*Marvel: The Master Planner trilogy, appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #31-33 is one of the greatest storylines from the Lee & Ditko formative years on one of the world’s most iconic comic characters. The Master Planner himself of course turns out to be one of Spidey’s most infamous foes, but we don’t want to reveal that on the slim off-chance that you don’t already know. Within this compelling storyline, we are first introduced to Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn and Professor Warren in #31, and #33 features the classic cover with Spidey imprisoned under heavy machinery with water flooding down. Many people (self included) cite the moment inside when he breaks free as their all-time favourite moment in Spider-Man’s history. All three issues are presented in nice, clean copies, with more details below.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
#31 VG p £250 Strong cover colour and some gloss, excellent staples, nice off-white pages. There is a very faint vestige of a circular mark towards the bottom left of the cover, almost undiscernable to the naked eye in most lights. Some corner blunting and small fine creasing to bottom edge which just breaks colour; minor spine wear, but presents well. 
#32 VG+ p £75 Great cover colour and gloss, excellent staples (very slight looseness top staple), nice off-white pages. Some corner blunting, slight reading crease to spine breaks colour, as does fine creasing across a small right cover corner bottom edge.
#33 VG p £125 Strong cover colour and some gloss, excellent staples, nice off-white pages. A few very fine creases to bottom edge and spine, just breaking colour; slightly heavier wear above top staple. A small corner off top right cover (see scan). 

*Marvel: Marvel whacked out their Star Wars series very soon after the debut of the very first film in 1977, and here we have issues #3-5, part of the sequence adapting that film. More collectable than ever, these are nice condition copies (cents, of course) that present very well, with just minor wear and no specific defects. 
PICTURED: STAR WARS
#3 FN £25
#4 FN+ £30
#5 FN/VF £45
 

*Marvel: Sean Cassidy, alias the mutant Banshee, has a long history in the Marvel Universe, as misguided villain, hero, X-Man, teacher and more. He first appeared here in X-Men #28 from 1967, as a pawn of the sinister Factor Three. Later, he was a founding member of the new X-Men in the 1970s. This pence printed copy of his debut has good cover colour and gloss, unmarked, tight and flat with good staples and nice off-white pages. There is minor edge wear and corner blunting and a very small corner off the bottom right cover (see scan). A very acceptable mid-grade copy.
PICTURED: X-MEN #28 VG p £115

*Marvel: We’ve extended our catalogue to include the original run of Spectacular Spider-Man through to its conclusion. Around 50 issues in the 200 number range plus annuals have now been added to our listing.

*EC: We’re always delighted to see an EC original turn up here at 30th Century. With their strong line-up of creators and material, EC certainly set the benchmark for most genres (except super-heroes) in the 1950s. Like all the other genres they purveyed, their pre-code horror was a cut above the competition. Such an example here in Haunt Of Fear #21, with art by Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen & Will Elder and Reed Crandall. All stories topped and tailed by your horror hosts the Old Witch, the Vault-Keeper and the Crypt-Keeper. This is a low grade copy, off bottom staple with a short upper and longer lower spine split, worn spine and right edge with some creasing. Nice pages though and good cover colour in an unmarred cover scene. 
PICTURED: HAUNT OF FEAR #21 FA/GD £65

*Alan Class Reprints: A large update to the Alan Class title Suspense this week, all in our regular listings. Dozens of issues added between #37 & #221. Highlights include: #37 & #106, which both reprint the Giant-Man Vs Hulk story from Tales To Astonish #59; #57, which reprints the Iron Man story from Tales Of Suspense#43; #80, with Phantom cover and story; #104, which reprints Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #13 & #14, inc cover of #14 (shown here); and #128 which reprints Dr Strange from Strange Tales #125, plus of course oodles of Kirby & Ditko. See our catalogue for full details.
PICTURED: SUSPENSE #104 VG £18.25

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Six thrill-packed outings for Leslie Charteris’s famous adventurer the Saint in early issues of Super-Detective Library this week. All very sound copies in VG/FN from an original owner collection, flat and tight with great colour covers and nice page quality, with just the merest signs of wear and an inevitable appearance by our old friend the rusty staple, although here he is not much in evidence. Here are the details:
PICTURED: SUPER-DETECTIVE LIBRARY
#5 VG/FN £45 The Great Flying Saucer Mystery
#11 VG/FN £17.50 The Menace Of The Poison Pen
#15 VG/FN £17.50 The Saint & The Vanishing Policeman
#28 VG/FN £17.50 You Can’t Stop the Saint
#33 VG/FN £17.50 Danger – The Saint At Work
#38 VG/FN £17.50 The Saint Plays The Joker

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: The hugely popular Schoolgirls’ Picture Library series is refreshed this week with dozens of new issues between #190 and #269, including many new to our catalogue. These done-in-one digest-sized stories feature many one-offs but a large number featuring recurring characters such as the Peewits, the Rolling Stones, Tina, Blaze and others. Most of these are in very nice shape, averaging VG/FN.
PICTURED: SCHOOLGIRLS’ PICTURE LIBRARY
#195 FN £15
#209 FN £10
#269 VG £8

*DC: Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein fused together debuted as the first incarnation of this popular hero in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978), created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Although this series was short-lived due to the DC Implosion, the character has reappeared frequently since, in solo stories, several own series and as a member of the JLA. The entities who comprise Firestorm have changed many times. This is a superior cents copy of his first appearance, tight, flat, sharp and glossy, with just very minor wear at the spine, staple area and right edge.
PICTURED: FIRESTORM #1 VF £50 SOLD

*Marvel: The history of Rama-Tut, the ‘Pharaoh From The Future’ is a convoluted one that we don’t have time to go into detail about here, but you can google to find out lots more. Suffice it for us to say that he is one of what are becoming known as the ‘Kang Variants’, alternate versions of the villainous Master of Time set to be the next Biggest Bad in the MCU. Rama-Tut first appeared in Fantastic Four #19, in a superb story by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby set in ancient Egypt. Sadly, our copy listed this week is not a great one. It is pence stamped, with the original cents price blacked out by an ugly looking stamp (see scan); there are also book shop stamps elsewhere on the cover and the first ‘a’ plus the ‘o’ in the logo have their centres filled in with pen. The top staple is off (at the front only), but the edge wear and corner creasing isn’t too bad, although the comic is a little limp and tired. Page quality is okay. We expect prices are set to rise on this comic.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #19 GD- p £185

*Marvel: Such is the status of the iconic Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, featuring the debut of the Sinister Six, that its value in decent shape has now exceeded the budgets of many collectors. But never fear, help is at hand in the shape of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #6, which reprints this classic Lee/Ditko saga including all the marvellous Ditko full page spreads of Spidey battling each villain — Kraven the Hunter, Sandman, Dr. Octopus, Mysterio, the Vulture & Electro. A lovely high grade pence printed copy, tight and flat with great staples and binding, excellent white cover background with great colour and gloss. A tiny chip out at the bottom of the spine and a miniscule crease at the bottom right cover corner are the only defects.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #6 VF- p £185

*Marvel: Guest appearances by individual members of the X-Men were not common throughout the Silver Age, so much so that by the time we got to Amazing Spider-Man #92 in 1971, the appearance of Iceman was still a novelty. Lots of Gwen Stacy here too for her legion of fans. A lovely glossy pence printed copy, with just minor reading and spine wear and a small dink at the base of the spine. Great staples, great white to off-white pages and great art by Kane & Romita. What’s not to like?
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #92 VF p £75

*Marvel: Small updates to Marvel’s highly popular team-up titles of the 1970s, always a big hit with fans because of the rotating guest-stars and the (mostly) done-in-one storylines. We have a few new issues each of Team-Up and Two-In-One, the latter featuring early non-distributed issues including #5, the second ever appearance of the Guardians Of The Galaxy. Consult our catalogue for full details.

*War: Sgt Rock’s Easy Company had a more varied and numerous line-up than their Marvel equivalents the Howling Commandos, and they were introduced mostly one at a time over a long period. Issue #93 of Our Army At War saw the introduction of bazooka man Zack Nolan, who was later replaced after he lost an arm in combat. A nice bright pence stamped copy from 1960, a little worn but without specific defects. Great Joe Kubert art.
PICTURED: OUR ARMY AT WAR #93 VG p £52

*Marvel UK: In 1976, Marvel UK’s first attempt to generate a British-based super-hero was placed into the hands of Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, whose comic-opera interpretation of the UK has become a source of hilarity for generations. But after a shaky start, CB became inextricably linked with the mainstream Marvel Universe, not least because of his psychic sister, Betsy, who – years later and after many, many changes – turned Japanese and became the X-Men’s scantily-clad ninja mind-warrior Psylocke. As you do. This is Betsy’s first appearance in Captain Britain Weekly #8, a copy in FN condition; the rather flimsy stock of the Marvel UK weeklies has endured well in this instance, with little wear and excellent staples; the puzzle page was completed by a previous owner in pencil and subsequently erased. There is a soft non-colour breaking vertical crease down the centre and a couple of tiny nicks to the right cover edge, with slight grubbiness to the back cover margins. A very decent copy.
PICTURED: CAPTAIN BRITAIN #8 FN £225

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: For a few months now, we’ve been listing Commandos from the ‘Stapled Collection’; this week’s additions, about half the issues between #200 & #300, are from the same source, but the previous owner gave up adding extra staples after the first few of these — all are accordingly marked (or otherwise) in our catalogue. Prices range from £4 to £8 each.

*Girls’ Comics: Two consecutive issues of Mandy from 1970 this week, both still with their original Free Gifts. #195 has the ‘Ring Of Charm’, still sealed in its original envelope; #196 has ‘Mandy’s Super Book Of Stars’ (sports and pop). Comics and gifts are all in very nice condition, from a newsagent’s uncirculated stock.
PICTURED: MANDY BOTH SOLD
#195 FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £35
#196 FN WITH FREE GIFT FN £30

*Comic Strip Books: A Quirky Corner oddity for you this week: a 1976 first US paperback edition of Will Eisner’s Spirit Casebook: True Haunted Houses & Ghosts, ‘documented case histories assembled for your fright and enjoyment by the great crime-fighter’. Lavishly illustrated in moody black and white by Eisner, a bumper package of occult tales. In nice condition, with some sun fading to the cover and a remaindered cut at top left, nevertheless structurally very sound with great binding and page quality.
PICTURED: SPIRIT CASEBOOK OF TRUE HAUNTED HOUSES AND GHOSTS 1st US PB 1976 VG £12 SOLD

NEARLY FINISHED!

After months of careful planning and preparation, on the hottest day of the year (not part of the plan!), we’ve completed our relocation from Putney to our new warehouse unit in North West London. As you can see, we still have some sorting out to do, but we’re pretty straight.

Just to emphasize that we’re still mail order only and won’t be able to receive visitors at our new location.

You can look forward to plenty of fresh stock updates next Saturday and a bulging newsletter as we get back on track.

As you can imagine we were all ready to collapse in a heap shortly after this photo was taken, having enjoyed some pizza, Peroni and (home-made) chocolate peanut butter cake (hey, we’ve gotta have some indulgences after a day like that!)

See you soon,

Rob

*Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #300 is just about the most sought after post Bronze Age comic, so we’re delighted to present a copy new to the marketplace this week. There were few more significant debuts, in the latter days of the 20th Century, than everyone’s favourite brain-eating symbiote Venom, who graduated from being a genetically modified costume in a jar to the Alpha Dog of Spidey’s Rogue’s Gallery! Having debuted in Secret Wars #8 as a semi-sentient blob which configured itself into Spider-Man’s new costume, the ‘symbiote’ became a regular feature in Spidey’s own series before being revealed as a malevolent alien parasite! Now more popular than ever, Venom has starred in his own solo film sans Spider-Man (with a sequel in the works) and the value of this comic has continued to rise significantly over the last couple of years. Cover and art by fan favourite Todd McFarlane. Our new copy is CGC graded at 9.2 (NM-), Blue Label, Universal unrestored grade, white pages.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300 CGC NM- £975 SOLD

*Marvel: All the Silver Surfer’s original 18 issue series, launched in 1968, are keenly sought, but issue #4, in which our angst-ridden cosmic hero faces the might of Thor, is particularly scarce, both here in the UK and in its native USA. Many theories abound (including one about most of the print run being set alight by disappointed truck hijackers, which we declare inventive but apocryphal), but no conclusive explanation has yet been presented. Nevertheless, rare it is, significantly less common than even #1 in our experience. This pence stamped copy of the epic Thor/Surfer clash, beautifully illustrated by John Buscema at the height of his powers, is superficially a decent copy with reasonably unblemished cover image (there is some edge wear, particularly to the right edge and what looks like an historic very small water stain at the bottom edge plus there are some faint imprint lines between the figures of Thor and the Surfer), but the spine is split at the front of the binding about 2/3rds along. The back cover also has some staining at the lower edge. The staples are firm and page quality a nice off-white. So, not a beautiful copy, but pretty good for the low grade we have assigned it.
PICTURED: SILVER SURFER #4 FA+ p £200 SOLD

*Dell: I remember as a youngster going to see the Dr. Who and the Daleks film in 1965, and the thrill of seeing the Daleks in colour. Even then, I recall being puzzled by the fact that this Dr. Who (Peter Cushing) was not William Hartnell (this was before the days of regenerations). But without worrying about canon, the film was one to enjoy in its own right, adapting Terry Nation’s very first Dalek story from the TV series. Equally enjoyable is the adaptation of the same story in the first American comic (from 1966) to feature the franchise. Co-scripted by Terry Nation with art by Dick Giordano and Sal Tapani. This copy has a worn cover, but is intact except for a small chip out of the bottom right corner edge with a small crease above it. Off top staple, but otherwise tight and flat; very nice page quality. There are the remnants of a small water stain at the back left cover edge and in the margin of the last few pages, but overall an iconic comic that presents well and something I think we’ve only seen once before in 30 years.
PICTURED: DELL MOVIE CLASSIC 12-190-612 DR WHO AND THE DALEKS VG- £100 SOLD

*Alan Class Reprints: For many years now, we’ve been scouring the personal archives of legendary publisher Alan Class (who is still very much with us) and with his full co-operation, releasing for sale sets of the original printing plates that were used to print the covers of his comics from 1959-1989. We have now reached the final phase of these plate set releases, which will last us through 2021 and probably into 2022. These sets are time-consuming to prepare, so our release schedule will be staggered. But the good news is that all the sets we have left are among the best, either featuring a classic Marvel comic reprint, or else a very early fantasy/mystery issue. So, this final phase represents your last opportunity to add one or more of these unique pieces to your collection. Each set comprises the lead printing plates used in the original comic’s colour printing, a copy of the comic printed with these plates and a signed certificate of authenticity signed by Alan Class himself. These are packaged in a special protective presentation case. Several sets (as noted) have additional historical artefacts such as colour proofs, interior page plates, printers’ photostats etc. (Please be aware that these weigh a lot and postage will be expensive. Also note that due to the onerous paperwork required for customs declarations following Brexit, we can no longer post these Plate Sets outside the UK.) We continue this week with three more sets, details as follows:
SECRETS OF THE UNKNOWN #125 £80 Comic: FN Reprints Amazing Spider-Man #76 inc cover plus Atlas, Charlton, ACG. Extra: Colour cover proof  
SINISTER TALES #53 £95 Comic: VG Reprints Daredevil #5 by Wally Wood inc cover plus Atlas (1 Everett), Charlton, pre-hero Marvel  (1 Ditko) Extra: Colour cover proof (torn and taped with part logo missing)
UNCANNY TALES #4 £50 Comic FN+ Reprints Charlton & Atlas, 1 Captain Video.  

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Bulldog Drummond was a between the wars tough gentleman adventurer created by H C McNeile (pen-name ‘Sapper’) and had an illustrious career in books, radio, TV, film, theatre and even comics. Super-Detective Library adapted the first and fourth Bulldog Drummond novels in issues #3 and #13.  We have very sound copies of both in VG/FN, flat and tight with great colour covers and nice page quality, with just the merest signs of wear and an inevitable appearance by our old friend the rusty staple, although here he is not much in evidence. 
PICTURED: SUPER-DETECTIVE LIBRARY
#3 BULLDOG DRUMMOND VG/FN £45
#13 BULLDOG DRUMMOND AGAIN: THE FINAL COUNT VG/FN £17.50 SOLD

*Childrens’ Books: A further update from this quirky sidebar in publishing history this week. ‘Blitz Books’ is a generic name for various publishers’ series of miniature books (approx 8.5 x 12 cm, around 16 pages, and published 1940-1944), these booklets helped distract children in air-raid shelters and Underground stations during bombing raids over London. They became known as ‘Blitz Books’, and, like many publications from the years of World War II, are quite scarce, particularly in as nice condition as the examples we have here. Four from the Pocket Series, illustrated text stories with colourful, evocative covers. None of these have ever passed through our hands before.
PICTURED: POCKET SERIES ALL SOLD
#33 SECRETS OF X-BASE VG/FN £7
#35 ESCAPE FROM TOKYO VG £6
#37 DOWN AMAZON WAY FN £8
#40 THE FIGHT ON WRECKERS ROCK FN/VF £9