*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: From 1976, the well-beloved weekly which was the home of cuddly man-eating shark Hookjaw and several other strips of remarkable controversy and violence! Pre-dating its longer-lived stablemate 2000 AD, and serving to ‘incubate’ much of 2000 AD’s talent, Action paved the way for a darker, bloodier and more cynical trend in boys’ adventure weeklies, with even the traditional genres of sport and war strips getting a nihilistic veneer – to the point where it was eventually banned from the newsstands, to re-emerge months later as a soft-serve shadow of its former self. New in this week we have a dozen issues from the pre-ban months March-October 1976, all in nice shape; details as always in our catalogue.
Category Archives: What’s New
British Update: Combat Picture Library – from #201 to #255, the ‘Ersatz Commando’ Years
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Continuing our restocks of Micron’s Combat Picture Library, we have most issues new in, averaging Fine with several VF, from #201 to 255, after which it changed format and tried to look a little bit less like Commando! As noted in previous updates, Combat, particularly the earlier issues, is less frequently seen than its contemporaries, so we’re delighted to welcome this selection into our inventory.
British Update: Makin’ Whoopee! 100+ issues from the First Three Years 1974-1976
*Humour Comics: Whoopee!, the humour weekly launched in 1974 was home to ‘Daisy Jones’ Locket’, ‘Toy Boy’, ‘Webster’ and the ‘Bumkin Billionaires’, among other well-remembered strips, and it really hit its stride when it scooped up the ailing Shiver & Shake, whereupon ‘Frankie Stein’ and ‘Sweeny Toddler’ pumped up the laughs and helped the series settle into its eleven-year run, before it tripped and fell into Whizzer & Chips. We have new in more than 100 issues from its first three years (1974-1976), including Easter issues and the Second Birthday issue.
British Update: Long Hot Summer: It’s June in July! June Holiday Specials: 1972 to 1976
*Girls’ Comics: By the 1970s, June had shed her long-time stablemate School Friend, and this decade saw her flirting with other titles, reflected in these extra-thick Holiday Specials; in 1972 it was June & Sandie, and in the latter half of the 70s it had switched to June & Pixie. Regardless of the co-star, the line-up remained reliable: ‘Bessie Bunter’, ‘Wee Sue’, ‘My Name Is Nobody’, ‘Lucky’s Living Doll’, ‘The Strangest Stories Ever Told’ and other favourites abounded. We have three of the scarce June Holiday Specials back in stock. 1972 is FN £60 (light foxing at left cover edge), 1975 is FN £50 (slight spine roll), and 1976 is VF £60.
British Update: Girls’ Crystal and School Friend – ‘The Silent Three’ and More
*Girls’ Comics: Venerable companion titles, Girls’ Crystal and School friend both evolved out of old-school ‘story papers’ and were reinvented as comics in the 1950s, before Girls’ Crystal was absorbed into School Friend in the early 1960s – only for School Friend itself to be famously amalgamated with June a couple of years later. We have a smattering of Girls’ Crystal from 1953 and twenty or so School Friend from 1951-1953, mostly Fair, in reasonable shape but with considerable staple rust, albeit not affecting the stories. Join ‘Merle’s Voyage of Mystery’, ‘Secret Friends of the Sports Mistress’, ‘The Silent Three’ and more!
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 file in our American section:
*Marvel T – Z
and in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
What’s Old: Dammit, Janet — Planet!
An outstanding example of Fiction House’s Planet Comics in our previously-listed spotlight this week: issue #49, July 1947, in an extraordinary VG+ condition, with vivid cover colour and gloss, tight pages with sharp corners, and flexible off-white interior pages. If it wasn’t for the fact that this copy is off its top staple, we would easily have graded it at least a full grade higher, such is its overall appeal. By this time, Planet had acquired most of the major contributors and series that were to its mainstays. Joe Doolin’s evocative ‘Mermaid Invasion’ cover leads us into ‘Star Pirate’ from a young Murphy Anderson (who also illustrated the ‘Life On Other Worlds’ feature), ‘Mysta of the Moon’ is illustrated by Fran Hopper, doing her best Matt Baker impersonation; Lily Renee draws ‘The Lost World’ and George Evans turns in outstanding work on ‘Auro, lord of Jupiter’. This is a rare combination of nice grade and high quality work in one serendipitous package, and yours for £135.
British Update: Charley’s War – Classic Trilogy Now Complete
*Collected Editions: Mentioned in a previous update as ‘forthcoming’, Charley’s War Volume Two: Brothers In Arms, is now back in print from those lovely people at Rebellion, meaning that all three volumes of the Definitive Edition, remastered from the original art with all colour pages restored, are now available. For those of you who haven’t read Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun’s dark saga of an ordinary young soldier in World War II, it’s justly one of the more acclaimed series in British comics history. With the re-issue of Volume Two, all three Definitive Editions are brand new at £20 each.
Technical Update: Card facility now working
We’re pleased to report that BT have now fixed the line fault to our card machine and we are now able to process card payments by phone and at the shop counter. If you’re a mail order customer, you still might find it easier to consider paying by bank transfer rather than phoning us though.
Technical Update: Card facility out of order
There is currently a fault on the BT line that services our card machine, so we are unable at present to take payment by card either over the phone or at the counter. We are hoping that BT are able to fix this as soon as possible, and will update here again as soon as the problem is fixed.
