*EC: For my money, the Gemstone EC reprints of the early 1990s represent the best available reprint editions of the classic EC line. These stories have been reprinted countless times in various formats and paper qualities, but I think these versions are the best for ease of reading, colour reproduction and authentic paper quality, giving the closest experience to reading the originals, at, of course, a fraction of the cost. Gemstone got it right, reprinting everything in the correct format and running order. Their Annuals are a convenient way to get and enjoy them, with even the covers reproduced inside on the right quality stock. Crime SuspenStories is EC’s hybrid Crime/Horror pre-code horror title, and I shouldn’t have to tell you how EC set the standard for these genres and featured the very best artists working in comics at the time. This complete set of all six Annuals (all in lovely VF/NM virtually as new condition) features all 27 issues of Crime SuspenStories, including the famous hanging cover and axe/decapitated head cover and many more of that ilk. (NB we have now moved our EC reprint section from Modern Reprints into this category, to keep all our EC material under one roof, so to speak.)  
IN THIS UPDATE:
COMPLETE SET OF ALL 6 CRIME SUSPENSTORIES ANNUALS VF/NM £120; #5 PICTURED SOLD

*Horror 1940-1959: The Bute Collection delivers more thrills and chills this week. Harvey’s Black Cat started out in 1946 as a super-heroine comic, before later becoming Black Cat Western, then Black Cat Mystery, ending its life in the early 60s with Giant reprints of the original titular character. Here we are concerned with the pre-code horror phase. This series featured some of the most infamous covers of the genre and the content was full of gore, graphic violence and supernatural themes. Issue #46 from 1953 features a pretty gruesome mad scientist/disembodied head in a flask cover by Lee Elias. Whilst not all the creative credits are known for the contents, we can confirm that artists include Manny Stallman, Howard Nostrand and Bob Powell (among others). This is a pretty rough copy, with the covers detached and separated and with several chips missing at the spine. There’s also a large spine split throughout all the pages, although the staples hold the body of the comic together. The cover is only affected at the spine and edges, and the lurid cover colours are strong. Nevertheless, really a reading copy or placemarker only in this state.
PICTURED: BLACK CAT MYSTERY #46 PR £50 SOLD

*Pulp Fiction: In 1950, a companion title to New Worlds, Science Fantasy, was launched, but when the publisher of both, Nova, went out of business in 1964, the reins were taken up by Roberts & Vintner, who published both magazines in paperback book format. Science Fantasy retained a more traditional approach to science fiction than its companion to some extent, but both titles were instrumental in developing the careers of Moorcock, Brian Aldiss, J G Ballard and Keith Roberts, among many others from both sides of the Atlantic. Science Fantasy later rebranded as Impulse/SF Impulse, with Harry Harrison as the nominal editor, Keith Roberts in actuality. We have ten issues new in from the Roberts & Vintner/Compact period of Science Fantasy edited by Kyril Bonfiglioli, a wonderful mixture of the long and short story, by big names and unknowns alike, with much to recommend them. Many excellent covers by Keith Roberts, 
PICTURED: SCIENCE FANTASY EDITED BY KYRIL BONFIGLIOLI
65 JUNE/JULY 1964 VG £6 Brian Aldiss, Kenneth Bulmer, many others
66 JULY/AUGUST 1964 VG/FN £7 Kenneth Bulmer, John Rackham, Daphne Castell, many others.
67 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1964 GD/VG £5 Thomas Burnett Swann, Keith Roberts, Rudyard Kipling, Johnny Byrne, many others.
68 DECEMBER 1964/JANUARY 1965 VG £6 Thomas Burnett Swann, John Rackham, Harry Harrison, Keith Roberts, Charles Platt and others.
69 JANUARY/FEBRURAY 1965 VG/FN £7 Langdon Jones, Johnny Byrne, Keith Roberts, Thomas Burnett Swann, many others.
70 MARCH 1965 VG £6 Harry Harrison, John Rackham, Keith Roberts, many others.
71 APRIL 1965 VG £6 Brian Aldiss, Keith Roberts, many others.
74 JULY 1965 GD/VG £5 Keith Roberts, Johnny Byrne and others. 
75 AUGUST 1965 GD/VG £5 Keith Roberts, John Rackham, many others.
80 JANUARY 1966 VG £6 John Rackham, E C Tubb, Daphne Castell, Harry Harrison and others. 

Both copies of the Hardcover Supergirl Archives reprinting the earilest Supergirl stories. 
Both copies are in VF condition. 
Both for £25 

A bumper package of books and magazines focusing on the King. 
COMPLETE JACK KIRBY 
Vol 1 NM 
Vol 2 VF 
JACK KIRBY CHECKLIST
NM  
JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR
18 NM 
19 VF
21 VF 
25 VF 
28 NM
29 NM
JACK KIRBY QUARTERLY
10 VF 
11 FN 
15 VF
JACK KIRBY TREASURY 
Vol 2 NM 
All 13 for £45 SOLD

Lot of 22 issues of the UK version of Mad between #41 and #96 from the 1960s. All in decent condition GD-FN.
All 22 for £30 SOLD

*DC: Three Midas Collection issues of Superman from 1954/55. 
PICTURED: SUPERMAN
#86 FA £45 Art by Boring and Plastino. Includes a Mr. Mxyztplk story. Not a dreadful copy. The low grade is awarded due to a small strip torn off the bottom edge of cover (see scan). Other than that, a couple of chips out front and back covers, loose centrefold and cover tear with no loss bottom right. Overall, not too bad.
#93 FA/GD £60 Art by Boring and Plastino. A tired and somewhat grubby copy with some creasing and worn spine but structurally okay.  
#98 GD £75 Art by Boring and Plastino. Not too bad, but with edge wear and colour-breaking creasing. Nice pages and firm staples. 

*DC: Along with Mystery In Space, Strange Adventures was DC’s leading science fiction title from the 1950s/60s. Six issues here that span the pre and post UK distribution divide, featuring top notch work from the best writers and artists in the business. This period was the start of a new batch of much-loved recurring features, with the second Space Museum story in #112 and the first Star Hawkins in #114 (which here is an incomplete copy given away with #113, but with the Star Hawkins debut complete)
IN THIS UPDATE: STRANGE ADVENTURES ALL SOLD
#96 FA/GD £10.50
#105 GD £10.75
#108 GD+ £12.50
#111 VG p £19
#112 GD £10.75 Space Museum
#113 VG+ £21.50 (PICTURED) With free incomplete copy of #114, including 1st Star Hawkins story. 

*Marvel: Avengers #23 new in this week, wherein ‘Cap’s Kooky Quartet’ face up to Kang and his entire army from the future. Lacking the raw power of the original line-up, things looked pretty bleak for the Assemblers. This issue also features the debut of Princess Ravonna, a long-standing character in the MU and love interest for Kang, with the type of convoluted history shared by many of her peers. The Don Heck/John Romita art team works really well here, with a great Kirby/Romita cover. A nice clean copy with minimal edge wear and just a couple of creases in the top right corner across the CCA box which only very barely break colour. Near white pages and tight, firm staples.
PICTURED: AVENGERS #23 FN+ £70 SOLD

*Marvel: In 1998, John Byrne, doing his rounds of all the comic icons, took his crack at Spider-Man, re-telling Spidey’s origin and early adventures in a 12-part maxi-series, Spider-Man Chapter One. He also took the time to sign 1000 copies of #1 and #2. Copies 86/1000 are offered here, with Byrne’s signature on the covers of both #1 & #2, together with a Dynamic Forces Certificate of Authenticity. 
PICTURED: SPIDER-MAN CHAPTER ONE 2 PACK £50 SOLD
#1 & #2 BOTH NM-

*Horror 1940-1959: Three very low grade examples of post code horror from the 1950s, two from Atlas and one from ACG. Pretty awful condition, but pretty good content!
IN THIS UPDATE: 
ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN #73 PR £3 SOLD Heavily taped with chipping and scuffing.
MYSTIC #61 PR/FA £13 Spine almost entirely split. Final issue.
MYSTICAL TALES #8 PR/FA £13 Heavy wear, spine split, small holes in cover. Final issue.   

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Published by Scion in 1949, the 8-page one-shot Big Atlantis Comic featured as its lead the three page Atomic Mole story drawn by Ron Turner, famed UK science-fiction artist. Four pages coloured in blue and red, the other four black and white. The Atomic Mole is a machine crewed by an intrepid scientist and his chums, here on an exploratory mission to discover lost Atlantis. (Further Atomic Mole adventures continue elsewhere, next in Big Ranch comics). There’s also three pages of funny strips and the two page Speed Devils, about motor-racing adventure. A decent copy of this rarity with nice pages, with just a very short upper spine split. 
PICTURED: BIG ATLANTIS COMIC VG £40 SOLD

*DC: Three more Golden Age issues of Batman from the Midas Collection this week, featuring the Joker, the Penguin, Vicki Vale and many others.
PICTURED: BATMAN
#56 VG £240 Cover by Dick Sprang. Interior art by Sprang and Jim Mooney. Stories by David Vern and Bill Finger. The Caped Crusaders are in Latin America to train a local law-keeper, Bat-Hombre. The Penguin must commit seven different crimes with seven different birds in order to claim an inheritance. Batman and Robin find themselves continually upstaged by a reporter who is able to solve the crimes before them. A reasonable copy with an unmarked white background cover. A good spine with staples well connected, although the lower is a tiny bit pulled. Minor wear to right edge and some corner blunting. Supple off-white pages. There is a tiny chip off at the very top of the spine which is present. 
#57 GD £215 Cover by Win Mortimer. Interior art by Dick Sprang, Mortimer, Bob Kane and Lew Sayre Schwartz. Bruce Wayne’s moral character is questioned when he is framed for acts he did not commit. An ancient mummy comes to life and goes on a crime spree in Gotham. The Joker escapes from prison intent on proving that he is the world’s greatest comedian. Centrefold is a 1950 calendar (which is present). Decent cover but off both staples, which are otherwise firm. Wear and tear to right edge and spine. Nice pages are supple and off-white. 
#58 FA+ £120 Cover by Dick Sprang. Interior art by Sprang, Bob Kane and Lew Sayre Schwartz. Stories by Bill Woolfolk and Bill Finger. The Penguin launches a series of crimes based the official state bird of the victims’ native state. Batman and Robin travel back in time to 1854 (as you do) to solve the mystery of a missing fortune. Criminal mastermind Black Diamond breaks four convicts out of prison and assigns them with the task of eliminating Batman and Robin. A lower-graded copy with much chipping at all edges. Tape at spine inside covers. Staples seem firm. Pages are off-white to cream.  

*DC: A gang of misfits endowed with strange powers and led by a guy in a wheelchair… sound familiar? Yes, you knew it was the Doom Patrol, didn’t you? Debuting in My Greatest Adventure #80 (June 1963, a few months before the X-Men), the Doom Patrol took over that title, as eventually it morphed with #86 into their own title. Five consecutive issues in mixed grades this week, with plenty of Beast Boy for good measure. 
IN THIS UPDATE: DOOM PATROL ALL SOLD
#108 VG+ p £11.75
#109 FN £14.75 (PICTURED)
#110 App GD+ p £3.50 Ad page out
#111 VG+ p £10
#112 GD £5

*Marvel: In Daredevil #18 the Gladiator made his debut in a story dripping in atmosphere, standing out due to his sinister spinning wrist buzz-saw blades. Drawn and designed by Jazzy John Romita in one of his last outings on the title before switching to Spider-Man. The Gladiator featured again in the following issue alongside the Masked Marauder as DD fought the underworld. A blistering two-parter from the pen of Stan Lee.
PICTURED: DAREDEVIL
#18 VG/FN p £50 1st Gladiator. Pence printed. Decent clean copy with cover wear restricted to a very slightly ragged top edge. Firm, tight staples and supple creamy pages. Inside covers have slightly tanned edges but are not brittle. 
#19 VF+ £75 2nd Gladiator. A superior copy with great colours and nice reflectivity. Only extremely minor top right edge and corner wear. Tight, firm staples and white to off-white pages. 

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: A cheap and cheerful (?) selection of thrills and chills from Charlton, Harvey and Marvel this week.
IN THIS UPDATE: ALL SOLD
CHARLTON
BEYOND THE GRAVE #2 VG+ £2.50 Modern Comics Version
GHOSTLY TALES #164 VG p £3.25
SHADOWS FROM BEYOND #50 VG- £7.25
MARVEL
MAN-THING #10 GD £2.75
VAULT OF EVIL #7 VG £5
HARVEY
ALARMING ADVENTURES #3 VG p £8.25

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Space Ace, Guardian of the Universe, was a 33 issue series from Atlas publishing which ran from 1960 to 1963, starring the titular character, an interplanetary adventurer first introduced in Lone Star. Space Ace was an anthology title and also featured several other strips such as Flash the Dog Deputy and Sinbad the Sailor. Seven issues here, in black and white and mixed grades in the faux American size and style, including #33, the final issue. 
IN THIS UPDATE: SPACE ACE
ALL SOLD
#9 FN £12 (PICTURED)
#10 FN/VF £13.50 (PICTURED)
#20 GD £8 Back cover tears; coupon filled in; minor scribble lower cover
#30 GD £8 Spine taped
#31 GD £8
#32 GD £8
#33 FA £6 Final issue

*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: New in this week, four books of the Saint by Leslie Charteris, all in classic Pan editions from the late 1950s/early 1960s with excellent painted covers. All volumes feature either short or longer stories or a novel of the classic adventurer later made famous on TV by Roger Moore. More details, of course, in our catalogue.
PICTURED: BY LESLIE CHARTERIS ALL SOLD
CALL FOR THE SAINT Pan 1958 2nd UK PB thus GD £4
ENTER THE SAINT Pan 1965 4th UK PB thus GD £4
THE SAINT AND MR TEAL Pan 1957 1st UK PB thus FA/GD £4
SAINT OVERBOARD Pan 1958 3rd UK PB thus GD £4

*DC: Three  #1 issues from Jack Kirby’s return to DC in the 1970s from the Bute Collection. 
PICTURED: 
FOREVER PEOPLE #1 VF+ p £140 There’s a lot to say about Forever People #1. Not only is it the debut of the Forever People themselves and the pivotal Fourth World character Infinity Man, but it’s also the first full appearance of Darkseid (third anywhere). That is to say, although it’s listed as such in the Overstreet Price Guide and widely regarded as the first full appearance of the classic DC arch-villain, we’re not convinced that just three panels of the Big Bad (and on video screens at that) really constitutes his first full appearance. Still, you pays yer money and you takes yer choice. One of the more entertaining aspects of this issue is seeing guest star Superman rendered by Al Pastino alongside Kirby’s characteristic style — a strange experience. An outstanding copy with great colours, square corners, nice reflectivity, tight staples and supple white to off-white pages. Just very minor wear to the extremity of the bottom right corner. Pence stamped. 
KAMANDI #1 VF- £50 SOLD Following his critically-acclaimed ‘Fourth World’ series of intersecting titles at DC, Jack Kirby branched out into three stand-alone series. One such was Kamandi, a.k.a. ‘The Last Boy On Earth’, doubtless influenced by the then-ongoing Planet of the Apes phenomenon. Kamandi showed a post-apocalyptic future in which all humanity apart from our titular hero had degraded to virtual beasts, oppressed by all manner of super-evolved animals. Later attempts by other, lesser talents have been made to link this in with the greater DC Universe, but most folk prefer to think of the original 59 issue run from 1972 to 1978 as a self-contained odyssey. We have issue #1 of this cult series, a cents copy with no pence price or overstamp, a nice copy with great colours and gloss, fairly minimal spine wear, white pages. The bottom staple is neatly off the cover. 
MISTER MIRACLE #1 FN/VF £85 SOLD The best-received of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World at the time of its release, Mister Miracle told the story of Scott Free, a child of New Genesis who was raised in the fire-pits of Apokalips, in an exchange of royal hostages between the two warring planets. Escaping from Apokalips to Earth, Scott continued his adventures as the World’s Greatest Escape Artist, aided by his trusty companion Oberon, and continuing in the tradition of the previous Mister Miracle, a travelling escapologist. The combination of super-heroics, showmanship and space-opera made for a compelling read, and Mister Miracle, like the rest of Kirby’s 1970s creations, has continued to have a resounding impact on the DC Universe since his inception. This is a very reasonable copy with some handling wear at the spine, good colours and reflectivity, white to off-white pages and nice staples, the lower being off the centrefold. 

*DC: You know, there was a time when the comic book industry wasn’t dominated by super-powered folks in tights hitting each other, and in those days, a popular theme was man against the elements – all-too-human explorers in outer space, in the air, in exotic realms, or in subterranean or subaquatic environments. Brave & Bold #31 saw the first adventure of Cave Carson who, with his friends Christie and Bulldozer, explored the treacherous world beneath the Earth. Created by France Herron and illustrator Bruno Premiani, Cave never quite caught his own series in the 20th Century, but made many other appearances in the DC Universe, finally getting his own title in the 21st. This update features Cave’s first three adventures.
PICTURED: BRAVE & BOLD
#31 VG £100 1st Cave Carson. Reasonable copy with some spine and edge wear and a few faint colour-breaking creases. Nice colours. Cover detached at top staple front only. Decent off-white to cream pages. 
#32 VG+ p £45 2nd Cave Carson Pence stamped. Nice copy with good colours, tight staples and off-white pages. 
#33 GD £22 SOLD 3rd Cave Carson Subscription crease, lots of colour-breaking creases in corners and edges. Small upper spine split. Centrefold off top staple. Minor water damage.  

*Marvel: Seven issues of Tales To Astonish from when it starred Giant-Man, and then shared with the Hulk. This range includes #49 (Ant-Man becomes Giant-Man), villain debuts, the issue where Giant-Man battles the Hulk, before they shared the title and the all-Ditko issue #61, and more.
IN THIS UPDATE: TALES TO ASTONISH
#49 GD p £55 (PICTURED) SOLD 1st Giant-Man. with the Living Eraser (who didn’t go on to better things!). Pence printed. Heavy spine roll with edge wear and subscription-like crease (not too bad). Decent staples and okay pages, but a fairly tired copy. 
#52 GD- p £33 1st Black Knight (villain). Pence printed. Small section (3 x1 cm) cut out of cover at right edge. Edge wear and cover creases. 
#53 GD/VG p £23 Pence printed. Book shop stamps.
#59 VG- £60 (PICTURED) Giant-Man Vs the Hulk, before the Hulk starts sharing the title next issue. Decent copy with good staples and nice pages. Some edge and handling wear.  
#61 VG p £35 (PICTURED) Both Giant-Man & Hulk stories pencilled by Ditko. 2nd Hulk strip in title. Pence printed. 
#66 GD- p £10.75 Pence stamped. Lots of cover creases, breaking colour.
#68 FA £6.50 Not a great cover with biro scribble over all faces. 

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: From 1973, DC ran a short series reprinting classic Simon & Kirby work from the Crestwood/Headline 1950s title of the same name. The series lasted 9 issues which are available as a complete set, mostly in nice grade. 
IN THIS UPDATE: COMPLETE SET OF BLACK MAGIC #1-9 Av FN+ £55; #1 pictured. SOLD

*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: Four of the adventures of Mike Shayne by Brett Halliday. Halliday was the primary pen name of Davis Dresser, who wrote in a number of genres, but whose major work were the Mike Shayne private eye novels for which he used the name. It’s a bit more complicated than that, since it’s believed that most or even all of the Shayne novels after 1958 were ghost-written by others (there are around 70 novels in all). The world of Mike Shayne was cool, tough, sexy and full of mystery and action. This week’s selections date from the mid-1960s and are all blessed with fabulous covers by the famous artist Robert McGinnis.
PICTURED: BY BRETT HALLIDAY ALL SOLD
MARKED FOR MURDER Dell 1968 1st US PB thus GD £4
MIKE SHAYNE’S 50TH CASE Dell 1965 1st US PB VG £5
NEVER KILL A CLIENT Mayflower/Dell 1964 1st UK PB VG/FN £6 
WHEN DORINDA DANCES Mayflower/Dell 1964 1st UK PB GD £4

Those of you who remember visiting us at our shop in Putney (1997-2020) may have fond memories of rummaging through our basement, many of you emerging after some time with armfuls of goodies (sometimes, it seemed almost as if we didn’t know what you’d find!). Our new category is named as an homage to those halcyon days. 

Here you’ll find lots at bargain prices which no longer match our sales profile, or are superfluous to our requirements. These will cover all areas of our operation. Lots listed here are offered post free to GB buyers only or anyone with a GB postal address (i.e. England, Scotland, Wales). They are not normally bagged and boarded as our normal stock, but will be securely packaged for transit. Lots may not be combined with another order (either from Bargain Basement or from our regular catalogue) in the same package, but of course you may order as many as you like while available, and they’ll be sent separately.

Lot of 25 issues. All GD-FN
1950: 67, 72
1951: 114
1952: 153, 173, 183, 186, 197, 199, 203
1953: 226, 250, 251,
1954: 261, 288
1956: 363
1957: 454
1958: 466, 476, 485, 486, 503, 504
1959: 530, 17/10
All 25 for £25