*Marvel: While we yield to no one in our regard for Steve Ditko as the ‘proper’ Spider-Man artist, we have to concede that John Romita did a cracking job when he took over, redefining the character for the Swingin’ Sixties – and Jazzy Johnny’s background as a romance artist certainly didn’t hurt when it came to drawing Peter Parker’s own ‘Betty & Veronica’, Gwen and Mary Jane! Issue #39 marked Romita’s first as illustrator, and he dove right in, making the character his own, and creating a cover scene which is almost as often ‘homaged’ as his famous Spidey #50 cover! #39 and #40 constituted a two-part confrontation with the Green Goblin and firmly established Romita’s tenure on the title. Both parts of this epic are back in stock; #39 is a VG+ p copy, with very light creasing at lower and upper cover corners and one faint diagonal crease lower right cover not detracting from the impact of the cover scene, on sale at £100. #40 is VG p, light to moderate wear upper and lower right cover corners, again cover scene unmarred, on sale at £70. SORRY, #39 NOW SOLD
Category Archives: What’s New
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: ‘When Gods Walk The Earth!’ – #1-17 (+ Annual) of Kirby’s Eternals
*Marvel: Following his 1976 return to Marvel, the legendary Jack Kirby was anxious not to get trapped in the cycle of just illustrating super-heroes again, and one of his conditions was that he would be allowed to write and draw his own concepts. How much of the Eternals concept was his is, politely, open to debate; heavily ‘influenced’ (ahem, ahem) by the popular Erich Von Daniken paperbacks, which postulated that mankind’s ancient ‘Gods’ were alien visitors, Kirby’s Eternals portrayed the return of ancient immortal extraterrestrials, and the cataclysmic repercussions for humanity. Originally intended to stand apart from the Marvel Universe, it was shoehorned in at editorial insistence, which resulted in Kirby eventually abandoning the strip mid-narrative. Because of this dissonance, the Eternals have been comparatively overlooked by all but the most diehard Kirby Kollectors, but with the confirmation of an Eternals movie starring Richard Madden (Game of Thrones, The Bodyguard) as Ikaris, prices are spiralling. We have a virtually complete run of Eternals, lacking only the final two of the 19-issue series, but including the one and only Annual, averaging VF with many better. Issue #1 is VF p £100; 2 VF/NM p £65; 3 VF+ p (1st Sersi) £50; 5 VF+ p (1st Zuras, Thena, Makkari, Domo) £50; prices and grades on all the others may be seen in our online catalogue. SORRY, #1 NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Werewolf By Night – 1st three ‘tryout’ issues in Marvel Spotlight #2-4
*Marvel: Following the liberalisation of the Comics Code’s censorship in 1971, ‘classic’ horror creatures such as vampires and werewolves were allowed to be presented for the first time since the 1950s, and Marvel lost no time, with a one-two punch of Tomb of Dracula and Werewolf By Night, the latter being ‘piloted’ in Marvel Spotlight #2, #3 & #4. Created by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog, the story of a young man named Jack Russell (no, really; stop laughing at the back there) who contracted a lycanthropic curse hit a high note with the readership and spun off into his own series after these three issues. As a bonus, the extra-thick #2, issued during Marvel’s fleeting flirtation with a 25c standard price, has a gorgeous Venus back-up reprint strip drawn by the incomparable Bill Everett. Issue #2, the premier WBN, is VG, light wear at top and bottom of spine but otherwise clean and tight copy, on sale at £90, with #3 VF+ £50, and #4 VF £30. None of these were distributed in the UK, so here’s an uncommon chance to grab the ‘pilots’ for the popular and long-running series! SORRY, #2 & #3 NOW SOLD
American Update: Contest of Champions – the Unexpected Mini-Series
*Marvel: Marvel’s first published mini-series, issued in 1982, Contest of Champions came about almost by accident. Originally intended as a Marvel Treasury Special to tie-in with the 1980 Olympics, the project crashed & burned when the USA pulled out of said event, and the prepared pages, after a time in limbo, were re-edited into this three-parter, in which virtually every Marvel super-hero (and several brand-new international ones created for the Olympic tie-in) are drafted by the Grandmaster in a contest with Death to win back the life of the deceased Collector. Split into teams, the heroes are used as pawns to gain artefacts and therefore win points to determine which cosmic entity wins their goal. By Mark Gruenwald, John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton, the unexpected success of this unplanned mini-series paved the way for more premeditated events, beginning, of course, with Marvel’s Secret Wars in 1984. This complete three-issue series averages VF, pence copies, and is on sale as a set for £35.
American Update: Avengers Assemble #101-210
*Marvel: Another stellar line-up of everyone’s favourite assemblers again this week, ranging from #101-210. Okay, so maybe we start out here artistic wise with Bob Brown and Don Heck (both by this time past their best work), things soon liven up with George Perez and John Byrne, finishing off with Gene Colan. Notable storylines in this period include Magneto & the X-Men, the Avengers/Defenders War, the Serpent Crown, the Korvac Saga and many more. Consult our catalogue for full listings.
American Update: Six Of The Best! – Marvel-ous First Issues from the Silver and Bronze Ages
*Marvel: A stirring sextet of premier issues, in mostly affordable mid-grades. Hank Pym’s former assistant gets his own super-gig as Black Goliath, legendary pulp hero Doc Savage returns to comics, Howard the Duck meets the lovely Bev Switzler and the equally lovely Spider-Man, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner share a magazine for the first time, Robert E. Howard’s Kull the Conqueror gains his own title, and Marvel Chillers #1 brings us the debut of Modred the Mystic. Black Goliath #1 VG p £20; Doc Savage #1 VF £29; Howard the Duck #1 GD- £5; Iron man and Sub-Mariner #1 is GD+ p £30; Kull #1 VG £12 and Marvel Chillers #1 FN p £7.50.
American Update: Silver Age X-Men: 1st appearances, nice grade reprints and… Spider-Man
*Marvel: A small but beautifully formed update to Marvel’s Merry Mutants this week, including the debuts of Banshee in #28, Alex Summers in #54 and Sunfire in #64, several reprint issues between #69 and #93, mostly in mid-high grade (pence copies), and a guest star appearance by the Amazing Spider-Man in #35. And yet more…
American Update: The Speculative Worlds Of What If…
*Marvel: Inspired no doubt by DC’s Imaginary Stories of the 1960s, in 1977 Marvel came up with the What If concept, which had fun with the what-might-have-beens of the Marvel Universe. Highly popular with fans, who loved this sort of done-in-one stories previously only the speculations of fandom, the What If franchise lasted 47 issues of the first series, spawned a highly successful sequel series and still continues with a range of one-shots periodically to this day. We have over half the run of the first series fresh in, including #31 (VF p £29 – What If Wolverine Had Killed The Hulk?). Our personal favourite from this selection is #11 (What If The Original Marvel Bullpen Had Become the Fantastic Four?), which has to be seen to be believed.
American Update: Marvel Presents… Guardians Of The Galaxy
*Marvel: After their debut in 1968, it took quite a while for the Guardians Of The Galaxy to find their feet in the Marvel Universe, but a significant stepping stone along the way came along in their brief series in Marvel Presents (1975), where their story occupied issues #3-12 of that series. There’s still quite an evolutionary gap to their status in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe of today, but here’s where they were first developed beyond their origin. Most issues fresh into stock; see our catalogue for details.
American Update: Early and Giant-Size issues of the Defenders
*Marvel: Maybe it was their affirmed status as a non-team, but for us, the Defenders never gelled well as a title or team. Marvel put together their characters who weren’t already in a team (Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange and Silver Surfer), and although perhaps they were too powerful or similar to blend well, this imbalance seemed to plague the title long after most of them were gone, despite the intriguing quirkiness of many storylines and scenarios. Our new selection, ranging between #2 and #43, plus Giant-Size #1 & #2, includes the debut of Barbara Norris as Valkyrie (in #4), the first appearances of Starhawk in #27 & #28, and guest stars galore from the Marvel Universe. Avengers they’re not, but always a popular choice for Bronze Age enthusiasts.
American Update: EC’s Weird Fantasy – SF Classics Restocked
*EC: EC themselves always said that they were proudest of their science-fiction titles, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, and with some justification; the finest artists working in the field during the 1950s – Orlando, Wood, Kamen, Williamson – and a wider imaginative canvas than their groundbreaking horror and crime titles led to some truly outstanding work. This selection of Weird Fantasy (later Weird Science-Fantasy) is a short run from #19 to #22, then #25. Featuring adaptations from the acclaimed author Ray Bradbury, with Bradbury’s permission – well, eventually – these are examples of EC at its creative maturity. Pictured: #21 FA/GD (Frazetta/Williamson cover) £54, #22 VG £69, and WSF #25 VG- £80. Details on the others may be found in our online catalogue. SORRY, #21 NOW SOLD
American Update: Dirty Tricks and Tough Chicks! Famous Crimes #1 and Gangsters and Gun Molls #1
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: A pair of Golden Age Number Ones which demonstrate why Dr. Wertham and his colleagues had an aneurysm over crime comics. 1948’s Famous Crimes #1, from the notorious publisher Victor Fox, was heavy on the violence, gore and cleavage, with Fox’s low-rent super-hero, the Blue Beetle, disconcertingly popping his head into the odd panel to narrate events. Allegedly ‘from police files’, that claim to verisimilitude should be taken with a huge pinch of salt. Avon’s Gangsters and Gun Molls #1, from 1951, focused more on the biographical aspect, with allegedly true life stories of notorious crime figures – though not using any tenuous connection to history as an excuse to downplay the gunplay! Both titles, however, presented an admirably liberated attitude for the day, with the ladies getting in as many blows and bullets as their male counterparts. Brava, girls! Famous Crimes #1 is GD, very light peripheral cover creasing not affecting cover image, at £125. Gangsters and Gun Molls #1 is a lovely FN, light spine wear and a pencilled arrival date on logo, but sound and tight with bold cover colour. On sale at £185. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Pre-Code Horror Fest: Weird Tales of the Future! Lurid and Dystopian 1950s Sci-Fi/Horror
*Horror 1940-1959: While many publishers dabbled in science-fiction as a genre, Aragon’s Weird Tales of the Future mixed it with a liberal dose of horror to produce genuinely disturbing glimpses of dystopian worlds to come. We are delighted to have two issues of this classic and sought-after series back in stock; #6, whose eye-catching ‘chain gang of space’ cover is actually the most cheerful thing going on in the issue – and #8, where the macabre ‘heart ripped out’ cover is indicative of the chirpy frolics within. Issue #6 is FA/GD, moderate to notable edge wear, some light creasing, occasional margin discoloration on some interior pages, but all stories clean and unmarred: on sale at £125. #8, with its infamously gory cover, is GD, light edge and corner wear but sound and firm at staples, on sale at £400. SORRY, #8 HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: War, Baby! Sgt. Rock, Sgt. Fury, the Creature Commandos and the Debut of Death! (In Marvel Comics, at least…)
*War: A cross-company update taking a many-faceted look at war. From DC, we have the final issue of the long-running G.I. Combat, which breathed its last in 1987 with #288 after four decades on the battlefield; Our Army At War #164, an 80 Page Giant starring not only Sgt. Rock, but also ‘Six Battle Stars’ and Weird War Tales #110, in which our grotesque guardians, the Creature Commandos, finally stop being an all-boys’ club. Marvel, meanwhile, brings us the Jack Kirby drawn Sgt. Fury #11 (with Howling Commandos in tow, natch), and two dollops of the 1970s title War Is Hell: #1, VF+ £19, with predominantly 1950s-era reprints and the Big One – issue #9, featuring all-new material and introducing the character of Death, as an anthropomorphic entity, to the Marvel Universe. Later better known as the unrequited love of Thanos the Mad Titan in an interminable sequence of Infinity This N’ That, this issue is where the bony gal got her start. War Is Hell #9 is VF/NM at £120; details of the rest, as always, in our online catalogue. SORRY, WAR IS HELL #9 HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Fantasy/Comics Unlimited and other Classic 1970s Fanzines from Alan Austin
*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: A major publication in the burgeoning UK fanzine scene of the 1970s was Alan Austin’s Fantasy Unlimited (later retitled Comics Unlimited), one of the most popular forums for discussion and criticism of the US comics world; Alan was not only the editor and publisher of FU/CU, but proprietor of a major London comics shop for many years, and one of the founders of the UK Comics Price Guide. FU/CU kickstarted the careers of several folks who went on to other things, including artists Antonio Ghura and John Bolton, publisher Martin Lock, and 30th Century Comics’ own Will Morgan, under his ‘maiden name’ of Howard Stangroom! We’re delighted to have various Fantasy Unlimited issues from #8 to #29 new in stock, with the follow-on series Comics Unlimited replenished between numbers #32 to #51, 1975’s Fantasy Unlimited Annual, and the short-lived companion titles Golden Age Fanzine and Whiz Kids, in grades between Fair to Fine.
American/British Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: Flash Gordon, from the 1940s to the 1990s
*Flash Gordon: Although the character of Flash Gordon pre-dated the Atomic Age, he is an ever-present figure in comics and in many ways typifies the sort of space-faring hero we’re talking about in our Atomic Sci-Fi event. While he got his start as a newspaper comic strip, Flash Gordon is one of the characters who has transcended multiple media and numerous publishers to generate a multi-faceted legend. New US and UK stock of the adventures of Planet Mongo’s famous champion, commencing with several issues from the Dell ‘try-out’ book, Four Colour Comics, from 1943’s issue #84 to 1952’s #424. We then move on to Dell’s Flash Gordon series ‘proper’, #2, then the 1960s series from King Comics, opening with #1, and continuing the same numbering system through its Charlton series, also restocked. In 1995, Marvel comics surprised the readership with a two-issue ‘micro-series’, illustrated by the legendary Al Williamson, who proved that his artistic powers were undiminished in this truly lovely work, which is one of the better-kept comics secrets of the last years of the 20th Century. We close this update with 1973’s Street Comix #2, an early ‘indie’ publisher reprinting vintage Flash newspaper strips, and new additions to the UK’s World Distributors Flash Gordon series. Pictured; Four Colour #84 VG+ £95, FC #190 GD/VG £40, FC #424 FN £36 and Flash Gordon #2 (Dell) FN+ £36. All others may of course be found in our online listings.