In the meantime, can we suggest that if you normally pay by card by phone that you consider making payment by bank transfer? It’s quick, easy and once you set us up on your online banking system, payment takes only seconds. It also saves you the trouble of getting through to us by phone (which can be difficult due to our level of business).
Our bank details are:
Bank: Lloyds
Account Name: 30th Century Comics
Account Number: 00547216
Branch Sort Code: 30-91-54
If you’re visting the shop during this period, you’ll need to pay by cash; there is a cashpoint a few yards from the shop across Lower Richmond Road outside Sainsburys.
American Update: Batmania: The Dark Knight Returns – NM Set of Miller’s Groundbreaking Series
*DC: One of the seminal works, together with Watchmen and V For Vendetta, which redefined the public perception of comics in the 1980s. Frank Miller’s dystopian opus Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is near-future story of a retired Batman, cynical and jaded, and the catastrophic events which force him to return to the fray with a new partner to confront his oldest enemy. Multiple award winning, this has been constantly in print in myriad formats since its publication – but these are the very first releases, all four Prestige Format volumes. Issues #1, #3, and #4 are first printings; issue #2 is a second printing, which followed almost immediately after the initial release owing to demand. Depicted is issue #1 (1st print) NM £90; for details of the others, see our online list.
American Update: Tales of the New Teen Titans #44 – Nightwing Begins!
*DC: The already critically-acclaimed New Teen Titans series by Wolfman and Perez took a surprising and significant turn right in the middle of the ‘Judas Contract’ storyline, when Dick Grayson, having decided to put away childish things, stepped out of Batman’s shadow and abandoned the Robin identity, taking on the mantle of Nightwing, an identity which – setting aside a couple of ‘wobbles’ – he’s maintained ever since! Tales of the New Teen Titans ( a minor title change from its original New Teen Titans designation) #44 saw the first appearance of Dick as Nightwing, and we have this important issue available, NM- p at £55.
American Update: Kamandi #1 – ‘The Last Boy On Earth!’ Cult Kirby Premier Issue From 1972
*DC: Following his critically-acclaimed ‘Fourth World’ series of intersecting titles at DC, Jack Kirby branched out into three stand-alone series. One such was Kamandi, a.k.a. ‘The Last Boy On Earth’, doubtless influenced by the then-ongoing Planet of the Apes phenomenon. Kamandi showed a post-apocalyptic future in which all humanity apart from our titular hero had degraded to virtual beasts, oppressed by all manner of super-evolved animals. Later attempts by other, lesser talents have been made to link this in with the greater DC Universe, but most folk prefer to think of the original 59 issue run from 1972 to 1978 as a self-contained odyssey. We have issue #1 of this cult series, a cents copy with no pence price or overstamp; this high-grade (VF-) copy has only minimal spine wear, but is tight, bright and flat with firm staples, on sale at £30 SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Brave & Bold – High-Grade Batman Team-Ups
*DC: A quartet of Silver Age issues of the Brave & the Bold, the series which by the mid-Sixties had become essentially a third Batman title, with the Gotham Guardian pairing with a new co-star each issue. The four issues listed this update have only two things in common: the inevitable presence of the Caped Crusader, and the fact that they are all in superb high grades, unusually so for the vintage. In issue #59, Batman and Green Lantern tackle the reality-warping Time Commander, a villain making his debut that issue; in issue #64, Batman and Eclipso, ordinarily a villain, work together on the side of good to battle the shapely Queen Bee; in #71, Batman and Green Arrow battle a Native American legend and in #84, Batman meets Sgt. Rock, living legend of World War II, in a story with art by the illustrious Neal Adams. As stated earlier, all of these issues are in exceptional condition, cents copies with no UK pricing, firm staples at cover and centrefold, tight sharp corners, and stunning vivid cover colour and gloss. #59 VF £57, #64 NM- £80, #71 NM £90 and #84 NM- £125.
American Update: Batmania Bonus: Watching the Detectives – From the ‘New Look’ to Modern Times, 60+ new issues with Debuts of Friends and Foes
*DC: A significant update to our stocks of Batman’s first home, Detective Comics, from the inception of his ‘New Look’ in issue #327. Many issues previously missing from our inventory added in, with highlights including the first Blockbuster in #345, the third Silver Age Catwoman in #369, the debut of the League of Assassins in #405, the first modern Manhunter in #437, the premiere of Leslie Thompkins in #457, first Black Spider in #463, first Doctor Phosphorous in #469 (and a major top-up to our stock of the acclaimed Englehart/Rogers run), the 500th issue special and #526, an anniversary issue marking the 500th appearance of Batman in Detective Comics!
