*Pulp Fiction: We add six issues of the British version of Super Science Stories to our Pulp Fiction category this week. The original American series was published from 1940 to 1943 and from 1949 to 1951. The British issues are abridged versions of US issues from both the first and second series. The titles corresponded to the titles on the US magazine from which the stories were taken, so all were titled Super Science Stories except for the April 1953 issue, which was titled Super Science Novels Magazine. There were two British series, the first unnumbered from 1949-1950 and the second, numbered, from 1950-1953; all issues here are from the second. Despite not being one of the most famous of US Pulps, it did feature many famous writers, as shown in these examples, where Kuttner, Anderson, Asimov, Cummings and many others are included. Some great traditional pulp covers are also in evidence, with much art by Virgil Finlay. More details can be found in our catalogue.
PICTURED: SUPER SCIENCE STORIES (ALL UK VERSIONS)
SEPTEMBER 1950 #1 VG £15
APRIL 1951 #3 VG £12
JUNE 1952 #8 GD/VG £10
JULY 1952 #9 VG £12
NOVEMBER 1952 #11 VG £12
APRIL 1953 #13 VG £12
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: World’s Finest Comics #13, 1941
*DC: From the Bute Collection, an early war-time issue of World’s Finest, #13 from 1941 with a great Jack Burnley cover featuring Superman, Batman & Robin on a ‘fight paper waste’ drive and planning to ‘hang-one on the paper hanger of Berlin’. Inside, in a one page feature, Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler, explains the importance of recycling paper for the war effort (we could do with him today!). In these early days for the title, Superman and Batman appeared in separate stories and had a variety of back-ups, in this case the Star-Spangled Kid, the Boy Commandos (by Simon & Kirby), Green Arrow and Zatara, an all-star line-up in its giant 84 pages. The firm cardboard covers on these early issues helps keep them in a good state or preservation, as is the case here. Apart from a small grubby mark or two, the cover is flat and clean; one small crease at spine does not break colour. The spine is solid, with just a tiny tear at the base. The inside pages are firmly attached (except that the final page is detached from the single central staple, which is otherwise secure). Pages are a supple cream, with just hints of tan at the extremities.
PICTURED: WORLD’S FINEST #13 VG+ £400
American Comics Update: Up and Atom: #1
*DC: The first issue of the Atom’s ongoing series, following his try-outs in Showcase #34-36. A favourite Silver Age series in these parts, with highly imaginative stories by Gardner Fox combining super-heroics, time travel and magical or fantasy settings. Artwork is from the flowing pencil of the wonderful Gil Kane, masterfully inked here by Murphy Anderson for a visual feast. A full length story in this issue introduces the villainous Jason Woodrue aka the Plant Master, and Maya, leader of the green-skinned dryads and the Atom’s ally. This is a low grade, pence stamped copy, with the spine split over halfway up from the base, and down from the top to the upper staple, which is firmly attached; bottom staple also attached at centrefold. Cover image is good, although there are some colour-breaking creases. Page colour is towards creamy, but quality is okay.
PICTURED: ATOM #1 FA p £40 SOLD
American Comics Update: Their Name Is Legion: High Grade Adventure Comics #331-340
*DC: We continue our Legion of Super-Heroes spotlight with more classic early stories from Adventure Comics between #331-340, after the Legion started their own feature there and, by this time, had fully taken over the title. With the last issue of this run, Curt Swan took over the artistic helm from John Forte) both classic Legion artists IMHO). Full of Legion lore: the Legion of Super-Villains, the Super-Moby Dick of Space, the debuts of Starfinger and Computo, the showdown with the Time Trapper and the sinister Super-Babies (!) and much more. All from a mostly high-grade collection, some really nice-looking cents copies of these beloved adventures. Full details as always in our catalogue; highlights below.
PICTURED: ADVENTURE COMICS
#332 VF £40 SOLD
#334 VF+ £60
#338 VF £40
#340 VF £40
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection: Spider-Mania/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Debut of Kraven the Hunter in Amazing #15
*Marvel: A gem from the Good Doctor Collection this week. Amazing Spider-Man #15 is another early Lee/Ditko classic Spidey, with the debut of Kraven the Hunter. Sergei Kravinoff, scion of exiled Russian nobility and the self-proclaimed ‘Greatest Hunter in the World’, sets out to entrap Spider-Man to, basically, big up his own reputation, and that slender premise has been parlayed into a surprisingly long career culminating in several major stories, most notoriously 1987’s ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’. Originally just a highly trained and skilled human, Kraven has been retconned as having enhanced strength and longevity to make him more of a match for the super-set, and his moral ambiguity has led to him crossing the line between hero and villain many times. This is a very decent mid-grade pence printed copy, with residual cover gloss and an unmarked cover image with strong colour. Minor handling wear towards spine with a very faint crease across Spidey’s right foot which only threatens to break colour. Tiny colour-breaking crease across top right corner. Edge and spine wear is minor. Staples are strong and firm at spine and centrefold. Pages are a nice off-white to cream, with some tanning to edges of inside covers; no brittleness. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #15 VG/FN p £1,000
American Comics Update: Marvel #1s/Six Of The Best/Mighty Marvel Firsts: Bronze Age Debuts
*Marvel: Your chance to grab a sensational six Bronze Age Marvel #1 issues, many featuring character debuts.
