*Marvel: In the fifth Annual (or King-Size Special as they called it back then) of Amazing Spider-Man, Stan Lee and Larry Leiber brought us the previously untold story of Peter Parker’s deceased parents. Were they really spies and traitors? Spidey goes on an international mission of discovery and a trail that leads him to the Red Skull. We have a beautiful copy new in this week, with brilliant cover colour and gloss, no markings, tightly bound with an intact squarebound spine, sharp corners, white pages and only the most minimal wear at top and bottom spine precluding a NM grade. A gem.
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #5 VF/NM £130 SOLD

*Marvel: From 1994, another complete Venom mini-series told with the usual finesse and restraint that this character is known to bring out from creators. This time it’s Venom: Nights Of Vengeance, all 4 issues now available in VF/NM or NM grade. See our catalogue for the full listing.

*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: Alan Moore’s sixteen issues of Miracleman are widely regarded as one of the great classics of modern age comics (if you count the 1980s as modern, that is). He took an ersatz Captain Marvel, invented as Marvelman in the 1950s when Len Miller’s license to reprint the captain ran out, and rebranded him as an adult super-hero for the times, in one of the greatest sequences of comics ever created IMHO. Originally serialised in Warrior Magazine, Marvelman changed to Miracleman when published by Eclipse in the USA (need I cite obvious copyright reasons?) and the series got its conclusion there, at least as far as Moore was concerned. When joined by artist John Totleben for the last issues, story and art clicked seamlessly, if somewhat horrifically. Issue #15 has the lowest print run of the series (possibly due to its gruesome content) and is regarded as the key issue featuring the conclusion of Miracleman’s mortal combat with his former sidekick Kid Miracleman — and if that sounds silly, let me assure you it isn’t. Not for the squeamish. A great copy on offer, with only the smallest spine ticks precluding a NM grade or higher. 
PICTURED: MIRACLEMAN #15 VF/NM £60 SOLD

*Phantom: A much overdue top-up to our depleted stocks of Phantom, the ever popular jungle adventurer, all US issues this time. Many King and Charlton issues of the main American run, plus a rare King 1973 reprint and one issue of the DC Mini-Series. There’s a legion of fans out there for this character, and issues rarely stay in stock for long…
PICTURED: PHANTOM #60 FN+ p £7.75

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Warlord, starting in 1974, was a late entrant by D C Thomson into the traditional British war comic stakes, but attained a popularity which endured for 12 years and 627 issues. This week we have three consecutive early issues, complete with their spiffy Free Gifts. All three comics vary from GD to VG, mostly because of the ink stacking defect quite common in this series, where an imprint of the back cover of one issue is shown to varying degrees on the front cover of the one is was stacked on before the ink was dry. Free Gifts are nice as follows: #18 has two model fighter planes of WW2, still unassembled in their original envelopes (envelopes slightly grubby, but unopened); #19 has two further such models in the same condition and #20 has a sheet of stick-on badges in pristine condition.
PICTURED: WARLORD ALL SOLD
#18 GD WITH FREE GIFT FN/VF £30
#19 GD/VG WITH FREE GIFT FN/VF £30
#20 VG WITH FREE GIFT VF £25

*TV & Film Related Comics: Undoubtedly, the most obscure Gerry Anderson comic is Candy, a Younger Readers’ series which Anderson conceived as a comic with photographed rather than drawn images. It’s the story of two dolls (Candy & Andy) who live with their guardian giant pandas (don’t ask me why). Legend has it that Anderson was hoping this set up would take the world by storm, and that he was hoping for a TV series, but frankly, given the stills which adorn the covers, the characters come across as more creepy than cuddlesome, but nevertheless the comic lasted 150+ issues, enhanced by the media presence of co-stars Topo Gigio, Tingha and Tucker, and Winnie the Pooh. The unusual landscape format of the earlier issues lends the series an added quirkiness. In recent years, the series has gone from obscure oddity to cult collectable amongst Fandersons with rising prices, although it’s by far the rarest of all the Anderson material. We doubt there are too many copies of #1 around still with its Free Gift, but we’re very fortunate to have one this week. The comic is VG/FN, with very minor spine wear, clean and unmarred; we don’t know if this issue was published with staples, but this copy has never had any. The Free Gift (Candy’s Magic Painting Book), is an unused VF/NM. I doubt you’ll get many chances to add this to your collection.
PICTURED: CANDY #1 VG/FN WITH FREE GIFT VF/NM £150 SOLD