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: The Galactus Trilogy! Fantastic Four issues #48-50 with Galactus and Silver Surfer Debuts
*Marvel: One of the most sought-after story arcs of the 1960s is the trinity of Fantastic Four issues 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 heinous acts. We have all three parts of this epochal story back in stock: Fantastic Four #48 is VG, cover and body of book detached from lower staple and a small (approx. 1/2″) lower spine split; the cover image is bright and vibrant with unfaded colours, corners sharp with minimal edge wear. #49 is FN – the first cover appearances of both the Silver Surfer and Galactus, this is an outstanding copy with only two minor flaws, a light diagonal cover crease upper right corner, and a ’10c’ sticker which has been superimposed on the original 12c price. Rounding out the trilogy, #50 concludes the saga and features the first appearance of Wyatt Wingfoot, long-time ally of the FF (and in later years main squeeze of the Sensational She-Hulk), who was the first significant Native American character of the Marvel Universe. This is a VG+ copy, with a light vertical crease, only intermittently breaking cover colour, and a tiny chip out of the right cover edge. All three of these milestone issues are cents copies, with no UK pricing. To summarise: FF #48 VG £600, #49 FN £450 and #50 VG+ £125. Shown below are front and back covers and splash page of #48 and front covers of #49 & #50; high resolution images of #48 are available on request.
American Update: Slab Happy/Spider-Mania: Amazing Spider-Man #121 and #122 – Deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin
*Marvel: Dire threats against the heroes’ loved ones had, of course, been a stock-in-trade of popular entertainment since time immemorial, but in 1973’s Amazing Spider-Man #121, when Peter Parker’s love Gwen Stacy was imperilled by the Green Goblin, readers were genuinely shocked and saddened when Spidey’s daring rescue simply didn’t work – and Gwen was no more. Heroes had often been inspired by the death of a loved one, of course, but they were usually off-panel and frequently before the series actually began. This was the first time that someone the readers had ‘known’ for years was killed, and it changed the tone of the series forever. The next issue, however, Spider-Man got his revenge, after a fashion, as the Goblin met his own end. Never distributed in the UK, these two issues, scarce everywhere, are particularly sought-after on these shores. This new copy of Spider-Man #121 is CGC Blue Label (unrestored) 8.5 (VF+) at £375. #122 is CGC Blue Label 4.5 (VG+) at £125 – however, it should be noted that the case of the #122, while unopened, has sustained a slight crack/chip at the top edge, as may be seen in the picture. This has been taken into consideration when fixing the price. Both copies, obviously, are cents copies, as there are no pence-priced editions of these issues. SORRY, #122 NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: First Cameo and Full Appearances Gambit in X-Men Annual #14 and X-Men #266
*Marvel: Yes! It’s true! After several copies of Gambit’s debut have passed through our hands, we’ve finally run out of ‘Allo, Allo’ themed openings! But while this issue is a frequent visitor to our shelves, it never languishes for long. In August 1990’s X-Men #266, while temporarily de-aged to childhood (don’t you hate it when that happens?), Storm met a charismatic thief named Gambit, who aided her in escaping from the Shadow King. Unlike many one-off guest-stars, however, Gambit caught on with the reading public, and stuck around to become a mainstay of the team – fortunately ditching his original costume of pervy knickers, stripey tights and flasher-mac in favour of a more conservative ensemble! The recently-wed ‘Mr.Rogue’ (oops, sorry, spoilers…) has been a hugely popular X-Man ever since, and his full debut is always a hot choice with buyers. But because we’re too good to you, we’re adding in his first cameo appearance in X-Men Annual #14, playing a small but pivotal part in the ‘Days of Future Present’ saga. X-Men Annual #14 is NM £35; X-Men #266 is a respectable copy, with the main flaws two barely discernable creases (one vertical, one horizontal) across the logo area (faint and not breaking the cover colour), minor spine ‘ticks’, a tiny amount of wear at top and bottom spine and around the staples. FN+ cents at £50.
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Avengers Annual #10 – The Debut of Rogue and the Rehabilitation of Ms. Marvel
*Marvel: Ms. (later Captain) Marvel, Carol Danvers, had left the Avengers in issue #200, in a controversial and rather offensive departure which raised the hackles of fandom assembled, utterly subverting the character’s independent agenda. In Avengers Annual #10, Chris Claremont ‘fixed’ the storyline, with an amnesiac and powerless Carol being rescued by Spider-Woman, and the discovery of her escape and reawakening commencing. It was a rather skilful job, assisted by the moody, evocative, and too-seldom-seen art of Mike Golden, plus, when the villains of the issue arrived – the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants – they had a spanking-new member, Rogue, who was the reason for Carol’s confused and powerless state. Rogue, of course, swiftly moved to the ‘light side’, joining the X-Men and becoming a key character in the comics and on the silver screen – and this is where she got her start, but the issue has more to offer than only that! Ignore the rather messy and bitty cover; the interior’s a gem! VF/NM £65. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Wolverine #1 1988 – First ongoing Wolverine series
*Marvel: Response to the Claremont/Miller Wolverine mini-series of 1982 was such that Marvel began working on a Wolverine ongoing title almost immediately, but owing to editorial clashes, the series didn’t actually make its debut until 1988. Chris Claremont continued the scripting chores on the adventures of Marvel’s favourite mutant, now an entrepreneur/crimelord in the rogue nation of Madripoor, with art by the superlative team of John Buscema and Al Williamson. This is a superior NM- pence copy, with only the very lightest of spine stresses (not breaking cover colour) preventing a still higher grade. On sale at £40.
