*DC: While all early issues of Hawkman are superb, with high-flying sci-fi stories by Gardner Fox and luminous Murphy Anderson artwork (not that we’re prejudiced witnesses or anything… ), the most sought-after in recent years is issue #4, featuring the debut of the Princess of Prestidigitation – Zatanna! Zee (as she’s familiarly known), a personal favourite here at 30th Century, is the daughter of DC’s Golden Age magician Zatara, and took her quest for her missing father through the pages of Green Lantern, Atom, Detective Comics and the Justice League of America in one of DC’s earliest ‘story arcs’, but this is where her illustrious career – which has branched out into both animated and live-action TV – began. (And yes, they did miss a bet by not having her featured on the cover – foolish mortals!). This latest copy of Zatanna’s debut is VG-, superficially nicer, with tight staples and flexible off-white interior pages, but a previous owner having outlined Hawkman’s head and torso in biro on the cover brings it down a notch. VG-, cents with no pence pricing, £150.

*DC: Following the huge success of the Batman Animated TV series in 1992, which was praised for its thematic complexity, film noir aesthetics, darker tone, and modernization of its title character’s crime-fighting origins, DC launched a comics adaptation which almost reached the heights of its TV inspiration. Entitled Batman Adventures, it was set in the same nouveau-retro hybrid milieu as its televisual inspiration, and featured mostly done-in-one stories which evoked the finer aspects of comics’ Silver and Golden Ages. With stellar creators such as Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett, Brad Rader and the late Mike Parobeck, these issues were a nostalgic delight. We are pleased to have many of the first Batman Adventures series (there have been several) back in stock, commencing with issue #1 (VF+ p £20), and running through to #22, including two of the sought-after Joker cover issues: #3 VF/NM p £25 and #16 NM p £25.

*Marvel: Flush with success at the dawn of the Marvel Universe, Stan Lee had an epiphany: if Iron Man, Thor and company were successful on their own – how much better would they be together? Thus was born the Avengers, in which Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp were brought together by the fiendish machinations of Loki and an heroic dynasty began which continues to this day! The Avengers has lasted myriad issues, with a plethora of spin-offs, and a veritable regiment of members (not to mention an extremely lucrative movie franchise), but this is the comic in which it all began! This copy is in Fair condition, pence-printed. Generally structurally sound, it has considerable edge and spine wear, soft corners, and minor age-related discolouration. A large ‘2’ has been written on the cover in marker, as well as a smaller squiggle over the Hulk’s face. Staples still attached at cover and centrefold, all interior pages clean and unmarked. High resolution images are available on request. £650 is the price for this piece of comics history.

