*Marvel: In 1970, Marvel tried something different from their familiar super-heroics; at the urging of writer Roy Thomas, they put out a sword & sorcery title adapting the Robert E. Howard stories of Conan the Barbarian, and, bucking the trend, it was smash hit – thanks in no small part to the illustration of Barry (not-yet-Windsor) Smith, a talented young British artist who gave Cimmeria’s favourite son grace and feral power, filling Conan’s world with mystery, menace and beauty as monsters and maidens competed for our hero’s attentions. Conan’s first series at Marvel ran 275 issues and multitudinous specials and spin-offs, and after a long sojourn over at Dark Horse, he’s back! To celebrate, we release this CBCS slabbed copy, graded 7.5 (VF- equivalent). This late Silver-Age debut is rarer than most – by this time, print runs were dropping from the 1960s heyday – and this is perhaps the second-nicest we’ve seen in our 25-year trading span. CBCS 7.5 on sale at £200. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: In Strange Tales #126, the Torch & Thing team-up still held cover sway, as the ‘hot’ half of the Fantastic Four squared off against the Thinker and the Puppet Master – but let’s be real, the long-term money was always on Doctor Strange, and the Master of the Mystic Arts (capably guided by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko), delivered in abundance this issue, with the first appearances not only of perhaps his greatest nemesis, the deadly Dormammu, but also the mystery woman who would become the love of Strange’s life, Clea. (Who was also Dormammu’s niece. Which would make the atmosphere around the Christmas dinner-table a tad frosty, to say the least.) This copy of the double debut is FN, cents with no UK pricing. There is a very faint shallow diagonal crease on the right side of the cover, from the mid-point to the lower edge, but otherwise the cover colour is unbroken, and unfaded. On sale at £125. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: When the Ant-Man name was unclaimed in the late 1970s, a brainier-than-average sneak-thief, Scott Lang, stole Hank Pym’s old apparatus and became the second bearer of that title! But it’s okay – he did bad things for good reasons, specifically to find a cure for his dying daughter, as was revealed in Marvel Premiere #47 and #48, the two-part tale which (after a non-costumed cameo in Avengers #181) was Scott’s first full appearance. John Byrne and David Michelinie created this different take on the hero, and since then, Scott has had his ups and downs – been in jail a few times, been dead a few more, been a love-slave of the Purple Man (No, really. Google it. Better yet, don’t) – but he’s fought his way back to respectability, and has achieved cinematic stardom in two eponymous movie hits, plus pivotal roles in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. This double-dip debut for our loveable scientist scofflaw consists of a VF+ #47 at £60, and the conclusion in #48 NM will run you a mere £30. Both are cents copies with no UK price overprint.

*Marvel: We’re too good to you Spiderphiles this week as we present our second Spidey update, featuring high grade issues from the above range, in which our hero tangles with the Scorpion, the Rhino, Sabretooth, the Red Skull, Magneto, Boomerang, Venom and Cardiac, to name but a few, and also featuring many guest stars such as the Hulk, Captain America, Silver Sable and others. Includes #345 (NM p £20), the 1st full appearance of Cletus Kasady, the man who would be Carnage. 

*Marvel: Another visit to the Marvel Silver & Bronze ages for the following titles: Amazing Adventures (both Inhumans/Black Widow split book and Killraven), Astonishing Tales (Ka-Zar/Dr. Doom split book), Captain America (inc #111 by that man Steranko again), Captain Marvel and Daredevil (inc #11 by Wally Wood and #50 & #52 by Barry Smith). As always, full details in our catalogue.

*Horror 1940-1959: We conclude our Atlas Explosion Horror category with one of Atlas’ earliest entries into the horror genre, and one of the most enduring; Uncanny Tales ran from 1952 to 1957, with the first 28 issues being unfettered by the Comics Code authority. We have 18 of those 28 Pre-Code editions new in stock, with some of the most disturbing and imaginative covers by Everett, Heath, Maneely and others really pulling out the stops for lurid, attention-getting images. Contributing artists, in addition to the aforementioned trinity of Everett, Maneely and Heath, include Briefer, Crandall, Sekowsky, Drucker, Colan, Powell, Robinson, Romita, and Wildey, among many others. Illustrated here are #1 FA £89, #5 FA/GD £51; #9 GD- £53; #12 VG+ £115; #13 GD+ £75; #19 GD+ £63; #20 GD £50 and #23 GD+ £57. As always, prices on the others – many very affordable ‘reading copies’ – may be found in our online catalogue. Our Horror Mega-Fest has one more trick up its sleeve which we’ll be playing very soon!

*Western: We conclude our Atlas event in the Western category, bringing our entire Atlas Explosion to a satisfying conclusion. Unlike many western heroes of the 1950s, Tex Dawson, the Western Kid was neither an outlaw nor seeking revenge; instead, the squeaky-clean adventurer wandered the Old West with his ‘Savage Stallion’ Whirlwind and ‘Miracle Dog’ Lightning, doing good just because…. well, it was the good thing to do. Sounds a bit dull? Not so. Western Kid’s adventures were lively and charming, and beautifully drawn by a young John Romita towards the start of his career, who was the primary artist on all seventeen issues. Maneely, Everett and Shores contributed cover images – and some very striking ones – but the interior art was virtually all Romita, and well worth seeing. We have a complete run of the series, #1-17, new in stock. Pictured are #1 VG+ £40, #3 VG+ £22 and #8 FN £30. Prices and grades on the rest of the series in our online listings. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed bringing you these Atlas titles over the last nine months, and, although there’s sure to be more Atlas in our future, we doubt we’ll ever see the like of the Atlas Explosion again! 

*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: While more famous for its horror titles, Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella, Warren did in 1965 attempt to diversify with Blazing Combat, a war-themed anthology mag written (almost entirely) by Archie Goodwin, with the same stellar roster of artists – Toth, Wood, Colan, Severin, and cover artist Frank Frazetta – used in the horror line. But while the work was of superb quality, the politics, representing the human cost of war, were at odds with zeitgeist of the times, and in particular the anti-Vietnam story, “Landscape”, in issue #2, ensured that after #3, PXs across America stopped carrying the series, with a record zero copies of #4 ordered by military bases. With that chunk taken out of circulation – and with threats that PXs would stop stocking the rest of Warren’s line in protest against Blazing Combat – Warren cancelled the series with issue #4 in 1966. Generally acknowledged as the finest war comic since the EC days, we have the entire 4-issue run back in stock. Pictured is #1 (FN- p £55); others in our online catalogue.

*Annuals: Continuing our pedigree collection of ‘Immaculate Annuals’, this week, we join the ladies – and the first ladies of the British comics world were Bunty and her younger sister Judy, the backbone of D.C. Thomson’s girls’ weeklies. As with other ‘Immaculate Annuals’ updates, these are uncirculated 1960s and 1970s stock from a newsagent’s inventory, never sold or even displayed, so the only flaws in any of them occur from long-term storage. No prices clipped, no gift dedications, ‘This Book Belongs To’ inscriptions or other interior markings, solid spines, tight corners and generally bright colours. However, the format of Bunty and Judy Annuals – non-slick hardcovers with slick dustjackets – has meant that a very small amount of dustshadow and edge grubbiness, particularly on lower edges, has occurred over the years, meaning that these Annuals – while still superior to the general run of second-hand items – are perhaps not quite as shiny as other entries in this collection. Nevertheless, as remarked, much better than the average, with no interior flaws. We have Bunty from 1965 to 1970 (Missing only ’67), and Judy from 1965 to 1969. Illustrated are Bunty Annual 1970 (VF DJ FN, £13.50) and Judy 1965 (FN DJ FN, £12).

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: The demand for pre-1960 Tiger comics seems to have been very high for ages now — maybe there were less printed than their counterparts, or possibly their large size meant that fewer survived. For whatever reason, they just don’t turn up very often, so when we had a chance to acquire an almost complete year for 1958, we grabbed it, even though these copies (almost all Fair) are in lower grade than we normally find acceptable these days. To clarify, although they all have nice page quality, with just the odd nick or crease here and there, the grade is brought down by very rusty staples, which in most cases have ‘bled’ into the areas around them. Otherwise, most of these would be VG. Still, eminently readable and good gap-fillers in a hard to find title. Your chance to catch up with the cover-featured Roy Of The Rovers, plus Olac the Gladiator, racing driver Jeff Jackson, the Frogmen Spy Hunters and innumerable others. Just a couple of issues missing from the complete year. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Girls’ Comics: Eight issues of Boyfriend, the ‘pop’ular weekly aimed at teenage girls, newly arrived, dating from 1964/65. As well as pop pin-ups and features, Boyfriend had a larger smattering of angst-ridden comic strip and fiction content than many of its ilk, and all past issues that have come through our hands have sold rapidly. We expect these examples, in lovely FN condition, will be no exception.

*Collected Editions: Two classic compilations from Buster for your consideration this week. Following on from the success of its first volume, Rebellion has released a second paperback of the Leopard From Lime Street, collecting the deeds of a…somewhat familiar costumed crusader. Plucky orphan? Check. Radioactive critter inadvertently bestowing strange powers? Check. Ailing aunt? Check. Part-time job as a newspaper photographer? Check. Ah, but this do-gooder – Billy Farmer, variously known as ‘Leopardboy’, ‘Leopardman’, or ‘The Beast’ – is a 13-year old schoolboy who has an abusive uncle as well as an ailing aunt, so that’s obviously completely different from Sp*der-M*n! Whatever the similarities, ‘Leopard’ was a huge hit, running almost ten years, and beating out previous record holder ‘Fishboy’ for the title of Buster’s most enduring adventure series: this second volume carries on in fine style, written by Tom Tully and featuring the artistic talents of Mike Western and Eric Bradbury. Brand new at £15. Also, back in stock: Von Hoffman’s Invsion Vol 1. Admit it – narratively speaking, who doesn’t love a mad scientist? Especially one with a habit of enlarging animals to many times their natural size for nefarious purposes? Well, the readers of the short-lived weekly Jet in 1971 certainly did, as Nazi genius Von Hoffman, following a 25-year imprisonment, sent his super-sized animal accomplices out to wreak vengeful destruction on national monuments, military encampments and… church fetes? Hm. Anyway, even though Jet lasted a scant 22 issues, ‘Von Hoffman’s Invasion’ carried on into the merged Buster & Jet for a much longer stint, with writer Tom Tully and artist Eric Bradbury clearly enjoying coming up with ever more outlandish variations on the ‘unfeasibly embiggened’ theme. This paperback volume is brand new at £13.

*DC: Despite having made only two appearances in the Golden Age before falling into comic-book limbo, the Riddler was one of a handful of foes selected to feature in the 1960s Batman TV show (memorably played by Frank Gorshin), and as a consequence he was brought back into the comics world, beginning with Batman #171, only his third ever appearance! Now prominently featured (played by Cory Michael Smith) in the hugely successful Gotham TV series, Riddler’s stock continues to rise. This edition of his Silver Age return, Batman #171, is a FN+ copy with a pence price overstamp. Clean and pristine interiors, cover scene largely unblemished, but with only the lightest corner blunting and a few small breaks in the spine colour precluding a higher grade. On sale at £300.

*DC: A significant update to our stocks of Wonder Woman – now more popular than ever following the recent mega-success of her solo movie – with issues ranging from the ‘Wonder Family’ years to her non-super-powered ‘Emma Peel’ career, back through her triumphant return to super-powers and the Justice League! We open with #121 – the very first ‘Wonder Family’ issue – and close with #218, in between taking on the Academy of Super-Villains, the Earth-Quaker, Doctor Cyber, the Statue of Liberty, and the assembled forces of male chauvinism! Smash the patriarchy, Di! Pictured are the two sought after issues with covers by noted fantasy artist Jeff Jones, on which our heroine is uncharacteristically restrained, but rest assured she kicks arse and takes names on the inside. #199 is VF+ £60 and #200 VF- £50. For prices and grades on the others, check out our online catalogue.

*DC: Another sweep through the Silver & Bronze Ages of the DCU, this time for titles between S & W, including: Super DC Giant, Super-Friends (from #2 inc origin of Wonder Twins in #14), Supergirl, Superman (inc #423, last issue by Alan Moore plus Annual #11 by Moore & Gibbons), Superman Family, Super-Team Family, Swamp Thing (1st series final issue #24 plus 2nd series #21 new origin by Alan Moore plus Annuals #1-3), Tales Of The Unexpected, Teen Titans, New Teen Titans, Tor (from #1),  Watchmen (#1) & World’s Finest.

*Marvel: They don’t come much hotter these days than Iron Man #55, wherein the cosmic arch-villain Thanos, nemesis of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, made his first appearance, the brainchild of fan favourite writer/artist Jim Starlin. Thanos has of course gone on to plague Marvel’s heroes in comics and movies ever since, but here is where it all started. This landmark issue also features the debuts of Drax the Destroyer, Mentor, Eros (later Starfox of the Avengers) and Kronos. With Avengers: Endgame, in which Thanos is the Big Bad, breaking box-office records in cinemas worldwide, the character’s debut is only going to become more sought after. Our newest copy of Iron Man #55 is FN, cents with no pence pricing, one faint diagonal crease and minor corner and edge wear, but tight staples, good interior page quality and unmarred cover scene. On sale at £425.

*Marvel: Not one, but two premier issues for Marvel’s Master of the Mystic Arts! Following the relaxation of distribution regulations in 1968, Marvel gave Doctor Strange, former star of Strange Tales, his own series, continuing the numbering of Strange Tales, with #169. This opening issue of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme was a book-length retelling of his origins, scripted by Roy Thomas and lavishly illustrated by Dan Adkins, normally regarded only as an inker but here supplying full artwork. After a significant hiatus, Doctor Strange returned to the Marvel Universe with the Defenders, followed by a run as the lead in Marvel Premiere, which proved so successful that his own series was relaunched with a new #1 (back in the days when that sort of thing didn’t happen every other week, you understand). The team of Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, who had done such outstanding work in returning the Doc to form, continued on into the new series. Doctor Strange #169 is VG+ at £70. Doctor Strange #1 is VF+ at £75.

*Marvel: From 1971, the debut of Werewolf By Night in Marvel Spotlight #2. Created by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog, the story of a young man named Jack Russell (no, really) who contracted a lycanthropic curse hit a high note with the readership and spun off into his own series after these three issues. As a bonus, the extra-thick #2, issued during Marvel’s fleeting flirtation with a 25c standard price, has a gorgeous Venus back-up reprint strip drawn by the incomparable Bill Everett. Squarebound issues are notoriously problematic, but this copy is a remarkable VF+, with a tight and firm squarebound spine, deep vivid cover colour, and sharp corners, the only thing preventing a still higher grade being a very faint ink impression over the logo, from when recently-printed copies were occasionally stacked before the ink had quite dried. Only visible under quite close scrutiny, this does not detract from the eye-appeal of this gem. VF+ £200.

*Marvel: In 1976, the House Of Ideas came up with Nova, designed originally to be an ‘everyman’ character like Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but quickly developing into a cosmic ‘soldier’ more akin to DC’s Green Lantern. Luckily, DC’s lawyers didn’t notice the parallels! Although the original run lasted a mere 25 issues, Nova has returned many times to the Marvel Universe, and where he shines is in the protracted cosmic crossovers of which Marvel is so fond. The Nova Corps having been namechecked in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, it can only be a matter of time before the man himself makes an on-screen appearance, and prices are rising, so grab this while you can! A very decent, glossy and flat cents copy of #1 with only very minor wear: VF- £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD

*Marvel: Strange Tales was a comic of great quality in the mid-1960s, with contrasting features, the scientific secret agent spy stuff of SHIELD, starring Nick Fury and the mystic arts of Dr. Strange. Great art adorned both strips, the former with Kirby and then Steranko, the latter with Ditko, then Bill Everett and Marie Severin. We’re delighted to add about a dozen issues fresh in, mostly in superior FN+ grades between #137 & #166, much needed in our inventory.

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Continuing our tour through the comic-book underworld, we have two series from the Crime Craze of the 1950s: Crime Cases, which ran from 1950 to 1952, taking over the numbering of teen title ‘Willie’ (no further comment needed…) one of Atlas’ myriad imitators of Gleason’s Crime Does Not Pay. We have this from its second issue, #25 through to its final, #12 (the series ‘reset’ to conventional numbering from #5). Then we have 1951’s Private Eye, featuring the adventures of intrepid gumshoe Rocky Jorden, from its first issue and a selection of others ’til its final issue #8. Pictured: Crime Cases #26 (3rd issue), VG+ £31 and Private Eye #1 FA/GD £16. Details of the others in our catalogue.

*Vintage Magazine-Sized Comics: More from the diverse world of magazine-sized comics. Marvel brings us the scarce digest-sized 1st series of Haunt of Horror, the Marvel Comics Super Special Adaptation of Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back (with stunning Williamson art), the ground-breaking Marvel Graphic Novel, ‘The Death of Captain Marvel’ by Jim Starlin, and the first Spectacular Spider-Man issue. Warren has top-ups to Creepy, 1984, our sadly depleted Vampirella stock, and the first UK edition (published, as far as we can tell, in tandem with its American edition) of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Skywald only has one addition, but it’s a corker: Hell-Rider #1, with the first appearances of the eponymous cycling super-hero and super-heroic soul sister the Butterfly! And we round out the update with three 1950s rarities: Snafu V2 #1 from Atlas, their second attempt at a Mad magazine imitation, with contributions from the stellar roster of Atlas artists; Terror Illustrated #2 , from EC’s short-lived effort to circumvent the Comics Code by issuing magazine chillers and issue #1 of World-Famous Creatures from 1958, a UK edition of one of the myriad ‘Famous Monsters Of Filmland’ clones. We have no idea whether this is a British edition of a US mag, or a UK original, sorry. Pictured are Marvel Comics Super Special #16 (VF £25), Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (VG/FN £35), Famous Monsters of Filmland #1 (UK, GD/VG £45), Snafu V2 #1 VG+ £24), and Terror Illustrated #2 (FA/GD £25). Details on all others to be found in our online catalogue.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Two early (though not quite the first) Holiday Specials for Scorcher, the soccer-themed weekly, starring ‘Billy’s Boots’, ‘Nipper’, ‘Lags Eleven’, ‘Bobby of the Blues’, ‘Hot-Shot Hamish’ and more: These are both beautiful VF copies, bright, clean, sharp edges, firm staples, and no interior markings of any kind. Scorcher Holiday Special 1971 is VF £25 and the 1972 Special (by which time it had incorporated Score) is also VF £25. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: Beginning in 1963, Judy Picture Library began by collecting serials from its weekly edition, then branched out into new stories starring popular characters including maid-of-all-work ‘Wee Slavey’, gymnast ‘Topsy On Her Toes’, junior secret agent ‘The Girl From D.O.R.S.E.T.’ and space-girl ‘Fabula’. We have in excess of 70 new copies added to our inventory, all but a couple from the first 100 issues (it lasted 375, all the way to 1994), commencing with #1, illustrated here, VG £35.

*DC: Daringly, in 1975, DC awarded the Joker his own title, (in defiance of the Comics Code, which said that villains couldn’t be shown to triumph) and even now, decades later, it remains the Clown Prince Of Crime’s only on-going series. Not that it ‘on-went’ for long, stopping at #9. But what was a Bronze Age curio has now become a much sought-after short series with one of the hottest characters in comics. We have the first and final issues newly in stock; #1, pitting ‘Mr. J.’ against fellow villain Two-Face, is VF+ at £55 and #9, in which he squares off against the captivating Catwoman, is VF+ at £19.25. Both cents copies, with no UK price markings or overstamp. SORRY, THESE HAVE NOW SOLD