American Update: Warlock’s First Five! Issues #1-5 of Warlock’s first solo series from 1972
*Marvel: The Messianic hero of Counter-Earth, Adam Warlock (formerly known as ‘Him’ in FF and Thor) had been reinvented in Marvel Premiere #1 & #2 before being launched into his own series by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane. Possibly this was a bit premature, as his book only lasted eight issues before he guest-starred in the Hulk and, well, died. But then got better under Jim Starlin, went ‘cosmic’, and, er, died again. And a few times since. But we’re sure he’ll be back any minute! Warlock’s been a cult character for decades, with numerous series and revivals as well as being a key player in Marvel’s various ‘Infinity’ Hoo-Hahs, and he is of course believed to be forthcoming in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movie series, so now would be a good time to grab these affordable mid-grade copies of his first five eponymous issues before the prices spike! Issue #1 (Pictured) is VG £25; the others vary between VG and VF – but check out our catalogue list and see for yourself! SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Hail, Hela! First Full Appearance of the Goddess of Death in Thor #150
*Marvel: Hela, Norse Goddess of Death, had made a brief earlier appearance in the ‘Tales of Asgard’ back-up feature, but Thor #150 saw her first appearance in the mainstream continuity – and quite a debut it was, as her eldritch powers overwhelmed even Thor’s Asgardian might, in this Lee & Kirby classic. Now, of course, having been retconned as Thor and Loki’s older sister as of the ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ movie, Hela is hotly pursued – and this is a very affordable copy of her earliest full appearance. VG+, pence, with only light spine & edge wear but vivid deep colour and unmarred cover scene, it is on sale at £40. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Strangeness and Charm: Doctor Strange, First and Second Series
*Marvel: More of Marvel’s Master of the Mystic Arts, in both his 1968-launched original series, following on from the numbering of Strange Tales, and his bronze Age series from 1974 onward! The first series, with superlative Colan/Palmer art on most issues, is added from #170 to #176 consecutively, then #179, while from the second series, we have issues #3 & #4 with masterful Frank Brunner art, and the First Annual, dazzlingly illustrated by P. Craig Russell.
American Update: It takes Two, Baby! Dynamic Duets from Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Two-In-One and Super-Villain Team-Up
*Marvel: Launched in 1972 as an ingenious copyright-saving legal trick, Marvel Team-Up paired Spider-Man (or occasionally the Human Torch) with other luminaries from the Marvel Universe, giving each of the guest-stars his or her own comic with their logo on the front, thereby assuring the legal bods that they’d been ‘published’, and asserting Marvel’s right to the character. likeness and logo. It was a cute legal trick with an unexpected benefit; because the overwhelming majority of the stories were done in one issue, to clear the field for the next guest, readers could pick up an issue of MTU and enjoy it without having to commit to the continued stories which, even then, were Marvel’s trademark. In short order, Marvel Team-Up was followed by Marvel Two-In-One, where the Fantastic Four’s Thing met, fought beside, and often fought against other Marvel super-stars. Both series lasted a healthy 100 or more issues, with Annuals and Specials. Continuing the dynamic duo theme, we also refresh Super-Villain Team-Up this update; a shorter-lived title than the other two, it also had more of a ‘story arc’ structure, as Doctor Doom and the Sub-Mariner battled each other, then kissed and made up before turning their attention to conquering the Marvel Universe. Our replenished stock of Marvel Team-Up spans from #16 to #144, highlights including issue #95, where Bobbi Morse premiered her new costumed identity of Mockingbird, and the Frank-Miller illustrated #100, which introduced the mutant called Karma. Our run of Marvel Team-Up goes from #2 to #34, with two sensational second appearances: the Guardians of the Galaxy in issue #5, having languished in limbo for half a decade since Marvel Super-Heroes #18 and #30, with the second appearance of Spider-Woman following her debut in Marvel Spotlight #32. Finally, our Super-Villain team-Up top-up commences with #5, featuring the debut of the sinister Shroud, and includes Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up #1 & #2, the extra-length issues which actually pre-date the ongoing series.
American Update: A Touch of Marvel Treasuries: Doctor Strange and Star Wars
*Marvel: The tabloid-sized Treasury Editions published by Marvel from 1974 to the 1980s may not have caught on as a permanent format, but they certainly have their fans, particularly among a certain generation in the UK whose earliest exposure to the iconic Marvel characters was via these huge compendiums of classic adventures! We have added in this week not one but two copies of Marvel Treasury Edition #6 featuring Doctor Strange, an all-new Frank Brunner cover fronting classic adventures by Ditko, Everett, Severin, Adkins and Brunner himself, all benefiting hugely from the enlarged size for a truly lovely tome. In addition to the ‘baseline’ Marvel Treasury Series, Marvel launched a few short-run series in the same format, one of which was Marvel Special Edition (not to be confused with the regular-sized Special Marvel Edition), reprinting the adaptation of the very first Star Wars film (or the fourth, depending on how seriously you take all that). Marvel Treasury Edition #6 is VG/FN at £15 and/or FN+ p £20, and Marvel Special Edition #1 GD p £10.
American Update: Wild In The Jungle! Fiction House’s Ka’a’nga and Magazine Enterprise’s Thun’da
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: In the wake of Tarzan, every popular medium brought out scores of implausibly-muscled jungle lords with unfeasibly shapely distaff companions. We have two of comics’ best remembered lookalikes – with bonus gratuitous punctuation! Fiction House’s Ka’a’nga was a mainstay of the anthology Jungle Comics, but graduated to his own title of which we have issues #9 (illustrated, VG+ £35, loose lower staple) and #15, both with appealing Maurice Whitman covers. Magazine Enterprises Thun’da has mostly been remembered for the fact that his first issue was the only comic drawn entirely by the legendary Frank Frazetta, which is a shame, as his subsequent issues feature rather spiffy artwork by the talented Bob Powell – especially on the ‘Cave Girl’ back-up strip. We have issues #5 (VG+ £35, small piece tape inside lower fc) and #6 of Thun’da new in stock. All four of these jungle series are in upper mid-grade, with considerable eye appeal.
American Update: Miscellaneous Crime from the 1940s/50s
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Following on from the crimewave of our Atlas Explosion, we now add a baker’s dozen hard-hitting pre-code crime from other publishers. Chief among these are Lev Gleason’s Crime & Punishment & Crime Does Not Pay, but there’s also sprinklings of Crime Must Pay The Panalty from Ace, Police Comics from Quality and Wanted from Toytown.
American Update: Do Do That Voodoo! 4-Issue Half-Alien Psychic Stripper’s Mini-series by Alan Moore, with Adam Hughes Covers
*Miscellaneous 1960-Onwards: What? After that headline you want more? Okay, then – Voodoo was introduced as a relatively fully-clothed heroine, one of the Brandon Choi and Jim Lee-created WildC.A.T.S., super-powered alien-hunters with thigh-straps, pouches and big guns. It was the 1990s. Voodoo became one of the breakout characters, and was awarded her own mini-series in 1997, shedding a few layers of clothing along the way, as befitted her unveiled backstory. Honestly, this is the sort of modern stuff we don’t ordinarily carry, but the pedigree of this mini’s creators – writer Alan Moore, illustrator Al Rio, and cover artist (on three out of the four issues) Adam Hughes – prompted us to make an exception in this instance. Illustrated is Hughes’ tasteful Mucha homage from #3, as distinguished from his rather more gussetty covers for #2 & #4. We’re offering this complete 4-issue series in NM as a set for £25. SORRY, THIS SET HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Tomb of Dracula #1 – Premier Issue of one of Marvel’s Greatest Horror series
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: One of the more successful entries in Marvel’s 1970’s diversification was Tomb of Dracula, the meticulously-crafted horror series which starred Bram Stoker’s classic vampire. Vampires had previously been verboten under the Comics Code Authority, the regulatory body which was brought in in the 1950’s, but a 1971 liberalization pf the Code allowed certain horror tropes, as long as they were presented in the classic tradition. Marvel leapt on the bandwagon with series starring Dracula, Frankenstein and a Werewolf, but the greatest of these was unquestionably Tomb of Dracula, with Gene Colan’s dark and evocative art perfectly summoning an atmosphere of covert (and often overt) menace. #1 was never distributed in the UK, and we have a VF/NM copy of this rarity, which kicked off a multiple award-winning series. In beautiful shape with only tiny spine ‘ticks’ but unfaded red cover background, this is on sale at £175. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: A Date With Patsy! Patsy & Her Pals (1953-1957), from First to Last
*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: Following the launch of Patsy Walker’s own title in 1945 and Patsy & Hedy in 1952, Atlas, ever eager to strip-mine an asset, provided yet more madcap adventures of Centerville’s favourite daughter and her gang with ‘Patsy & Her Pals’, a rather obvious ‘answer’ to ‘Archie’s Pals ‘N’ Gals’, which had launched the previous year. Patsy, Hedy, Nan, Buzz, Tubs, Ronnie and the rest provided fun & romance for a generation of girls who weren’t encouraged to trouble their pretty little heads with deeper topics, the revolution still being a couple of decades away! Mostly illustrated by Morris Weiss, with occasional lively and delightful art and covers by Al Hartley on later issues. We have 21 of the 29 Patsy & Her Pals series new in stock, from the first to the final number. Illustrated: #1 FA+ taped spine £19; #9 VG £24 and #11 FN £32.
American Update: Spooky DC Showcase editions! House of Mystery and the Phantom Stranger
*Modern Reprints: New stocks of the popular DC 500-Page Showcase Editions, hefty paperback compilations of Silver Age classics. This update, we’re on the shadowy side of the street, with volumes 1 & 2 of House of Mystery, reprinting that series from its horror/mystery relaunch from #174 onwards and featuring the talents of Gil Kane, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragones, Al Williamson, Alex Toth, Nick Cardy, Berni Wrightson and Michael Kaluta. Complementing this, Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 brings us the first 21 issues of the mysterious adventurer’s Silver Age series, by Bob Kanigher, Denny O’Neil, Jim Aparo, Len Wein and that Adams guy again. All three Volumes NM: House of Mystery at £25 each, Phantom Stranger at £20.
British Update: Off On A Comet! 1952 & 1953 issues, with Kit Carson, Sky Explorers, Billy Bunter etc
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: The long-running Comet, smaller than the usual British comic – closer to the American format – delighted readers for more than ten years from 1947 to 1958, before amalgamating with Tiger. We have around thirty new issues from the years 1952 to 1953, commencing with #215 and ending with #246, missing only a handful of issues for a virtually unbroken sequence, starring ‘Billy Bunter’, ‘Kit Carson’, ‘The Sky Explorers’, ‘Tough Tex., ‘Scamp the Happy Hound’, and ‘Shorty the Sheriff’s Deputy’. These are averaging Fair – in terms of page quality alone, they are decent, with all pages complete, but sadly there has been major rust at the staples, with almost total erosion in some cases. Nevertheless, affordable gap-fillers.