*Marvel: One of Marvel’s most successful attempts at diversifying their line in the 1970s was their cash-in on the Martial Arts craze, with Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu! His inauspicious debut in Special Marvel Edition, a series previously devoted to reprints, indicated that there wasn’t much faith in Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin’s co-creation, but readers took him to their collective hearts, and more than 100 issues ensued, with a star roster of creators including Doug Moench, Gene Day and Paul Gulacy. Here, however, was where it all started, in Special Marvel Edition #15, December 1973, with the Son of Fu Manchu discovering his villainous heritage, and setting out to oppose his father. This copy of Shang-Chi’s debut has unbroken cover colour, tight staples, and only minor spine and edge wear, with light traces of ‘ballast ink’ at upper and lower edges and lower spine. Shang-Chi is now in line for a big screen debut – Marvel doubtless hoping to repeat the ‘outsider’ successes of Black Panther and Captain Marvel – so this debut will only increase in price. Never distributed in the UK, and therefore doubly sought after, on these shores, this VG/FN copy is on sale at £160. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Following his debut in Fantastic Four #48, Norrin Radd, Herald of Galactus, gained popularity as a recurring guest star, and his status was confirmed when Marvel launched the Silver Surfer’s own series in the double-sized format in 1968. This premier issue featured, for the first time, John Buscema’s illustrations on the Surfer, a body of work generally acknowledged to be among his finest, and presented also for the first time a 38 page account of the Surfer’s origins, plus, in the back, a 13 page tale of the Watcher, detailing the reasons behind the Watcher’s oath of non-interference. The first run of the Surfer’s solo series has achieved cult status, with the first seven double-sized issues in particular being keenly sought out. Uncommon in any grade, this latest copy of Surfer #1 is evidently from the top of a ‘bundle’, bearing stress marks at the edges where the copies were tied together. There are multiple fine cover creases, and a marked indentation at the right edge centre. Nevertheless, interior pages are fine, and the central cover image unimpaired. GD- p £120. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: From 1968, a gamma-infused milestone, with the first issue of the Hulk’s own series, eccentrically numbered #102, as he assumed the numbering of Tales to Astonish, the split book which had been his home for several years. This was Brucie’s big break, his comeback vehicle after his early 60s 6 issue flop, and the start of the long-running series most associated with him. Mirthful Marie Severin illustrated not only a recap of Bruce Banner’s irradiated origin, but also a new story thread with Jade-Jaws frolicking with some of Thor’s Asgardian chums, including the Warriors Three! (Bonus points for the appearance of guest villainess the Enchantress, obviously) This copy is clean, tight at staples, good cover colour and gloss, but moderate to noticeable wear at the upper cover edge. This debut issue of Bruce Banner’s solo show is a pence copy, VG £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: One of the more ground-breaking issues of the 1970s was Iron Man #128, in which creators David Michelinie and John Romita Jr. played out the plot they’d been building up for months: the dark underside of Tony Stark’s insouciant playboy façade, as his struggle with alcoholism was revealed. This was presented as an ongoing illness, rather than being wrapped up neatly by the issue’s end, and in fact even the current Tony Stark is still influenced by his addiction. Although the story caused controversy and outrage at the time of its release, over time it has received acclaim and respect as the first serious presentation of the subject in a mainstream comic. This copy of the ground-breaking issue is VG/FN, cents, with light to moderate spine wear, on sale at £30. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Lars of Mars’ unique selling point was positively postmodern: the greatest hero of Mars, he came to Earth to prevent nuclear war, and while fighting crime as ‘Lars of Mars’, he operated under the secret identity of… an Earth actor who played ‘Lars of Mars’ on a popular TV series! My, how very metatextual! With art by the superlative Murphy Anderson, these stories are huge fun, as Lars tries to disabuse his co-worker at the TV station, Lois – er, June – from her conviction that the TV Lars and the heroic Lars are one and the same. Similarities between this and the Silver Age Superman are doubtless not coincidental, as Supes’ co-creator Jerry Siegel is believed to have scripted the series. Backed up by tales of ‘Ken Brady, Rocket Pilot’ drawn by a fledgling Gene Colan, and featuring gorgeous painted covers by Allen Anderson, these are a delight. For all their charm, however, Lars’ adventures didn’t catch a wider audience, and these two issues (inexplicably numbered #10 and #11) are all that there was. Issue #10, first in the series, is GD+, light vertical cover creasing, at £100; #11, with some spine repairs in the staple area, is also GD+ £100.

*Tarzan/E R Burroughs: A chunky update to comics based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs from both sides of the pond this week. From the US, all three of the Gold Key issues of John Carter Of Mars, plus an update to the Marvel series of the same name, Gold Key and DC Koraks (son of Tarzan) and, the man himself, Tarzan from Gold Key, DC (inc Tarzan Family) and Marvel (inc first and final issues of the Marvel series). From the UK, dozens of issues from Top Sellers: Korak, Tarzan Fortnightly from 1971 (inc #2 with Free Gift Leopard Mask),  and the Giant Quarterly Tarzan Special Superadventure.

*Marvel UK: This week we begin a new event celebrating Captain Britain. In 1976, Marvel UK’s attempt to broaden their readership by generating a new British hero; Captain Britain was the subject of much controversy, not least because he was created by two Americans (Chris Claremont & Herb Trimpe) whose interpretation of the UK’s manners and mores made the Austin Powers films look like documentaries. Despite this, the character became a respected figure in later iterations – and rumours of a media adaptation persist – so these early issues are now attracting keen collector attention. Issue #1, debuts of Captain Britain, Merlin and Roma, is FN+ with Free Gift Captain Britain mask in FN. at £50; issue #2 is VF with Free Gift – Captain Britain Boomerang (?) in VG (both ‘bars’ punched out of the supporting card, but never assembled) on sale at £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: The long-running sports-related anthology, Tiger, is restocked this week with more than 120 issues ranging from 1968’s New Year issue (28/12) to the 4th December 1976. For most of this run, the series alternated a handful of popular strips on its front cover; ‘Roy of the Rovers’ took the lead, of course, backed up by racing star and Hurricane-import ‘Skid Solo’, and First American wrestling champ ‘Johnny Cougar’. When Scorcher merged with Tiger, ‘Billy’s Boots’ was added to make it a four-way cover rotation, with ‘Martin’s Marvelous Mini’ (car, not skirt!) replacing Roy on the rota when the latter got his own solo weekly. This run includes the first ‘Tiger & Jet’ merger (5/4/69), and the 15/5/76 edition, wherein Roy of the Rovers finally marries his long-suffering sweetheart!

*Girls’ Comics: A pair of Free Gift issues from both sides of the UK comics’ ‘Big Two’; from IPC/Fleetway, Pixie #1, the 1972-launched girl’s weekly which ran 30 issues and ended its days as the last ‘mergee’ with the venerable June. Printed on better quality paper than most of its contemporaries, and with more colour pages, the star strips mostly featured famous characters from literature, including Black Beauty, The Naughtiest Girl In the School, Marion of Sherwood and Secret Garden. This copy of Pixie #1 comes with the Free Gift of a Doll’s Vanity Set, still mounted on its plastic frame and sealed in the original glued-in envelope (within comic). Comic is FN, Free Gift VF, on sale together for £50. From D.C. Thomson comes Debbie #33, home of, among others, ‘Marsalla of the Mists’, ‘Million-Pound Mutt’, ‘Nobody Loves Nancy’ and the long-running ‘Lisa – Lonely Ballerina’. This copy comes with its gift of ‘4 Pop Star Transfers’, iron-on images bearing (if you squint a bit) some vague resemblance to pop icons of the day. In our experience, transfers are more ephemeral and rarer than other gifts, so we have priced the comic (FN) and gift (VF) combo at £50.

On a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire stock to delete sold items and keep our listing as up to date as possible. We’ve just finished deleting sold items from the following files in our American section:
*Marvel A – C
and in our American/British section:
*Tarzan/E R Burroughs
*Phantom
and in our British section:
*TV & Film Related Comics
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*DC: In Batman #232, creators Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams brought us one of Batman’s most significant villains: Ra’s al Ghul, a.k.a. the Head of the Demon, leader of the League of Assassins and father of Talia, the only woman who ever posed Catwoman a serious threat for the Caped Crusader’s affections. Both Talia and the League had made a couple of appearances before this, but this was the first time the readers saw the mysterious head of the League, and this issue kick-started an epic saga that continues to unravel to this very day, as well as opening the way for Ra’s appearances in the DC TV Universe and other media crossovers. This landmark issue, with gorgeous Neal Adams artwork throughout, is a GD+ cents copy, no pence price or overstamp; there is slight wear at the upper and lower right cover corners, but overall a very well-presenting copy, on sale at £125.

*DC: Well, technically they returned, along with other Justice Society members, in Justice League of America #21, but this was the first time since the Golden Age that readers had had a chance to see these heroes as more than faces in a super-crowd, and with the talents of scripter Gardner Fox, illustrator Murphy Anderson, the villainous Solomon Grundy and guest-hero Green Lantern (Alan Scott), this was a truly epic battle, as the supernatural Doctor Fate and the super-scientist Hourman joined forces against an eldritch menace which threatened to overwhelm them both! This FN+ p copy, with deep, unfaded cover colour and remarkable interior page quality, can be yours for £140.

*DC: Launched as an historical adventure title, the Brave & The Bold slowly transformed into a ‘try-out’ book a la its companion Showcase, then changed still further at the height of Batmania into a series co-starring Batman with a myriad of other stars from DC. This new influx of 26 copies opens with one of the last try-outs – numbers #57 & #58, the debut and second appearance of Metamorpho the Element Man, segueing neatly into a Batman/Metamorpho team-up in #68, then taking us on a merry ride through the DCU, as Batman meets with, and occasionally battles, the likes of Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman, the Metal Men, Teen Titans, Wonder Woman and scores more. This is a very attractive collection, averaging Fine or better, with many VFs and some still higher grades. This run also includes several of the issues illustrated by legendary artist Neal Adams – and yet our heart belongs to #91, a profoundly stupid story co-starring the Black Canary, but gorgeously drawn by the incomparable Nick Cardy and with a stunning cover! This selection wraps up with two sparkling NM 100-Page issues from the 1970s, #115 and 116, each NM £75 (pictured.) For details on all the rest, please see our catalogue listings.

*Marvel: When the misjudged appeal of the Human Torch’s solo strip in Strange Tales started to falter, the series needed a new star to come along, and fortunately Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, already the creators of hugely popular twist-ending tales in a plethora of Big Panty Monster comics, turned their talents to an eldritch hero, and Doctor Strange was born! Unheralded on the cover – honestly, is anyone really bothered if Paste-Pot Pete’s Invincible Paste-Gun does finish the Torch off? – the stylish back-up story introduced the Sorceror Supreme to the Marvel Universe, commencing a lengthy career which has crossed over into the blockbuster film starring Bandersnatch Chamberpot. Now that the good Doctor is a multi-media phenom, his earliest appearances are spiralling up in price – but if you’re going to get one, this is the one to get! This copy is GD+, cents with no pence stamp or overprint. Sound and tight, firm, staples, the only drawback preventing a higher grade is the fact that a large number ‘6’ has been drawn on the cover centre, and a smaller ‘x’ in the upper left cover corner. At some point an attempt has been made to erase these, we suspect, with the result that they are fainter than might be expected – but the erasure attempt has not damaged the underlying cover colour. If not for that, this copy would be firmly in the FN zone. Dr. Strange’s debut, on sale at £700. Front and back cover and splash images are shown below; high resolution images are available on request.

*Marvel: Following his 1976 return to Marvel, the legendary Jack Kirby was anxious not to get trapped in the cycle of just illustrating super-heroes again, and one of his conditions was that he would be allowed to write and draw his own concepts. How much of the Eternals concept was his is, politely, open to debate; heavily ‘influenced’ (ahem, ahem) by the popular Erich Von Daniken paperbacks, which postulated that mankind’s ancient ‘Gods’ were alien visitors, Kirby’s Eternals portrayed the return of ancient immortal extraterrestrials, and the cataclysmic repercussions for humanity. Originally intended to stand apart from the Marvel Universe, it was shoehorned in at editorial insistence, which resulted in Kirby eventually abandoning the strip mid-narrative. Because of this dissonance, the Eternals have been comparatively overlooked by all but the most diehard Kirby Kollectors, but with the confirmation of an Eternals movie starring Richard Madden (Game of Thrones, The Bodyguard) as Ikaris, prices are spiralling. We have a virtually complete run of Eternals, lacking only the final two of the 19-issue series, but including the one and only Annual, averaging VF with many better. Issue #1 is VF p £100; 2 VF/NM p £65; 3 VF+ p (1st Sersi) £50; 5 VF+ p (1st Zuras, Thena, Makkari, Domo) £50; prices and grades on all the others may be seen in our online catalogue. SORRY, #1 NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Marvel’s first published mini-series, issued in 1982, Contest of Champions came about almost by accident. Originally intended as a Marvel Treasury Special to tie-in with the 1980 Olympics, the project crashed & burned when the USA pulled out of said event, and the prepared pages, after a time in limbo, were re-edited into this three-parter, in which virtually every Marvel super-hero (and several brand-new international ones created for the Olympic tie-in) are drafted by the Grandmaster in a contest with Death to win back the life of the deceased Collector. Split into teams, the heroes are used as pawns to gain artefacts and therefore win points to determine which cosmic entity wins their goal. By Mark Gruenwald, John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton, the unexpected success of this unplanned mini-series paved the way for more premeditated events, beginning, of course, with Marvel’s Secret Wars in 1984. This complete three-issue series averages VF, pence copies, and is on sale as a set for £35.

*Marvel: A stirring sextet of premier issues, in mostly affordable mid-grades. Hank Pym’s former assistant gets his own super-gig as Black Goliath, legendary pulp hero Doc Savage returns to comics, Howard the Duck meets the lovely Bev Switzler and the equally lovely Spider-Man, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner share a magazine for the first time, Robert E. Howard’s Kull the Conqueror gains his own title, and Marvel Chillers #1 brings us the debut of Modred the Mystic. Black Goliath #1 VG p £20; Doc Savage #1 VF £29; Howard the Duck #1 GD- £5; Iron man and Sub-Mariner #1 is GD+ p £30; Kull #1 VG £12 and Marvel Chillers #1 FN p £7.50.

*Marvel: Inspired no doubt by DC’s Imaginary Stories of the 1960s, in 1977 Marvel came up with the What If concept, which had fun with the what-might-have-beens of the Marvel Universe. Highly popular with fans, who loved this sort of done-in-one stories previously only the speculations of fandom, the What If franchise lasted 47 issues of the first series, spawned a highly successful sequel series and still continues with a range of one-shots periodically to this day. We have over half the run of the first series fresh in, including #31 (VF p £29 – What If Wolverine Had Killed The Hulk?). Our personal favourite from this selection is #11 (What If The Original Marvel Bullpen Had Become the Fantastic Four?), which has to be seen to be believed.  

*Marvel: Maybe it was their affirmed status as a non-team, but for us, the Defenders never gelled well as a title or team. Marvel put together their characters who weren’t already in a team (Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange and Silver Surfer), and although perhaps they were too powerful or similar to blend well, this imbalance seemed to plague the title long after most of them were gone, despite the intriguing quirkiness of many storylines and scenarios. Our new selection, ranging between #2 and #43, plus Giant-Size #1 & #2, includes the debut of Barbara Norris as Valkyrie (in #4), the first appearances of Starhawk in #27 & #28, and guest stars galore from the Marvel Universe. Avengers they’re not, but always a popular choice for Bronze Age enthusiasts.

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: A pair of Golden Age Number Ones which demonstrate why Dr. Wertham and his colleagues had an aneurysm over crime comics. 1948’s Famous Crimes #1, from the notorious publisher Victor Fox, was heavy on the violence, gore and cleavage, with Fox’s low-rent super-hero, the Blue Beetle, disconcertingly popping his head into the odd panel to narrate events. Allegedly ‘from police files’, that claim to verisimilitude should be taken with a huge pinch of salt. Avon’s Gangsters and Gun Molls #1, from 1951, focused more on the biographical aspect, with allegedly true life stories of notorious crime figures – though not using any tenuous connection to history as an excuse to downplay the gunplay! Both titles, however, presented an admirably liberated attitude for the day, with the ladies getting in as many blows and bullets as their male counterparts. Brava, girls! Famous Crimes #1 is GD, very light peripheral cover creasing not affecting cover image, at £125. Gangsters and Gun Molls #1 is a lovely FN, light spine wear and a pencilled arrival date on logo, but sound and tight with bold cover colour. On sale at £185. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*War: A cross-company update taking a many-faceted look at war. From DC, we have the final issue of the long-running G.I. Combat, which breathed its last in 1987 with #288 after four decades on the battlefield; Our Army At War #164, an 80 Page Giant starring not only Sgt. Rock, but also ‘Six Battle Stars’  and Weird War Tales #110, in which our grotesque guardians, the Creature Commandos, finally stop being an all-boys’ club. Marvel, meanwhile, brings us the Jack Kirby drawn Sgt. Fury #11 (with Howling Commandos in tow, natch), and two dollops of the 1970s title War Is Hell:  #1, VF+ £19, with predominantly 1950s-era reprints and the Big One – issue #9, featuring all-new material and introducing the character of Death, as an anthropomorphic entity, to the Marvel Universe. Later better known as the unrequited love of Thanos the Mad Titan in an interminable sequence of Infinity This N’ That, this issue is where the bony gal got her start. War Is Hell #9 is VF/NM at £120; details of the rest, as always, in our online catalogue. SORRY, WAR IS HELL #9 HAS NOW SOLD

*Flash Gordon: Although the character of Flash Gordon pre-dated the Atomic Age, he is an ever-present figure in comics and in many ways typifies the sort of  space-faring hero we’re talking about in our Atomic Sci-Fi event. While he got his start as a newspaper comic strip, Flash Gordon is one of the characters who has transcended multiple media and numerous publishers to generate a multi-faceted legend. New US and UK stock of the adventures of Planet Mongo’s famous champion, commencing with several issues from the Dell ‘try-out’ book, Four Colour Comics, from 1943’s issue #84 to 1952’s #424. We then move on to Dell’s Flash Gordon series ‘proper’, #2, then the 1960s series from King Comics, opening with #1, and continuing the same numbering system through its Charlton series, also restocked. In 1995, Marvel comics surprised the readership with a two-issue ‘micro-series’, illustrated by the legendary Al Williamson, who proved that his artistic powers were undiminished in this truly lovely work, which is one of the better-kept comics secrets of the last years of the 20th Century. We close this update with 1973’s Street Comix #2, an early ‘indie’ publisher reprinting vintage Flash newspaper strips, and new additions to the UK’s World Distributors Flash Gordon series. Pictured; Four Colour #84 VG+ £95, FC #190 GD/VG £40, FC #424 FN £36 and Flash Gordon #2 (Dell) FN+ £36. All others may of course be found in our online listings.