*Marvel: Marvel’s Sightless Swashbuckler is restocked this week with a selection of issues from the mid-20’s to the mid-30’s, then a slightly larger run from the 1970s commencing with #101 and ending with #118, during which time Daredevil was the partner in life and love with the beauteous Black Widow, who even got co-starring billing on the cover! Highlight of this second swathe is #105, featuring an early appearance by Moondragon (the first one in which she uses that name, having previously been known as – oh dear- ‘Madame McEvil’), and her origin told for the first time, by Jim Starlin! Many of these later issues are in lovely high grades, averaging VF and with several achieving VF/NM. #105 (pictured) is VF/NM p £45; the others may be discerned in our online catalogue as usual.

*Dell: Like its companion and quasi-offspring, Gold Key/Whitman, Dell had a bewildering variety of series, many of which flittered evanescently across the public consciousness, but some of which stuck around for an inexplicably long time. Big on TV, movie, and sometimes even comic strip adaptations, they also flirted with their own line of original adventure characters. We’ve added, this week, the adaptations of movies & TV shows John Paul Jones, Naked Prey, Peter Gunn and Robin Hood (plus newspaper strip Short Ribs), and original series Kona (post-nuclear caveman, bonkers story, superbly illustrated by Sam Glanzman) Nukla (Poundland Captain Atom, drawn by Steve Ditko), and Werewolf (a superheroic secret agent with a canine sidekick; Tony Tallarico at the height of his powers! Ahem.) Oh, and Tom & Jerry, just for a touch of gravitas.

*Western: The Revolutionary War is a subject that’s never gone over big in the UK, for obvious historical reasons, but nevertheless issues of Tomahawk drifted over to these shores, and were treated as somewhat confusing cultural artefacts, in which we were expected to take the viewpoint of Tomahawk and his – ahem – Rip-Roaring Rangers, and cheer him on as he fought the evil British. Things were enlivened considerably when the creators steered away from the historical and moved to the fantastical, with King Cobweb and his Bug Bandits, freedom fighter Miss Liberty, and cross-dressing villainess the Hood. In 1968, a slightly more realistic tone became evident, with the advent of some truly epic covers by Neal Adams commencing with #116. Later still, in the 70s, the title changed (on the cover, anyway) to “Son of Tomahawk”, and his half-Native American son took the spotlight, with Tomahawk himself playing the cranky old sidekick/mentor. This selection runs from 1959’s #64 to 1972’s #138. (And what d’you mean, “It’s not a proper Western”? It’s set in the past, it’s got horses, shurrup…)

*Marvel UK: The venerable Marvel UK weekly, Mighty World of Marvel, switched titles and format towards the end of its career, becoming Marvel Super-Heroes Monthly, and the relaunch was celebrated with a new Captain Britain strip, taking the cliched ‘Austin Powers’ version created by Chris Claremont and spinning it into a genuinely powerful and ground-breaking mythos. The artistry of Alan Davis, who designed the new look, is consistent throughout, but what many people don’t remember is that it was Dave Thorpe, not Alan Moore (Moore took over the series later), who co-created this version and set in place the building blocks for Moore’s acclaimed run. We have the debut of the ‘New’ Captain Britain in MSH Monthly #377 back in stock, together with the rest of the CB-starring issues, including the debut of Omniversal Majestrix Satyrnyne in #381, the first Alan Moore scripted CB in #387 and an odd coda, a text feature on CB by Moore in #389, after the Captain’s strip departed for greener pastures. In addition, we have #390 to #396 – the series’ penultimate issue – with full-colour posters, many featuring original Alan Davis illustrations. This run averages FN, with several VF, so high-grade copies of a cult series. #377 is VF £35, #381 VF £20, and #387 VF £25; for all others, details may be found in our online catalogue.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: An unbroken run of the later Victor Summer Specials, from 1985 to the final issue of 1992, the same year in which the Victor weekly comic was laid to rest. Victor, home of ‘The Tough of the Track’, ‘Morgyn the Mighty’, ‘Braddock VC’ and many more, had fallen on hard times in its final decade, and failing circulation meant that fewer copies of the extra-thick Summer Specials were printed, making them proportionately scarcer than their more vintage elders. Added to that the tradition that these were purchased on holidays, and lost/discarded on the way home, means that there are surprisingly few of these comparatively recent items around, causing an unexpected spike in prices – have you seen what some of them go for on auction websites? Anyway, this nice unbroken selection is a proud addition to our stock; pictured are 1985 VF £35, and 1986 to 1989, each FN £30 – 1990 to 1992 are also FN £30, just to save you the trouble of looking them up in our online catalogue! SORRY, MOST OF THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*TV & Film Related Comics: After the demise of TV Century 21, Polystyle took over with the new series Countdown, inspired by the space race, which starred all of the old Gerry Anderson strips, plus Doctor Who and the eponymous ‘Countdown’, a brand-new space opera stylishly illustrated by John M. Burns. Highly collectible at a confluence of two major fandoms (Fanderson and Whovians), the series’ appeal is enhanced by its high production standards: glossy paper, more interior colour than was customary for the time, and script and art by some of the top talents in the field. The series shifted emphasis mid-path, becoming ‘TV Action’, with the focus switching from sci-fi to crime, but we have all 58 of the ‘pure’ Countdown issues, pre-changeover, back in stock. As a bonus, we also have the one and only Countdown Special from 1971 GD £20. This update, we offer two #1 issues with Free Gifts: one in VF- with the original Free Gifts of Wallchart and four stickers VF/NM (stickers uncut and unstuck) at £140 for the comic and gifts; the other #1 in FN+ has the wallchart in FN with the stickers from #1 stuck on it, therefore the gift is graded FN – comic/gift combo on sale for £110. Our newest #3 is VG with Free Gift (four more stickers) at VF; comic/gift on sale at £35. For everything else, please see our online catalogue listings.

Please note that, as usual, we are closed on the coming Bank Holiday Monday.

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:
*Archie
*Charlton
*Dell
*EC
*Gold Key/Whitman
*Harvey
*IW/Super
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: While all early issues of Hawkman are superb, with high-flying sci-fi stories by Gardner Fox and luminous Murphy Anderson artwork (not that we’re prejudiced witnesses or anything… ), the most sought-after in recent years is issue #4, featuring the debut of the Princess of Prestidigitation – Zatanna! Zee (as she’s familiarly known), a personal favourite here at 30th Century, is the daughter of DC’s Golden Age magician Zatara, and took her quest for her missing father through the pages of Green Lantern, Atom, Detective Comics and the Justice League of America in one of DC’s earliest ‘story arcs’, but this issue is where her illustrious career began. (And yes, they did miss a bet by not having her featured on the cover. Foolish mortals!). This VG+ pence copy is available at £175. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Following the relaxation of draconian distribution regulations in 1968 (long story, Google it if you’re bothered), Marvel expanded by cancelling its double-featured ‘split’ titles Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish, and giving each series space to breathe in its own solo feature. Three, however, continued the numbering of their parent titles, and one such was Doctor Strange, former star of Strange Tales, whose first solo issue was numbered #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. This lovely relaunch is a highly desirable FN/VF, cents copy with no UK overstamp, high gloss, vibrant colour and gorgeous interiors. On sale at £100. Over the coming weeks, we shall be featuring many more series debuts from 1968 — stay tuned! SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Originally published in 1994, the series Marvels ran over four books running over the 1939 to 1974 time period, examining the development of the Marvel Universe from the perspective of an Everyman character, news photographer Phil Sheldon. The street-level series portrayed ordinary life in a world full of costumed supermen, with each issue featuring events well known to readers of Marvel comics, as well as a variety of minute details and a retelling of the most famous events in Marvel history. Lovingly scripted by Kurt Busiek and lavishly painted by Alex Ross, this series transcended the vintage/modern divide and provided an experience both generations could appreciate. Various hardcover and paperback collections have remained steadily in print since the series concluded, but these are the originals. Issues #1 to #4, plus the subsequent ‘coda’ #0, are available for sale as a set, averaging VF/NM, at £25.

*Marvel: 1976’s Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1 marked the second ongoing Spider-Man title published by Marvel, in what people feared might dilute the franchise – if only they knew! Intended originally to focus more on Spidey’s civilian alter ego, it rapidly evolved into an adjunct to and frequent crossover with Amazing Spider-Man, founding the practise which was to become industry standard in later decades. This copy of PPSM #1 is FN/VF, cents copy with no UK price or overstamp, at £20. Listed in our catalogue under ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’.

*Western: When the Western craze hit America in the late 1940s and early 1950s, several DC series such as All-Star Comics and (briefly) All-American simply flipped over their superhero content to Westerns, but to meet the demand, DC launched another series. Western Comics, while unimaginatively titled, certainly did ‘what it says on the tin’, with Wyoming Kid, Rodeo Rick, Cowboy Marshal, Pow-Wow Smith, Matt Savage Trail Boss and other series feeding the seemingly insatiable thirst for a simpler time. The stable of DC artists – Mort Meskin, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, George Papp and more – turned out beautifully-crafted work in a largely underappreciated field. Issue #59, FN/VF £39, is pictured; other issues, from 1948’s #6 to 1960’s #79, are detailed in our online catalogue.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: The ever-popular, evergreen Commando has been extensively restocked with many high grade (mainly FN) issues from #182 up to #695, with a smattering of later issues right up to #1125. This most famous of all picture libraries endues still and we’re glad to have so many nice copies helping to fill our boxes!  

We’re experiencing an intermittent fault with our phone system and you may have trouble getting through to us by phone. We’re due a telephone engineer visit next week, which we hope will address and resolve the problem. In the meantime, you may find it quicker and easier to communicate with us by email. Many apologies for any inconvenience caused.

*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: One of our larger book updates, with publications mainly from the 1960s and 1970s. With a nice mix of well-known and more obscure authors and many 1st PBs, there’s sure to be something here to tempt you:

Kenneth Bulmer – Defiance
Curtis W Casewit – The Peacemakers
Edmund Cooper – Deadly Image
Christopher Hodder-Williams – Chain Reaction
J Hunter Holly – The Grey Aliens
Henry Kuttner – Fury
R A Lafferty – Past Master
John Lymington – A Sword Above The Night
Sam Moskowitz (Ed) – Microcosmic God
Frederik Pohl – Gateway and Homegoing
Mack Reynolds – Galactic Medal Of Honour
A E Van Vogt – Masters Of Time
Stanley G Weinbaum – A Martian Odyssey
H G Wells – In The Days Of The Comet and The Invisible Man.

*DC: Five of the earliest issues of Barry Allen’s Silver Age adventures (his title having begun, alert readers will remember, with #105, having taken over the numbering from the Golden Age Flash Comics). We open with #106 (pictured left), Barry’s second issue, with the debut of the Pied Piper, one of Barry’s longest-running classic foes (currently an occasional anti-hero in the Flash TV show), GD at £230. Issues #108 and #109 are Fair at £40 and £35 respectively, but #111 (pictured right) raises the bar with a VG- copy at £80 featuring one of the Flash’s more bonkers scenes – be fair though, you can’t go far wrong with ‘tough clouds spitting lightning’ to make you wonder what happens next! Finally, we wrap up this ‘Fab Flash Five’ with #116 in FA/GD p at £21.

*DC: Not commonplace anywhere, and very seldom seen in the UK, are variant covers of a number of DC comics from the late 1970s to the 1980s, known as ‘Whitman variants’. These are alternate printings, contemporary with the originals, of selected DC titles with the issue number, cover month and DC logo overprinted with Whitman’s insignia. Whitman Comics was known as Western Comics, who used to publish their own comics under the Gold Key imprint (a gross oversimplification of a very tangled business relationship, but don’t worry about it), and had a distribution deal with supermarkets and chain stores. DC licensed some of their titles through Whitman so that they could have their books sold in department stores in the three-in-a-bag format as novelties for children. These were not returnable, unlike newsstand copies, and were intended to remain on sale indefinitely, hence the elimination of the number & date info. Once disregarded as reprints, these are now acquiring some interest as ‘variant editions’. We have a selection of these curiosities on offer: Batman #314, DC Comics Presents #1,#2, & #3 (Issues #1 & #2 are the 4th Superman/Flash race, obsessive chums!) Superboy and the LSH #251, #252, #253 and Wonder Woman #264 listed under their parent titles in our DC section.

*Marvel: … And a generation of lame jokes about television reception was launched. Issue #87 of the ‘junior X-Men’ series, New Mutants, saw the first full appearance (he’d stuck his face in for a foreboding panel or two the issue previously) of Cable, the time-travelling man of mystery. Who was he, really? What was his agenda? What the hell were his powers, again? Some of these questions would be answered more promptly than others (apart from the Big Gun & Mullet ensemble, I still to this day don’t know what his powers are…), but he stuck around to become the leader of the New Mutants, then, after that series’ cancellation, honcho of X-Force and star of several solo series. A co-star of the imminent Deadpool 2 movie, Cable’s earlier appearances are undergoing a meteoric rise in value. This is a very affordable FN p copy, with minimal corner wear and a tiny notch in the upper right cover edge preventing a higher grade. On sale at £50. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: A reasonably sized update to our stocks of the Golden Avenger, starting with the very first issue from 1968 (unfortunately an almost coverless copy at £11.25) then #2, #3 & #5, following up with a lengthy run between #47 (Barry Smith art) and #71, including along the way #54 with the first Moondragon and a nice #68 with a Certificate of Authenticity from the Don Rosa collection; we finish off with a few issues in the early hundreds leading up to #139 from 1980. 

*Alan Class Reprints: Dozens more certificated Alan Class Reprints from the publisher’s archives now fresh into stock, each with a certificate signed by Alan Class himself. This new selection includes Sinister Tales, Uncanny Tales and Weird Planets; Uncanny Tales in particular with most of the first 80 issues and beyond, and Weird Planets has almost all issues of this short run. Marvel reprints abound in all three titles: X-Men, Hulk, Dr. Strange, Watcher, Wasp, Avengers, Human Torch, Silver Surfer, Daredevil and Ant-Man may all be found within these pages and often on the covers. All are referenced in our catalogue listings, alongside grades and prices of course; look for the green listings in this category.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Continuing our extensive restock of Eagle, we’ve now added more issues from Volume 16 (1965), filling all the gaps previously present. The latest issues include #1 with a free supplement, #15, the 15th anniversary issue, #27 with a guide to the New Europe and, as usual, the Christmas issue, #52.

*TV & Film Related Comics: We conclude our extensive listings for TV Century 21 with its last two years (1968 and 1969 or 2068/69 as they had it!) with most issues from #155 to the final issue #242 (pictured GD £20). Although favourites such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet were ever present, it finished out a very different comic to the one that started in 1965. With issue #225, for example, readers were possibly baffled that their favourite photo or art covers from Gerry Anderson shows were replaced by footballers, as the emphasis of the comic changed, and the final issues decreased in popularity and print run sizes are now much scarcer. But Fandersons don’t despair — we have even more in this vein coming soon!

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 Books Section:
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*Collected Editions: Long out of print in its original collected editions, we are delighted to welcome back to our shelves Volume 1 of a new printing (‘The Definitive Collection’) of Charley’s War, one of the most famous works in the history of British comics. Originally appearing in Battle, this World War 1 saga follows a working class lad on the Western front in 1916. Written by Pat Mills and sumptuously illustrated by Joe Colquhoun, this features the first 300 psages of the story, plus a colour cover gallery. As reviewed by Alan Moore on the back cover: ‘None have even come close to matching the depiction of inhumanity and misery conjured up the masterful Charley’s War’.