*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: At the beginning of 1977, a comic was launched that captured the zeitgeist of the times, more anarchic and anti-establishment than anything that had come before it in British comics, no more so than in (paradoxically) the ultra-Establishment figure of Judge Dredd, the iconic anti-hero who has gone on to become legendary after debuting in issue #2, joining Mach-1, Invasion, Harlem’s Heroes, Flesh and the new Dan Dare as the star line-up. This copy of Dredd’s debut is FA/GD; interior pages clean and sound, but moderate cover wear, including small upper spine split, half-inch tear mid-right cover edge, small corner off lower right cover corner, and a 1″ (approx) tear from the lower cover edge, which affects the first six interior pages also. Nevertheless, all interior pages are clean, sound and eminently readable. This copy of #2, Judge Dredd’s debut, is on sale at £90.
Category Archives: What’s New
British Update: Near complete year Tiger 1958
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: The demand for pre-1960 Tiger comics seems to have been very high for ages now — maybe there were less printed than their counterparts, or possibly their large size meant that fewer survived. For whatever reason, they just don’t turn up very often, so when we had a chance to acquire an almost complete year for 1958, we grabbed it, even though these copies (almost all Fair) are in lower grade than we normally find acceptable these days. To clarify, although they all have nice page quality, with just the odd nick or crease here and there, the grade is brought down by very rusty staples, which in most cases have ‘bled’ into the areas around them. Otherwise, most of these would be VG. Still, eminently readable and good gap-fillers in a hard to find title. Your chance to catch up with the cover-featured Roy Of The Rovers, plus Olac the Gladiator, racing driver Jeff Jackson, the Frogmen Spy Hunters and innumerable others. Just a couple of issues missing from the complete year. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: They’re back! The Poltergeist & Pachyderm: Shiver & Shake 1973/74
*Humour Comics: One of our favourite British humour titles from the 1970s is Shiver & Shake, the two comics in one extravaganza hosted by Shiver (the Ghost) and Shake (the Elephant) and featuring such star strips as Frankie Stein, Horrornation Street, Scream Inn, Tough Nutt & Softy Centre etc. A couple of dozen issues new in from 1973/74, mostly in nice FN or VG grades, including the Christmas issue for 1973, the New Year issue for 1974 and 20/10/73 with Goffy Promo Flyer.
British Update: Pop fun and fiction with Boyfriend 1964/65
*Girls’ Comics: Eight issues of Boyfriend, the ‘pop’ular weekly aimed at teenage girls, newly arrived, dating from 1964/65. As well as pop pin-ups and features, Boyfriend had a larger smattering of angst-ridden comic strip and fiction content than many of its ilk, and all past issues that have come through our hands have sold rapidly. We expect these examples, in lovely FN condition, will be no exception.
Housekeeping Update
On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our American section:
*Marvel
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.
Due to unprecdented levels of sales on Marvel, we are increasing the frequency of removing sold items from our catalogue. Starting in two weeks’ time, we will remove sold items from a quarter of the Marvel file each week, meaning that the entire file will be updated with deletions once a month, and thus the listings will be more up to date than it’s been possible to keep them recently. Hopefully this way you will suffer fewer disappointments when ordering Marvels!
British Update: Brand new: Second Collected Volume of Leopard From Lime Street plus Von Hoffman’s Invasion Vol 1 back in stock
*Collected Editions: Two classic compilations from Buster for your consideration this week. Following on from the success of its first volume, Rebellion has released a second paperback of the Leopard From Lime Street, collecting the deeds of a…somewhat familiar costumed crusader. Plucky orphan? Check. Radioactive critter inadvertently bestowing strange powers? Check. Ailing aunt? Check. Part-time job as a newspaper photographer? Check. Ah, but this do-gooder – Billy Farmer, variously known as ‘Leopardboy’, ‘Leopardman’, or ‘The Beast’ – is a 13-year old schoolboy who has an abusive uncle as well as an ailing aunt, so that’s obviously completely different from Sp*der-M*n! Whatever the similarities, ‘Leopard’ was a huge hit, running almost ten years, and beating out previous record holder ‘Fishboy’ for the title of Buster’s most enduring adventure series: this second volume carries on in fine style, written by Tom Tully and featuring the artistic talents of Mike Western and Eric Bradbury. Brand new at £15. Also, back in stock: Von Hoffman’s Invsion Vol 1. Admit it – narratively speaking, who doesn’t love a mad scientist? Especially one with a habit of enlarging animals to many times their natural size for nefarious purposes? Well, the readers of the short-lived weekly Jet in 1971 certainly did, as Nazi genius Von Hoffman, following a 25-year imprisonment, sent his super-sized animal accomplices out to wreak vengeful destruction on national monuments, military encampments and… church fetes? Hm. Anyway, even though Jet lasted a scant 22 issues, ‘Von Hoffman’s Invasion’ carried on into the merged Buster & Jet for a much longer stint, with writer Tom Tully and artist Eric Bradbury clearly enjoying coming up with ever more outlandish variations on the ‘unfeasibly embiggened’ theme. This paperback volume is brand new at £13.
American Update: Titans Together! Brave & Bold #54 – Teen Titans ‘Prototype’
*DC: Well, not quite the Teen Titans yet, as the name wasn’t coined at this time, but the ground-breaking Brave & Bold #54 teamed up Kid Flash, Aqualad and Robin, the junior partners of DC’s major super-heroes, against the villainy of the sinister Mr. Twister (no, not the twisted Mr. Sinister – that’s a different series!). Written by Bob Haney and illustrated by Bruno Premiani, this proved to be such a hit that, with the addition of Wonder Girl, the resulting team enjoyed a long career which, with a very different lineup, still continues today – and with the hit Netflix ‘Titans’ TV show, demand for early appearances is furious! This is a superb VF- copy, no pence price or overstamp, bright cover colour and tight staples, sharp corners, easily one of the better copies in circulation. VF- on sale at £500. Front and back covers and splash page are shown below; high resolution images are available on request.
American Update: Batmania: Holy Enigma! First Silver Age Riddler Appearance in Batman #171
*DC: Despite having made only two appearances in the Golden Age before falling into comic-book limbo, the Riddler was one of a handful of foes selected to feature in the 1960s Batman TV show (memorably played by Frank Gorshin), and as a consequence he was brought back into the comics world, beginning with Batman #171, only his third ever appearance! Now prominently featured (played by Cory Michael Smith) in the hugely successful Gotham TV series, Riddler’s stock continues to rise. This edition of his Silver Age return, Batman #171, is a FN+ copy with a pence price overstamp. Clean and pristine interiors, cover scene largely unblemished, but with only the lightest corner blunting and a few small breaks in the spine colour precluding a higher grade. On sale at £300.
American Update: Slab Happy: Jack Kirby’s Demon #1 8.5 (VF+)
*DC: Following his ‘Fourth World’ saga, Kirby launched into two very different series at DC; one, of course, was Kamandi, the dystopic-future feral child in a world of anthropomorphic animals, but for the second series, Kirby looked to the past – specifically Arthurian legend, and came up with the Demon! A centuries-old curse imbued Jason Blood with the powers, and the malevolent desires, of the demon Etrigan, and the series focused on the war between our hero’s dual nature in a shadowy world of eldritch deeds, both in the past and the present day. This copy of Demon #1 is a CGC Blue Label – No Restoration – 8.5, VF+ equivalent, and is on sale at £95. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: The Wonder Years! DC’s Amazing Amazon From the Sixties and Seventies
*DC: A significant update to our stocks of Wonder Woman – now more popular than ever following the recent mega-success of her solo movie – with issues ranging from the ‘Wonder Family’ years to her non-super-powered ‘Emma Peel’ career, back through her triumphant return to super-powers and the Justice League! We open with #121 – the very first ‘Wonder Family’ issue – and close with #218, in between taking on the Academy of Super-Villains, the Earth-Quaker, Doctor Cyber, the Statue of Liberty, and the assembled forces of male chauvinism! Smash the patriarchy, Di! Pictured are the two sought after issues with covers by noted fantasy artist Jeff Jones, on which our heroine is uncharacteristically restrained, but rest assured she kicks arse and takes names on the inside. #199 is VF+ £60 and #200 VF- £50. For prices and grades on the others, check out our online catalogue.
American Update: Catalogue Expansion: Batmania Bonus – The Batman Adventures
*DC: Once again we expand the boundaries of the comics we catalogue. 1992 is a bit modern for our listings, but we couldn’t resist adding the Batman Adventures, the series which arose from the animated TV show and (among other things) gave birth to Harley Quinn. Although ostensibly aimed at kids, the series became a firm favourite among older readers who rejoiced in a cleaner, more linear form of storytelling than was on offer in the mainstream Batman title, with each issue done-in-one. The moody atmosphere of Gotham and the iconic characters were superbly rendered by the much missed Mike Parobeck, often imitated, never bettered. Although there were many later series in this style, this original one is by far the best. We have a selection of issues plus an annual and the Mask Of The Phantasm movie special; highlights include #1 and #16 (Joker cover and story). Full details now in our catalogue.
American Update: DC Silver/Bronze Sweep S-W inc first and final issues
*DC: Another sweep through the Silver & Bronze Ages of the DCU, this time for titles between S & W, including: Super DC Giant, Super-Friends (from #2 inc origin of Wonder Twins in #14), Supergirl, Superman (inc #423, last issue by Alan Moore plus Annual #11 by Moore & Gibbons), Superman Family, Super-Team Family, Swamp Thing (1st series final issue #24 plus 2nd series #21 new origin by Alan Moore plus Annuals #1-3), Tales Of The Unexpected, Teen Titans, New Teen Titans, Tor (from #1), Watchmen (#1) & World’s Finest.
American Update: Spider-Mania meets Mighty Marvel Firsts: Amazing Spider-Man #2 – First Appearance of the Vulture
*Marvel: Despite the many issues of Amazing Spider-Man which have passed through our hands in the last quarter century, we’re always thrilled when an early copy by the ‘real’ Spidey artist, Steve Ditko, comes into our possession, and seldom more so than by this week’s acquisition, the second issue of Amazing Spider-Man, featuring the debut of one of his most enduring enemies, the Vulture! Despite his physically frail appearance, the airborne pensioner has survived numerous deaths, remodels, and replacements by younger counterparts, and the importing of the Vulture into the Spidey cinematic mythos with ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ has enhanced the character’s popularity. This issue also features the premier appearance of the Terrible Tinkerer – no, really – who while less persistent than the Vulture, is still an occasional player in the Spidey mythos. This copy of issue #2 is FA/GD; interior pages good, but multiple fine creases at the cover edges, weak staples, but a cents copy, no pence price or overstamp, and the cover scene itself is unimpaired barring a light moisture mark lower right cover, mostly in the inset vignette. Only Spider-Man’s third appearance anywhere! FA/GD, on sale at £500. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Thanos in Iron Man #55
*Marvel: They don’t come much hotter these days than Iron Man #55, wherein the cosmic arch-villain Thanos, nemesis of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, made his first appearance, the brainchild of fan favourite writer/artist Jim Starlin. Thanos has of course gone on to plague Marvel’s heroes in comics and movies ever since, but here is where it all started. This landmark issue also features the debuts of Drax the Destroyer, Mentor, Eros (later Starfox of the Avengers) and Kronos. With Avengers: Endgame, in which Thanos is the Big Bad, breaking box-office records in cinemas worldwide, the character’s debut is only going to become more sought after. Our newest copy of Iron Man #55 is FN, cents with no pence pricing, one faint diagonal crease and minor corner and edge wear, but tight staples, good interior page quality and unmarred cover scene. On sale at £425.
American Update: X-Men #94 – Return of the Mutants
*Marvel: After a long hiatus in reprint limbo, the X-Men, with a new international line-up, made a spectacular return in Giant-Size X-Men #1, and #94 of the ongoing X-Men title marked the ongoing title’s return to all-new stories. Scripter Len Wein handed over to Chris Claremont, and Dave Cockrum’s superb illustrations continued to impress. This issue is notoriously hard to find anywhere, being the first New X-Men in the previously reprint title, and its scarcity is compounded here in the Old Country by the fact that it wasn’t distributed in the UK at all (the distributors in their wisdom bringing in Tomb of Parsnips #47 or somesuch instead, because all of those ‘Yankee Horror Comics’ are alike, right?)). Our latest copy of X-Men #94 is VG/FN, minor corner and edge wear but excellent cover colour and gloss, on sale at £200. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Doctor, Doctor! Double Debuts for Doctor Strange from 1968 and 1974
*Marvel: Not one, but two premier issues for Marvel’s Master of the Mystic Arts! Following the relaxation of distribution regulations in 1968, Marvel gave Doctor Strange, former star of Strange Tales, his own series, continuing the numbering of Strange Tales, with #169. This opening issue of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme was a book-length retelling of his origins, scripted by Roy Thomas and lavishly illustrated by Dan Adkins, normally regarded only as an inker but here supplying full artwork. After a significant hiatus, Doctor Strange returned to the Marvel Universe with the Defenders, followed by a run as the lead in Marvel Premiere, which proved so successful that his own series was relaunched with a new #1 (back in the days when that sort of thing didn’t happen every other week, you understand). The team of Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, who had done such outstanding work in returning the Doc to form, continued on into the new series. Doctor Strange #169 is VG+ at £70. Doctor Strange #1 is VF+ at £75.
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Fantastic Four #33 – The Debut of Attuma
*Marvel: In issue #33 of their ongoing series, the Fantastic Four, already in a love/hate relationship with Namor the Sub-Mariner (some more ‘love’ than others, eh Sue?) found themselves allied with Namor when Attuma, a Rogue Atlantean Warlord who believed himself destined to bring about a new Atlantean Empire, usurped Namor’s throne. This issue saw the first major steps away from pure super-villainhood by Namor, and a return to his former anti-hero status, as Attuma rapidly established himself as a major threat in the Marvel Universe, appearing scores of times before eventually being beheaded – but don’t worry, it’s comics, he’ll be back any minute now! This is a beautiful FN+ cents copy, featuring the first of Kirby’s background photo-collages to make it onto the front cover. On sale at £150.
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Werewolf By Night in Marvel Spotlight #2
*Marvel: From 1971, the debut of Werewolf By Night in Marvel Spotlight #2. Created by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog, the story of a young man named Jack Russell (no, really) 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. Squarebound issues are notoriously problematic, but this copy is a remarkable VF+, with a tight and firm squarebound spine, deep vivid cover colour, and sharp corners, the only thing preventing a still higher grade being a very faint ink impression over the logo, from when recently-printed copies were occasionally stacked before the ink had quite dried. Only visible under quite close scrutiny, this does not detract from the eye-appeal of this gem. VF+ £200.
American Update: Iron Fist in Marvel Premiere – #16 to #25, cents copies
*Marvel: Everybody, as previously remarked, was Kung Fu Fighting in the Seventies – but Marvel already had one Bruce Lee clone in Shang-Chi Master of Kung Fu, so however were they to exploit the martial arts craze further? By borrowing heavily from earlier tropes and overlaying a Seventies sensibility of course! Rich child Danny Rand crashed in the Eastern mountains and was raised by the monks of Shangri-La – sorry, K’un L’un – to become a martial arts maven, including the mastery of the Iron Fist, a focusing of chi which caused one’s fist to become, as the narration had it: ‘Like unto a thing of iron!’. So there we were. His training completed, Danny returned to the USA to reclaim his heritage, fighting sundry other injustices along the way, gaining his own series – several, in fact – and becoming a major player in the MU, culminating in his Netflix TV series, starring Finn Jones in the title role. But before all that, he paid his dues in the tryout book Marvel Premiere, and this nice sequential run goes from his second ever appearance (#16 NM £82, pictured) to #25, after which he was replaced by a rotating roster of acts on ‘Marvel’s Got Talent.’ This is an exceptionally high-grade run, all at least VF and with several NMs, all cents copies, and including many issues that were never distributed in the UK.
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 movie, 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! A very decent, glossy and flat cents copy of #1 with only very minor wear: VF- £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: A Diabolical Double Act! First Full Appearance Son of Satan in Ghost Rider and Son of Satan #1
*Marvel: In the wake of other Marvel hits starring occult characters, and with the Exorcist movie taking big box-office, Stan Lee had originally proposed a series starring Satan himself, but Roy Thomas commuted it to Satan’s offspring, a demon/human hybrid who used his evil-spawned power for good, in rebellion against his father. Daimon Hellstrom duly appeared in Ghost Rider #2 as an antagonist before moving into his own solo series in Marvel Spotlight, and then progressing to his own book. Daimon remains a prominent character today in the Marvel Universe, though he doesn’t use the Son of Satan soubriquet any more, and in these more sensitive times his origins are usually politely glossed over. We have high grade copies of his early appearances in stock this week: Ghost Rider #2, his first full appearance anywhere, is VF+ at £80. Son of Satan #1 is a gleaming NM at £60. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Strange Tales with Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD and Dr. Strange
*Marvel: Strange Tales was a comic of great quality in the mid-1960s, with contrasting features, the scientific secret agent spy stuff of SHIELD, starring Nick Fury and the mystic arts of Dr. Strange. Great art adorned both strips, the former with Kirby and then Steranko, the latter with Ditko, then Bill Everett and Marie Severin. We’re delighted to add about a dozen issues fresh in, mostly in superior FN+ grades between #137 & #166, much needed in our inventory.
American Update: Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One
*Marvel: Virtually the entire Marvel Universe must have passed through the pages of Marvel’s twin Bronze Age team-up books at one time or another, Team-Up starring (mostly) Spider-Man and Two-In-One starring the Thing. We have a significant chunk of both titles new in this week, inc. several annuals of both. Highlights to look out for include MTU #65 & #66 with the first US appearances of Captain Britain, #103 with a Taskmaster appearance, #117 with Wolverine and Annual #1 with the X-Men; MTIO #8 with the Ghost Rider, #30 with 2nd full appearance of Spider-Woman, #52 with Moon Knight and a whole load of cosmic mayhem with Warlock, Moondragon, Starhawk etc in subsequent issues.
American Update: The Atlas Explosion! Crime Cases and Private Eye – a double dose of dastardly deeds!
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Continuing our tour through the comic-book underworld, we have two series from the Crime Craze of the 1950s: Crime Cases, which ran from 1950 to 1952, taking over the numbering of teen title ‘Willie’ (no further comment needed…) one of Atlas’ myriad imitators of Gleason’s Crime Does Not Pay. We have this from its second issue, #25 through to its final, #12 (the series ‘reset’ to conventional numbering from #5). Then we have 1951’s Private Eye, featuring the adventures of intrepid gumshoe Rocky Jorden, from its first issue and a selection of others ’til its final issue #8. Pictured: Crime Cases #26 (3rd issue), VG+ £31 and Private Eye #1 FA/GD £16. Details of the others in our catalogue.
American Update: The Atlas Explosion! A Battling Duet! War Combat (complete Pre-Code Series) and Marines At War
*War: For when one war series isn’t enough, a combo platter of combat tales, with the complete 1952 Pre-Code series of War Combat, a typically lurid Cold War anthology which became Combat Casey with its sixth issue; as with all Atlas war titles of the period, this features unfortunate ethnic stereotypes and violence a’plenty. Our double feature concludes with the final two issues of Marines At War (1957), a relatively sedate Post-Code entry, but still beautifully crafted – remarkably so, given the soul-crushing deadlines the artists worked under. Pictured is War Combat #1 GD £26; by now, you should know where to look for the others’ details!
American Update: A Medley of Mags! Marvel, Skywald, Warren and 1950s Rarities
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: More from the diverse world of magazine-sized comics. Marvel brings us the scarce digest-sized 1st series of Haunt of Horror, the Marvel Comics Super Special Adaptation of Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back (with stunning Williamson art), the ground-breaking Marvel Graphic Novel, ‘The Death of Captain Marvel’ by Jim Starlin, and the first Spectacular Spider-Man issue. Warren has top-ups to Creepy, 1984, our sadly depleted Vampirella stock, and the first UK edition (published, as far as we can tell, in tandem with its American edition) of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Skywald only has one addition, but it’s a corker: Hell-Rider #1, with the first appearances of the eponymous cycling super-hero and super-heroic soul sister the Butterfly! And we round out the update with three 1950s rarities: Snafu V2 #1 from Atlas, their second attempt at a Mad magazine imitation, with contributions from the stellar roster of Atlas artists; Terror Illustrated #2 , from EC’s short-lived effort to circumvent the Comics Code by issuing magazine chillers and issue #1 of World-Famous Creatures from 1958, a UK edition of one of the myriad ‘Famous Monsters Of Filmland’ clones. We have no idea whether this is a British edition of a US mag, or a UK original, sorry. Pictured are Marvel Comics Super Special #16 (VF £25), Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (VG/FN £35), Famous Monsters of Filmland #1 (UK, GD/VG £45), Snafu V2 #1 VG+ £24), and Terror Illustrated #2 (FA/GD £25). Details on all others to be found in our online catalogue.
British Update: Immaculate Annuals – Humour! Beezer, Sparky, Topper, Shiver & Shake, Whizzer & Chips & More
*Annuals: To continue our pedigree collection of ‘Immaculate Annuals’, we turn this week to the traditional British Humour titles. As with other ‘Immaculate Annuals’ updates, these are uncirculated 1960s and 1970s stock from a newsagent’s inventory, never sold or even displayed, so the only flaws in any of them occur from long-term storage, but many could still pass as new. No prices clipped, no gift dedications, ‘This Book Belongs To’ inscriptions or other interior markings, solid spines, tight corners and bright, vibrant colours, occasionally very slight tanning of interior pages owing to age. This week we add: Beezer from 1966 to 1970 in VF or VF/NM, Beryl the Peril from 1967 to 1971 VF/NM, Buster 1967 VF, Cor 1972 VF, Shiver & Shake 1974 VF/NM £7 (pictured), Sparky from 1967 to 1971 averaging VF/NM, Topper from 1966 to 1970 between FN to VF/NM, and Whizzer & Chips 1971 VF/NM £7 (pictured). We don’t anticipate that these exceptional copies will remain in stock long, so order early to avoid disappointment. SORRY, MOST OF THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: Long Hot Summer: Phew! What a Scorcher!
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Two early (though not quite the first) Holiday Specials for Scorcher, the soccer-themed weekly, starring ‘Billy’s Boots’, ‘Nipper’, ‘Lags Eleven’, ‘Bobby of the Blues’, ‘Hot-Shot Hamish’ and more: These are both beautiful VF copies, bright, clean, sharp edges, firm staples, and no interior markings of any kind. Scorcher Holiday Special 1971 is VF £25 and the 1972 Special (by which time it had incorporated Score) is also VF £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: 2000 AD – ‘Burger Wars’ and ‘Jolly Green Giant’ Issues
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Newly in, we have the four 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! All four issues are pictured here, all FN and all £25 each. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
British Update: Judy Picture Library – 70 new issues in the first 100, from #1 onwards
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Beginning in 1963, Judy Picture Library began by collecting serials from its weekly edition, then branched out into new stories starring popular characters including maid-of-all-work ‘Wee Slavey’, gymnast ‘Topsy On Her Toes’, junior secret agent ‘The Girl From D.O.R.S.E.T.’ and space-girl ‘Fabula’. We have in excess of 70 new copies added to our inventory, all but a couple from the first 100 issues (it lasted 375, all the way to 1994), commencing with #1, illustrated here, VG £35.
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:
*DC K – Z
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.
American Update: A Pair of Jokers! First and Final Issues of the Short-Lived 70s Series
*DC: Daringly, in 1975, DC awarded the Joker his own title, (in defiance of the Comics Code, which said that villains couldn’t be shown to triumph) and even now, decades later, it remains the Clown Prince Of Crime’s only on-going series. Not that it ‘on-went’ for long, stopping at #9. But what was a Bronze Age curio has now become a much sought-after short series with one of the hottest characters in comics. We have the first and final issues newly in stock; #1, pitting ‘Mr. J.’ against fellow villain Two-Face, is VF+ at £55 and #9, in which he squares off against the captivating Catwoman, is VF+ at £19.25. Both cents copies, with no UK price markings or overstamp. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: We Love Lois! Barking Mad Pre-Feminist Adventures from the Sixties to the Seventies, including 1st Silver Age Catwoman, Rose & Thorn debut
*DC: One of the wackier titles of the Silver Age – and it had plenty of competition – was Lois Lane, the solo series of Superman’s gal who yearned for nothing so much as to throw off her humdrum life of international fame and award-winning journalism to trick and trap the Man of Steel into an open and honest marriage. In real life, most of Lois’ antics would have earned her a heartfelt restraining order or a jail term, but the exquisite art of primary illustrator Kurt Schaffenberger keeps you hooked in and sells this heap of insane tosh to even the most sceptical audience. We’re huge fans, as you can probably tell. We’ve restocked Lois’ series from the Pre-Distribution issue #10 through to #124. Highlight of this new influx is the first Silver Age appearance of the Catwoman in #70, returning from Limbo after almost a decade in a very classy variant of her classic costume; this is VG- p £50. Also of high interest is the first appearance of cult heroine (or given her schizophrenic state should that be heroines?) Rose & the Thorn in #105. In other newly added issues, Lois becomes a baby, becomes Insect Queen, marries at least three other super-beings who aren’t Superman, fights Wonder Woman, marries a death-row inmate, and goes blind. Goodness, I’m exhausted just writing about it. SORRY, LOIS LANE #70 HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: DC Special #29 – Secret Origin of the Justice Society of America with Hitler cover
*DC: The 1970’s DC Special switched from reprint to new material, and featured a number of popular characters and creators in its rotating spotlight. One of the most popular and sought-after issues is #29, tying in to the Justice Society of America series then running in the All-Star revival. Paul Levitz and Joe Staton, the same team making the 1970s JSA an acclaimed series, take the team back to its 1940s roots and reveal how the founding members banded together as a force for good – a tale never before told in the team’s (at that point) 30+ year history! This extra-length 34-page story is surprisingly often overlooked by JSA completists, but is an essential companion to the 1970s All-Star revival. This is a Near Mint cents copy in beautiful condition, bright and glossy with sharp edges, tight staples, white interiors, on sale at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Batmania: Batman #401-428, with significant story arcs: Year One, Ten Nights of the Beast, A Death In The Family and More
*DC: From the 1980s, the decade where the Dark Knight ruled the comics stores and the movie screens, a selection from Batman #401 onwards, including several story arcs that would resonate for years to come. Issues #404-407 featured Miller and Mazzucelli’s ‘Batman: Year One’; #408-410 presented a new and altogether darker origin for the second Robin, Jason Todd; #417-420 featured the epic ‘Ten Nights of the Beast’; and this run closes with numbers #426-429, ‘A Death In The Family’, a notorious and controversial tale in which readers were invited to phone in to determine the fate of one of the series’ supporting cast. In mid to high grades, averaging VF+, this is a run of Batman said to have inspired much of the popular ‘Gotham’ TV show, and demand is increasing.
American Update: DC Silver/Bronze Sweep K-S inc. many #1 issues
*DC: A large update to our DC Silver/Bronze stocks for titles beginning with K-S as follows: Kamandi, Legion of Super-Heroes (complete 3 issue mini-series ‘Secrets Of’), Man-Bat (#1), Metal Men, Metamorpho, Mister Miracle, My Greatest Adventure (#81 2nd Doom Patrol), New Gods (from #1), Omac (from #1), Plastic Man (from #1), Secret Society of Super-Villains, Shazam, Showcase, Spectre (Neal Adams issues), Star Hunters, Strange Sports Stories & Superboy.
American Update: A Mighty Marvel Firsts/Spider-Mania/Slab Happy Mash-Up! Amazing Spider-Man #238 (Hobgoblin debut), AND slabbed Spidey #797 with Hobgoblin Homage Variant Cover!
*Marvel: One very successful latter-day addition to the Web-Head’s Rogue’s Gallery was the Hobgoblin, who made his debut in 1983’s Amazing Spider-Man #238. The path of carnage and mysterious identity of this suspiciously familiar evil-doer kept readers entertained for more than a year before the Big Reveal, with several red herrings and false ‘revelations’ along the way. Our newest copy of ASM #238 is NM- p at £135, proudly retaining the Free Gift – Lakeside ‘Tattooz’ – which baffle and frustrate so many completists. Then, venturing tentatively into the world of modern comics, 2018’s Amazing Spider-Man #797 sports an ‘homage’ cover to #238, Mayhew Variant with the Red Goblin (your guess is probably better than mine) in the Hobgoblin role. This is a CGC Blue Label (unrestored) 9.8 (NM/M equivalent) at £150. So just to avoid any possible confusion; Spidey #238, NM- p NOT slabbed, £135, Spidey #797 9.8 CGC slabbed, £150.
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Dawn of the Defenders! Marvel Feature #1 VF-
*Marvel: Following their ‘stealth pilot’ appearances in Sub-Mariner’s own series, the non-team of Namor, Doctor Strange, the Hulk and (on & off) the Silver Surfer proved such a hit that the powers-that-be brainstormed the idea of an alliance of Marvel’s most determined loners, who were forced by circumstances to work together whether they liked it or not! The Defenders premiered in 1971’s Marvel Feature #1, an extra-length issue which also brought Doctor Strange back from his ill-judged ‘masked superhero’ phase in a separate back-up. This is the comic that kicked off 150+ issues of the Defenders’ original series, plus myriad relaunches – and, as an additional factor, it was never distributed in the UK! This is a splendid VF-, bright with excellent squarebound spine, vivid colour and only minimal corner blunting; on sale at £130. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Days of Future Past – Classic X-Men Storyline in #141 & #142
*Marvel: From 1981, and the days when alternate future storylines were not nearly as cliched as they’ve since become, one of the most compelling of them all: the classic ‘Days Of Future Past’ two-parter from X-Men #141/142 by Claremont & Byrne. This was virtually Byrne’s swan song on the title. Featuring an aged X-Men line-up against the Sentinels (and the first appearance of Rachel Summers, who became Excalibur’s Phoenix, (later Marvel Girl II)), this really is the story where, as the cover gleefully proclaims, “Everybody Dies!” Already a sought-after two-parter, but its popularity (and value!) skyrocketed after the release of the X-Men film, ‘Days of Future Past’, which adapted the narrative to the big screen (though, it must be said, Wolverine was very unconvincing in the role of Kitty Pryde…). #141 is FN+ p £25, #142 VF £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Moondragon Debuts – Psychic Slaphead Premieres in Iron Man #54
*Marvel: Despite the fact that she hasn’t been the subject of a Marvel Movie or TV Show yet (but just wait half a tick…) the follically-challenged, attitude-enhanced mental marvel Moondragon has been spiking up in popularity. We speculate that the rise in interest is owing to her connection with Thanos and his merry crew, who are all over the media right now, and she’s catching some of the, as it were, ‘shared heat’ in anticipation of a future media debut. Her first appearance in comics, however, was under a somewhat less dignified nom de guerre of Madam McEvil! This debut of an up-and-coming character is VF, would grade higher but for a tiny irregularity in the upper left corner, cents copy with no pence price or overstamp, on sale at £115.
American Update: Marvel Premiere #1 & #2 – Warlock: A Man-God Reborn
*Marvel: In 1972, Marvel decided to issue a ‘tryout’ title, in which new concepts or popular supporting characters could be ‘auditioned’ for their own series. One such was Warlock, who had previously made only a handful of appearances as ‘Him’ in Fantastic Four and Thor before being forgotten, but with a new name and new look, he was pimped out by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane as a brand-new super-hero on a parallel world called Counter-Earth. After two issues of M. Prem., Warlock got his own series – perhaps prematurely, as it only lasted eight issues before he died in the pages of the Hulk – but don’t worry, he got better, revived by Jim Starlin before, oh, being killed again. Notwithstanding, Warlock is confirmed as resurfacing in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise, and these two issues, prior to his solo series, are the first appearances of him in full heroic guise. Marvel Premiere # 1 is VF+, a beautiful copy with only a few minor spine ticks, at £225; #2 is still nicer, a glossy NM at £62.
American Update: Moon Knight’s First Solo Story, in Marvel Spotlight #28 & #29
*Marvel: No, sorry, we’re out of cutesy-poo ‘Moonlight/Moon Knight’ puns for now, so you’ll have to take it straight. From a passing appearance as an antagonist in Werewolf By Night, the character of Moon Knight, a.k.a. Marc Spector, eccentric billionaire, compulsive role-player and nocturnal crimefighter (Hmm… where’ve we heard that description before?) wormed his way rapidly into the readers’ hearts, and the clamour triggered his first solo foray, a two-parter in Marvel Spotlight #28 & #29, by his WBN co-creators Doug Moench and Don Perlin. No, it’s every bit as good as you’d expect. No, really. Given the mentions dropped in the Marvel cinematic universe of a ‘Marc Spector’, speculation is rife that a Moon Knight media debut is imminent, and the prices of these issues have lately risen to reflect that; issue #28 is NM, sharp & bright with firm tight staples and white pages, on sale at £125; #29, the conclusion of the two-parter, is VF/NM, a relatively sedate £22.50. Both cents copies, with no UK price markings.
American Update: Wolverine #1-4 (1982) Claremont and Miller Complete Series
*Marvel: By the 1980s, Wolverine’s status as the breakout star of the ‘New’ X-Men had become evident, and an A-List team of Chris Claremont, Frank Miller and Josef Rubinstein was assembled to give him a solo spotlight in a four issue mini-series. Logan returns to Japan where he seeks to regain his lost honour and win the hand of his beloved Mariko, in an outstanding series which was the basis for the 2013 smash film ‘The Wolverine’ – instead of being merely an outline for the film, many of Miller’s striking visuals for the mini-series were meticulously re-created for the movie. This complete 4-issue series, the first Wolverine solo title, is available as a set only of all four, all pence copies, #1 NM- and the other three at NM, for £150. SORRY, THIS SET HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25
*Marvel: In the Seventies, Marvel was experimenting with a wide range of genres, and the dystopic near-future science-fiction field showed promise, with Killraven over in Amazing Adventures and, here in Astonishing Tales #25, the premier of Deathlok, a cyborg assassin who rebelled against his programming and searched for his purpose – while shooting people a lot. The creation of Rich Buckler and Doug Moench, Deathlok has remained a fixture in the Marvel Universe – including his portrayal by August Richards in the Agents of SHIELD TV series – and this copy of his debut issue is FN p £30, a superior copy with only minimal right cover edge wear, but unblemished cover scene and excellent interior pages. Completist bonus: AT #25 also features a two-pager with George Perez’s first Marvel artwork! SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: Thor #390 – ‘Cap Wields Mjolnir’ issue
*Marvel: In this otherwise unremarkable issue, guest-hero Captain America (then going by the name of ‘The Captain’, prompting a lost generation to ask “Where’s Tennille?”, but I digress…) lifted and effectively deployed Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, something which no other entity had previously done. So what, you may well ask? Well, this scene was ‘homaged’, probably inadvertently, in the recent mega-hit movie ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and since then the Interwebs has been going insane with demand for this issue. No, we don’t pretend to understand it either. But here it is, VF- p £35, so, you know, snap it up if that’s your bag. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD
American Update: A sweep through the Marvel Silver & Bronze Ages
*Marvel: Lots of new stuff on offer this week in our Marvel boxes in this update featuring the following titles: Avengers, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Cat, Conan (inc. Annual #1), Daredevil (inc #100 and 1st Bullseye in #131), Dazzler, Defenders, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, Iron Fist, Marvel Chillers (with Tigra), Marvel Presents (with Guardians Of The Galaxy), Master Of Kung Fu (inc first issue), Punisher (1st mini-series), Son Of Satan, Spectacular Spider-Man, Thor, X-Factor (#24 1st full Archangel) and X-Force (#2 2nd Deadpool).
American Update: The Atlas Explosion! Post Code Horror Mega-Fest continues with Uncanny Tales
*Horror 1940-1959: One of the longer-running and most respected Atlas mystery series, Uncanny Tales survived its transition into the reign of the Comics Code Authority by resorting more to imagination and creativity than viscera and bloodletting; Everett, Heath and Maneely, while admittedly the workhorses of the Atlas stable, turned out an astonishing amount of high quality work given the gruelling deadlines, and never more so than on this series, where all three are present in abundance. Other contributing artists during this period included Torres, Drucker, Morrow and Powell. Of particular interest to modern readers will be issue #52, claimed by guides as the first Iron Man prototype – for whatever weight one wishes to put on that sort of thing! Our range here runs from the first Post Code issue, 1955’s #29, to the final issue of the series, #56 in 1957. Illustrated; 29 VG+ £57, 37 VG £50, 39 VG+ £57, 45 VG+ £57 (with free incomplete #42), 46 VG £50, 47 VG+ £57 and the final issue, 56 VG £52. Details on the others, which include many in very affordable mid-grades, in our online catalogue.
American Update: The Atlas Explosion! Two-Gun Kid and Western Thrillers – A Double-Barrelled Wild West Update
*Western: Not one, but two Atlas Western series riding into town this week – you know the Two-Gun Kid? Famous Western masked hero, secret identity as a lawyer, met the Avengers? Well, this isn’t that one. Almost forgotten these days is an earlier version of Two-Gun Kid – blonde, unmasked, and more prone to singing about his low-slung Colts (ahem) than arguing cases in court – had a successful career from 1948 to 1961, in his own series and other titles. These are all first series, from #12 (pictured, FA+ £13) to #38. Backing up the Kid is a complete, albeit short-lived series, the anthology Western Thrillers, which ran 4 issues from 1954 to 1955, before rebranding itself as Cowboy Action from #5. Depicted is #1 GD- £15. Both of these new additions are very affordable mid to low grade copies; details on grades and prices may be found, as always, in our online catalogue.
American Update: DC Archives and Marvel Masterworks – Classic Compilations from the Golden and Silver Ages
*Modern Reprints: New additions to our stock of the ‘Big Two’s prestigious full-colour hardcover series featuring sequential reprints of their legendary characters. From DC, we have Adam Strange Archives Volume 1, with interplanetary adventures on the planet Rann and elsewhere, superbly illustrated by Mike Sekowsky and Carmine Infantino. Black Canary Archives Volume 1 features the blonde-by-request bombshell of the JSA and JLA, from her debut as a villainess in Flash Comics (by that Infantino man again) and her gradual reformation, with art by Murphy Anderson, Alex Toth and other A-List creators. Turning to the Marvel side of the fence, we have three volumes of Marvel Masterworks in the original livery, sequentially numbered by release rather than subject, which can be confusing for the uninitiated. They are the first volumes respectively of Silver Age Captain America, Fantastic Four and Hulk, compiling the earliest issues, and can be found under their series headings in the Marvel section of this category. All of these are now long out of print, and seldom come our way, so any interest should be expressed swiftly.
British Update: An Honorary Atlas Explosion! Miller Romance Reprints From the Atlas Inventory
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints Of Vintage US Material: Len Miller, leading repackager of American content for the UK, plundered most US publishers for content, but struck a mother lode with Atlas, particularly in the field of romance. Three UK editions of Atlas romance series – Love Romances, Lovers and Love Tales – are newly listed this week, featuring the artistic talents of Jay Scott Pike, Ann Brewster, Al Hartley and John Severin, among many others. Seen here are the covers for Love Romances #1 GD £12 and Lovers #1 VG £15; for details on the others, check out our catalogue.