*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 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…). This copy is a GD-, with a not-quite vertical crease breaking the cover colour, an approximately 3″ diagonal crease at the cover’s right corner, and other minor corner and spine wear. There is also a tear of approximately 1″ in the upper left back cover. However, the interiors are utterly unmarred, and this is a relatively affordable opportunity to obtain a non-distributed and significant item. GD-, cents copy (obviously), £70. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: A Spider-Stonker this week, with around sixty new entries in the Amazing Spider-Man section, commencing with #42, the first ‘Full MJ’, (Mary Jane Watson had cameoed in a few preceding issues, but her face was artfully concealed; this was the famous issue in which Peter Parker realised he’d hit the jackpot…), and encompassing most issues through to #97, plus Annuals #3 to #7, taking in along the way the first appearances of friends, foes and frenemies the Prowler, Silvermane, the Schemer, the Shocker and the ever-kuddly Kangaroo, as well as famous clashes with the Avengers, Quicksilver, Madame Medusa, the Black Widow and of course Spidey’s classic Rogues: Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, the Vulture and so on. Mostly in attractive mid to high grades, these stories by Stan Lee and (mostly) John Romita will enhance every Spider-Phile’s collection! #42, pictured, is VG/FN at £50, a stunning cover with superb deep unfaded colour and gloss; for grades and prices on the rest – well, you should know where to look by now, True Believer! SORRY, SPIDEY #42 NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Time to top up our Marvel boxes in earnest, since you’ve been buying so much they’re getting increasingly floppy! Marvel titles added this time include Atonishing Tales (Ka-Zar, IT & Deathlok), Avengers (between #25 & #165 plus Annuals #1-3), Daredevil (from #2), Dr. Strange (1st series) & Fantastic Four (dozens of issues between #57 & #288 plus Giant-Size #2). Make Yours Marvel!

*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Among the multitude of 1950s UK publishers who made a career of repackaging US material during those non-distributed days, one of the most prominent was Len Miller, whose enterprise produced myriad faux-US format titles, reprinting American strips and sometimes (most famously with Marvelman) creating entirely new stories for the comics-starved UK market. His big four titles, however, were the horror/sci-fi anthologies Mystic, Spellbound, Voodoo and Zombie, with a heady and seemingly random selection of Pre-Code horror, Marvel ‘Big Panty Monster’ tales, crime stories, and surprisingly frequently, early reprints from Marvel Comics, before Mr. Miller’s demise in the early 1960s left the Marvel licence to be taken up by Alan Class. We have a large number of Mystic and Spellbound newly stocked, ranging from #13 to #66 of Mystic and Spellbound from #7 to #64, plus a smaller selection of Voodoo and Zombie. Several of these feature early Marvel super-hero stories including Dr. Strange, the Human Torch, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor and Ant-Man, and there are occasional other surprises: the 1950s revivals of Captain America, the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner from Young Men #24, and an entire issue of Quality’s Blackhawk (in which our team of international aviators take on the Black Widow!) Another talking point is the reprinting of ‘Stretching Things’, the first published story by a young promising talent named Steve Ditko. Illustrated are Mystic #45 FN £25 and #48 FN £25; Spellbound #43 GD £15 and #45 FN £25; Voodoo #9 FN £15 and Zombie #9 £20; full range of issues available, with grades and prices, is shown in our website catalogue. .

*TV & Film Related Comics: A plethora of new issues of Look-In, the ‘Junior TV Times’ best remembered now for its comic strip adaptations of TV series of the day, frequently drawn by the cream of British comic artists. Examples include Mike Noble on ‘Timeslip’ and ‘Follyfoot’, John M. Burns on ‘Tomorrow People’, John Bolton on ‘Bionic Woman’, and many more. This 150+ issue update includes many from 1971, the first year of publication, a dash of 1972, and substantial portions of 1973, 1974 and 1976 (years either minimally or non-represented before), and plenty of gaps filled in our 1977 listings. Two free gift issues from 1971 are included, as well as a scattering of Christmas issues!

*Girls’ Comics: June, the grand old dame of Fleetway/IPC’s girls’ line, hung up her hockey sticks in 1974, but in the British Tradition, both Annuals and Summer Specials continued to be issued for years after the weekly’s demise. 1980, however, saw the very last June and School Friend Summer Special, and that issue is newly arrived in our inventory. Oddly, it’s got few of the series associated with June weekly – Bessie Bunter and Lucky’s Living Doll show their faces, but the rest of the comics content is stand-alone mystery and adventure stories. Nevertheless, this last J & SF Special is also the rarest, so this attractive VG copy, with moderate spine wear, is on sale at £40. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

Our spotlight on previously listed stock this week falls on the 225th issue of the comic that gave DC its name, which featured the debut of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Opinions differ on which comic started the Silver Age; many consider that Showcase #4 with the debut of the Barry Allen Flash was the first Silver Age comic, but Detective Comics #225 from November 1955 preceded that by almost a year and featured a brand new super-hero rather than a re-invented one, so you pays yer money and you takes yer choice. Anyway, our issue of Detective #225 is a bright attractive copy, with nice page quality, graded at FN-; the defects comprise a small back cover tear (about 1″), minor spine wear and a very minor crease at the bottom right corner of the cover. Given the Martian Manhunter’s prominence in the DC Media Universe – currently a major player in the hit Supergirl TV series –  recorded sales on this issue are spiralling, but we’re holding firm at the price we originally listed it at of £2,500, offering a solid investment opportunity. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*As you may realise, the purpose of our Clearance Corner lots are to clear space in our shop by discontinuing titles we’re no longer carrying to make way for new and incoming stuff. As such, they will only be offered for a short time. This Clearance Corner lot, listed on 20th April, has not been snapped up and is nearing the end of its time with us. If not purchased by the weekend, we will have to dispose of it. Here are the details from our original listing: 
“Artist and writer Jack Katz, despite a career dating back to the 1940s, felt unfulfilled by the art form to which he had devoted his professional life, and in 1974, he took inspiration from the underground commix movement, and the move towards black & white magazine comics by publishers such as Warren and Skywald, to create his own graphic opus, the First Kingdom, in which he saw the potential to create his own story without editorial interference. The First Kingdom is a 24-issue, 768-page series which took Katz twelve years to complete, from 1974 to 1986. The twice-yearly publication and adult content meant that First Kingdom never found broad commercial success, but this story of a post-nuclear civilization rebuilding itself with help from gods and aliens, inhabited by a plethora of characters, is generally regarded as a forerunner of today’s independent comics movement. We have 22 of the 24-issue run, in VF average condition (some second printings) lacking only issues 14 and 21 for the complete set. Average retail was £3-£4 per issue, 22 issues now available for £12. Weight 1.5 kg. UK postage, if required, will be an additional £3.50 as a small parcel.” SORRY, THIS LOT HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: In the 1970s, both major companies experimented with tabloid formats, and DC’s was the Limited Collectors’ Edition, selected reprints in oversized format, which proved popular enough to spread to subsidiary series – Famous First Editions (reprinting historic issues in full), All-New Collector’s Edition (with, as the name implies, non-reprint stories of major characters). We have selections from all these gargantuan behemoths new in. Their unusual dimensions meant that they were not well-distributed by newsvendors in the States, nor have they generally fared well in long-term storage. Added to that the fact that they barely saw any distribution in the UK at all, and their rarity will be appreciated. We have one Famous First Edition new in, C-61, reprinting Superman #1 from 1938, FN p £10. From the main Limited Collectors’ Edition series, we have C-31 GD £5, reprinting a selection of vintage Superman stories, GD £5; C-37, a Batman All-Villain Special, (pictured) with an all-star roster – Catwoman, Joker, Two-Face and the Penguin; this is a beautiful VF at £25; C-47, Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, is FN/VF £10 and the star of the update is one of thee most sought-after issues – and by a long way the most contentious – All-New Collectors’ Edition C-55, starring Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, at that time one of DC’s strongest-selling series. Featuring the wedding of two founding Legionnaires, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, this was completely undistributed in the UK and not commonplace in the US, with the result that rabid completist Legion fans (yes, like us!) had to have it, and sought it out regardless of expense or effort, despite the fact that, frankly, the expanded page size did the Grell & Colletta ‘artwork’ no favours whatsoever. Didn’t matter to the diehard Legion folks – and still doesn’t, decades later, as every copy to come through our hands has vanished as if abducted by the Time Trapper! This copy (pictured) is an outstanding VF/NM at £50. SORRY, PICTURED ITEMS NOW SOLD

*DC/Marvel: In 2003, DC and Marvel collaborated to bring together their premier super-teams; in a four-part prestige Format crossover, the Justice League of America and the Avengers clashed, then cooperated, in an epic reality-twisting battle which encompassed every member of both teams at some point, as well as myriad friends, foes and forces of the universe, as Krona and the Grandmaster manipulate two universes to their own ends. The following year, this slipcased hardcover edition was released, featuring not only an expanded version of the full story, but also the 21 pencilled pages of the original aborted Avengers/JLA crossover from 1983, and a plethora of other features! George Perez’s stunning art is even better at the super-sized 9″ x 12″ dimensions, for a truly immersive reading experience! This is a NM copy of a book long out of print, with slipcase, dustjackets and volumes virtually as new, with only the most minuscule ‘shelf wear’ from long term storage. On sale at £125.

*Marvel: Following his debut in Fantastic Four #48, Norrin Radd, Herald of Galactus, gained popularity as a recurring guest-star, and his popularity was recognized when Marvel launched his 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. Uncommon in any grade, this newest copy of Surfer #1 is a superior VG+ pence copy, light creasing at spine and far cover edge, but unimpaired cover scene with great eye appeal. On sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Okay, of all the oddities we’ve offered you over the years, this is one of the oddest: most of Avengers #1, the Lee/Kirby epic which united Marvel’s Mightiest for the first time! This is the real deal, not a reprint or facsimile, but the front and back covers and the front and back interior pages are missing. This means that in addition to being coverless, the splash page and page two of the story are absent, and, while the rest of the story is present, the final two interior ad pages are also gone. Coverless copies of Avengers #1 have been recorded as selling in the hundreds of pounds – hard to believe, but there we are – so we’re asking £100 for this incomplete copy, which, to employ a euphemism commonplace to our rival dealers, is “ripe for restoration”, ahem ahem. Image shows the final page of the story where our heroes ‘get it together’. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Following brisk sales, we’re welcoming more of all that creep and crawl into our crypts, and apart from a sprinkling of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not from Gold Key, we’re mostly about the Marvel this week: early and non-distributed first series Man-Things (beginning with #3, the first Foolkiller) and his Giant-Size spin-off, the stylish anthology Chamber of Darkness (from #1), second series Journey Into Mystery (from #2), Weird Wonder Tales, Giant-Size Werewolf (for when a normal werewolf just isn’t enough), and rounding up with a second outing for some classic Lee/Kirby Big-Panty-Monsters in Where Monsters Dwell!

*Marvel UK: From Marvel UK’s ‘Second Wave’, this 1980 anthology launch boasted a stronger and less random line-up than most (Thor, Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four) and the debut issue boasted an early pro cover by Alan Davis. The first three issues are new in stock, each in FN with the Free Gift stickers (of the FF, Thor and Doctor Strange respectively) in VF. Issue #1 is £15; issues #2 and #3 are £12 each. Plus, a second #2 in Fine with free gift in FN at £10! SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Two popular and scarce Picture Libraries newly stocked, both with supernatural themes: with titles like “Daughter of Darkness”, “Ritual By Moonlight”, “Hell On Earth” and “Doctor Satan”, these done-in-one digests provided furtive chills for readers theoretically too young to get into a horror film in the pre-Internet days! From 1966, Nightmare Suspense Picture Library gains a quartet of issues from #5 (pictured, VG £5) to #15; while 1971’s Pocket Chiller Library gains 34 issues between #1 (pictured, GD £15) through to #74.

*TV & Film Related Comics: Released in 1981 – just when the cult TV show was coming to its close, great timing Marvel UK – Blake’s 7 featured photos, articles and features on the plucky revolutionary fighter of the far-flung future and his wacky chums. In addition, there were new comic-strip stories set in the TV universe, pitting our intrepid heroes against the sinister Servalan, whose attitude and dress sense demonstrated that women, too, could aspire to be drag queens! The first five issues are back in stock, in mid to high grades. All come with the original bound-in poster pin-ups, and #1 has the free gift of an Iron-On transfer. #1 (pictured) is FN with VF free gift at £20; details of the rest may be seen in our online catalogue. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Memorabilia & Esoterica: We’re delighted to have acquired an original Judy Club Badge from 1960. Never given away directly with the comic, this was sent out to members of the Judy Club, who diligently sent in their postal orders. While we don’t know the production run of these items, it’s a fairly safe bet that the number of girls who joined the club, excuse the expression, was only a fraction of the general readership, so these can’t be commonplace. White and blue enamel on metal with a pin back, these are sturdier than the flimsy bits of tin and/or plastic that were the usual materials for later club premiums. In VF condition, this piece of memorabilia is on sale for £25.

As you may realise, the purpose of our Clearance Corner lots are to clear space in our shop by discontinuing titles we’re no longer carrying to make way for new and incoming stuff. As such, they will only be offered for a short time. This Clearance Corner lot, listed on 13th April, has not been snapped up and is nearing the end of its time with us. If not purchased by the weekend, we will have to dispose of it. Here are the details from our original listing: 
“In our clearance bargain area this week, two of the most venerable comedy story papers of the 20th Century are making way on our shelves. We have 61 issues of Magnet, including 2 facsimiles of #1 from 1908 (with and without wraparound cover) and 1 facsimile of #194 from 1911, plus 58 original issues between 1934 and 1939, including 2 Christmas issues. These are augmented by just 6 issues of Gem from 1915-1938 for a grand total of 67 issues at a clearance price of just £25. These fit into a small parcel box weighing 3 kg and UK postage if required would be a further £14. Conditions range between Fair and Good, with some a little better. Home to Billy Bunter of Greyfriars and Tom Merry of St Jims, these fondly-remembered comedy and adventure stories are an iconic part of British 20th Century literature. We really like these, but with over 3,000 issues in the series, we don’t have space to store any significant quantities and so they have to go!”  

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 British section:
*Rupert
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: After #123 (“Flash of Two Worlds”, as if you need telling), and the premier issue (#105), probably the most in-demand issue of the Silver Age Flash is #139, which featured the first appearance of Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen’s super-swift nemesis from the far-flung future, whose appearances in the popular Flash television series have caused his early appearances to zoom (sorry) upwards in value. We are delighted to welcome the Reverse-Flash back into our inventory – though we anticipate not for long – with this attractive VG p copy of his debut. Clean and sound, with light spine and edge wear, but firm at staples and decent interior, this copy is VG p at £200. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: Once universally derided, even on popular TV shows, Aquaman is again being taken seriously following his recent appearance in the Justice League movie, and the imminent Jason Momoa-helmed Aquaman solo flick. We’re chuffed by all this attention, as Aquaman’s Silver Age series was always a quality book, enhanced immeasurably when his shapely interdimensional love-interest Mera swam on the scene, as memorably illustrated by Nick “Master of Curves” Cardy. Ten new issues of Aquaman’s first series added to our catalogue, including the Aquaman/Mera wedding in #18. Full details in the DC category of our catalogue.

*Marvel: While we yield to no one in our regard for Steve Ditko as the ‘proper’ Spider-Man artist, we have to concede that John Romita did a cracking job when he took over, redefining the character for the Swingin’ Sixties – and Jazzy Johnny’s background as a romance artist certainly didn’t hurt when it came to drawing Peter Parker’s own ‘Betty & Veronica’, Gwen and Mary Jane! Issue #39 marked Romita’s first as illustrator, and he dove right in, making the character his own, and creating a cover scene which is almost as often ‘homaged’ as his famous Spidey #50 cover! #39 and #40 constituted a two-part confrontation with the Green Goblin and firmly established Romita’s tenure on the title. Both parts of this epic are back in stock; #39 is a GD+ cents copy, with minor creasing at lower and upper cover corners not detracting from the impact of the cover scene, on sale at £40. #40 is VG-, also cents with no pence price or overstamp, on sale at £49.

*Marvel: Following massive turnover, we have significantly replenished our X-Men stock in the above range, including some duplicate copies in differing grades to give our valued customers a choice of condition and price. Starting with the post-Byrne issues, we whisk through the return of Dave Cockrum, the era of Paul Smith, the debuts on the series of John Romita Jr. and Jim Lee, and occasional guest shots by Barry Windsor-Smith and Art Adams, while our favourite mutants party down with the Brood, the Harriers, the Morlocks, the Badoon and the Warriors of Asgard, among many more! Over 100 issues new in, including Annuals from #3 to #9!

*Gold Key/Whitman: Gold Key’s Star Trek adaptation was the first translation of the sci-fi cult TV show into comics, and it remains hugely popular. We have added ten new issues to our listings between #25 and the final issue of the series, #61, in very respectable grades, averaging VF. Live Long and Prosper!

*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: Our popular magazine-sized comics section is refreshed this update with additions to several sub-sections. In Marvel, we have new entries for Bizarre Adventures, Marvel Preview – including #2, with the first full Punisher origin and 1st Dominic Fortune! – Marvel Comics Super Special, Spectacular Spider-Man, Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction and one of the rarest Marvel Mags, the one-off 1979 parody Brother Billy, the Pain From Plains! (note we said it was rare; we make no promises about it being any good…) Skywald offers us a top-up of the horror-mood mag Nightmare, issues between #8 and #22, plus the second (and final) issues of motorcyclin’ superhero Hell-Rider, co-starring the bodacious Butterfly, the very first black super-heroine! And we round up with Warren, with new additions to Creepy, Eerie (from #2, the first distributed issue) and the 1970’s ‘sexy sci-fi series, 1984/1994.