British Update: Sea War Picture Library – Oceanic Battle Tales From Pearson’s 1962
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Launched in 1962, and ending with issue #43 the following year, Sea War Picture Library was a companion to Pearson’s other digest-sized war series, Picture Stories of World War II and Air War Picture Stories, focusing on – oh, you’ve guessed – tales of valour and heroism on the waves. We have acquired the first 14 issues of this series, a nice consecutive run in attractive grades, averaging VG/FN. The Pearson’s Libraries are not commonplace – we suspect they had substantially lower print runs than contemporaries – and this is the first time we have seen Sea War in our quarter-century of dealing, so buy now while you have the chance! Pictured is issue #1 VG £10; you should know where to look for details on the rest by now…
British Update: Joe 90 – Spec-Tacular Adventures
*TV & Film Related Comics: From 1969, the much-publicised Joe 90 Weekly, released to tie-in with the latest Gerry Anderson ‘Supermarionation’ TV series, in which bespectacled nine-year-old Joe McClaine acquired phenomenal skills by having computerised knowledge downloaded into his brain, and set out as the unlikeliest secret agent of all, for the World Intelligence Network (W.I.N.) Sadly, for all it’s pre-publicity, Joe 90 turned out to be a rare Anderson flop – apparently young viewers related to adult heroes, not kids their own age – and the show foundered after 30 episodes, with the comic’s run lasting only a few weeks longer before being incorporated into TV 21 Mk. II! Now, however, the short achievable run of Joe 90 is much sought-after, having the usual quality artwork of the Anderson adaptations, and co-featuring comic strip versions of such popular TV shows as Star Trek, the Champions and Land of the Giants. This run consists of most of the 34 issues, including first and last, only a handful short of the full series, in exceptionally nice grades for their vintage, averaging FN. Depicted: issue #1 GD/VG £90. Details on the others in our online catalogue.
British Update: Valentine From 1960 to 1968 – Pop-Inspired Romance Comics Galore, Plus Free Gift Farrago
*Girls’ Comics: The long-running weekly Valentine, launched in 1957, had two distinct phases: up to the late 1960′ its distinctive sky-blue livery lured in readers with a self-contained romance strip ‘inspired’ by a popular song – with a floating mugshot of the singer attached, to gain extra sales from fans who would buy anything with their idol’s likeness on it! Inside was more of the same, with done-in-one strips, serial strips and even text stories ‘inspired’ by various popsters, filled out by the usual – fashion tips, pin-ups and problem pages. What made Valentine stand out, however, was the outstanding quality of the artwork, which was often very lovely indeed. We have more than 50 of the ‘classic’ Valentine back in stock, ranging from 1960 to 1968 (skewing more heavily towards ’67 and ’68). Pictured are the final (28/12/68 FN £12, Christmas number) issue of this selection, plus a Fabulous Free Gift issue – 25th Sept 1965, only FA, but with a FN Free Gift – a cardboard record holder for your own ‘Top Ten’ singles! Comic and gift available for £15. Oh, and the second phase of Valentine? Well, more about all that – very soon!
British Update: Twice the Love! Sweethearts Library and Wedding Ring Library from World Distributors
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: These digest-sized comics primarily repackage American material with original painted covers, but are included in the Picture Library section because they were scooped up eagerly by the same audience as Famous Romance, Confessions, et al. We have Sweethearts from issue #2 and Wedding Ring from issue 1, in a condition that would ordinarily be FN/VF, but rusting staples have brought them down to VG. The staple rust does not affect the story images themselves, however, and a special mention should be made of the fact that several issues in this update reprint stories from the St. John inventory, by the legendary team of Dana Dutch and definitive ‘Good Girl’ artist, Matt Baker! Pictured are Sweethearts #2 VG £12 and Wedding Ring #1 VG £15; details on others may be found in our online catalogue.
Clearance Corner: 18 special issues of Dandy for £15 inc Free Gift Farrago
*Clearance Corner: Finishing up our clearance of later issues of Dandy, we present 18 special issues from 1984 to 2012. Included are Christmas issues 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991 & 1997, Halloween issues for 1987, 2011 & 2012, the Valentine issue for 1988 (x 2, both with free gifts of stickers and album), New Year issue 1989, Father’s Day issue 2000, relaunch issue 2010, Fireworks issue 2011 and the 50th Anniversary issue 1987 (x 3, 1 with Free Gifts of stickers, album, poster and flyer, 2 with poster). All this can be yours for just £15. UK postage if required will be £4. SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD
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 file in our American section:
*Marvel M – S
and in our British section:
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.
What’s Old: Tales To Astonish #27 & #35 — 1st two appearances of Hank Pym/Ant-Man
In our spotlight on previously listed stock this week, we focus on Marvel’s tiniest hero and his entry into the Marvel Universe back in 1962. In Tales to Astonish #27, scientist Henry Pym became ‘The Man In The Ant-Hill’, in a slight variation on the usual ‘big-panty monster’ tropes which bore no foreshadowing of his heroic future. Nevertheless, Hank came back in costume in TTA #35, and embarked on a long career as Ant-Man, then Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and possibly a couple more identities we forget. Our copy of #27 suffers from (deep breath): a 1” tear mid-spine, through the entire body of the book, scribble on head of middle ant on cover (that’s a description, not an instruction!), spine glued at cover and first & final pages, also glued at centrefold, interior pages frayed at edges, with some small margin corners missing, but all pages present, all stories complete. Generally a very tired and ‘limp’ copy, but a complete low-grade key issue. #35 is a whole lot better, tight, flat and sound, with just minor chipping along the top edge and a small 1″ spine split at the bottom; no cover defacements and decent page quality. #27 PR p £325; #35 VG+p £375.
British Update: The Reprints Return! Rebellion’s Misty and Charley’s War Compilations Back In Print
*Collected Editions: We’re delighted to welcome back some previously out-of-print volumes from Rebellion’s valiant efforts to permanently archive classic British Comics. Misty Volume 1, with ‘Four Faces of Eve’ and the classic ‘Moonchild’, is now back in stock, as are Volumes 1 and 3 (with Volume 2, we are assured, on the way) of Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun’s epic anti-war narrative, Charley’s War. Misty Volume 1 is brand new at £15, Charley’s War 1 & 3 both new at £20 each.
American Update: Batmania continues as Batgirl Begins! Debut of the Dominoed Daredoll, and her Sensational Second Showing
*DC: At the height of ‘Batmania’ in the 1960s, with the Batman TV series sweeping the US, it was decided that one thing was missing: girl appeal! A new character was brainstormed to engage female viewers, and she made her first appearance, not in the show, but in Detective Comics #359, dated January 1967! A-list team Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Sid Greene brought us Barbara Gordon, mild-mannered librarian, who accidentally gets drawn into the world of crime-fighting through a chance encounter with Killer Moth, and becomes the Batgirl! Both as Batgirl, and for a long time as the inspirational character Oracle, Barbara Gordon has become an integral part of the fabric of the DC Universe. We are delighted have the first and second appearances of Batgirl back in stock; Detective #359 is VG/FN, a pence stamped copy with light to moderate wear at edges and corners, but unmarred cover image, vivid colours, and good gloss with firm staples. The character was so well-received that she co-starred in #363, by the same creative team, and our copy of #363 is a VF- cents copy, no pence stamp, with glowing colour and minimal edge & corner wear. Detective #359 VG/FN p £350; #363 VF- £100. SORRY, #359 NOW SOLD
American Update: Elseworlds 80 Page Giant! Controversial Issue Recalled and Pulped by Publisher
*DC: Dating as it does from 1999, this is a bit ‘modern’ for us, but its scarcity is undeniable. This issue was almost instantly recalled by DC after release; then-publisher Paul Levitz got cold feet over the story ‘Letitia Lerner, Superman’s Babysitter’, with the infant Superman in a microwave, and ordered the entire print run of this satire compilation recalled and pulped, which was bad news for Kyle Baker, Trevor Von Eeden, Ty Templeton, Mark Waid and other notable contributors. About 2,000 copies, however, had already made their way to the UK, and rapidly became highly-sought collectibles precisely for this reason. Seldom released on to the market, we have acquired one of the original issues (not the 2012 reissue, which has slightly different content). It’s NM, on sale at £250.
American Update: Demon #7 – The Debut of Klarion the Witchboy
*DC: Jack Kirby’s tormented anti-hero, Etrigan the Demon, met one of his most popular foes in issue #7 of Etrigan’s series, as our dual-natured protagonist encountered Klarion the Witchboy, whose Puritan garb and innocent demeanour concealed a twisted soul. An extra-dimensional intruder from a world of dark magic, Klarion’s desire to escape the rule of adults and unleash his full powers caused him to open a portal to Earth, where he’s been wreaking havoc ever since, battling not only the Demon, but Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the entire team of Young Justice! One of Kirby’s most enduring villainous creations, this first appearance of Klarion (and his formidable familiar, Teekl) is VF-, and on sale at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Catalogue Expansion: Suicide Squad: The Classic ‘Bad Guys Doing Good Deeds’ Series – With the Debut of Oracle
*DC: DC had floated a couple of ‘Suicide Squad’ series before, but the idea, despite the catchy name, had never ‘caught’ until 1987, when it was brought fully into the DC Universe with Villains, Psychopaths, Misfits and Ne’er-do-wells forcibly recruited by the formidable Amanda Waller – a lady who could make Batman back down – to undertake missions that entailed almost certain death, in exchange for pardons or remissions of their sentences – should they survive. Powerful and gripping, Suicide Squad took characters that were disregarded or forgotten, and under the skilful hands of author John Ostrander (later aided by co-writer Kim Yale) gave them a new lease of life, often turning them into viable properties in their own right. This premise formed the basis for the flawed but successful Suicide Squad movie of 2016, and saw the premiere of Barbara Gordon’s second (and vastly superior, if you ask us) nom de guerre, Oracle in #23. We have most of the first 40 and the First Annual of this series, plus a couple of stragglers, newly promoted to our catalogue ranks. Depicted are #1 FN+ p £20 and #23 NM- p £25; all others may be found in our online listings.
American Update: Showcase, DC’s premier Silver Age try-out series
*DC: Unlike the Brave & the Bold, which started out as a pure adventure series before morphing into a try-out and quickly converting to a team-up book, Showcase remained a try-out series for new ideas and features for the length of all its 104 issues, with many famous characters debuting in its pages. We have a new selection in this week from the second half of its run (starting with #50), all issues previosuly missing from our listings. Featured are: I-Spy, B’Wana Beast, Binky, the Creeper, Phantom Stranger, Windy & Willy, Firehair, the Doom Patrol, Power Girl, the 100th Anniversary issue, Hawkman & Adam Strange and OSS Spies At War. ‘Owzat for diversity? Full details as always in our catalogue.
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts – X-Men #1 (1963) – Debuts of X-Men, Professor X and Magneto
*Marvel: One of the most sought-after issues of the the Marvel Universe, this is not only the first appearance of the original X-Men themselves, but also their arch-nemesis Magneto. This is the comic which sparked Marvel’s most popular franchise (arguably tying with Spider-Man), and a Lee & Kirby classic which established the X-Men as Marvel’s ‘outsiders’ from the very beginning. This copy is UK pence priced, with moderate to heavy creasing at spine and corners. There is light Marvel chipping at the right cover edge. Primary drawback of this copy is a 3″ cover tear (approximately) which runs irregularly from the upper left cover corner to just below the ‘foot’ of the large X in the logo. Interior pages are clean, off-white and flexible, and in isolation would grade GD/VG, with no stains or defacements. Original staples still firm, though there is slight spine roll. FA+ p £1,750. Front and back cover images and splash page are shown below; high resolution images are available on request. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Spider-Mania continues: Amazing Spider-Man #12 – ‘Unmasked by Dr. Octopus!’
*Marvel: Another Lee & Ditko classic from the early years of Peter Parker’s masked alter-ego, #12 is less frequently seen than some of its contemporary brethren, and seldom in this nice a condition! An epic clash with his arch-nemesis Dr. Octopus leaves Spider-Man categorically defeated, helpless, and unmasked in front of the world. How does he get out of this one? Hey, buy the book! One of the more-often ‘homaged’ cover images, and an exceptional copy; the yellow cover background, which ordinarily picks up every stain or mark, is remarkably unblemished, with clear vivid colour. The staples are firm at cover and centrefold, light spine wear, sharp corners, tight and flat interior pages, with one small diagonal cover crease at the lower right. We have graded this pence copy as FN+, and it is on sale at £300. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Slab Happy! Sentinel of the Spaceways – Silver Surfer #1 (1968) CGC 3.5
*Marvel: Following his debut in Fantastic Four #48, Norrin Radd, Herald of Galactus, gained popularity as a recurring guest-star, and his status was confirmed when Marvel launched the Silver Surfer’s own series in the double-sized format in 1968. This premier issue featured, for the first time, John Buscema’s illustrations on the Surfer, a body of work generally acknowledged to be among his finest, and presented also for the first time a 38 page account of the Surfer’s origins, plus, in the back, a 13 page tale of the Watcher, detailing for the first time reasons behind the Watcher’s oath of non-interference. Trapped in plastic much like the Surfer was trapped on Earth, this CGC Blue Label (unrestored) copy of Surfer #1 is graded 3.5 – VG- equivalent – and is on sale at £225. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts – Two Fists Of Fury! Iron Fist’s First Appearance, AND His First Solo Issue
*Marvel: In the wake of the Kung Fu craze which swept the mass media in the 1970s, Marvel, having already scored big with Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, tried to repeat the success with Iron Fist, an orphaned Caucasian boy who learned mystical martial arts in the hidden land of K’Un Lun. Danny Rand had a successful run in Marvel Premiere, then graduated into his own title, and remains an active part of the Marvel Universe to this date, both in comics and on the small screen in Netflix TV series. We have a two-fisted update this week: firstly, Marvel Premiere #15, in which Iron Fist made his first appearance, and then the debut of his own series, in which he meets and battles the Invincible Iron Man! Marvel Premiere #15 is VF+, with only faint wear visible at upper and lower right corners on close scrutiny. Iron Fist #1 is also graded VF+, but if anything slightly nicer, with a couple of tiny spine ‘ticks’ being the only barely-visible drawback. Both copies are bright, glossy and tight at staples and corners. Marvel Premiere #15 is on sale at £175, and Iron Fist #1 is £80. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: The Power of Prince Namor! Sub-Mariner #1 (1968)
*Marvel: One of our favourite Marvel anti-heroes here at 30th Century is the Sub-Mariner, aka Prince Namor the First, Monarch of Atlantis, whose heroism is outstripped only by his arrogance and the whole ‘The King and I’ vibe he has going on with the ladies! Following the dissolution of the distribution embargo in ’68, Namor, who had been rooming with the Hulk in Tales to Astonish, got his own solo series once more, and the grandeur and pageantry of his undersea adventures was aptly depicted by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, who also threw in a few hitherto unrevealed titbits about Namor’s origin. This is a FN+ p copy of Sub-Mariner #1, lovely interiors, firm staples at cover and centrefold, unmarred cover scene, and only very minimal edge & corner wear, one light lower right diagonal crease not detracting from its exceptional eye appeal. With the recent smash success of the Aquaman movie, can a media crossover starring the original aquatic avenger be far behind? Buy now and avoid the rush! FN+ p £175. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD