When the venerable story paper Wizard was laid to rest in 1962, publishers DC Thomson let the title lie fallow for several years before relaunching the title in 1970, with a new #1 and a higher comic-strip content. Among the newer features were ‘Soldiers of the Jet Age’, ‘Scrappy – A Boy All Alone’, ‘Trooper Bo-Peep, He’s After A Sheep’ (file under the heading: ‘You’d never get away with that these days’), ‘Cool Kragg the Team Maker’, ‘The Voice That Ran The Rangers’, ‘Out of the Ice He Came’, ‘Slave of the Ring (Boxing ring, in case you thought that sounded a bit girly), and a comic-strip biography of George Best, which we suspect even then would have had to be quite severely bowdlerised for junior consumption. This is a decent copy of the debut issue, graded VG, minor cover wrinkling but no creasing, clean interiors, on sale at £25. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

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 British section:
*Marvel UK
*Power Comics
*Collected Editions
*Magazines/Books About Vintage UK Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

We’re relieved to announce that we have at last received new stock of the archival quality Mylite 2 Silver/Gold size bags/sleeves, which have been out of stock for over two months. These best-selling storage/protection options for your valuable Silver/Gold comics are now available from us again at £16.50 per pack of 50.

*DC: Shrinking super-heroes have always been popular in the medium and a particular favourite here is DC’s Atom (the Silver Age version helmed by Julie Schwartz and beautifully crafted by Gardner Fox and (mostly) Gil Kane and Sid Greene.) Ray Palmer was a scientist who used matter from a white dwarf star to shrink down to microscopic size (as you do) and all sorts of vividly imagined adventures ensued. Schwartz was famous for thinking up covers that the writer had to fit the story around and it’s clear that with the Atom, his imagination ran riot. In this (appropriately) small selection between #9 and #40 (by which time Hawkman had joined the title), we see the Atom clamped to a hand-grenade, inside a futuristic gun, flattened out by an iron and as an exhibit in a butterfly case, amongst many other fates. Issue #19 features a chapter of the famous ‘Zatanna’s Quest’ storyline.

*Marvel: The short-lived ‘showcase’ phase of Marvel Super-Heroes saw the debuts of several interesting ‘pilots’, most of which went nowhere, being a bit too experimental for the period. Among these unadopted concepts was the Guardians of the Galaxy, set in the future of an Earth under the scaly thumb of vicious Badoon invaders, and a rag-tag band of heroes from various planets who formed a resistance movement to liberate the solar system. Created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, it was stylish and fast-paced, but didn’t ‘take’, and languished for half a decade until fan-turned pro Steve Gerber revived the heroes as supporting characters in Defenders and elsewhere. Since then, they’ve had several successful series with various rosters, as well as a lucrative movie franchise enhanced most recently by their co-starring role in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. Character turnover means that these Guardians are not the same as the movie version (they’re not Groot!), but this is the debut of the team and the concept. With minimum corner wear and only slight spine ’rounding’, this is a superior upper-mid grade copy for collectors or investors. Buy it now before the next movie causes prices to spike again! MSH #18, in VG+, pence copy, at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: A two-fisted helping of Gamma-infused goodness this week! The first issue of the Hulk’s own title, eccentrically numbered #102, as he assumed the numbering of Tales to Astonish, this was Brucie’s big break, his comeback in his own title after his early-60s 6-issue flop, and the start of the long-running series most associated with him. Mirthful Marie Severin illustrated not only a recap of Bruce Banner’s irradiated origin, but also a new story thread with the Hulk frolicking with some of Thor’s Asgardian chums. (Bonus points for the appearance of guest-villainess the Enchantress (obviously)). The same year, 1968, saw Jade-Jaws’ first Annual, a 50-page extravaganza by Gary Friedrich and that Severin gal again, in which our not-so-jolly green giant travelled to Attilan and fell out with Black Bolt, leader of the reclusive race of super-beings known as the Inhumans. Needless to say – spoiler alert – wannabe usurper Maximus is behind the hostilities, and assembled his own band of rebel Inhumans to further bedevil our hero, all behind an iconic Steranko cover. Our Hulk #102 is a gorgeous FN grade, pence copy, with only the very faintest creasing around the right and upper edges preventing a still higher grade, on sale at £90. Hulk Annual #1 FN+, pence, with again only very light corner and edge creasing not detracting from the impact of the gorgeous cover image is on sale at £50. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Of Atlas’ short-lived 1950s revival of their Golden Age Heroes, Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, was the longest survivor, not necessarily because of sales figures, but because the character had been optioned for a TV series, a potential rival to the hit ‘Sea Hunt’, so Namor’s revival was kept running for ten issues, longer than Cap’s or the Torch’s, to keep the character in the public eye. Ultimately the TV series was never made, but we readers can be grateful, as it meant more stories, beautifully illustrated by Namor’s creator, Bill Everett, than we would otherwise have had. Behind a cover by Joe Maneely, issue #39 brings us have three Sub-Mariner tales – the cover-promised ‘Commie Frogmen’, livened up by a shapely blonde lady as the story’s catalyst, an encounter with an evil hypnotist, and a flashback to Namor’s youth detailing his first meeting with his cousin Namora – in which our male chauvinist hero gets a lesson on who’s the weaker sex! All three Namor stories are superbly illustrated by Everett. This copy has nice interiors, flexible and very presentable, but the cover has several minor flaws. The cover is detached from the lower staple, and adherence to the upper staple is quite frail; there is moderate creasing and wear, and while the cover image is largely unmarked, there are two light long diagonal creases which slightly break the cover colour. In addition, there is a shallow crescent tear missing from the top cover edge. Nevertheless, a clean, respectable copy of one of the iconic heroes, by his original creator at the peak of his artistic prowess. Atlas super-hero issues (of which there aren’t many) are scarce anywhere in any grade, and extremely uncommon here in the UK. We have graded this copy as GD-, and it’s priced at £90. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*War: A spiritual ancestor of Marvel’s Sgt. Fury, Combat Casey was one of the recurring battle characters in Atlas’ war anthologies who proved popular enough to win his own title, commencing with issue #6 (previously ‘War Combat’) in 1953 and winding up with #34 in 1957. Casey was, like many of his brethren, a scourge of the Koreans (or occasionally the Red Chinese, just to mix things up), though the writers seemed to dismiss all Eastern races under the general heading of ‘Commies’, as Casey’s opponents were seen shouting things like the Japanese exclamation ‘Banzai!’. Cultural sensitivity, alas, was decades away. The series commenced Pre-Code, and Casey took full advantage of that, with often extreme levels of violence (under the notorious hand of artist Robert Q Sale), characterised by a very dark humour indeed. We have 28 of the 29-issue run (missing only #25), in conditions ranging from Fair to Fine. In addition to Sale, other contributors include Heath, Maneely and Severin, for a high standard of artwork throughout. Pictured are #13 (FN £50) and #19 (FN £50). For prices and grades on the rest, see our online catalogue.

*Alan Class Reprints: More from five of the Alan Class ‘Big 6’ long-running mystery/sci-fi titles – Astounding Stories, Secrets of the Unknown, Sinister Tales (from #10), Suspense and Uncanny Tales – as well as the one-off Race Into Space from 1961, tapping into the astronomical zeitgeist of the day. As mentioned many times before, the AC titles are a delightful miscellany from a variety of publishers – Atlas/Marvel, ACG, Charlton, Tower, King and others – and you’re as likely to find a Steve Ditko twist-ending shocker in the same issue as a story of Archie’s bizarre version of the Shadow, Charlton’s Captain Atom, a Jack Kirby Big-Panty Monster tale, or an adventure of the Phantom – all categories represented in this selection of titles!

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: In 1979, in the wake of Star Wars and other sci-fi cinematic successes, DC Thomson launched Starblazer, a series of digest-sized, done-in-one SF stories, fast-paced thrillers heavy on the action and light on more than the most superficial characterisation, though as the series progressed, the creators were allowed to vary the formula quite a bit. Of interest to comics historians is the fact that this series saw some of the earliest work by later-acclaimed scripter Grant Morrison – though these were considerably more coherent and linear than his later works are known for being! Morrison scripts in this new influx are issues #127, #167, #177 and #209. We have more than 100 issues new to out listings, from the second issue in 1979 to the antepenultimate number, #279 in 1991.

Yes, it’s that time of year again when our thoughts turn to things that go bump in the night etc. Dr Evilla, aided no doubt by her feline familiars, has brewed up a nasty cauldron of classic horror comic cover images for our Halloween window. Most apt, since we’re bang in the middle of our biggest ever Pre and Post Code Horror Mega-Fest, with new thrills and chills coming your way most every week. The window itself is shown to the right but you can get real up close and personal with our horrors by taking a look at the Gallery below. But… best do it with the light on, eh?

no images were found

We turn to a high grade early issue of Marvel’s Merry Mutants for our What’s Old spotlight this week. A staggering array of inventive villains graced the X-Men’s first twenty or so issues.The Vanisher, the Blob, Magneto, Mastermind, the Stranger – each with an unusual twist to their abilities which suited the off-beat atmosphere of our mutant chum’s adventures. One such was Unus, introduced in the X-Men’s eighth issue, a villain who was literally untouchable – any force directed against him would be repelled, meaning that he could commit crimes in plain sight with impunity. Our mutant heroes were stymied, until – ah, but that would be telling! We have a high-grade copy of this Lee/Kirby classic introduction of a major villain, a cents copy with no pence overstamp. White & bright, tight staples at cover and centrefold, sharp edges and corners, vibrant cover colour, with only the very faintest of stress lines around the upper staple area. Unus’s debut (whatever you do, don’t call him ‘Eunice’!) is graded VF+, and can be yours for £330. Front and back covers and splash page illustrated below. High resolution images are available on request.

X-MEN #8 VF+ FRONT

X-MEN #8 VF+ BACK

X-MEN #8 VF+ SPLASH

*DC: Golden Age issues of the Batman are, it is known, at a premium, and those cover-featuring the major players in his Rogue’s Gallery even more so. We are especially chuffed, therefore, to have in our possession Batman #42 (Aug-Sept 1947), which has the Batman’s most beloved enemy, the Catwoman, cover-featured and in the lead story! Selina Kyle breaks out of jail and begins another series of feline felonies in fine form, but, to be fair, the other two Batman tales in this issue are no duds either; the Dynamic Duo face implacable metallic enemies in ‘The Robot Robbers’, while a suddenly-sightless Caped Crusader has to fake his way through his crimefighting duties in ‘Blind Man’s Bluff!’. This is a GD/VG copy, with some specific flaws that do not detract from the readability and enjoyment of the item; at some point, it has been exposed to moisture, with resulting light wrinkling to the lower half of the book. There is some light discolouration on the inside front cover, and at the lower margins of some interior pages, but the story images themselves are not affected. There has also been a light colour touch to two parts of the black on the front cover, small areas at the lower edge and right side. Interior pages are off-white, but not brown or brittle. Staples firmly attached at cover and centrefold. This is a clean, sound, highly desirable item with three classic Batman stories, and its rarity, plus the ‘star power’ of Catwoman, makes it a very appealing buy at £350. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: In the year 1968, the ‘tryout’ title Marvel Super-Heroes #12 saw the debut of Captain Marvel, a warrior of the spacefaring Kree Empire who masqueraded as a human on Earth. In issue #13, his second appearance, a new member of the Captain’s supporting cast was introduced, and it is she who is the focus of this update. Carol Danvers, even when a civilian, was a former USAF officer who was the head of security at a restricted military base – an unusual post for a woman in 1968. When her DNA later got merged with the alien genome of the Captain (happens all the time when you hang around supers) she gained powers of her own, becoming the first Ms. Marvel, and then – after brief forays as ‘Binary’ and ‘Warbird’, of which we do not speak – the current holder of the Captain Marvel title. Given the imminence of the ‘Captain Carol’ movie – as those of you paying attention at the end of Avengers: Infinity War will have noted – #13 is commanding ever-higher prices, despite Carol’s non-powered status therein. This new copy is a sound and clean GD+, pence, with moderate wear at edges and corners and a slightly dented upper spine. On sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: A personal favourite from the distant childhoods of the 30th C. team, these classic issues pit the Green Goliath against Marvel’s First Family in a long-promised but oft-deferred fight to the finish. When three of the Four rapidly succumb to the Hulk’s irresistible force, it falls to the Thing, outclassed despite his own formidable strength, to hold the line in an epic, desperate struggle to protect the city. And when the combined powers of the FF fail, who better to step up to help out than the Hulk’s former teammates, the ever-Assembling’ Avengers? Powerful and gripping, this remains, decades later, one of the best-remembered battles of the early Marvel Age! Our new copy of #25 is VG p £100, with light to moderate spine wear but unbroken deep purple cover colour, and the conclusion in #26 is FN+ p £180, with minimal corner creasing in the lower right cover, but otherwise unmarred.

*Undergrounds: It’s been a while since we’ve taken a stroll down to Quirky Corner, but – bless my soul – when we do, we come across something very unique! Antonio Ghura was one of the unsung heroes of the British underground scene in the 1970s. Creator of Raw Purple, Bogey, Hot Nads, The Laid Back Adventures of Suzie and Jonnie and a plethora of illustrations for counter-culture magazines, his best-remembered title was Truly Amazing Love Stories, a pastiche of 1950s romance comics, with sentimental plots embellished by explicitly filthy illustrations. While Ghura’s decorative style is pleasing to look at, the content means that this, more than even many other Underground Comix, is most definitely for adults only. Truly Amazing Love Stories #1 was published in 1977 and was a sell-out, but by the time Ghura found the capital to print #2 in 1983, unreliable distributions and increasingly censorious zeitgeist meant that #2 failed, and, disheartened, Ghura moved to Rome and became a street artist, never publishing the completed issue #3. In recent years, however, an enterprising publisher put together the previously-unpublished #3: yesterday’s undiscovered filth is on sale – today! Issue #3 of Truly Amazing Love Stories is brand new, Mint at £10; don’t let the relatively innocuous cover fool you…

*War: This week we embark on the listing of the very many War comics from our Atlas haul. Battlefront, launched in 1952 and lasting 48 issues, straddled the Pre- and Post-Code era and culminated in 1957. We are excited to have a complete run of this series (although a damaged issue #36 is included as a bonus with #37) newly stocked, with a dazzling array of artists; Heath, Maneely, Robinson, Check, Sale, Orlando, Powell, Sinnott, Everett, Colan, Drucker, Romita, Crandall, and Williamson all contributed over the title’s run, with Heath and Maneely standing out not only among the most frequent interior artists, but also providing some of the more dynamic and (at least in the Pre-Code era) outright lurid covers on the series. Series characters Combat Kelly and Battle Brady make appearances, with their characteristic black humour, but the standard of this anthology is high, with something to appeal visually even to non-fans of the war genre. Issue #14 (FN+ £50) is depicted; for grades and prices on the rest of the complete series, report to our online catalogue! War will break out here again very soon!

*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: Another substantial addition to our inventory of Alter Ego, Roy Thomas’ ‘prozine’ devoted to the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, with articles, indexes, retrospectives, trivia and interviews aplenty. Sixty issues, from #81 to #140, averaging NM, new in our stock this week!

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Coincidentally, we have a fistful of second issues with their original free gifts to offer this week: Battle #2 FN, with the Into Battle Poster, also Fine, £27.50 the pair; Champ #2 VF (pictured) with partial Free Gift – Super Soccer Star pictures, but no wallet, also VF – at £12; Spike #2 VG (pictured) with Free Gift (Ten Tattoo Transfers) in FN at £10 and Vulcan #2 FN (pictured) with Free Gift (Magical Numbers Card Game) in VF at £25. As a bonus, Champ #3 and #4 are also new in, with their respective gifts – more Super Soccer Star Pics and Snappy Sticker Badges – respectively, and from 1971, an issue of Lion with ‘My Favourite Soccer Stars’ Album and 8 accompanying cards in GD.

*Humour Comics: ‘A new comic for boys and girls’, averred this 1965 launch from DC Thomson, though it ought really to have said ‘for white boys and girls’, as the peculiar racist caricature of the titular character would surely offend and deter any readers who were not of the Caucasian persuasion. Nevertheless, the title did have a great deal to offer readers who, it seemed, were slightly younger than the Dandy and Beano set, with an almost fairy-tale character to some of the series like ‘Dreamy Dave and Dozy Dora’, while others – ‘Freddy the Fearless Fly’, ‘Keyhole Kate et al – were new versions of old Beano stalwarts with the serial numbers filed off. Nevertheless, Sparky had a very respectable run, racking up more than 650 weekly issues until 1977, and this is where it all got started! This copy has a significant corner, approximately 2″ by 3″, off the back cover, which, although it has become separated, is still enclosed with the comic Please see attached picture to assess the extent of the flaw. In every other respect, it’s a very presentable GD copy of a well-remembered and long-running title’s debut, which we have priced at £35.

*DC: This week’s visit to Batmania features the debut of one of his most famous female nemeses. In 1966, the Batman TV show was at the height of its success, but with the notable exceptions of Catwoman and the Siren, most of the actresses playing guest-villains were, to try to be tactful, of more mature years, and Poison Ivy was brainstormed with the idea of joining the TV show as a younger and more physically active recurring villain. As it turned out, Ivy never made it onto the small screen – at least not in the Sixties – but she did catch on with the comics audience, and has remained a staple of the Batman Rogue’s Gallery ever since, her profile being considerably upped in recent years by her status as Harley Quinn’s favourite gal-pal, and the character’s presence in the dark and gritty ‘Gotham’ TV series. This copy of Ivy’s first appearance is a superior FN+. The red cover background is unfaded and unmarred, still glossy and vibrant. Spine is in excellent shape, extremely faint wear at lower right cover edge. There is light wear at lower cover edge, including a minute tear (2mm) approx. 6 cm out from the spine. Two faint diagonal creases, not breaking the cover colour, are visible from the upper and lower edges of the lower left blurb, converging on Ivy’s right calf & ankle. A cents copy, no UK price or overstamp, with clean, flexible interiors, and – most crucially – the centrefold pin-up, frequently missing from copies of this issue, is firmly in place. Cover, back cover and splash page shown below; high resolution images are available on request. FN+ £475. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: 1964’s third issue of the X-Men introduced Frederick J. Dukes, a.k.a. the Blob, a formidable mutant whose ability to consolidate his body mass made him a literally immovable object – and made his nom-du-guerre kind of inappropriate, but then Stan & Jack were probably trying to tap into the movie ‘The Blob’, which had been a smash hit a few years prior, the story’s title echoing the movie’s theme song. Be that as it may, the Marvel Blob has had a long distinguished career as a villain and occasional anti-hero, and this copy of his debut is an extremely attractive FN copy, with only light wear at edges and corners, a small smudge around Marvel Girl’s left foot, and small initials written lightly and inexplicably in the Comics Code Stamp. A pence copy, it is on sale at £300. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Sentinel of Galactus, Norrin Radd, aka the Silver Surfer, became a hugely popular guest character following his early appearances in the Fantastic Four, and one of his most sought-after guest-shots – still prior to the premier issue of his ongoing series – is Tales to Astonish #93, in which the Surfer and the Incredible Hulk face off, courtesy of Stan Lee and Marie Severin. Cosmic power and epic action with a poignant ending – and a Sub-Mariner story, too! This issue has increased in price lately, as, even though it’s the Surfer’s twelfth appearance, it’s his first crossover with the wider Marvel Universe, outside of the Fantastic Four series. This copy is a FN p copy, with a tiny hint of label residue around the price, but otherwise attractive unmarred cover, on sale at £50.

*Horror 1949-1959: An early entry in the Atlas Horror stakes, Adventures Into Terror launched with #43 (continuing from the defunct teen-humour title Joker Comics, which must have come as a bit of a jolt to subscribers) before switching to correct numbering with #3. We have ten of this famous Atlas series, from #3 to the final issue, #31, where, in 1954, it was cancelled along with a whole swathe of other horror titles with the advent of the Comics Code Authority. As an entirely pre-Code Title, Adventures Into Terror is now in high demand, and the covers on several of these issues are not only disturbing but beautifully drawn, with many showing off Bill Everett’s art at his finest. Other contributing artists include Maneely, Heath, Sinnott and Sekowsky. Illustrated are #13 GD- £50 and #31 GD/VG £75, but several others are lower grade and very affordable opportunities to sample this classic horror title.