*Marvel: In 1975, Roy Thomas’ lifelong love affair with all things Golden Age paid off, as he got to reunite the 1940s iterations of Captain America, the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch in a series of ‘untold tales’ set in World War II. Intended to be an ongoing double-sized title, Giant-Size Invaders #1 proved to be a one-shot owing to Marvel editorial retrenchment, but relaunched as an ongoing series later in the year, running 40+ issues, and being generally accepted as the retconned foundation of the Marvel Universe. This premier team-up of Timely’s ‘Big Three’ (plus their sidekicks, Bucky and Toro) is an outstanding VF+ with squarebound spine virtually unmarred. Never distributed in the UK, it is of course a cents copy. On sale at £50.  SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Following his return from Limbo as part of the dynamic Defenders, a solo series for Stephen Strange was inevitably on the (tarot) cards, and Marvel duly obliged with Marvel Premiere #3, Stan Lee himself returned from semi-retirement to write the book length story, superbly illustrated by Barry Smith, re-establishing Strange as the Sorceror Supreme, and triggering a revival which has never seen the good Doctor out of print for long since! This copy of Marvel Premiere #3 is an attractive VF+, firm staples, unbroken cover colour, glossy with tight corners, and only very slight wear on the upper edge stopping us from grading it higher. On sale at £55. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: A much needed run of Strange Tales new in between #118 & #130, the first half of each issue with a Human Torch (later with the Thing) story and the second half with some of Dr Strange’s earliest adventures chronicled by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko. Highlights include Iceman guest-starring in #120, 1st Beetle (super-villain) plus Loki and Thor in #123, Sub-Mariner in #125, Quicksilver & the Scarlet Witch in #128, and the Torch & the Thing meeting the Beatles (pop combo) in #130. Nice mid-grade copies of a lovely run of this title.

*Marvel: Another canter through the Marvel Silver & Bronze Ages, this time including the following titles: Amazing Adventures (with Inhumans, the Black Widow and the Beast), Astonishing Tales (with Ka-Zar, inc. 2nd Man-Thing in #12), Conan (Barry Smith art and 1st John Buscema art in #25), Marvel Super-Heroes, Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, Not Brand Echh, Punisher, Rom (inc #75, final issue), Silver Surfer (1st and 3rd series), Son Of Satan, Star Wars (inc 1st Annual), Strange Tales (inc #188, final issue), Sub-Mariner (#24, 1st Stingray) and Tales To Astonish #52 (1st villainous Black Knight).   

*Alan Class Reprints: We continue to list the final haul of Alan Class Printing Plate sets featuring classic Marvel comics. A significant latecomer to the Silver Marvel Age, the Vision premiered in Avengers #57 as a villainous pawn of 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. Based on a Simon & Kirby character from the 1940s, the ‘new’ Vision of the Silver Age captured the hearts and minds of readers worldwide. In Uncanny Tales #64, the Vision’s first appearance was re-presented, in what we believe to be the first reprinting of this classic debut. The pre-decimal comic is present, as are the three lead plates used in the original printing process (We actually believe there to have been only three colour plates, black, yellow and red, used in producing this issue rather than the usual four owing to the cover’s limited colour palette.) The package comes with a signed certificate of authenticity from Alan Class himself. The comic is GD, with light to moderate spine and edge wear, but an unimpeded central cover scene. The plates are equivalent to FN. This unique set, comic, three printing plates, and Certificate of Authenticity signed by publisher Alan Class, is priced at £60. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: In addition to the hugely successful extra-length Summer/Holiday Specials for their respective weeklies, the two titans of IPC/Fleetway, Lion and Valiant, released three joint ‘Special Extras’ between 1968 and 1970. Identical in format to the regular Summer/Holiday Specials, these Special Extras shared the billing between the stars of the two popular series – ‘Captain Hurricane’, ‘Kelly’s Eye, ‘House of Dolmann” and others from Valiant, ‘Robot Archie’, ‘Spellbinder’ and ‘Zip Nolan’, plus more, from Lion. Almost never seen for sale – we ourselves have only previously in recent times had the 1969 issue in stock – we are delighted to have all three available. Both the 1968 and 1969 Lion and Valiant Special Extras are a remarkable FN/VF at £100 each; the 1970 issue is VG (minor wear at corners) £75. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Girls’ Comics: Lasting a mere 20 issues in 1975, Lindy is one of the ‘ghost’ titles of IPC/Fleetway’s girls’ line, mostly remembered for being the latter half of ‘Jinty & Lindy’, an amalgam that ran almost as long as ‘June & School Friend’. Printed on slightly better quality paper, any copies of this short-lived series are uncommon (the double-page centrefold full-colour pop pin-ups mean that any you do find are usually ‘gutted’), but we’ve been lucky to obtain five issues, including #1 & #3 with free gifts! The #1, introducing ‘Jean’s Jeannie’, ‘Nina – A Slave To Sewing!’, and distaff ‘Chalky’, ‘Penny Crayon’ among others, is FN with the Free Gift – Love Heart Bracelet – still untouched in its original envelope, VF. Issue #3 is VG, with minor corner and edge wear, but has its Free Gift ‘Cards of Fortune’ untouched and unpunched from their backing card, VF. Issue #1 FN with Free Gift VF is on sale at £100; issue #3 VG with Free Gift VF is £75. The others are cheaper, as you’ll no doubt see from our catalogue lists.

One of our regular visitors pops in to cast an eye over one of our new additions…

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 D – L
and in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics F – T
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: Not Thirty, but three books by William Tenn, an unfairly overlooked author. These are all collections of his short stories, including one where a man unwittingly sells the whole of Earth to an alien, another where a 20th century man gets a Bild-A-Man set, yet another where the idealistic Venusians are taught about Terran culture by humans who make Sir Les Patterson seem civilised (all in The Seven Sexes) and one  where Earth is ‘liberated’ from aliens  so many times that not much is left to liberate (Of All Possible Worlds). The final book, Time In Advance, consists of four longer stories, all fizzing with ideas and energy.

Due to maintenance work in our basement on Wednesday 24th July, we regret that there will no public access to our more modern American stock, the vast majority of our British stock and other categories on display in our basement area on that date. We should be back to normal by lunchtime on Thursday 25th July. If you’re planning a visit to our shop, please take this into account to avoid disappointment; the shop ground floor will be open as usual throughout this period.

*DC: Half a dozen DC Debuts from two decades, beginning with the multiple award-winning Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing #1 introduced biologist Alec Holland, who, in a series of unfortunate events, became transmuted into the eponymous muck-monster. The Wein/Wrightson Swamp Things are acknowledged as among the finest comics of the era, tense, suspenseful and magnificently illustrated. This copy of Swamp Thing #1 is a respectable GD/VG, cents copy with minimal light wear at upper corner and cover edge, on sale at £50. In 1977, DC introduced their first black solo star, Black Lightning, who defended Metropolis’ Suicide Slum against crimes the high-flying heroes didn’t deign to touch. Now a streaming TV series, Black Lightning is firmly established as a major DC presence, and his first ever appearance is now on sale in FN+, cents copy, £30. The Silver Age revival of Hawkman featured Katar and Shayera Hol, married police officers from planet Thanagar sent to study Earth, resulting in derring-do all over Earth and on other worlds. Hawkman #1 is a pence copy, graded FA, with moderate wear at cover edges & corners, noticeable spine wear, one small diagonal cover tear at right edge (running almost parallel with the background pyramid under our hero’s right knee) but clean decent interiors, on sale at £25. The Metal Men were a surprise hit of the Sixties, the robot heroes’ appeal centring on the their personality quirks – irascible Mercury, humble Tin, lovesick Platinum – manifested, paradoxically, more humanity than the stoic super-heroes! Metal Men #1 is FA/GD p, off top staple but otherwise clean and attractive, at £25. The Joker gained his own short-lived series in 1976, and this copy of Batman’s arch-nemesis’ solo story is GD- p £5. Wrapping it up, we have Secret Origins, the reprint series that, well, does what it says on the tin! Issue #1 led with the heavy-hitters; origins of Superman, Batman and the Flash, as well as Golden Age villain the Gentleman Ghost, VG p £7. SORRY, ALL NOW SOLD EXCEPT HAWKMAN

*Marvel: Despite the many issues of Amazing Spider-Man which have passed through our hands, we’re always chuffed when an early copy by the ‘real’ Spidey artist, Steve Ditko, comes into our possession, and this week’s acquisition is no exception. Having made his debut in Spidey’s second issue, the Vulture returns in issue #7, and despite his physically frail appearance, the pinioned pensioner has survived numerous deaths, remodels and replacements by younger counterparts, and his appearance in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ has enhanced the character’s cinematic popularity. This early Vulture appearance is a GD+ p copy: moderate wear and light creasing at spine, corners and edges, but largely unimpaired cover scene with only a faint historical stain on the background colour, in the vicinity of Spidey’s midriff. Staples still firm at cover and centrefold, interior pages off-white and unmarked. On sale at £150. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: From the early days of Claremont and Cockrum’s hugely successful 70s revival of the X-Men, issues #102, #104, #106 and #107, introducing or reinforcing some of the plot points that would build the legend, with appearances by Black Tom Cassidy, the Juggernaut, the malevolent Magneto, and in 107, the debut of the Imperial Guard, an interplanetary legion (ahem) of super-heroes (ahem ahem) who became a bit of a cult sensation in their own right! These non-distributed early issues are particularly scarce in the UK, and these are lovely mid-high grade copies, all, obviously, cents editions without pence pricing. #102 is FN/VF £65, #104 is FN/VF £50 and #107 FN+ £55.

*Marvel: Thanos, one of Marvel’s most epic villains, got his start in Iron Man #55, then a string of Captain Marvel appearances, all orchestrated by his creator Jim Starlin. People are generally aware that the narrative continued into Avengers Annual #7, but peculiarly, its conclusion, in 1977’s Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, is often overlooked, perhaps because folks don’t associate the down-to-Earth Ben Grimm with highfalutin’ cosmic hi-jinks. Nevertheless, this issue concludes the first epic saga of the mad Titan, Thanos, with the Thing, Spider-Man, the Avengers, Moondragon, Captain Marvel and a cast of thousands, as writer/artist Starlin pulls out all the stops. A glossy, bright & white Near Mint, this issue is on sale at £80.

*Marvel: Bill Foster, a scientist introduced as a supporting character for Hank Pym in Avengers, gained his own set of super-powers when, seeking to recreate the success of Luke Cage, Marvel made him their second solo black super-star, as Black Goliath. Unfortunately, Bill’s middle-class academic background and marital problems didn’t catch the imagination of the readership, and his title fizzled after five issues, with outstanding subplots being wrapped up in the Champions before that series, too, fell into obscurity. The entire series is now available in high grades, VF+ or better. Illustrated is issue #1 (NM £55); details on the others in our catalogue listings. SORRY, #1 NOW SOLD

*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: We don’t promote a lot of comics from the 21st Century here at 30th Century, but one exception is Saga, the epic space opera/fantasy series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. The protagonists are extraterrestrial husband and wife Alana and Marko, soldiers from warring planets, fleeing authorities from both their homeworlds as they struggle to care for their daughter. A mash-up of Star Wars and Game of Thrones with elements of Romeo and Juliet, and – believe it or not – How I Met Your Mother, the series has proved hugely popular. This copy of Saga #1 is a CGC Signature Series, bearing the autographs of writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples, signed on 13th October 2012. Graded 9.8 (NM/M), it is on sale for £400.

*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: Timely/Atlas’ Miss America Magazine wasn’t named after the beauty pageant, but after Miss America, the premier super-heroine of Timely Comics, created by Otto Binder, who made her debut in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 in 1943, and proved so popular that she was awarded her own title a year later. With the second issue, however, the editors decided to alter the concept. From a straight super-hero book, Miss America became a hybrid comic and general girls’ magazine, with features on fashion, beauty, dating, movies, and prose fiction in addition to the comic strips. More significantly, from our perspective, a new feature was introduced. Patsy Walker, created by Stuart Little and artist Ruth Atkinson, graced the pages of Miss America Magazine #2 for the first of thousands of stories over dozens of titles. We have Patsy’s first two appearances available for purchase.

Miss America Magazine #2, November 1944, features a 14-page story of Miss America versus super-villain ‘The Shocker’, and a photo-cover of a model dressed in the super-heroine’s iconic costume, the first ‘super-hero cosplay’ cover we’re aware of. Patsy’s 7-page debut is the only other comic-strip content in this 68 page issue. As previously noted, Ruth Atkinson drew Patsy, while Miss America’s adventures by this time were illustrated by Pauline Loth, a former animator, in a delightful lively style. This copy of Miss America #2 is Apparent VG/FN: there is slight foxing on the white cover background, but the interior pages are cream-coloured and flexible, no trace of brittleness and browning, the staples firm at cover and centrefold; the top staple is loose at the front cover only. The reason for the ‘Apparent’ designation is that pages 39-40 have had a large corner, approximately 25% of the page, ripped out. This does NOT affect the comics, but impacts upon two text features, a fashion page and a story on baby-sitting. Otherwise this is an extraordinary grade for its vintage. #2 App. VG/FN, on sale at £1,750. Images of front and back cover, splash page and Patsy splash page are shown to the left above; high resolution images are available on request.

Miss America Magazine #3, December 1944, is a ‘girl power’ special! In addition to all the text features carrying female bylines, Ruth Atkinson illustrates Patsy’s second story, the striking painted cover is by Louise Alston, and Pauline Loth illustrates not one, but two Miss America tales, as our teenage heroine takes on the villainous King Cobra and ‘The Mystery of the Ring!’ This is an unabashed Fine, with only very minor wear at the extreme outer edge. Cover colours are bright and vivid, interior page quality excellent, staples firm and tight corners. On sale at £900. Images of front and back covers, splash page, Miss America splashes and Patsy spalsh are shown to the left and below; once again, high resolution images are available on request.

These issues carry not only the cachet of Patsy’s earliest appearances, of a character still active in the Marvel Comics and Media Universes today, but also of being Golden Age Timely super-hero issues – Miss America herself has appeared many times in the current Marvel Universe in flashbacks and retro series, so both characters have strong ties to the current continuity. We anticipate keen interest in these lovely items, so don’t hesitate!

*Power Comics: Although IPC’s re-invention of the popular Smash! is dismissed by many as an ersatz Valiant – and it’s true it shrank to the standard size and format of a regular IPC/Fleetway weekly – there was a lot more to it than that, and two strips originated during this period, ‘Cursitor Doom’ and ‘Janus Stark’, who went on to lengthy careers and engraved themselves in the hearts of a generation of comics readers. Other popular series from this run were the super-hero ‘Tri-Man’, challenger of the unknown ‘Simon Test’, and ‘Birdman of Baratoga’, another entry in the well-worn ‘feral child raised by random critters’ sub-genre. Plus, favourite comedy strips ‘Bad Penny’ and ‘The Swots and the Blots’ continued over from the old iteration to provide fresh mayhem and laughter! We have thirty copies added to our Smash selection this week, averaging VG-FN, from 1969 through to its final year of 1971.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: A small but shiny selection of Air Ace Picture Library, very nice grades, averaging FN and with a handful of VF, around twenty of the second hundred of the well-remembered aviation adventure series. Lots more to come – keep watching the skies!

*Girls’ Comics: The venerable Valentine weekly, having trod the same path since its 1957 launch, decided to freshen its image in 1969. Gone were the cover-featured romance strips ‘inspired’ by pop hits, the faux-celebrity endorsement mugshots, and the familiar blue & white livery; suddenly, it was soft-focus cover photos of girls or couples, a huge influx of problem pages and fashion & make-up features, and the pop emphasis shifted from strip stories to articles and pin-ups – but the romance strips were still there, albeit in a trendier style. More than 40 issues of Valentine from 1970 to 1974 this week, featuring an ever-changing array of media obsessions, from Robert Powell, Star Trek and Herman’s Hermits, through Bowie, Bolan and Slade, and culminating in David Cassidy, Michael Jackson, and far too many Osmonds. Depicted is the Free Gift issue from 27th April 1974, in extraordinary VF with the free gift – 2 Pretty Hairslides – also in VF and ready to wear! Comic and gift yours for £20 – details on all other issues in our online catalogue!

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
*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics
and in our British section:
*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics  A – E
As of the time of writing, these categories are bang up to date, with every item listed available.

*Collected Editions: We welcome back volume 1 of The Thirteenth Floor, revolving around a housing estate called Maxwell Towers, and the AI who runs it, a computer named Max, who’s very good to his tenants… unless they start behaving badly, in which case Max’s punishments for delinquency beat the heck out of ASBOs! This slender concept proved hugely popular with the readers of Scream! and Eagle Mk. II. The creative team of John Wagner, Alan Grant and Jose Ortiz (with occasional guests) provide ironic twist-ending comeuppances a’plenty for various malfeasants. Until recently out of print, this paperback collection is now back in stock, brand new at £15.

*DC: One of the stories which redefined the concepts of comics narrative and superheroic iconography in the 1980s, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen has been constantly in print since its 1986 debut, with myriad editions, collections and archives, but this is the original premier issue of the series which set comics fandom and the industry alight. Often imitated – frequently to the detriment of the medium – but never equalled. This first issue is Near Mint: sharp edges & corners, tight staples at cover and centrefold, and, owing to the more expensive paper stock used in its production, bright white interiors with vivid unfaded colour. Watchmen #1 NM £80.

*DC: Yes, this is a bit modern for our usual parameters. And, while we respect the work of Steve Englehart immensely, this reboot of Green Lantern’s series from a solo to a team title, with a selection of Hal’s fellow Corps members – while perfectly competent, it’s not generally regarded as Englehart’s best. But in addition to spotlighting previously-introduced Corps members Katma Tui, Arisia, Salaak, Ch’p and John Stewart, this also introduced Kilowog, who’s gone on to be a popular and long-serving member of the Corps in various iterations, and made his movie debut in the GL feature film many would rather forget. Nevertheless, even that fleeting fame has apparently made Kilowog’s debut a bit of a ‘thing’, so… here we are. Issue #201, first under ‘Green Lantern Corps’ title, first appearance Kilowog, NM cents copy £40. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD