British Update: Back in stock: Fleetway Picture Library Classics – Larrigan and Jet-Ace Logan
*Collected Editions: Following a sell-out success, we’re pleased to announce two classic volumes now back into stock. Rebellion, in conjunction with the Book Palace, have expanded their compilations of classic British comics to include these collections of characters from the Picture Library series, each focused on one key character. Volume 1 features Larrigan, the Western Hero Arturo Del Castillo, from Lone Rider and Cowboy Picture Libraries; to quote David Roach’s introduction, ‘Del Castillo’s Larrigan strips were dark and atmospheric, seemingly set in an eternal twilight which seemed to prefigure the Spaghetti Western genre by several years.’ Volume 2 stars science-fiction adventurer Jet-Ace Logan, a long-running feature in Comet and later Tiger, but this collection is of the specially-drawn Thriller Picture Library issues, illustrated by Ron Turner and Kurt Caesar. These smaller format hardcovers (6 1/2″ by 9″, 272 interior pages) are on white paper and reproduce the artwork to the highest possible standard. Each is brand-new at £25.
PICTURED:
LARRIGAN £25
JET-ACE LOGAN £25
Housekeeping Update
On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our American section:
*Marvel M – S
and in our British section:
*Girls’ Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
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’ll be adding selections from this collection for sale here each week across the range of titles represented. These will be over a range of prices each week to suit most budgets, so that all interested collectors have an opportunity to purchase something from this special collection. 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: Journey Into Mystery #85 – 1st Loki FN/VF
*Marvel: In just Thor’s third appearance, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby began to lay the groundwork for the rich story-telling based on Norse mythology which was to follow. This landmark issue, Journey Into Mystery #85, has a cover featuring the debut of Loki, Thor’s half-brother, arch-nemesis and god of mischief, but also introduces Heimdall, the Rainbow Bridge he guards, Asgard itself and (in a cameo appearance) Odin, Thor’s and Loki’s father. Loki of course has gone on to great fame, both in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and in many of his own series, as much an anti-hero as a villain. This pence printed copy of JIM #85 is in significantly high grade, FN/VF only because of minor edge wear. The cover colours are rich and glossy, the cover image totally unmarred, the comic is tight and flat with excellent staples and page quality. There is a tiny 4 cm tear at the bottom rear cover with a small mark, but this barely troubles a comic of beautiful, outstanding quality. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #85 FN/VF p £1,900
American Update: Batmania/DC Debuts: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) in Detective Comics #359
*DC: After the original Bat-Girl was swept away out of continuity with her aunt Batwoman following a change of direction for Batman in the 1960s, a new Batgirl was introduced, co-created by DC and the producers of the hit Batman TV show, as a boost to the third series of that iconic series. Barbara Gordon proved a hit as Batgirl both in comics and TV. Her comic debut came in Detective Comics #359, (1967) where she tangled with Killer Moth, just as she did in the pilot for her debut on TV. Barbara Gordon, amidst a history of adventure and misfortune, has gone on to become a mainstay of the DCU to this day. We present a VG/FN pence stamped copy of her debut, with some spine wear and corner blunting, plus a small diagonal crease across the bottom right of the cover, but with a rich, glossy unspoilt cover, excellent staples and page quality.
PICTURED: DETECTIVE COMICS #359 VG/FN p £385
American Update: Spider-Mania: Amazing Spider-Man #39: Spidey & the Goblin both unmasked
*Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #39 was the first issue following the departure of Steve Ditko, but his successor, John Romita, hit the ground running with this tale wherein both Spidey and his arch-nemesis, the Green Goblin, were unmasked to each other. Romita certainly set the style and mood of Spidey for the many that were to follow him over the years, and his design skills were amply displayed in what was to become regarded as an iconic cover. This is a FN- pence copy, with some edge wear and cover creasing mostly along the spine, plus a diagonal crease across the bottom right of the cover, which barely breaks colour. The colours are deep and rich, the staples good and the page quality excellent.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #39 FN- p £140
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Ka-Zar and Zabu in X-Men #10
*Marvel: The name Ka-Zar was first used in pulp magazines of the 1930s, and then re-invented in the Marvel Silver Age (with a different identity) as Marvel’s shameless rip-off of Tarzan, right down to his alter ego in the English nobility. And the Savage Land (a regular feature of X-Men continuity from then on) was an unabashed homage to an Edgar Rice Burroughs lost realm. One should not forget that X-Men #10, as well as featuring the debut of Ka-Zar, was also the debut of Zabu, his cute pet Sabretooth. This nice pence copy has minor edge wear, a few spine ‘ticks’ and a small crease at top logo, with a diagonal crease across bottom right corner, colour-breaking but relatively unobtrusive; there is also a very small pen mark above the logo. Nevertheless, it has good staples, great page quality and presents very well.
PICTURED: X-MEN #10 FN p £100
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Dragon-Man in Fantastic Four #35
*Marvel: Traditionally, Dragon-Man (a throwback to the days of the Big Panty Monsters) has been a slow-minded but not particularly malicious pawn of various super-villains and has appeared throughout the Marvel Universe in various incarnations. He got his start here in Fantastic Four #35, playing King Kong to Sue Storm’s Fay Wray. This copy is a sparkling VF grade, tight, flat and glossy with minimal wear; page quality is excellent. Unusually for the Square Mile Collection, this is a cents copy.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #35 VF £115
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of new Black Knight in Avengers #48
*Marvel: The Black Knight has a long and distinguished history at Marvel. Originally, a heroic knight at the court of King Arthur in the Atlas series of the 1950s, the name was revived in the Silver Age, first as the villainous foe of Giant-Man, and later as the new Black Knight (Dane Whitman) in the Avengers and elsewhere in the Marvel Universe (both US & UK). Interest in the character has recently peaked with the announcement of the Black Knight’s debut in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Avengers #48 features the first full appearance of the Dane Whitman Black Knight and this is a FN+ pence stamped copy, tight and flat with great page quality and a glossy cover, with just a little wear at the top edge and left corner.
PICTURED: AVENGERS #48 FN+ p £175
American Update: Tales Of Suspense #44 – Iron Man in ancient Egypt with Cleopatra (comin’ atcha!)
*Marvel: Just the sixth outing for the Golden Avenger (back when he was all golden!) saw him time travel back to ancient Egypt for an adventure with Cleopatra and the Mad Pharoah (sic), as you do. This is a remarkable FN/VF pence copy, with a glossy cover, superb page quality and minimal wear (highly unusual condition for a comic with a midnight blue background cover). Only a few minor spine ‘ticks’, slight blunting of some corners and a tiny insignificant chip out of centre back cover prevent a higher grade.
PICTURED: TALES OF SUSPENSE #44 FN/VF p £275
American Update: Justice League of America #9: the origin issue
*DC: When the Justice League of America debuted in Brave & Bold #28, they were presented as fully established, and it wasn’t until some time later that we fans found out how they came to team up for the first time. In this tale retrospectively told by the members themselves, we learn how they came together to combat an invasion of meteor beings and decided to form a permanent league against evil. Notable for the sight of Wonder Woman in a pinny taking charge of cleaning up the Secret Sanctuary for a party! This pence copy of Justice League of America #9 from 1962 is a solid VG+ copy, with minor edge wear and corner blunting, and some chipping on the back cover (mainly along the bottom edge), but with an unmarred cover, good staples and nice page quality. A very acceptable copy.
PICTURED: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9 VG+ p £85
More from the Square Mile Collection next week!
American Update: DC Debuts: the ‘New’ Green Arrow in the Brave and the Bold #85
*DC: Oliver (Green Arrow) Queen was dusted off by Neal Adams and given a new look and a new lease of life in 1969; he came to prominence in the famous Green Lantern/Green Arrow series by Adams, but it was here, in the Brave & the Bold #85 that Adams first revealed GA’s new look and hard-edged attitude. This copy is a nice flat and tight FN which would grade higher but for tanning to the cover and pages, which unfortunately renders it less than fresh.
PICTURED: THE BRAVE & THE BOLD #85 FN £50 SOLD
American Update: DC Debuts: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World: New Gods
*DC: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World saga at DC has its detractors, but the fact remains that its epic grandeur caught the imagination of a generation, and the characters it generated continue to resonate throughout the DC Universe today. Cornerstone of the Fourth World was the series New Gods, the story of dual worlds – Apokalips and New Genesis – locked in an internecine struggle for the galaxy, one world striving to protect it, and the other to rule it. The first issue of this series introduced Orion, Lightray, Metron and other key figures, and the second issue brought us the second full appearance (after a series of cameos) of Darkseid, ruler of Apokalips and seeker of the Anti-Life Equation. Subsequent issues featured other debuts. Issues #1-5 and #8-10 fresh into stock. See our catalogue for full details.
