In this week’s What’s Old spot, where we feature items from our previously-listed inventory, one of the earlier attempts at reprinting Golden Age Marvel material: the 1991 Captain America: The Classic Years Slipcased Edition, which collected, in two hardcover full-colour volumes, the first ten issues of Captain America Comics from 1941, by the team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Long neglected (apart from a few heavily-edited reprints in the 1960s) these stories from the beginnings of the Super-Soldier of World War II should have been a big hit – but unfortunately, someone in the colour separation department decided to add crude drawings to the yellow plate, resulting in inappropriate images coming out in the final print. Embarrassed, Marvel hastily ordered a recall of the product, and the vast majority were destroyed. This is a NM copy of the original printing (not the 1999 re-release, which was corrected and the offending images removed), and is on sale at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Clearance Corner: We believe it was Agatha Christie’s character Tuppence Beresford who came up with the above quote when referring to her husband putting up an Edgar Wallace bookshelf, but there is no doubt that Wallace was one of the most prolific crime writers of the 20th Century. Here’s a chance to sample his wares for yourself with a varied selection of his novels, 26 in paperback and 2 in hardback (no DJs), all different. Publishers include Arrow, Collins, Digit, Hodder & Stoughton, John Long, Pan & Ward Lock. Dates range from 1930s to 1970s, with an emphasis on the 1950s. At just £5 for 28 books, how can you go wrong? These fit into a medium box and UK postage (if required) would be an additional £13.50.

*DC: First issues of DC series from three decades: from the 1960s, Rip Hunter Time Master, currently starring in the “DC Legends of Tomorrow” TV series; Plastic Man, the malleable manhunter created by Jack Cole and reinterpreted by Arnold Drake & Gil Kane and the Phantom Stranger, re-introduced to tie in to DC’s burgeoning horror/mystery line. From the 1970s we have Black Lightning #1, DC’s first attempt at an urban black crimefighter as created by Isabella and Von Eeden and the nefarious Joker by O’Neil and Novick, in his own (sadly shortlived) series at last; finally, from the 1980s, Arak, Son of Thunder, one of DC’s fantasy/sword & sorcery stars. Black Lightning #1 is FN+ £10; the Joker is FN/VF £30; and Rip Hunter FA/GD p £25. For the others, check out our online listings. SORRY, BLACK LIGHTNING & RIP HUNTER NOW SOLD

*Marvel: In Marvel Premiere in the early Seventies, Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, returned to active service after a few years in limbo. While his new solo series took a while to catch on, by 1974, under the auspices of Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, it had gained sufficient ground to relaunch his title, and this debut issue features both Englehart and Brunner at their best, with Brunner’s illustrations, in particular, being remarkably lovely. This copy of Doctor Strange #1 is an attractive FN+, with only minimal corner and edge wear not impacting the cover scene, at £35. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Power Comics: Mostly, this is an update of Fantastic, the 1967 series which started serious sequential reprints of the Marvel Super-Heroes for the UK audience; we have the first thirteen issues in stock, with the #1 being a respectable GD at £30, prevented from a higher grade only by a slight narrow ‘chip’ at the front cover’s top corner. As a bonus, we have added the final issue of the senior Power title, Wham!, which – still more resembling a traditional British humour comic – hung up its cane and mortarboard with #167, now available in VG £15. For the other entries in this selection, check out the catalogue listing.

*Annuals: A brisk top-up to the Girls’ Annuals subdivision, with new stock for June (1969 and 1971), Penelope (1971), Pixie (1975), and School Friend (1972). The traditional mix of ballet, equestrienne, and boarding-school stories, with the occasional departure (the Penelopes still having a smattering of Gerry Anderson related stories plus a bunch of tough spy schoolgirls – no, really!) The doyenne of this selection is the very first Girl Annual, (distaff companion to Eagle), from 1952 in VG/FN at £15.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Horror is a genre rarely represented in the picture library format, which is why we’re particularly pleased this week to be offer to able you even just a soupcon of it in the form of a handful of issues of Nightmare Suspense Picture Library and Tales Of Terror from the 1960s.  

*Humour Comics: One of the most popular humour titles of the 1970s was Fleetway/IPC’s Cor!!, a cheerfully anarchistic medley of protagonists who mostly revolved around getting the better of the older generation, as exemplified by its cover guy Gus the Gorilla, who drove besuited types to apoplexy on a weekly basis; other well-remembered strips introduced were proto-feminist Tomboy, class struggle avatars Ivor Lott and Tony Broke, and token adventure strip Kid Chameleon, another in the long line of ‘orphan raised by critters’ strips, whose hue-changing antics nabbed him the full-colour centrefold. We are delighted to have a double-dose of debuts this week: not only the regular, newsagent-distributed issue #1, but the incredibly hard to find Publisher’s Promotional Variant, sternly marked “Not For Resale” where the price should be! The final release #1 doesn’t differ from the Promo in terms of content – though there are colouring variations between the two – but the scarcity of the Promotional Edition makes it a highly attractive acquisition, particularly in higher grades. Our ‘regular’ #1 (right) is GD at £25; the Promotional Variant (left) is FN at £100.

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Dozens of new issues fresh into stock this week for Judy Picture Library, the immensley popular done-in-one series with one complete long story per issue. This update features issues from the 1960s to the 1970s, between #34 and #233. Intriguing titles such as ‘The Sixpence That Changed Into A Swimming Pool’, ‘The Girl From D.O.R.S.E.T.’, ‘The Day Of The Planets’ and ‘A Home For Six Kittens’ adorn covers that offer just as much charm, fun and entertainment within.

For this week’s visit to our previously listed stock, we focus, quite literally, on one of DC’s super stars of the 1940s.  Ted Knight, the Golden Age Starman, in addition to being a key member of the Justice Society of America and the founder of an heroic dynasty that stretches into today’s DC Universe, was one of the more meticulously-crafted strips offered by 1940s DC. A crusading astronomer who harnessed the energy of the stars with his gravity rod – akin to Green Lantern’s Power Ring – was created by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Jack Burnley, a mature artist who had developed a polished style, giving the series a sophistication which made it stand out from the crowd. Delightful and imaginative, the Starman stories are highly regarded by connoisseurs of the Golden Age, and the combination of quality and rarity makes them extremely collectible today. In addition to Starman, of course, Adventure featured several other popular series, including Sandman, the Shining Knight (whose first appearance was in one of our issues spotlit today), Hourman, and the underestimated Genius Jones. We present seven issues of Adventure for your consideration, from 1941 to 1944. All but one have Burnley Starman covers (and the last one’s a Simon & Kirby Sandman cover, so nothing to look down on!). Issue #62 VG £310, #64 GD/VG £235, #66 GD/VG £285, #67 GD+ £210, #68 FA+ £100, #70 GD+ £210 and #93 VG+ £180.

The latest of our rock-bottom priced bargains comprises a full set of Marvel’s ‘The Saga Of Crystar’ from 1983-85. All 11 issues are included, all in grades of VF or better, for just £5. One of numerous toy tie-in titles of this period, with many nice painted covers (some by Michael Golden), and guest-starring Nightcrawler, Dr. Strange and Alpha Flight from the Marvel Universe. UK postage on this set (if required) would be an additional £3.50. Our Clearance Corner bargains have been moving faster than you can say Mxyzptlk lately, so if you fancy this, better get in quick! 

*DC: From more modern times than our usual stomping grounds, some Batman-related series which have acquired greater importance in recent years: Catwoman’s ongoing series, from Jo Duffy and Jim Balent, launched in 1993, and while undoubtedly popular, was also controversial because of its highly fetishized portrayal of Selina Kyle. Judge for yourselves, as we now have the first issue, embossed for your enjoyment, NM p £8. Nightwing, the former Robin the Boy Wonder, graduated from the Batman’s shadow and gained his own solos series in 1995; a four-issue mini-series with a one-off special, “Alfred’s Return”, as a kind of coda, we are selling the complete series, #1-4 + Special, all NM p for £25 (#1 pictured below). And finally, the biggest surprise – at least to Old Gits like ourselves – issue #1 of the first Batman Beyond mini-series, from 1999, which marked the comic book debut of the character Terry McGinnis, a near-future teen who takes over the Batman mantle from Bruce Wayne in the then-popular TV cartoon. This is a NM copy on sale for £20.

*Marvel: Following the success of DC Vs. Marvel/Marvel Vs. DC, a number of crossover specials were produced during the short-lived collaboration between the Big Two during the latter part of the 20th Century. One such was the Spider-Man and Batman one-off by DeMatteis and Bagley, and, like all such latter Marvel/DC crossovers, it had a comparatively small print run, and is highly sought-after now. This copy, new in, is a shiny NM at £15. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*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 the hell 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. Currently, he’s co-starring in the second Deadpool movie (rumours of Jennifer Saunders interpreting the role are sadly exaggerated…), so his star is ever-rising! This lovely VF+ p copy of New Mutants #87 is on sale at £80. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Two key issues form the earliest days of the Avengers are now restocked: issue #16, in which the team lost Iron Man, Thor, and Giant-Man and the Wasp, but gained Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye for one of their most popular line-ups; and #28, in which the cosmic menace known as the Collector (soon to feature prominently in the Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise!) made his first appearance. #16 is an attractive VG/FN p copy at £55, and issue #28 VG+ p at £40. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Alan Class Reprints: The latest instalment of two crossover regular features sees  more copies from the Alan Class Collection of issues of his classic titles – Creepy Worlds, Secrets of the Unknown and Uncanny Tales – with reprints from the earlier years of the Marvel Universe. Frequently the first ever reprintings of these classic tales, the highlight of this selection of twelve is the reproduction of Avengers #54 – debut of Ultron – in Uncanny Tales, with other issues featuring the Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil and Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD!

*Annuals: Following its stupendous debut in 1950, the Eagle weekly, home to Dan Dare, Harris Tweed, PC 49 and the Riders of the Range among others, lost no time in issuing the traditional hardcover Annual edition in late 1951 (generally known as the ‘1952’ Annual, as British Annuals always looked forward to the year ahead, so to speak). Eagle also had the habit of numbering its Annuals, so Annual Number One, ‘for’ 1952, was released towards the close of ’51, all clear? We are pleased to welcome back the first three Eagle Annuals, in superior grades – Numbers One and Two are VG/FN at £50 and £25 respectively, while Number Three is FN £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: While most Summer/Holiday Specials of weekly comics expanded their height & width, with Picture Libraries, it was all about the thickness! Ooer, Matron, etc.) These sturdy Holiday editions of the digest-sized Picture Libraries boasted at least three times the pages of their punier siblings, sometimes even more! We have a new selection of Battle, Suspense and War Picture Library Holiday Specials for you to choose from, but the Big Daddy of this influx is 1969’s Super Picture Special – a sort of ‘ancestor’ of several of the ancillary titles, this stonker, too big for merely one theme, offered war, suspense, science-fiction and sport in an unfeasibly engorged 448 pages! Because of its page count, the Super Picture Special is prone to ‘moulting’ pages, and few copies survive in anything like decent shape. This copy is a superior GD/VG at £30. After all, when are you going to see another?

*Humour Comics: Whoopee was a popular anarchic humour anthology from IPC/Fleetway, launched in 1974 and rapidly gaining its own extra-thick Holiday Special the same year. We have several Whoopee Holiday/Summer Specials newly in, from that debut edition in 1974 (pictured FN £25) to 1982. Join the Bumpkin Billionaires, ToyBoy, Sweeney Toddler, Supermum and all your old pals for seaside shenanigans!

*Humour Comics: A varied update for D C Thomson’s long-lived Humour titles, which started out in the 1950s as tabloid size and ‘shrank’ to conventional size in the 1980s. For Beezer, we have three tabloids: the 1976 1st issue following the absorbtion of Cracker, plus the Chritmas issues for 1979 and 1980; after that a huge amount of the smaller format size from 1984 (almost a complete year) to 1987, all years hardly represented previously in our listings. For Topper, about 15 issues from the final days of its tabloid-sized issues, following the merger with Sparky, late 1979/early 1980, including the Christmas issue for 1979.

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:
*Humour Comics D-Z
As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: Introduced as a last-minute afterthought in the Batman Animated TV Show, a curvaceous minion of the Joker brainstormed to do a task thought inappropriate for “Mr. J” himself, Harley Quinn caught on like wildfire, and after several reappearances in the show, crossed over into the comic books with Batman Adventures #12 in 1993. Since then, of course, she’s transferred from the DC Comics Animated Universe to the main DCU, had her own series and several spin-offs, and is now regarded as one of the big-earning ‘pillars’ of the DCU, alongside Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley in the ‘Suicide Squad’ movie was widely acknowledged as the only bright spot in that stinker of a film, and a Harley solo movie is in the works, so time to grab this landmark before the prices rise higher! Our copy of Batman Adventures #12 is FN p at £175. Generally sound, only minor spine wear prevents a higher grade. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*DC: A small update to our stocks of classic Justice League Of America, comprising #3 (1st Kanjar Ro), #10 & #11 (Felix Faust/Lord Of Time/Demons Three two-parter), #21 & #22 (Crisis on Earth One & Earth Two, 1st Justice Society crossovers), and two giant issues #58 & #76. Two major characteristics here: they’re all low grade and very affordable, and they’re all great! 

*Marvel: Lee & Kirby’s Fantastic Four added to its many innovations in 1966’s FF #52, when they introduced the first black super-hero in comics. The Black Panther was the head of a highly sophisticated and technologically advanced African nation, Wakanda, and was in time to become not only one of the FF’s greatest allies, but a mainstay of their fellow heroes, the Avengers. Soon to be the star of his own movie, T’Challa’s star has never been riding higher in the public consciousness, so now is the time to acquire his premier appearance! This copy of FF #52 is VG/FN p at £275; strong, largely unbroken black cover background, very tricky to find in high grade, with only faint spine creasing and a tiny flaw in mid-upper cover edge preventing a still higher grade. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Horror 1940-1959: Just three new entries this update, two very memorable, and one… very affordable. Avon’s Eerie was one of their longer-running Pre-Code horror title, and we have issue #15 new in, with sinister veiled ladies leading a helpless hostage to an unknown fate. As usual with Avon, the striking cover has naff-all to do with the contents, but they’re a rip-roaring collection of stories, including an unusual tale about death by domestic violence. (Not that we’re advocating that sort of thing.) Phantom Witch Doctor #1 (and only) is our second Avon this update. Sadly, it does not feature the crusading adventures of a superheroic witch doctor, but it is one of the rarest of the Avon Horror titles, almost never seen in this country in any grade. Behind a haunting and evocative Everett Kinstler cover, there’s another selection of terror tales (including one with Kinstler artwork). Finally, Atlas’ Strange Stories of Suspense #9 is post-Code, but that just meant that the writers had to try harder, and the intriguing Bill Everett cover leads you into a selection of quirky tales relying more on irony and twists of fate than giblets and gore, but none the worse for all that. Eerie #15 is VG- £53; Phantom Witch Doctor #1 is GD £50.