IN THIS UPDATE:
DEVIL DINOSAUR #1 VF £30 (PICTURED) Kirby Kaos, also featuring Moon Boy, the first human
HUMAN FLY #1 VF £20 (PICTURED) The wildest super-hero ever – because he’s real! SOLD
MACHINE MAN #1 NM- £25 (PICTURED) More Kirby — the Living Robot
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #1 VF p £7.50 2nd series, Captain Marvel
MICRONAUTS #1 NM £50 (PICTURED) They Came From Inner Space
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #1 FN+ p £15 The last survivor of an alien world SOLD
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania: Spectacular #65-100 with the Black Cat
*Marvel: Every issue of Spectacular Spider-Man #65-100 fresh in this week in nice shape. There’s the usual thrills and spills with Spidey’s cast of friends and villains, including Kraven, Electro, Silvermane, Dr Octopus, the Owl, the Gladiator, the Kingpin, the Hobgoblin, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, the Blob, the Punisher, Cloak & Dagger and many more, but really this sequence is about the love affair between Spidey and the Black Cat, who appears in virtually every issue, and the twists and turns in their relationship. There’s also the matter of the new black costume, which appears for the joint first time in #90. Full details as always in our catalogue.
PICTURED: SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
#87 VF/NM £30 Spidey reveals secret identity to Black Cat.
#90 FN £30 Joint first appearance in continuity of Spiider-Man’s black costume.
American Comics Update: Frank Miller’s second run on Daredevil #227-233
*Marvel: We’re very pleased to present the complete seven issue run of Frank Miller’s second stint on Daredevil from #227-233. This time Miller scripted the stories, but the excellent David Mazzuchelli handled the pencilling, which captured the mood of Miller’s stories beautifully. The ultimate confrontation between DD and the Kingpin in this harrowing, dark tale, powerfully told, known as Born Again. Nearly all newsstand copies. Highly recommended.
IN THIS UPDATE: DAREDEVIL ALL SOLD
227 VG/FN £30 (PICTURED) Miller script, newsstand copy. Slightly off-centre printing.
228 FN/VF £10 Miller script, newsstand copy.
229 FN/VF £10 Miller script, newsstand copy.
230 FN/VF £7 Miller script, newsstand copy.
231 VF £8.50 Miller script, newsstand copy.
232 FN/VF £5 Miller script
233 VF £7 Miller script, newsstand copy.
American Comics Update: Atomic Sci-Fi: Strange Worlds #3 – Wood, Frazetta, Williamson, Greene, Krenkel and more
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: While Avon’s Strange Worlds is well-remembered for its lavish and beautifully illustrated science-fiction stories, issue #3 is probably the most sought-after, because of its all-star line-up. Wally Wood and Joe Orlando illustrate The Alien Raiders, an adventure of Kenton of the Star Patrol, while Sid Greene brings us the tale of The Flame Goddess. Howard Larsen and Sid Greene collaborate on Princess of the Past, an unused story of Malu, the Slave Girl Princess; and Wood, Krenkel, Williamson and Frazetta jointly illustrate the cover story Invasion From The Abyss. Not a dud in the lot, and this copy, with an unmarred cover and interiors, other than light general age-related wear and an approx. 6 cm diagonal back cover tear, without which this would grade significantly higher. Single tight central staple (as published) and clean attractive pages.
PICTURED: STRANGE WORLDS #3 GD/VG £275 SOLD
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Pre-Code Horror Fest: 3 from Ace
*Horror 1940-1959: From the Bute Collection, two issues of Beyond and one of Hand Of Fate from Ace. While a relatively minor publisher, Ace’s horror had a consistent standard of art and a quirky, weird edge to its stories, even bearing in mind the nature of pre-code horror material.
PICTURED: BEYOND
#10 PR £15 Pre-code. Art by Lou Cameron, Chic Stone and others. Covers detached and separated. SOLD
#19 PR £15 Pre-code. Covers detached and separated; front cover with lots of chips out at edges SOLD
THE HAND OF FATE #16 GD/VG £105 Pre-code. Art by Mike Sewowsky and others. Some edge wear and colour-breaking crease across top right corner. Small tear at right cover edge. Good staples and pages. SOLD
American Comics Update: Sgt Fury & His Howling Commandos
*War: A handful of issues of Marvel’s premier war title from its later years post-#100 where many issues (though not all) reprinted earlier ones.
IN THIS UPDATE: SGT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS
#107 VF- p £6.75 Reprint
#108 VF- p £6.75 SOLD
#109 FN+ p £5.25 SOLD
#111 FN p £4.75 Reprint
British Comics Update: This Week’s #1 (& #2-3): Mighty World Of Marvel
*Marvel UK: Mighty World of Marvel #1 was the very first comic published by the UK division of Marvel. And they couldn’t have started with three stories more classic than these: Spidey’s debut from Amazing Fantasy #15, Fantastic Four #1 and Hulk #1 (first parts of latter two, concluded in #2). All reprinted in black, white and green. This update also features #2 and #3. Although there are no Free Gifts present, all three, from an original owner collection, are complete with their coupons that you could save up and send off for the mystery free gift (probably you can’t do that now); so often these are missing. All in great condition, flat with great paper quality; just slight tanning at the margin edges precludes an even higher grade.
PICTURED: MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL ALL SOLD
#1 FN £75
#2 FN £25
#3 FN £25
British Comics Update: Captain Valiant in Space Comics
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Space Comics (which for some reason that I haven’t been able to discover) started at #50 and lasted until #81 and starred Captain Valiant, Ace of the Interplanetary Patrol, in a comic devised and created by Mick Anglo, stalwart of British comics in the 1950s/60s. This is a tough to find series and we’re delighted to have both the first and fourth issues new into stock this week, although I doubt they’ll be with us for long. Good to see that the good captain sported a rather natty tie as part of his outer space uniform.
PICTURED: SPACE COMICS BOTH SOLD
#50 (1st issue): FA £15 A fair bit of crumpling, with a hole at top of spine and a chip out of top centre (see scan). Some amateur colouring-in has been done for a few internal pages, but quite skilfully.
#53 VG £20 No specific defects, just edge wear.
British Comics Update: Thriller Comics/Picture Library #6-10
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: This digest-sized comics series, most famous under its later title of Thriller Picture Library, ran for 450 issues until 1963, and while it featured a plethora of characters during its lengthy run, the trend for the early years was for historical swashbucklers based on fictional (but serendipitously copyright-free) characters, but also featuring crime, war, western and science-fiction adventures. The artists were all accomplished Fleetway professionals, and readers thrived on these beautifully-illustrated pocket adventures. Issues #6-10 fresh in this week, all low grade with taped spines and varying degrees of staple rust, but all complete with clean pages; a couple with loose covers.
PICTURED: THRILLER
#6 FA £20 Swords Of The Musketeers
#7 FA £20 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Cover loose
#8 FA £20 Dick Turpin
#9 FA £20 Hunted On The Highway. Cover loose
#10 FA £20 Robin Hood
Books Update: Re-Working Our Crime, Spies & Sleaze Category: The Game’s Afoot! Solar Pons – the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street
*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. August Derleth, the famous American author and Lovecraftian, was just 19 when he wrote to Arthur Conan Doyle asking for more Sherlock Holmes adventures; Doyle replied that there wouldn’t be any and furthermore, he wouldn’t give permission for Derleth to write his own. So the Holmes enthusiast came up with his own invention: the peculiarly named Solar Pons of 7B Praed Street, London and his assistant Dr Lyndon Parker. The similarities between Pons and Holmes are many (the main difference being the time setting of the former being between the wars), but in case you feel that Pons is just a rip-off, I’ve read many attempts by others to do Sherlock Holmes, and only in Pons have I found the same well-crafted mysteries and the same atmosphere as Doyle himself created. We present here six of the seven volumes of Solar Pons published in uniform paperback editions by Pinnacle in the USA in the 1970s, which first made these wonderful stories available to a mass audience (having been previously published in hard-to-obtain hardbacks). There were a further four by his successor, the British author Basil Copper. Although in later years previously unpublished stories were discovered by both authors, supplementing the canon, at the time these were everything of Pons, more in fact than there had ever been of Sherlock Holmes. Full details of these six volumes in our catalogue, all in remarkably good condition, many almost as new; highly recommended.
PICTURED: ALL BY AUGUST DERLETH ALL SOLD
SOLAR PONS #2: THE ADVENTURES OF SOLAR PONS Pinnacle 1974 1st US PB VF £12
SOLAR PONS #3: THE MEMOIRS OF SOLAR PONS Pinnacle 1975 1st US PB VF £12
SOLAR PONS #4: THE CASEBOOK OF SOLAR PONS Pinnacle 1975 1st US PB FN/VF £11
SOLAR PONS #5: THE REMINISCENCES OF SOLAR PONS Pinnacle 1975 1st US PB FN £10
SOLAR PONS #6: THE RETURN OF SOLAR PONS Pinnacle 1975 1st US PB FN/VF £11
SOLAR PONS #7: MR FAIRLIE’S FINAL JOURNEY Pinnacle 1976 1st US PB FN/VF £11
Books Update: Re-Working our Children’s Books Category: The Chronicles Of Narnia
*Children’s Books: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Children’s Books Category for the classic Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis. We have several volumes of this much-loved seven book series in stock in cheap paperback editions (I fondly remember the Puffins), sadly missing at present the first (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) and the last (The Last Battle). In my opinion, the series started brilliantly, and the second and third volumes, Prince Caspian and The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, maintained the high standards of the beginning. After that, the quality dropped off somewhat, although I do have a soft spot for The Horse And His Boy. I’m afraid the Last Battle descended into a quasi-mystical melange of religious mumbo-jumbo that made about as much sense as the last episode of Lost. There is however, much to enjoy in the earlier volumes. All illustrated by the estimable Pauline Baynes.
PICTURED: ALL BY C S LEWIS
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA #2: PRINCE CASPIAN Fontana Lions 1990 UK PB VF £3
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA #3: THE VOTAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER Puffin 1971 8th UK PB VG £3
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA #5: THE HORSE AND HIS BOY Puffin 1977 UK PB VG £3
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA #6: THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW Fontana Lions UK PB VF £3
Our Giant Half Price Sizzling Summer Sale Concludes!
Our Half Price Sale of selected British Comics concudes at the end of the montn, featuring many of the larger, tabloid ‘Giant’ issues now available at HALF the listed prices. The sale concludes on 31st July, and you have up until 4 pm on that day to place an order to take advantage of the sale prices.
Boys’ Adventure & War:
Boys’ World
Eagle (1st series)
Express
Ranger
Swift
Treasure
TV & Film Related:
TV Fun
Humour:
Beano Summer Special (from 1986 onwards)
Beezer (inc Summer Specials)*
Buzz*
Dandy Summer Specials (from 1981 onwards)
Topper*
*These titles may, at our discretion, be sold unbagged and unboarded, but will be well packaged
Girls’:
Diana
Girl
Jackie
All these titles are now marked as Giant Summer Sizzling Sale items in our catalogue in red and bold italic. You pay half the prices listed for these titles.
Terms and conditions:
Sale items are only available for postage to addresses within the UK.
There is a minimum order of 10 issues for sale items, although they can be mixed and matched from any of the sale titles. You can also include items of regular priced stock, as long as your order includes at least 10 sale items.
Postage charges will apply at cost plus a small fee for materials, as on orders of our regular stock.
After 31st July, any remaining stock of the sale titles will revert to full price.
American Comics Update: Batmania: Detective Comics #332 with classic Joker cover
*DC: Carmine Infantino pencilled a killer of a Joker cover for Detective Comics #332 featuring the story The Joker’s Last Laugh from 1964. A great one for Joker collectors. Also, the Elongated Man back-up, also by Carmine Infantino, is a doozy. This is a wonderful cents copy, with a vibrant colour cover, nice and glossy. Black backgrounds are notoriously problematical, showing every flaw, but here there are just a couple of short stress marks at upper staple which do not break colour. One or two tiny ticks further down the spine. Flat with firm, tight staples and white pages; a gem.
PICTURED: DETECTIVE COMICS #332 VF £150
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: Strange Adventures
*DC: Six excellent issues of Strange Adventures, DC’s longest running science fiction series of the Golden, Silver & Bronze Ages between #48 & #157. Three recurring features alternate in the spotlight each issue: Star Hawkins, Interplanetary Detective and his robot secretary Ilda, Space Museum, with tales of exhibits and Atomic Knights, post-apocalyptic adventures of Earth’s last armoured defenders. Take it from me, all wonderful stuff backed up by lovely little stories from DC’s best creators. All three features will be found in these mixed grade issues, plus the (slightly) recurring menace of the Faceless Creature.
IN THIS UPDATE: STRANGE ADVENTURES ALL SOLD
148 VG+ p £15
150 GD/VG p £11
152 VG p £13.25
153 VG p £14.50 Book shop stamps
156 GD+ p £9.50
157 VG p £13.25
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania: The Totally Amazing Spider-Man Collection: Amazing #63 & 64 – Two Vultures
*Marvel: If you’re looking for really nice copies of Amazing Spider-Man for your collection, then look no further than the Totally Amazing Spider-Man Collection. All high grade; even the few that fall below VF (and most are above) are really good-looking copies – no duds here, and nearly all cents copies. In Amazing #63, Adrian Toomes, the original Vulture, returns to deal with the upstart Blackie Drago who took over the Vulture identity back in #48. The superb cover on this issue shows off the remarkable design skills of the late John Romita. The following issue, having disposed of his successor, the Vulture takes on Spidey.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
#63 VF £130 Shiny, glossy copy with brilliant cover colour and black background. Just minor handling edge wear and a couple of minute ticks at the spine preclude a higher grade. Tight, firm staples and supple white to off-white pages.
#64 VF+ £140 Brilliant bright cover with sharp white background. Square corners, tight and flat. An absolute minimum of edge wear on this wonderful copy. Tight, firm staples and supple white to off-white pages.
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection: Six Of The Best: Sub-Mariner #7 and the Serpent Crown Saga in #9-13
*Marvel: The early issues of Sub-Mariner’s Silver Age series were quite superb. Scripter Roy Thomas was in his heyday, and the art was handled by John Buscema, Gene Colan and Marie Severin, heroes all! In #7, Namor has his final encounter with the man called Destiny, and in #9, the latter’s helmet morphs into the sinister Serpent Crown, leading Namor on a quest to Lemuria, after an interlude with Barracuda in the second half of #10 and #11. In #13, in the final instalment, he faces up to Naga, wearer of the Crown (which would return many times in later tales of the MU). All these copies from the Good Doctor Collection are nice condition, glossy, flat and unmarked, with only minimal wear.
IN THIS UPDATE: SUB-MARINER
#7 VF- £60 (PICTURED) Classic photo motorcade cover.
#9 VF- £60 (PICTURED) 1st Serpent Crown
#10 VF+ p £75 (PICTURED)
#11 FN+ £22
#12 VF £40 (PICTURED)
#13 FN £40 (PICTURED)
American Comics Update: Tabloid Headlines: Kirby Fest with Fantastic Four and Captain America
*Marvel: We continue our Treasury-Sized feature with three Marvel entries, all drawn by Jack Kirby. Marvel Treasury #2 reprints Fantastic Four #6, #11 and edited versions of the Galactus Saga from #48-50. Marvel Treasury #11 reprints #4, #23, #51 and #94. The one-shot Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles has all new material as Kirby celebrates two hundred years of American history and Cap’s role in it.
PICTURED: ALL SOLD
MARVEL TREASURY
#2 FN £15
#11 FN £15
CAPTAIN AMERICA’S BICENTENNIAL BATTLES FN/VF £20
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Pre-Code Horror Fest: EC’s Crime Patrol #16 – Horror Transition Issue
*EC: A great rarity from the Bute Collection this week. The title that most famously would become Tales From The Crypt with #20 went through a lot of titles/changes in its development. Starting out as International from #1-5, it became International Crime Patrol for #6 and then Crime Patrol from #7-16, then Crypt Of Terror for issues #17-19. The Crypt Keeper first appeared in #15, and a second story introduced by the Crypt Keeper appeared in this, the final issue of Crime Patrol, #16, marking the transition from crime to horror format. It has to be said that with stories such as The Corpse In The Crematorium, Trapped InThe Tomb and The Graveyard Feet, as well as the Crypt Keeper story The Spectre In the Castle, this is already virtually an out and out horror issue. Art by Craig (inc cover), Roussos, Alton and Feldstein. This is a fairly low grade copy. Tape has been applied along the spine on the inside front and back covers. There is a 2 cm chip out at top spine. There is some wear along the right edge with a tiny tear and a few nicks. The spine is also worn, but staples appear to be firm and tight. Cover colour is good, although there are a few uneven irregularities near the spine, possibly caused by puckering of the tape. Pages are a decent cream colour. A comic of great importance in the evolution of EC into the New Trend. High grade images are available on request.
PICTURED: CRIME PATROL #16 FA/GD £500 SOLD
American Comics Update: Six Of The Oldest: Famous Funnies 1937-38
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: It’s very uncommon for us to get American comics dating from before 1940 through our hands, which is why we use the start date of 1940 for this category, so I’ll hope you’ll forgive us for including these six issues from 1937-38 here. Famous Funnies from Eastern Color started in 1934 and was America’s first monthly newsstand comic book. It featured reprints of Sunday colour newspaper strips, in an eclectic mix of humour and adventure. Most of these strips are unknown or long forgotten in the UK, although famously, this is where Buck Rogers got his first start in comics. Also, the War On Crime strip is the first true crime feature in comics. Six issues added this week from its early years, all in lower but reasonably decent condition.