PICTURED: NEW GODS #1 FN p £55 SOLD
American Update: DC Silver/Bronze Sweep – ‘H’ to ‘J’ titles
*DC: Continuing our restock of the DC Silver/Bronze Ages, we reach the letters H to J and feature additions to the following titles: Hawk & Dove, Hellblazer, House Of Mystery, Jimmy Olsen, Justice Inc, a big wodge of Justice League of America, the complete 4 part mini-series America Vs The Justice Society and the Last Days of the Justice Society special. Full details as always in our catalogue.
American Update: Slab Happy: The Devil Rides Out! Ghost Rider #1 8.5
*Marvel: In the early 1970s, with the supernatural craze at its height, Marvel sought ever-more ingenious ways to produce horror/mystery series which got around the then-Draconian censorship of the Comics Code Authority. One such was Ghost Rider, a retooling of a former Western hero as a stunt-riding Satanic minion (obviously!). After a short but successful run in Marvel Spotlight, Ghost Rider moved to his own series under the aegis of Gary Friedrich, Tom Sutton and Syd Shores, achieving a very respectable 80+ run, and despite two disastrous movies starring Nicolas Cage, has continued to appear regularly ever after. This is a CGC slabbed copy, unrestored blue label, graded at 8.5 VF+.
PICTURED: GHOST RIDER #1 CGC 8.5 £325
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts/Spider-Mania: Debut of Carnage in Amazing Spider-Man #361
*Marvel: So, what do you do when one cuddly brain-sucking symbiote just isn’t enough? Well, the House of Ideas came up with letting it spawn and this was born Carnage, spawn of Venom. Find out just what Spidey made of all this in the Carnage debut issue of Amazing Spider-Man, #361. Also available, part 2 (#362) NM+ p £25.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #361 NM p £100 SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: ‘This Female Fights Back!’ – Ms Marvel #1 from 1977
*Marvel: Ms Marvel, spinning out of Captain Marvel, former background character Carol Danvers got her own set of super-powers and a whole new supporting cast (including new boss J. Jonah Jameson) as she attempted to discover the mystery behind her own origins. Although moderately successful, the series was attacked by critics who derided Carol’s derivative costume, which made her look like Captain Marvel’s sidekick, and the fact that Marvel were offering a ‘powerful, confident’ heroine who suffered from blackouts and amnesia. Despite these jibes, Ms Marvel has been a prominent member of the Marvel Universe for nearly forty years in one guise or another – whether as Ms Marvel, Binary, Warbird, or most recently the latest Captain Marvel, her chequered history has provided many intriguing plotlines. With the Captain Marvel movie, starring Carol Danvers, being a blockbuster hit worldwide, early appearances of the character are hotting up. This is a VF+ pence copy of her debut issue.
PICTURED: MS MARVEL #1 VF+ p £70
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Alpha Flight in X-Men #120/121
*Marvel: Presumably at the instigation of the X-Men’s artist (and co-plotter) John Byrne, himself Canadian, a Canadian team of super-heroes were introduced in the X-Men in issues #120 & #121. They mostly appeared in shadowy form in #120 (apart from their leader, Vindicator, who had been seen before) before the full ‘reveal’ in the following issue. Their mission was to seek out their erstwhile team-mate Wolverine. Both issues are fresh into stock.
PICTURED: X-MEN
#120 FN/VF p £35
#121 FN/VF £40
American Update: A Greenskin Grab-Bag! Incredible Hulk restocked
*Marvel: Dozens of issues of the Hulk added to our catalogue this week, between issues #104 and #152. Featured in this run are the first appearances of many famous villains and characters: the Missing Link (#105), the Glob (#121), Barbara Norris (later Valkyrie) (#126), Jim Wilson (#131) and Doc Samson (#141). Consult our catalogue for detailed listings.
American Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: Space Action #1 & #3
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Continuing our Atomic Sci-Fi event with classics from the 1940s and 1950s, we come to Space Action, a three issue series from Ace published in 1952. This update features #1 and #3. Several stories of classic science-fiction in each issue, with some art by Ace’s most talented regular Lou Cameron. Issue #1 is a solid VG with a great cover reminiscent of Planet Comics, while #3 is a decent GD/VG, off top staple. Space ships with rivets, menacing aliens, heroic spacemen, space princesses, interplanetary adventure, ray guns etc — it’s all here!
PICTURED: SPACE ACTION
#1 VG £175
#3 GD/VG £50 SOLD