British Update: Private Lives Romances – Len Miller Love Anthologies, several with Matt Baker Art
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: From the 1950s stable of the indefatigable Len Miller, re-packer of US comics, we have a selection of 12 issues of Private Lives Romances, another 68 page squarebound, black & white reprint anthology. Behind original – and generally rather unpromising – cover illustrations, six of these twelve issues feature the works of the superb team of Dana Dutch and Matt Baker, writer & artist for St. John publishing, who gave us tales with come-on titles like ‘Dishonest Maid of Honor!’, ‘Confessions of an Army Wife!’ and ‘I Was a Soldier’s Pick-Up!’. Later issues, devoid of Baker, nevertheless manage some nice work in the mish-mash of material from Ajax/Farrell, Atlas and others, including some rather lovely Coletta – hard to believe, I know, but it’s a fact – and someone who if he isn’t Alex Toth, is doing a blinding impression. Issues newly stocked from #1 to #36, averaging VG/FN condition. Illustrated for your viewing pleasure is #4 (FN £20, 2 Baker Stories); details on the others, of course, in our catalogue listings. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: An Annual Triple-Threat! Superheroes, Cowboys, Secret Agents and More
*Annuals: Three sub-categories of our Annuals section refreshed this week! In TV & Film Related, we have Dukes of Hazzard from 1982, Joe 90: Top Secret (a different series, we point out, from the regular Joe 90 Annuals) from 1970, Planet of the Apes 1976 (with John Bolton illustrations), and Thundercats 1991. From Boys’ Adventure, we have Batman 1985 (Bryan Talbot cover), Eagle 1984, Superman 1985 (Steve Dillon cover), and a selection of 2000 AD from 1982 to 1991, featuring the works of Bolland, Ewins, Ezquerra, Mcmahon and more. Finally, in Westerns, the Bonanza Annuals from 1966 and 1967. These last two are from the same source as our ‘Immaculate’ selections; from a newsagent’s inventory, never circulated or read, no prices clipped, no gift dedications, ‘This Book Belongs To’ inscriptions or other interior markings, solid spines, tight corners and bright, vibrant colours. The other Annuals in this update are not from the ‘Immaculate’ pedigree, but they are nevertheless jolly nice!
British Update: 2000 AD – ‘Burger Wars’ and ‘Jolly Green Giant’ Issues
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Newly in, we have the four 2000 AD progs set during Judge Dredd’s ‘Cursed Earth’ which, owing to their use of copyrighted properties, were until 2015 banned from being reprinted; #71 and #72, the ‘Burger Wars’ issues, which caused umbrage with MacDonalds and Burger King and #77 and #78, the ‘Jolly Green Giant’ numbers, in which a certain verdant behemoth (no, not the Hulk) was an antagonist. Despite the reprint embargo having been lifted owing to a change in copyright law allowing parodic usage, we have found demand for the originals to remain high, judging by the speed with which they’ve sold out previously! #71 is VG/FN £27.50; #72 is GD/VG £22.50; #77 VG £25 and #78 GD/VG £22.50.
British Update: What A Scorcher! 1970s Football Weekly Massively Restocked
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Football has always been a popular theme of British comics, but Scorcher, launching in 1970, was one of the earliest weeklies to make it an all-consuming theme. Given its respectable five-year run, the creators did a decent job of it, even if there was a lot of imagination-stretching to introduce variations: ‘Lags Eleven’ (footballing convicts), ‘Lord Rumsey’s Rovers’ (footballing aristocrats), the superbly bonkers ‘Kangaroo Kid’ (footballing feral child raised by marsupials) and ‘Billy’s Boots’, in which a klutzy young lad finds a magically-endowed pair of boots belonging to a legendary player, and gains his skills from them – so, cheating, basically. We have 80+ new issues of Scorcher from 4th April 1970 to 27th July 1974, including 3rd July 1971, in which Scorcher absorbed its slightly younger, similarly-monothematic brother, Score N’ Roar, to become Scorcher & Score.
British Update: Fun, Fun, Fun! Radio Fun – More than 100 issues 1948-1953, including Coronation number and Free Gift Farrago
*TV & Film Related Comics: The long-running series Radio Fun has been extensively refreshed with new numbers ranging from 1948’s #520 to 1953’s #764, the latter a special issue celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation. There are also two consecutive Free Gift issues, #753 and #754, each proffering a ‘Bumper Album of Radio and TV Stars’ – a handful of which we’re just about old enough to have heard of here at 30th C! The comics are FA with FA free gifts (primary drawback being damage from staple rust), so bargainaceous for their vintage. Stars featured in their own comic strips during this run include Petula Clark – Radio’s Merry Mimic, allegedly – Arthur Askey, Wilfred Pickles, Jewel & Warris, Issy Bonn, Archie Andrews (not the Riverdale one), Norman Wisdom and token adventure strip ‘The Falcon’, who began his long career as a private detective in plain clothes, but by the mid-1950s had mutated into a bona-fide super-hero, mask, tights, flying device and all! Approx 100 issues in this update, mid-to-low grades but all complete slices of media nostalgia!
Books Update: Three Mathesons
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’ve just added two collections of short stories (Shock! and Third From The Sun) and a novel (The Shrinking Man) by Richard Matheson. Although he’s perhaps best known now as the writer of I Am Legend, which became a film, the Shrinking Man also inspired a film (The Incredible Shrinking Man).
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:
*DC
and in our Books Section:
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
American Update: The Wonder Years! A Decade of DC’s Amazing Amazon, from 1965 to 1974
*DC: Diana, the Princess of Paradise Island, has always had a keen following, only enhanced by the character’s Big-Screen Blockbuster in the movies. We have a substantial restock of Silver to Bronze issues of Wonder Woman’s adventures, beginning with 1965’s #156 – in which the creators revisit the Golden Age style, in a very peculiar hybrid indeed – and closing with the 100 Page #214, in which Green Lantern monitors one of a series of trials to determine Wonder Woman’s fitness to rejoin the Justice League. (Bet they wouldn’t have done that with Batman; sexist piglets.) Along the way, our heroine battles Supergirl, loses her super-powers, learns martial arts, becomes Queen of a European nation, battles Catwoman, gains a new black Amazon sister, and faces off against an array of assassins, barbarians, ghosts and psychopaths. A woman’s work really is never done! This new range is predominantly high grade (averaging VF, many nicer) and almost unanimously cents copies, with only a couple bearing a UK price stamp. Pictured: #159 VF £80, #177 VF+ £75, #194 NM £75, #195 VF/NM £55, #199 VF+ £70, #200 VF+ £75 and #211 VF+ £55. Details of all the others on our online listings.
American Update: When Flashes Collide! Earth-1 and Earth-2’s Scarlet Speedsters Battle over Vandal Savage
*DC: It was the nefarious schemes of Vandal Savage, the Immortal Man, which brought the Justice Society of America out of retirement, so it wasn’t surprising that he would seek revenge against both Flashes, and in this dimension-crossing epic, he pits the Viziers of Velocity against each other! A lovely copy with vivid cover colour and tight corners, only brought down to a ‘mere’ FN- by a tiny tear mid-spine, which we believe may actually be attributable to a paper flaw, and which is barely noticeable unless you’re looking for it. A very affordable cents copy of a classic issue, on sale at £85.
American Update: Batmania: Watching the Detectives! A Trio of Triumphs, including the first appearance of Talia Al Ghul
*DC: Three classic issues from the resurgence of the Dark Knight persona after the camp 1960s: Detective Comics #397 and #408 both feature lead stories by the iconic artist Neal Adams, who refined the Gotham Guardian’s visual persona into the ‘look’ we all know today, with our hero facing supernatural and psychological warfare respectively. Issue #411, sadly, does not feature Adams, Bob Brown doing the artistic honours instead, but does bring us the debut of the lady who, after Catwoman, is probably the Batman’s most enduring love – Talia, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul and doyenne of the League of Assassins! #397 is VF £60, #408 is VF £60 and #411 is FN+ £125.
American Update: DC Debuts: Mister Miracle #1 – Scott Free Breaks Loose
*DC: The best-received of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World at the time of its release, Mister Miracle told the story of Scott Free, a child of New Genesis who was raised in the fire-pits of Apokalips, in an exchange of royal hostages between the two warring planets. Escaping from Apokalips to Earth, Scott continued his adventures as the World’s Greatest Escape Artist, aided by his trusty companion Oberon, and continuing in the tradition of the previous Mister Miracle, a travelling escapologist. The combination of super-heroics, showmanship and space-opera made for a compelling read, and Mister Miracle, like the rest of Kirby’s 1970s creations, has continued to have a resounding impact on the DC Universe since his inception. This is a FN p copy, with faint wear around the corners, but no significant creasing or other encroachment to the cover scene. On sale at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: We’re watching the Watchmen
*DC: We’re delighted to add several issues of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s classic Watchmen to our stocks this week, between issues #5 & #12. This seminal series of the 1980s defined the direction of much of what was to follow in our favourite medium.
American Update: Slab Happy! Cap’s Return to Solo Stardom – Captain America #100 CGC 8.0
*Marvel: Following his return to active service in Avengers #4, Captain America became a companion feature of Iron Man in Tales of Suspense. After the division of the Marvel double-feature books in 1968, when distribution embargoes were slackened, Cap gained his own series again, though it retained the numbering of Tales of Suspense, premiering with #100. Featuring the talents of Lee, Kirby and Shores, this re-introduced the Sentinel of Liberty in solo action to the modern age. This copy is a CGC blue label (no restoration) 8.0 (VF equivalent), and is on sale at £340. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Iconic ‘Reveal’ of Mary Jane Watson in Amazing Spider-Man #42, Signed By Stan Lee
*Marvel: In Amazing Spider-Man #42, 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 proved to be well worth the wait, with one of the most famous intro. lines in the history of comics! The first full appearance of the woman who would eventually become Mrs. Spidey is a gorgeous FN+ cents copy, no UK price stamp or overprint. Minimal spine and corner wear, lustrous cover with deep unfaded purple cover background, tight corners & edges, firm staples, and most importantly, a cover signature – admittedly, unverified – by Stan ‘The Man’ Lee himself!. Yours for £200. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: The Devil Rides Out! Ghost Rider #1 From 1973
*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 Ghost Rider #1 is a very attractive pence copy, with light spine and corner wear, but deep unbroken cover colour and tight corners, a copy with great eye appeal. FN p £100. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: ‘In the Marvelous Tradition of Spider-Man’ – The Man Called Nova #1
*Marvel: In 1976, the House Of Ideas came up with Nova, designed originally to be an ‘everyman’ character like Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but quickly developing into a cosmic ‘soldier’ more akin to DC’s Green Lantern – luckily, DC’s lawyers didn’t notice the parallels! Although the original run lasted a mere 25 issues, Nova has returned many times to the Marvel Universe, and where he shines is in the protracted cosmic crossovers of which Marvel is so fond. The Nova Corps having been namechecked in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, it can only be a matter of time before the man himself makes an on-screen appearance, and prices are rising, so grab this while you can! This is an outstanding VF/NM p copy, tight, bright and flat, with no corner blunting or other visible defects, on sale at £100. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Hulk Annual #1 with iconic Steranko cover
*Marvel: 1968 saw Jade-Jaws’ first-ever Annual, a 50 page extravaganza by Gary Friedrich and Marie Severin in which our favourite not-so-jolly green giant travelled to Attilan and fell out with Black Bolt, leader of the reclusive race of super-beings known as the Inhumans. Needless to say – spoiler alert – wannabe usurper Maximus is behind the hostilities, and has assembled his own band of rebel Inhumans to further bedevil our hero. Featuring a striking Steranko cover, this is a beautifully-presenting FN+, with lovely interior page quality, deep vivid cover colours, and only slight wear at mid-right cover edge preventing us grading it even higher. The spine, often problematic on these squarebound editions, is sound and complete, with only the very faintest ‘shelf wear’ at upper and lower edges. A cents copy, no pence stamp or overprint, this is on sale at £100. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Elektra in Daredevil #168
*Marvel: For a visually-impaired gentleman, Matt Murdock saw, as our American cousins would put it, a lot of action with the ladies; for a while in the 1980s and 1990s, every second plotline involved a Woman From His Past, with attendant complications. But by far the most memorable of these was Elektra, the tormented assassin whose conflicted relationship with our hero struck so deep a chord with readers that even after she died, she was brought back (twice) by popular demand. Now appearing in DD’s Netflix show, Elektra has lived down the stigma of her terrible movie, and is once again a major figure in the MU. Written and drawn by the acclaimed and controversial Frank Miller, this copy of Elektra’s debut is a VF pence copy, with only very slight blunting of the corners preventing a higher grade. On sale at £60.
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Mystique Debuts In Ms. Marvel! First Two Cameos and First Full Appearance
*Marvel: Well, if you’re nitpicking, it’s Raven Darkholme – the mysterious shape-shifting lady who made ominous appearances in Ms. Marvel’s solo series didn’t adopt the name Mystique until later, real-time. But nevertheless, this is the lady who became the core of the New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and has also (variously incarnated by Jennifer Lawrence and Rebecca Romjin) been a central character in the X-Men movie franchise. These three consecutive issues, #16, #17 and #18. kick-started the comic book career of one of Marvel’s most popular ‘bad girls’. Issue #16 (1st cameo) is VF p £40, #17 (2nd cameo) FN p £12 and #18 (pictured, 1st full app.) VF p £70.
American Update: Return of the Mighty Marvel Big ‘Uns! Marvel Treasuries featuring the Hulk, Thor, Avengers and More
*Marvel: It seems you can’t get enough of these 1970s oversized editions — their size really gives them an impact — so here’s lots more, from #5 to #17 of the regular Marvel Treasury Edition series, featuring the Avengers, the Hulk, the Defenders, Howard the Duck, Doctor Strange and Thor, these are giant adventures which leap off the page – and into your hands! Full details as always in our catalogue.
American Update: Marvel: The End – Complete 6 issue Jim Starlin series starring Thanos and Warlock in NM
*Marvel: In 2003, following the success of Infinity Abyss, Jim Starlin was persuaded to revisit the cosmic realm which had proved so successful with Infinity Gauntlet, War, Crusade and so on. Unlike the previous series, this was part of Marvel’s ‘The End’ strand, which postulated the final fates of various heroes or series, and was conceived as essentially the last Thanos story, set in an unspecified near-future. As such, Marvel has subsequently disavowed it, Mission:Impossible-like, as having nothing to do with ‘official’ Marvel continuity – though if you can make any sense of official Marvel Continuity these days, you’re a better man than I am. Be that as it may; this series revolves around the Heart of the Universe, a millennia-old energy source which uses a human pawn to conquer the world, killing most of Earth’s super-beings in the process. The survivors, including Thanos, the Defenders, Captain Marvel and Warlock, must band together to save what remains of the Universe. Do they succeed? You’ll have to fork out £40 for this near-mint complete six-issue set, written and drawn by Starlin, to find out! SORRY, THIS SET HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Avengers Re-Assembled! Nearly 100 copies added from the first 100, including many debuts and events
*Marvel: Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers, are a constant seller here, so we’re very pleased to be able to restock many issues – almost 100 copies, though with several duplicated numbers – from the first 100, commencing with #5 and running up to the 100th issue itself. This run includes the debuts of many of the Avengers’ friends and foes, including (deep breath) the Collector, Living Laser, Grim Reaper, Squadron Sinister/Supreme, Red Wolf & Lobo, Swordsman, Sons of the Serpent, Lethal Legion, Zodiac, Yellowjacket and more! Major events in this run include the first ‘New’ Avengers line-up, a battle with the X-men, the first appearance of the prototype Invaders (though they weren’t called that then), and the tear-sheddin’ weddin’ of Hank & Jan! In mostly affordable mid-to-low grades, this range complements our existing stock, and provides a lot of comparatively inexpensive reading copies.
American Update: Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four
*Marvel: Despite Dr. Droom and the Big Panty Monsters, most people would agree that the Fantastic Four was where the Marvel Age Of Comics really got started. We have a nice update this week between #72 (with the SIlver Surfer) and #129 (1st Thundra) plus Annuals #2 (origin Dr Doom) & #3 (wedding of Sue & Reed) and Giant-Size #3. All issues listed previously missing from our catalogue, so you know where to check them out!
American Update: Dr. Strange, Master Of The Mystic Arts
*Marvel: New in this week, most of the classic short run of Dr Strange (1st series) from 1968, with stunning art by (mostly) Colan and Palmer, topped off with #2 of the second series (1974) with art by Frank Brunner. Check our catalogue for grading and pricing information.
American Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: Space Western Comics – Nazis On Mars and More!
*Charlton: …though really after a headline like that, what more do you need? Created by Walter Gibson and illustrated by Stan Campbell, Space Western Comics (1952) starred ‘Spurs Jackson and His Space Vigilantes’ as they fought the forces of evil on most planets of the Solar System and from beneath the Earth itself! A frankly lunatic hodgepodge of clashing genres, the series has achieved cult status because of the Space Vigilantes’ clash with Hitler and his Nazis on Mars, as well as some blatant plagiarism (#43’s cover being completely ripped off from a Spirit section). We have four of the six published issues available, beginning with #41, the second issue, and ending with the finale, #45. Truly must be seen to be disbelieved. Issue #41 is GD+ £80, #43 GD- £50, #44, with crescent tear off right cover edge, FA/GD £150 and #45 VG+ £195. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: A plethora of Dell TV & Film titles
*Dell: An overdue update to our stocks of Dell, who arguably made their name with TV & Film adaptations, and this range of four colour and movie classic titles is no exception. We have Danger Man, Dinosaurus, Kona, Mad Monster Party, The Phantom Planet, The Pride & The Passion, Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (no, really), Spaceman, Twice Told Tales, Two On A Guillotine, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and Walt Disney’s Mars & Beyond. Full details of course in our catalogue.
American Update: Slab Happy! Cat-Man #32, Final Issue of Cult Series with L.B. Cole Cover
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Raised in Burma by a tigress after his parents were killed, young David Merryweather developed superhuman strength, reflexes, agility and heightened senses from… living with tigers? Because of course you would. Oh, and the traditionally feline nine lives. Eventually returning to the US, David became a Private Eye, then joined the US Army while stopping criminals preying on the innocent, as… the Cat-Man! Eventually picking up a random orphan, Katie Conn, who without any powers or training decided to join Cat-Man as ‘The Kitten’, a distaff Boy Wonder. Cat-Man’s adventures, from 1941 to 1946, started out as routine superheroics, but rapidly developed a horrific edge and more mature tone, becoming notorious for gore and the way his young sidekick, ahem, matured really really fast. Now keenly sought-after by collectors, they are vanishingly rare in any condition. This is a copy of Cat-Man’s final issue, #32, from August 1946, with a famous L. B. Cole ‘shark-fight’ cover. A CGC Blue label 2.5 (GD+), acknowledging the presence of three tape strips on the spine, but with no restoration. This is on sale for £635.
American Update: A sweep through the DC Bronze Age of Horror with #1 issues, 1st appearances, final issues etc
*Horror/Mystery 1960/1980s: A high quality update to our DC range in this category, with many key issues included, many in high grade. Titles include: Black Magic (#1 NM), Dark Mansion Of Forbidden Love (#1), Doorway to Nightmare (inc #1 NM 1st Madame Xanadu), Forbidden Tales Of Dark Mansion, House Of Mystery (many early issues in high grade with work by Adams, Wrightson etc, inc #175 1st Cain and final issue #321 NM) , House Of Secrets (many early issues in high grade with work by Adams, Wrightson etc, inc #81 1st Abel and final issue #154), Madame Xanadu (#1 with Poster), Secrets Of Haunted House (#31 1st Mr E), Weird Mystery Tales and a quartet of Witching Hour from #8-11.
American Update: A Date With Patsy! Issues #11 to #30 of the Golden Age Series
*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: Continuing our massive influx of the Girl Who Would Be Hellcat (but not for a few decades), we have new listings for most of issues #11 (1947) to #30 (1950) of the teen comedy/romance series, mostly in very affordable mid-grades. Commanding at one point over Five Million Readers, Miss Walker was an unappreciated sales juggernaut which filled the coffers of the company that would eventually become Marvel Comics. This run includes several beautiful painted covers by Louise Alston, and later issues in this run feature early artwork by Al Jaffee, later a mainstay of Mad Magazine. Illustrated are #12 (VG £33), #26 (GD £14, Alston cover), and #28 (VG £27, Alston cover).
American Update: Comics Interview Magazine
*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: In 1983, David Anthony Kraft, having established himself as a comic book author, founded Comics Interview magazine, which ran for 150 issues between 1983 and 1995, and garnered Eisner and Eagle Award nominations. Each and every issue, as the name suggests, was filled with interviews with comics creators, which were noted for greater depth and breadth of scope than the standard promotional interview pieces found in other ‘zines of the day. We are delighted to have a range of fifty newly-listed copies of this quality magazine back in stock, from #2 to #113, including stellar creators such as Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Dave Gibbons, Dave Cockrum, Moebius and Frank Miller, spotlighting features/series such as the original JLA/Avengers Crossover, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Elektra: Assassin, Sandman, and… the Howard the Duck movie. (Look, they can’t all be winners!)
American/British Update: Adam Hughes Original Art – Wonder Woman and Mystique Convention Sketches!
*Memorabilia & Esoterica: It’s not our usual habit to deal in original artwork, but two items have come into our possession which it was impossible to resist; Adam Hughes has made a reputation over the last twenty-plus years for delivering some of the most outstanding renditions of the female heroic form in comics; his covers alone are commanding high prices on auction sites. So when we had the opportunity to offer two unique convention sketches of two of the most popular ladies in comics, neither ever published except in the Convention Booklet, which had a very limited circulation, we couldn’t turn them away. The two separate pieces are of DC’s First Lady, Wonder Woman, and the X-Men’s nemesis, Mystique. These were both obtained at the 2007 Star Wars Celebration Europe convention, and come to us directly from the original purchaser. Each is ink line with wash shading, in custom-made frames with UV protective glass. Dimensions of each piece, in the frames, are 42 cm x 49 cm. In addition, they are accompanied by a booklet of Adam Hughes’ Convention Sketches, ‘Details Are A Tad Sketchy’, which reproduces both pieces as well as a plethora of other Hughes Con sketches of various villainous and heroic ladies, and was signed (well, initialled) by Mr. Hughes at the Convention in ’07. Given the decreasing frequency of Mr. Hughes’ personal appearances these days, and the phenomenal popularity of his works, we are offering these framed sketches as a pair, with Booklet, for the total price of £1,500.
British Update: Loner – Wildcat and Eagle spacefaring hero collected
*Collected Editions: Winner of the Outer Asteroids Jimi Hendrix Lookalike Context, Loner was one of the crew of Turbo Jones’ Wildcat, helping the survivors of a destroyed Earth find a new home. That concept was quickly jettisoned (and just as well – what’s somebody named ‘Loner’ doing as part of a team anyway?) when Wildcat crashed – the comic, not the spaceship – and Loner was the only strip carried over into Eagle Mark II, becoming the wandering anti-hero that his name suggested, illustrated by David Pugh (‘Slaine’) and Eric Bradbury (pretty much everything in British comics). Another volume in Rebellion’s admirable quest to archive all the significant British comics series they can, this 200+ page paperback collects all the Wildcat stories and continues through the Eagle years, and is brand-new at £15.
British Update: Free Gift Farrago – Tiger From 1970 and 1973
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A quartet of Tigers from the 1970s, each with its original Free Gift! From 1970, we have 7th February, with the ‘My Favourite Soccer Stars’ booklet and the first eight cards to stick in it – comic FN gift VF, both for £25 and 21st of February, with another eight Soccer Cards for the album, comic VG gift VF at £20. Moving on to 1973, 13th October features a ‘Stars of British Sport Wheel’, and 20th October a ‘Super Rosette’ with an intact set of adhesive letters so you can spell out the name of your team (or, if you were a typical schoolboy of the day, selected obscenities.) As a bonus, 13th October also features the premier of a long-running strip which was unprecedented in Tiger’s history – what was the secret of the masked motorbike rider, ‘Tallon of the Track’? (Spoiler hint: ovaries!) Both 1973 issues are VG with VF Free Gifts, and are on sale for £20 each. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: It’s a Cracker! 40 issues of off-beat humour weekly, from the first to the penultimate
*Humour Comics: ‘Why Is A One-Wheeled-Bike Easy To Pedal?’ ‘Because You’re Never Two-Tyred!’. Such was the calibre of the jokes delivered by our host, Sammy, and his canine sidekick Flash on most covers of this humour weekly from D.C. Thomson, launched in 1975. Although seemingly barely remembered these days, Cracker managed a respectable 87 issue run before being absorbed by big brother Beezer; it starred, among others, ‘Simple Spyman’, a brain-challenged espionage agent, incompetent Knight Of Old ‘Rip Van Tinkle’, the completely inexplicable ‘Jim Kellie’s Wonder Wellies’, and – under the heading of ‘You’d Never Get Away With That These Days’ – ‘Young Foo’, a bright yellow, slant-eyed, barefooted Asian schoolboy who beat up bullies while being unable to pronounce his R’s. All together now: Oh Dear. Reservations aside, Cracker did have an engaging off-kilter humour, more engaging than much of the D.C. Thomson line, which by that time had become extremely formulaic. We have 40 issues newly listed, nearly half the entire run, ranging from the very first through to #86, which ominously promises ‘Great News Next Week, Chums!’ – and we all know what THAT means in Editorspeak, don’t we, readers?