*Clearance Corner: In the 1980s, Dragon Lady Press produced magazine-sized collections of several of the classic American newspaper strips, usually of 60+ pages each and beautifully reproduced in crystal clear black and white. We have 13 of these volumes, all in high grade, in this week’s clearance, comprising the following strips: Mary Perkins on Stage by Leonard Starr, Secret Agent X9 by Al Williamson (x 2 different), Mandrake the Magician by Lee Falk, Tales Of The Green Beret by Joe Kubert, Smilin’ Jack by Zack Mosley, Dick Tracy by Collins & Locher, Brenda Starr by Dale Messick, Buz Sawyer by Roy Crane (x 3 different) and Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy also by Roy Crane (x 2 different). A wealth of reading with these iconic characters for just £25 post free in the UK (only). A photo sample of some is shown here.

This is an early Silver Age Collection from an original owner notable for the freshness and vibrancy of the cover colours and page quality; even those with minor reading and handling wear are vastly superior to the majority of comics that have been in circulation since the 1960s. The average grade is well above Fine, with many much nicer.

We’ve been releasing comics from this amazing collection since last November and we’re down to the last two comics now, but stick around for the grand finale next week — it’s a doozy! Each comic will come branded with a special label and certificate of authenticity verifying it as part of the Square Mile Collection. Here’s this week’s (and if you think this is sensational, just wait till next week):

*DC: Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke (also known for much of his career as ‘the Terminator’, until Arnie’s agents said the magic words, ‘Cease & Desist’) made his first appearance in New Teen Titans #2, the successful Wolfman/Perez revival of the faltering franchise. Already a hit, the New Teen Titans’ fortunes rose with those of Mr. Slade as their recurring arch-nemesis, and eventually he went on to star in several series of his own, as well as media appearances in the ‘Arrow’ TV show and elsewhere. This is a very nice copy, with a tiny non-colour breaking crease across the right top corner and minor handling wear at the spine, but tight staples, great cover colour and gloss.
PICTURED: NEW TEEN TITANS #2 FN/VF p £75

*DC: A nice run of Action Comics in this week, between #271 and #300. My favourite period for the Man and Maid of Steel this, at the artistic hands of Curt Swan and Jim Mooney respectively, with famous storylines and guest appearances from their Silver Age cast. Issues include #284 with Mon-El, #286 with the Legion of Super-Villains, #287 with the Legion of Super-Heroes, #296 with giant ants, #298 (Lex Luthor gets super-powers) and the less common #300 with its classic cover shown here.
PICTURED: ACTION COMICS #300 VG p £19

*Marvel: A significant latecomer to the Silver Marvel Age, the enigmatic synthezoid, the Vision premiered in Avengers #57 as a villainous pawn of the evil Ultron. Rapidly being discovered to be misguided, he was offered membership the next issue, in one of the most rapid reforms ever, and became a mainstay of the Avengers and the MU in general, particularly through his convoluted relationship with the Scarlet Witch. Based on a Simon & Kirby character from the 1940s, Roy Thomas’ love affair with all things Golden Age stood him in good stead, as the Vision captured the hearts and minds of readers worldwide… though the exquisite art by John Buscema doubtless didn’t hurt! Now a pillar of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Vision’s star continues to rise. This copy of his debut issue is in clean, umarred condition, with just a little spine and edge wear and slight corner blunting precluding a higher grade. Excellent tight staples and nice off-white to white pages. 
PICTURED: AVENGERS #57 FN- p £160

*Marvel: Lorna Dane had met up with the X-Men in the previous issue, rescued by Iceman after being caught up in one of the bouts of anti-mutant hysteria which sweep Marvel-Earth twice a week, but it wasn’t until issue #50 that she had her Big Reveal: she was the daughter of Magneto, Master of Evil Mutants and heir to all his power! Fortuitously, this issue was one of a handful drawn by Jim Steranko, and his innovative layouts, cinematic storytelling and nifty costume design for Lorna (who, though generally known as Polaris, didn’t formally adopt that codename until later) made this story a gripping read with stunning visuals, nowhere less so than on the dynamic green-tinted cover, one of the great iconic masterpieces of the later Marvel Silver Age. To say that Lorna’s history has been convoluted is an understatement – the ‘official’ position as to whether she’s Magneto’s offspring or not has changed many times (she is at the moment, but give it a week or two…), but – except when she’s had psychotic breaks and become a villain, as you do – she’s been a stalwart member of the X-Men and/or X-Factor for decades now. This copy is mid-grade, with small creasing at bottom right corner, the residue of a colour-breaking subscription crease down the centre and a back cover corner crease. But nice tight staples and decent page quality. Copies of this issue always move very quickly when we get ’em, and this one is bound to be no exception.
PICTURED: X-MEN #50 VG+ p £55 SOLD

*Marvel: The second series of Doctor Strange from the 1970s maintained consistent quality throughout its 81 issue run. Much clever storytelling employing the mystical heritage of the series and great art from the likes of Frank Brunner, Gene Colan and Marshall Rogers among many others. Lots of issues fresh in between #4 and #50 – check out our catalogue for details. 

*Charlton: That most esoteric of publishers, Charlton, is represented with several additions to our catalogue, mostly in the super-hero, science-fiction or mystery genres. New stock includes: Blue Beetle (1965 pre-Ditko series), Captain Atom (including lots of Ditko, 1st Nightshade in #82 and Blue Beetle apps), Charlton Bullseye (#1 1981, with Blue Beetle & the Question), Hercules (#1), Outer Space, Six Million Dollar Man, Space War, Strange Suspense Stories, Thunderbolt (Peter Cannon, inc. #1) and Unusual Tales.
PICTURED: CAPTAIN ATOM #82 VG SOLD

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Charlton produced a great number of horror/mystery comics in the 1970s and 1980s, some of variable quality but all of a kind to instil an uneasy mood among their appreciative audience. Although their ‘big name’ creator was Steve Ditko, whose art appears in very many issues, other fine artists were at work here too, including Tom Sutton, Don Newton and Wayne Howard. Titles included in this substantial update are: Creepy Things, Ghostly Haunts, Ghostly Tales, Ghost Manor (both series), Haunted (inc later issues as Baron Weirwulf’s Haunted Library), the gothic horror/romance of Haunted Love, Many Ghosts Of Dr. Graves, Midnight Tales, Monster Hunters, Prof. Coffin and Scary Tales. All issues new in are numbers previously unlisted in our catalogue. 

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: By 1973, the football-themed Boys’ weekly Scorcher had combined with Score and was going strong. Two splendid Free Gifts were issued with consecutive issues: 13th October had the Super Stars Football Wheel, where you could rotate a football disc for facts on footballers famous at the time, and 20th October had the Scorcher Rosette with enough adhesive letters to make up the name of your favourite team (even if it was Hamilton Academicals). Both comics and both gifts are in excellent shape here.
PICTURED: SCORCHER
13/10/73 FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £30 SOLD
20/10/73 FN WITH FREE GIFT VF £30 SOLD

*Girls’ Comics: The schoolgirl protagonists of the long-running Girls’ Crystal were always seemingly off adventuring in the Alps or some Pacific island — I knew schoolgirls back in the 1950s (because I went to school with them) and they didn’t get much further than Bognor Regis then, but, after all, this is comics! A rare example here from 1958: #1199 complete with Free Gift, the Magic Birthday Wheel. The comic suffers from rusty staples and small rust stains throughout; the gift is in nicer shape, except the two components of the wheel have become separated, but it’s all there.
PICTURED: GIRLS’ CRYSTAL #1199 GD WITH FREE GIFT VG £25

*Collected Editions: A brand new reprint volume from the excellent Rebellion, the Complete Johnny Future reprints the entire saga of this much-loved character from Odham’s Fantastic. Created by Alf Wallace, the managing editor of Power Comics and the Spanish artist Luis Bermejo, the series started out as the Missing Link, a Hulk like being who later evolved after a bombardment of nuclear radiation into a super-powered heroic character (as you do) called Johnny Future. I remember reading Fantastic as a kid and only looking at this strip after I’d finished all the Marvel reprints, but these days I see it with new eyes as a stylish and innovative series, a ‘missing link’, you might say between British and American comics. The complete series (including the colour strip from the Fantastic Annual 1968) is reprinted in this handsome hardcover volume of over 200 pages.   
PICTURED: THE COMPLETE JOHNNY FUTURE HC NEW/MINT £20

*Clearance Corner: Most famous perhaps as the publishers of Fem-Force, AC also produced a plethora of (mostly) black and white reprints from the Golden Age, covering a wide range of super-hero, science-fiction, good girl art and westerns. This clearance lot features no less than 13 such editions with no duplications. Golden Age Greats, Men of Mystery, Thrilling Science Fiction and others. Characters include the Ghost Rider, Phantom Lady, Fighting American, Cat-Man, Starr Flagg, Rocketman, Fighting Yank, Doll Man, Torchy and many others too numerous to mention. You’ll find famous artists within these pages, such as Simon & Kirby, Lou Fine, Bill Ward, Reed Crandall, Alex Toth, Matt Baker, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, Bernie Krigstein, Bob Powell, Joe Kubert and many, many more. Hours of reading pleasure in these bumper volumes, most of them running to dozens or more pages each and all in great condition. An £85 value lot — yours for just £25 post free (UK only). How’s that for a bargain?   SOLD

*Marvel: One of the most sought-after Marvel Comics of the 1960s is Fantastic Four #48, which introduced the Silver Surfer, a cosmic-powered being the equal of the combined FF… and the Surfer’s master, Galactus, an entity of even more monstrous might! Both became major figures in the Marvel Universe, with the Surfer repenting his role as Galactus’ herald and choosing the side of justice, while Galactus’ insatiable hunger drives him ever onwards to more heinous acts. This Square Mile pence printed copy is very nice, typical of the collection, bright with vivid colour and decent gloss, white pages, tight and flat with firmly attached staples and a minimum of corner blunting. There are a couple of pen marks near the upper left corner: faded felt-tip over the character heads in the masthead, and a small ’20’ in pen in the top bar of the ‘F’ in ‘Fantastic’, but otherwise an unspoilt cover image, which very minor edge and spine wear do not detract from. There are small pressure and handling marks which barely show on the cover. Great visual appeal on this classic issue. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #48 FN p £1,050

*DC: A nice Blackhawk update this week, starring #140, the second appearance of Zinda Blake, aka Lady Blackhawk, another favourite character here at 30th Century. Plus a fair helping of later issues, including #200, where Lady Blackhawk becomes Queen Killer Shark (a role she was to return to many times), plus #251, the first issue of the quality 1982 revival. See our catalogue for full details.
PICTURED: BLACKHAWK #140 VG £45

*Marvel: There must have been something in the stars for Dr Doom and the number 5; after debuting in Fantastic Four #5, he turns up in Amazing Spider-Man #5 to take on everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler. How can Spidey beat the monarch of Latveria? Well… he can’t actually, but I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. A superior pence printed copy, tight and flat with excellent staples and a minimal amount of corner blunting; hardly any edge wear, white to off-white pages and an unmarked cover image. Another Lee & Ditko classic! High resolution images are available on request. 
PICTURED: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5 FN+ p £950 SOLD

*Marvel: Back in 1966, it was still a special occasion when a Marvel hero guested in another hero’s book, even if it usually meant they ended up in a fight as a result of some misunderstanding or other. As well as featuring the 1st appearance of the villainous Masked Marauder, Daredevil #16 also featured regular artist John Romita’s first take on Spider-Man; the Jazzy One was to take over from Sturdy Steve Ditko on Spidey’s own title shortly after this (ASM #39 in fact, also fresh in this week). This lovely CGC Blue label (unrestored) copy is a UK Price Variant. 
PICTURED: DAREDEVIL #16 CGC 8.0 VF p £200 SOLD 

*Marvel: Popular with petrol-heads and Satan shakers alike, Johhny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, is always well received into our catalogue. An extensive run of the 1st series from 1973 is added this week, mostly in very presentable grades, and includes, among many others, the 1st full appearance of Daimon Hellstrom in #2 and the 1st Enforcer in #22. Check out our catalogue for full number and pricing details.   

*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: I still remember the thrill when an issue of Thunder Agents came out in the mid-1960s. Wow — you got 5 stories each issue in an extra-thick comic! Of course, at age 11, I barely knew who Wally Wood was, but I knew I liked the artwork. And the writers for these super-powered secret agents (a unique hybrid of the super-hero and spy genres) kept the words to a minimum, letting the art tell the stories. And it wasn’t just Wood: Crandall, Ditko, Kane, Sekowsky & Whitney were also represented, along with less notable but mainly competent others. We have a new selection in, running between #1 and #19, the final new issue, plus #4 of the solo Dynamo spin-off series; mostly low-mid grade and highly recommended.
PICTURED: THUNDER AGENTS #13 VG £8.25 SOLD