IN THIS UPDATE: FAMOUS FUNNIES
#38 GD £39
#39 GD £40 (PICTURED)
#40 GD- £35
#42 GD- £28
#43 GD- £28
#44 GD £32
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: A Little Romance, 1949-1955
*Romance: Also from the Bute Collection this week, four vintage romance comics dating between 1949-1955. Nice to be able to add some love to our listings.
IN THIS UPDATE:
DEARLY BELOVED #1 FA/GD £15 (Ziff Davis) Photo cover. Fingernail-sized chip out top cover, diagonal creases from tear at right edge.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT #2 VG £30 (PICTURED) (Ace) Photo cover.
SECRET HEARTS #4 VG+ £65 (PICTURED) (National/DC) Photo cover. With DC’s high standards for romance titles.
YOUNG LOVE #64 GD+ £5 (Prize) Volume 6 #10
American Comics Update: Marvel #1: Pizzazz from 1977 with all the trimmings
*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: Marvel launched Pizzazz; as Stan himself wrote in the intro: ‘we thought it would be a blast to produce a handsome, full color, top quality magazine, printed on the very finest paper, with exciting features, puzzles, news and stories, as well as comics and cartoons.’ At October 1977, the timing didn’t hurt either and Marvel were able to cash in on a Star Wars photo cover. Copies of Pizzazz #1 are most highly prized when all inserts are present: iron-on t-shirt transfer, subscription and ‘popcorn bag’ bound in forms. All are present in this sparkling, glossy copy, which only has the faintest signs of handling at spine.
PICTURED: PIZZAZZ #1 VF £55 SOLD
British Comics Update: This Week’s #1: Pre-Code Horror Fest UK: Comics To Hold You Spellbound
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: In the early 1950s, a small number of horror comics (around 40) were produced by a variety of UK publishers reprinting US pre-code horror stories in black and white. Just as in the USA, these became notorious and subject to censorship which led to their discontinuation. There’s a lot of information online about the banning of UK horror comics if you want to know more, and I particularly recommend a youtube video by Canadian Dave Dustin on the subject (see the Links page in our Extras section for more information). These UK horror comics have become both extremely rare and much sought after in recent years, and we’re delighted to have issue #1 (and only) of Comics To Hold You Spellbound from Thorpe & Porter from 1953, reprinting the cover and contents of Atlas’s Spellbound #3. Plus, since this comic is double the size of a standard US comic, there are also stories from Astonishing #13 and Adventures Into Weird Worlds #6, also from Atlas. Cover by Russ Heath, art by Ogden Whitney, Fred Kida, Sol Brodsky, Manny Stallman, Mike Sekowsky, Bernie Krigstein, Joe Sinnott, Ross Andru and others.
PICTURED: COMICS TO HOLD YOU SPELLBOUND #1 GD+ £175 Solid cover image with great colour. Wear at spine with short split at top and 3 cm split at bottom. A couple of short horizontal tears at spine. Back cover looks like it has had tape applied, which has now been removed with a line of brown residue, but no damage. Minor edge wear to right, slight creasing at bottom right corner. Decent staples and pages, all firmly attached. SOLD
British Comics Update: Alan Class File Copies: Sinister Tales
*Alan Class Reprints: From the personal archives of Alan Class, we’re delighted to present another selection of copies certificated by Alan himself. More than a dozen copies of Sinister Tales in the low 200s, all in high grade (many NM). Plus a copy of #18. The file copies were used by Alan Class for reference and are often in variable condition, but these late issues look virtually untouched. These are available in the certificated section of this category. A reminder that you can view some detail of the contents in our Rough Guide to Alan Class Reprints.
British Comics Update: Super-Detective Library #2-5
*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Super-Detective Library (Told In Pictures), originally published by Amalgamated (later Fleetway) from 1953, concentrated in its early issues on stories of established detectives from across literature, radio and film. We have added issues #2 to #5 this week, in low to mid grades, with rusty staples to varying degrees, but okay conditions with a couple with loose bits.
PICTURED: SUPER-DETECTIVE LIBRARY
#2 GD £30 Ernest Dudley, the Armchair Detective: The Riddle Of The Frensham Will.
#3 GD/VG £35 Bulldog Drummond.
#4 FA £20 The Return Of The Third Man. Cover loose.
#5 FA £20 The Saint: The Great Flying Saucer Mystery. FA £20 Loose pages. SOLD
Re-Working our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Master of Adventure: Tarzan Part 2
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror category for the third of several updates spotlighting the Master of Adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs was very prolific, and wrote in several series, in addition to his most famous creation Tarzan of the Apes. His style and settings set the tone for a whole library full of imitators/homagists in jungle, interplanetary and exotic locales. We shall be covering our ERB stock in a number of updates over the coming weeks, continuing this week with the second tranche of our extensive Tarzan stock. Tarzan is one of the most iconic literary characters of the 20th Century, is a household name and has had wonderful success in multi-media adventures, stemming from these exciting books. Selections here from the middle numbers of this 24 volume set. As well as 1964 UK Four Square editions with the atmospheric cover art of Edward Mortelmans, we also have some NEL/Four Square editions from 1967, where Tarzan on the cover resembled Ron Ely, who was playing him on our TVs at the time. Full details of all our stock in our catalogue.
PICTURED: ALL BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
TARZAN #9: TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN LION Four Square 1964 UK PB VG £4 SOLD
TARZAN #10: TARZAN AND THE ANT-MEN NEL/Four Square 1967 UK PB GD £3 SOLD
TARZAN #13: TARZAN AT THE EARTH’S CORE NEL/Four Square 1967 UK PB VG £4
TARZAN #14: TARZAN THE INVINCIBLE Four Square 1964 UK PB GD/VG £3.50
TARZAN #16: TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD NEL/Four Square 1967 UK PB GD/VG £3.50
TARZAN #17: TARZAN AND THE LION MAN Four Square 1965 UK PB VG £4
Books Update: Batmania: Batman and the Joker
*Comic Strip Books: Two volumes reprinting classic Batman stories from the 1950s in black and white this week. The first, from 1966, features Batman stories; the second a 1988 reprint of an original 1966 volume with Batman vs the Joker stories.
PICTURED: BOTH SOLD
BATMAN Four Square 1966 1st UK PB GD £15 Red colour touch central cover, presumably covering label scuff
BATMAN VS THE JOKER Titan 1988 UK PB VG £5
Our Giant Half Price Sizzling Summer Sale Continues!
Our Half Price Sale of selected British Comics continues, featuring many of the larger, tabloid ‘Giant’ issues. Throughout July, the following titles are now available at HALF the listed prices.
Boys’ Adventure & War:
Boys’ World
Eagle (1st series)
Express
Ranger
Swift
Treasure
TV & Film Related:
TV Fun
Humour:
Beano Summer Special (from 1986 onwards)
Beezer (inc Summer Specials)*
Buzz*
Dandy Summer Specials (from 1981 onwards)
Topper*
*These titles may, at our discretion, be sold unbagged and unboarded, but will be well packaged
Girls’:
Diana
Girl
Jackie
All these titles are now marked as Giant Summer Sizzling Sale items in our catalogue in red and bold italic. You pay half the prices listed for these titles.
Terms and conditions:
Sale items are only available for postage to addresses within the UK.
There is a minimum order of 10 issues for sale items, although they can be mixed and matched from any of the sale titles. You can also include items of regular priced stock, as long as your order includes at least 10 sale items.
Postage charges will apply at cost plus a small fee for materials, as on orders of our regular stock.
The sale will extend until 4 pm on July 31st while stocks last. After that, any remaining stock of the sale titles will revert to full price.
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Golden Age Batmania: 1st Batmobile cover
*DC: A gem from the Bute Collection this week. From 1943/44, Batman #20, featuring the first cover appearance of the Batmobile plus a classic Joker story. A dynamic cover by Dick Spang has the Batmobile bursting through it. Jack Burnley illustrates a classic Joker story The Centuries of Crime with an iconic splash page (shown below). And there’s more classic work from famous Batman creators Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson within. A copy that presents well. The spine is neatly taped with magic tape and extra staples have skilfully been added at top, middle and bottom, making the comic tightly and firmly bound. The cover image is unmarked, and wear is restricted to the edges. with a very small chip out at top edge below the date, slight chipping at bottom right corner and a small tear centre right edge; both these latter defects have been sealed by small pieces of magic tape on the inside cover. Page quality is excellent and off-white, with a hint of cream. Early Batmans are quite a rarity for us (and most dealers!), and although we’ve had a handful of single digit Issues through our hands many years ago (from a storage unit find in New York), we’ve never had a copy of this milestone issue before. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: BATMAN #20 GD- £775 SOLD
American Comics Update: Six Of The Best: Late Silver Age Green Lantern
*DC: After Hal Jordan left Ferris Aircraft and before the Green Lantern title was revolutionised by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, a distinctive period of adventure ensued, when, for the first time, other artistic hands such as Mike Sekowsky and Jack Sparling took on the Emerald Gladiator, before Gil Kane returned to the artistic helm. Six tales from that time fresh in this week.
IN THIS UPDATE: GREEN LANTERN ALL SOLD
#60 GD/VG p £6.75
#61 GD/VG p £8.75 Alan Scott (GL Earth 2) app.
#63 FN p £11
#64 VG p £7.50 Book shop stamp
#65 VG/FN p £11
#73 VG+ p £8.25 Star Sapphire
American Comics Update: Black Lightning & Steel: Two DC Bronze Age #1 issues
*DC: Two Bronze Age launch issues for new characters in the DCU of the Bronze Age: From 1977, Black Lightning #1, and from 1978, Steel, The Indestructible Man #1.
IN THIS UPDATE: BOTH SOLD
BLACK LIGHNING #1 FN £25 (PICTURED)
STEEL #1 FN+ p £10
American Comics Update: Spider-Mania: 2 part Doc Ock story in Amazing #11 & #12
*Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #11 proclaimed ‘The Long-Awaited Return Of Doctor Octopus’ (ever since #3?) and the story continued into #12, wherein Doc Ock unmasked Spidey. Both lowish graded, but highly collectable.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
#11 GD p £175 Pence printed. Quite a bit of colour-breaking cover creasing, at top right corner, all edges and some across the cover. But decent cover image and colour. Short tears at spine and right edge. Staples are reasonably tight at spine and centrefold. Pages are a decent off-white to cream. Inner covers are lightly tanned at edges.
#12 GD+ p £170 Pence printed. Nice bright yellow cover. Wear at spine with spidery colour-breaking reading creases. moderate to heavy chipping to right edge. Staples are nicely tight at spine and centrefold. Pages are a decent off-white to cream. Inner covers are tanned at edges.
American Comics Update: Marvel #1: King Solomon’s Frog! Jack Kirby’s Bombastic Black Panther #1
*Marvel: The Black Panther’s series in Jungle Action, which attracted a lot of acclaim at the time, was known for being verbose, introspective, reflective and philosophical. When the character’s co-creator, Jack Kirby, took over as writer and artist on T’Challa’s follow-up solo series, the results were… a considerable contrast. Shouting! Explosions! Aliens! Time-Travel! Implausibly-muscled ladies with black lipstick! Cosmic critters! All were here, and all playing at full volume all the time, in the crazed kinetic frenzy that Kirby was renowned for. Since the major movie franchise, the King of Wakanda’s star is ever-ascendant, and this issue especially always sells very briskly because of its – frankly – high loopiness quotient. So, if you want this tale of ‘King Solomon’s Frog’, you’d better hop to it (sorry…). This is a superior pence-printed copy, with great cover colour and gloss, firm, tight staples and supple white pages. Just the faintest signs of handling wear at spine and lower edge.
PICTURED: BLACK PANTHER #1 VF+ p £95 SOLD
American Comics Update: The Good Doctor Collection: Thor #150-159
*Marvel: From the Good Doctor Collection this week, ten consecutive issues of the Mighty Thor by Lee & Kirby from #150-159. A favourite period of mine this, with the cosmic/mythological grandeur of Asgard centre stage. I particularly like the Mangog four part saga from #154-157, arguably Thor’s and Asgard’s greatest challenge. There’s also Hela, the Destroyer, Loki (of course) and more details on Thor’s origins in #158-159.
IN THIS UPDATE: THOR
#150 FN/VF £90 (PICTURED) Hela app. Nice rich glossy copy, marred by small creases at spine which only very slightly break colour. Tight, firm staples, supple off-white pages.
#151 GD/VG p £8 Upper spine split
#152 FN+ £25
#153 VF- £29
#154 VF- £29
#155 VF- £29
#156 VF- £29
#157 FN/VF £24
#158 FN/VF £34
#159 VG+ £11
American Comics Update: Three complete mini-series from Marvel: She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Starjammers
*Marvel: On offer this week, three complete mini-series from 1989, 1997 and 1990. First up, the prestige format two-parter: She-Hulk: Ceremony, a tale of native American mysticism with Wyatt Wingfoot. Secondly the three part Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives (or does he? – a mystery for Spidey to solve). Finally, X-Men Spotlight on Starjammers, a prestige format two-parter starring that interplanetary band of brigands and guesting just about everybody in the X-Men universe. Each sold as a complete set only, and all in a pristine condition.
PICTURED: ALL SOLD
SHE-HULK CEREMONY #1; SOLD AS SET1-2 Av NM £12
SPIDER-MAN: HOBGOBLIN LIVES #1; SOLD AS SET 1-3 Av NM £12
X-MEN SPOTLIGHT ON STARJAMMERS #1; SOLD AS SET 1-2 Av NM £10
American Comics Update: The Bute Collection: Atomic Sci-Fi: Amazing Adventures & Lost Worlds
*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Travel back with us this week to the Atomic Age of the 1950s for a double bill of retro sci-fi. Amazing Adventures from Ziff-Davis and Lost Worlds from Standard were prime examples, both from the Bute Collection.
PICTURED: BOTH SOLD
AMAZING ADVENTURES #6 FA/GD £30 Art by Krigstein & others. Worn edges, scuff mark on cover, small tape repair inside front cover. Staples and pages decent.
LOST WORLDS #5 FA £25 1st issue of 2 issue series. Art by Celardo, Andru, Katz, Cardy, Toth and others. Taped spine (inside and part outside), other small pieces of tape inside cover, chips out top edge. Pages and staples okay.
American Comics Update: Pre-Code Horror Fest: Avon’s Eerie x 2
*Horror 1940-1959: One of the most famous Pre-Code Horror comics was Avon’s Eerie which ran for 17 issues from 1951. (In fact, it had a predecessor, Eerie Comics from 1947, just one issue, but a strong contender for the first real horror comic). Two issues of the 1950s series for your consideration.
PICTURED: EERIE
#3 FA+ £100 Pre-code. Cover, contents page and lead story by Wally Wood. Plus Joe Orlando, Sid Check, Joe Kubert and others. Structurally sound but with mild ‘rippling’ and very faint cover image erosion from historical moisture exposure. SOLD
#6 GD £105 Pre-code. Sid Check, Carmine Infantino and others. Quite a worn spine, but okay in other respects. SOLD
American Comics Update: Horror/Mystery from Harvey, Archie/Red Circle and Dell
*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: A smorgasbord of thrills and chills in the ‘Other Publishers’ section of this category, with Alarming Adventures from Harvey (1962, with art by Williamson, Crandall and others), Red Circle Sorcery and Madhouse (when the title was horror) from Archie/Red Circle and Dell’s Twilight Zone from the famous TV series.
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
ALARMING ADVENTURES
#1 VG #11
#2 FA/GD £3.25
RED CIRCLE SORCERY #11 VF £7.50
MADHOUSE #97 FN+ £7
TWILIGHT ZONE 01860207 VG+ £16.50 3rd issue
British Comics Update: This Week’s #1 (plus more): Brick Bradford
*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Brick Bradford was a science-fiction adventurer in the manner of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, originating in a comic strip in America in the 1930s. He was arguably more successful around the world than in his native country, perhaps as attested by a British #1 here, published by World Distributors circa 1959; plus we also have two editions published in New Zealand in the 1940s by Feature Productions.
IN THIS UPDATE:
BRICK BRADFORD #1 GD/VG £15 (PICTURED) 68 Pages SOLD
BRICK BRADFORD, ADVENTURES OF
#14 VG £8
#41 FA/GD £5
British Comics Update: Creepy Worlds #67, reprinting Avengers #6
*Alan Class Reprints: Another fabulous Marvel reprint in Alan Clas comics this week. Creepy Worlds #67 features ‘Zemo and his Masters of Evil’ from Avengers #6, the earliest reprint of that tale, we believe. Also in this very nice package is a Tale of the Wasp and a Jack Kirby Big Panty Monster tale. A decent copy with some glue puckering at the spine, minor creasing and a short horizontal mid-spine tear.
PICTURED: CREEPY WORLDS #67 VG- £25
British Comics Update: True Life Library: 22 issues from 1962-64
*Girls’ Picture Libraries: From 1962-64, a further selection of Fleetway’s long-running True Life Library between #341 & #440. Superficially in lovely condition with few marks and great cover colour and page quality, these are marred only by varying degrees of staple rust, from average to minimal in most cases. Full details as always in our catalogue.
PICTURED: TRUE LIFE LIBRARY #344 VG/FN £6
Books Update: Re-Working our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Master of Adventure: Tarzan Part 1
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror category for the second of several updates spotlighting the Master of Adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs was very prolific, and wrote in several series, in addition to his most famous creation Tarzan of the Apes. His style and settings set the tone for a whole library full of imitators/homagists in jungle, interplanetary and exotic locales. We shall be covering our ERB stock in a number of updates over the coming weeks, continuing this week with the first tranche of our extensive Tarzan stock. Tarzan is one of the most iconic literary characters of the 20th Century, is a household name and has had wonderful success in multi-media adventures, stemming from these exciting books. Selections here from the first 8 of this 24 volume set. We’re featuring here the UK Four Square editions from the early 1960s, with the atmospheric cover art of Edward Mortelmans. Full details of all our stock in our catalogue.
PICTURED: ALL BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
TARZAN #2: THE RETURN OF TARZAN Four Square 1964 UK PB VG £4
TARZAN #4: THE SON OF TARZAN Four Square 1964 UK PB VG £4
TARZAN #5: TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR Four Square 1964 UK PB FN £5
TARZAN #7: TARZAN THE UNTAMED Four Square 1964 UK PB FN £5
TARZAN #8: TARZAN THE TERRIBLE Four Square 1964 UK PB VG £4
Books Update: New: More from Mad
*Mad Books: This week, reinforcements for our Mad Books category, celebrating those fondly remembered paperback books featuring the best of Mad. Wit, sarcasm, parody and irony never go out of style. Five more volumes new in as follows:
PICTURED: ALL SOLD
BURNING MAD Signet 3rd US PB GD £4
HOPPING MAD Signet 1969 1st US PB GD £4
THE INVISIBLE MAD Warner 1975 2nd US PB GD/VG £5
MAD AS THE DEVIL, SERGIO ARAGONES Warner 1975 2nd US PB GD/VG £4
SING ALONG WITH MAD Signet 1970 1st US PB VG £5
Clearance Corner: Orphan Free Gift Farrago
*Clearance Corner: Very occasionally, a lot comes our way which does not justify its place in our catalogue but is too good to discard. These lots are offered here on our What’s New page, but are no longer listed in our catalogue. Lots listed under Clearance Corner will be available for a short time only. Clearance Corner lots are offered post free to UK buyers only. They are not bagged or boarded. When you buy in a lot of collections, as we do, you often find Free Gifts that don’t have the comics to go with them. We’ve rounded up a lot of these totalling nine. In some cases, we haven’t had time to identify which comics they go with, but have given the best information we have to hand below.
ALL 9 GIFTS FOR £30 — UK ONLY, WITH FREE POSTAGE. SOLD
COUNTDOWN WALL CHART From Countdown #1. Complete with stickers from #1-6 stuck on. In used condition.
MY FAVOURITE SOCCER STARS ALBUM From Tiger 1971 with all footballers cards inserted.
BLACK CAT PENDANT Unidentified and unused.
BUSTER’S BOOMERANG From Buster 5/5/62. In used condition, with one arm torn off but present.
BUILD YOUR OWN SPACESHIP COMPONENT From Marvel UK Future Tense #1. Unused.
BUSTER’S BOOK OF FLYING ACES From Buster 12/6/62. With 8 of 13 stickers, stuck in.
THE THUNDERCLAP From Topper #31. Used.
CHEEKY BADGE From #3 Unused.
MONSTER WASP HANGING MODEL From Jet 8/5/71 Used.
Our Giant Half Price Sizzling Summer Sale Continues!
Our Half Price Sale of selected British Comics continues, featuring many of the larger, tabloid ‘Giant’ issues. Throughout July, the following titles are now available at HALF the listed prices.
Boys’ Adventure & War:
Boys’ World
Eagle (1st series)
Express
Ranger
Swift
Treasure
TV & Film Related:
TV Fun
Humour:
Beano Summer Special (from 1986 onwards)
Beezer (inc Summer Specials)*
Buzz*
Dandy Summer Specials (from 1981 onwards)
Topper*
*These titles may, at our discretion, be sold unbagged and unboarded, but will be well packaged
Girls’:
Diana
Girl
Jackie
All these titles are now marked as Giant Summer Sizzling Sale items in our catalogue in red and bold italic. You pay half the prices listed for these titles.
Terms and conditions:
Sale items are only available for postage to addresses within the UK.
There is a minimum order of 10 issues for sale items, although they can be mixed and matched from any of the sale titles. You can also include items of regular priced stock, as long as your order includes at least 10 sale items.
Postage charges will apply at cost plus a small fee for materials, as on orders of our regular stock.
The sale will extend until 4 pm on July 31st while stocks last. After that, any remaining stock of the sale titles will revert to full price.
American Comics Update: Batmania: Watching the Detectives: 3 1950s Detective Comics
*DC: Three pre-UK distribution issues of Detective Comics fresh in this week. As well as the Batman lead, these all feature quality back-ups with Roy Raymond, TV Detective and John Jones, Manhunter From Mars.
IN THIS UPDATE: DETECTIVE COMICS
#237 GD £52 (PICTURED) Decent copy with small tears and creases, but solid enough with nice pages and staples. SOLD
#248 FA £22 Glued spine with much damage. Handwriiten name above logo, ink stain at top right corner throughout.
#251 FA/GD £32 Wear and creases around all edges; loose centrefold. SOLD