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Update Archives For March 2009

29 March 2009

British Update: Air Ace PL, Countdown, TV21, Joe 90, TV Comic, Giggle #1, Buster & Dandy Specials, Bonnie & Little Star (both from #1), Twinkle, Girls' Crystal 1957, 1960s Sally, 1970s Bunty, Debbie, Jinty, June, Sandie, near complete run of Lindy, 1980s Tammy, Bunty Monthly & Summer Special, Schoolgirls' Own Library & much more!

Something for everyone in this week's totally awesome and gigantic British update:

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: There’s a lot of Fokkers around this week – and some of them are Messerschmidts! Air Ace a’plenty this update, with the regular series from between 100 and 300, many pre-decimal issues in affordable low-mid grades, and a selection of the extra-thick Holiday Specials from the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Hundreds more Air Ace in our future – keep watching the skies, and our website!

*TV & Film Related: Substantial new input of Countdown – forget the pooey DC maxi-series of the same name, this is the real deal! From Polystyle Publications, the Countdown weekly featured comic-strip adaptations of the premier science-fiction TV shows of the day – UFO, Dr. Who – and original material of equal quality, such as the 'Countdown' strip. Several new issues added from 1971’s #11 upwards, plus the ultra-rare 1971 Holiday Special! A scan of the Countdown Holiday Special may be seen in our Cover Gallery. Not content with that., we have Joe 90 from 1969 and 1994 series (the latter with a free gift!), TV Century 21 from #53, and TV Comic from 1973 and 1975, in which strange bedfellows the Pink Panther, Tom & Jerry and Roobarb rubbed shoulders with Dr. Who, Tarzan, and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo!

*Humour Comics & Picture Libraries: Game for a Giggle? We have the debut issue of the short-lived Fleetway weekly from 1967, an oddball but interesting collection of predominantly European-sourced comedy. A flop at the time (it barely struggled into 1968 before merging with the voracious Buster), Giggle has subsequently become much desired, and a number one in this high a grade is very seldom seen. Check on the link in our Cover Gallery to see for yourself. We also have a scarce high-grade Buster Holiday Special from 1975, Dandy Summer Specials from 1974 and 1975, School Fun from 1983 & 1984 (I know, I know, School *isn’t* much fun, but tell that to the editors…), and Shiver & Shake from 1973 & 1974.

*Younger Readers’ Comics: It’s a Bonnie vs. Twinkle head-to-head! Twinkle was the diva of the playgroup, first to launch with stories specially for little girls from Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson, but rivals Fleetway/IPC hit back with Bonnie, who matched the ‘star power’ of TV icons Florence & Dougal against Twinkle’s home-grown players Nurse Nancy and Patsy Panda. Slapdown in the sandpit! Who lives? Who dies? You decide! We’ve Twinkle from 1971-1974 added to our stock, and most of the first forty issues of Bonnie from 1974’s #1; both feature occasional neatly-done colouring or puzzle pages, but otherwise are in very decent shape. And if that wasn’t enough – Little Star! From its debut issue in 1972, starring Baby Crockett, Norah’s Ark and the hallucinogenic Goody Gumdrops, (of which more in previous updates), we have eighteen issues new this week, most of which haven’t passed through our hands before. All this, and a token Golden Hour from 1972. Never heard of it? Neither had we, until last week! Learning all the time…

*Girls’ Comics: A flurry of feminine farrago from five fabulous decades this week: a 1957 selection of Girls’ Crystal, with, among others, the debut of Silent-Three wannabes 'The Phantom Circle'; new girl Molly recognises the voices of the hooded guardians of Oldabbey School (that’s why the Silent Three stayed silent, duh!) and basically blackmails her way in! The long-running 'Star the Sheepdog' thwarts crime aplenty around sleepy Fellside Farm (doing rather better at protecting the innocent than the Phantom Circle to be honest…), while historical and foreign travel strips abound. From 1969, Sally is topped up, the Fleetway weekly ‘for the adventurous girl’ starring sci-fi and super-heroines, along with more traditional fare such as 'Farm Boss Fanny' and 'Maisie’s Magic Eye' – but hey; 'Legion of Super Slaves' – what more do you need? In the 1970’s , we go to town with Bunty, Debbie, Jinty, June, Sandie and Lindy, the latter comprising a virtually full set – 19 out of the 20 issues – with 'The BCR’s Woody In Full Colour!' (If you have to ask, you don’t need to know…) and the hallucinogenic 'Sophie’s Secret Squeezy' (a young girl sees visions in the bubbles from a washing-up liquid bottle – no, she doesn’t inhale it first…). The 1980’s bring us the latter days of Tammy, with all the traditional stories of suffering gymnasts – but with writer and artist credits! And we end up in the early days of the 21st century, with the first three issues of the short-lived Bunty Monthly, which took over after the weekly hung up its riding crop, and the 2003 Bunty Summer Special.

*Girls’ Picture Libraries: We commence a lengthy update on the popular Schoolgirls’ Own Library, an all-text digest which featured many series from Girls’ Crystal and School Friend, as well as stories original to the series. Regular features were ‘Trixie’s Diary’, wildlife adventurers ‘Ken & Joyce’, and ‘Kitty and the Co-Eds’ but they were supplemented by oddball one-offs like 'Her Feud With The New Mistress', 'Girl Helper Of The Hooded Four' (a girl joins a boys’ schools’ secret society – is this a ‘Bobby Dazzler’ prototype?), and 'The Threat To Their Swimming Gala.' Ooh, drama! More than a hundred Schoolgirls’ Own are in the queue, so watch future updates for new listings.

Whew! We're off for a bottle of pop and a sticky bun after that lot. We'll leave you to peruse our extensive new listings and good hunting, wot? More soon (but you knew that, didn't you?)

Posted by Rob | 08:53 p.m. GMT | 29 March 2009

American Update: rare 1940s/50s items plus modern sets & Tarot

Our American update this week features both the continuation of our spring sweep through the 1940s and 50s, plus some modern stuff to tickle the discerning palette:

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Two obscure-but-dazzling heroes of the Golden Age join us this week. Columbia Publishing’s the Face - when adventurer Tony Trent discovers a mysterious green mask, he gains extraordinary powers and… hang on, does anybody else think this sounds like an outline for a certain Jim Carrey movie? Backstopped by Boody Rogers’ humorous adventurer ‘Sparky Watts’ (who knocks the much-touted ‘Powerhouse Pepper’ into a cocked hat for originality and charm, in this reviewer’s opinion), the Face, though a long-time back up in Big Shot Comics, lasted only two issues in his own series. This copy of #1 has several defects, but is sound and has greater appeal than a listing of its drawbacks suggests. From Prize, we have the Green Lama #7; no, it’s not a funny-animal comic, but a mystical super-hero superbly illustrated by the legendary Mac Raboy, one of the medium’s acknowledged titans. And there’s more! From Fawcett, Captain Marvel Adventures (with the Worrybird – Awww!), Captain Marvel Junior, and Master Comics; from Fiction House, Fight Comics (an extraordinarily nice condition #70), Jungle Comics, and Sheena; from Atlas, Lorna the Jungle Girl; and from Fox, the ever-bellicose Rulah, Jungle Goddess. Scans of the covers of Captain Marvel Junior #38, Face #1, Fight #70, Green Lama #7, Master #75, Sheena #8 and Zoot #15 may be viewed at our Cover Gallery – click on the link in the catalogue listing and get your ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ ready now.

*Modern Comics Complete Sets: More complete sets this week, for your purchasing comfort and convenience. From 1980’s Eclipse, the series Axel Pressbutton and Laser Eraser and Pressbutton, both starring Mysta Mystralis, femme fatale of the far-flung future, and her cuddly psychotic cyborg chum. DC brings us Identity Crisis, in which revelations surrounding a shocking murder set the Justice League at odds within itself, and from Marvel, we have a brace of What If? one-shot packs, plus Wolverine/Punisher: Revelations (Frank Castle’s brief stint as an Angel of Death; he doesn’t like to talk about it...), the manga-esque Taskmaster series from 2002, Thing: Night Falls on Yancy Street, the entire 22-issue run of Spider-Man’s Tangled Web, (with genuinely innovative story arcs from unexpected creators), and the pulchritudinous Patsy Walker: Hellcat!

*Modern Comics Special Interest: This week, we offer a warm welcome (and the way she dresses, she needs warming…) to Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose. Tarot was created by Jim Balent, whose popular and commercial stint on DC’s Catwoman in the early 90’s attracted criticism for exaggerated feminine anatomy. Many assumed at the time he was just being encouraged to draw that way to bring in readers, but when he left to produce Tarot, guess what? Turns out he’d actually been holding back! The adventures of an extremely pneumatic Goth Witch and her sundry gal-pals, all of whom scamper around in plot-optional tomfoolery while forgetting to get dressed, Tarot has become a cult favourite characterised by small print runs and big endowments. Our new listing runs from the fourth issue to close to the present day, including the controversial ‘fully clothed woman on cover’ shocker of issue #49.

Posted by Rob | 08:38 p.m. GMT | 29 March 2009

22 March 2009

British Update: Girls' Annuals 1960-1980s, Action 1976, Lion Specials, Jag Football Special, vintage Eagle and TV Express, Girl 1958-1959, School Friend 1957-59, Girls' Diary Picture Library and many new Schoolgirls' Picture Libraries!

A really packed update this week, with the emphasis fully on the distaff side of things from the 1950s, but not forgetting all you boys either with a rough and tumble selection of thrills and spills:

*Annuals: Our Girls’ Annual section is updated with new stock from five fabulous decades, from the 30's - Schoolgirls’ Own Bumper Book - through to the 80's with Bunty and Penny. Along the way, we visit Girls’ Crystal from the 50's, two nice-condition early 60's Boyfriend Annuals - with Fashion, Beauty, Astrology, Cliff, Elvis and the Beatles – and the very first Misty Annual from the 70's, to present a plethora of pink'n girly entertainment from several generations.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Action roars back, as the controversial 1970’s weekly is heavily topped-up from its third issue; featuring Jaws-alike 'Hookjaw', 'Death Game 1999', tough detective 'Dredger', tank commander 'Hellman' and more – including a feature 'Twit of the Week', which in hindsight many readers might have nominated as Mrs. Mary Whitehouse, as that crusader-for-decency’s minions heckled Action off the nation’s newsstands in October 1976, to return, considerably diluted, in December the same year. It was an emasculation from which the series never recovered, fizzling to a halt in November 1977. This update, however, features most of the violent, gut-churning issues which gave Mrs. W. an aneurysm – yay! Rather more sedate, but still sought-after, new fare is found in Eagle from 1964, Express Weekly from 1956, and a trio of special issues – two Lion Holiday Specials from 1971 and 1979 respectively, the former still bearing the '& Thunder' subtitle, and the ultra-rare Jag Football Special from 1968! Since Jag only lasted 22 issues as a weekly, it was a bit of a surprise that it had had any specials, but here it is in all it’s baggy-shorted glory!

*Girls’ Comics: We continue with our Girl update of the Odhams distaff-Eagle weekly, with volumes 7 & 8, from the years 1958 and 1959. The only significant change in the features at this time was that plucky nurse 'Susan of St. Bride’s' staged a cover coup and banished madcap schoolgirls 'Wendy & Jinx' to the interiors, but 'Belle of the Ballet School', 'Vicky', and Captain Pugwash-creator John Ryan’s 'Lettice Leefe, The Greenest Girl In The School', continued unabated. Plus, more School Friend! From the years 1957 through to 1959, cover-featuring the exotic 'Rozana, Schoolgirl of Mystery', and 'Romance At Their Alpine School', wherein a brace of schoolgirls help their form mistress find love with a mountain guide in Switzerland (What is it with Switzerland and School Friend – the Silent Three were just there the other month! Were they getting a back-hander from the Alpine Tourist Board?). Other features during this time were 'Jill Crusoe', 'The Gay Young Dancers' (too many punchlines…) 'Janet’s Jungle School', and 'Candy and the Mystery Speed-Boy' (a motorcyclist, rather than a purveyor of pharmaceuticals, lest you were confused.).

Girls’ Picture Libraries: After a fleeting top up to the obscure Girls’ Diary, we move on to a batch of Schoolgirls’ Picture Library additions, starring characters and serials from School Friend and Girls’ Crystal; highlights of the selection include 'A Yank At Hazelford', 'Mystery of Faraway Isle' (featuring Daron the wild boy – what’s he doing here?), 'Jenny And The Spaceman', and 'The Case of the Spy in the Sky', starring Jancy the Girl Sleuth.

Posted by Rob | 12:02 p.m. GMT | 22 March 2009

American Update: Rare Charltons & Harvey, plus 40s/50s 3D comics and CGC copies!

A real mixed bag of obscure treats for you this week in the following categories:

*Charlton: All the Charlton Comics super-stars join us this week, with Captain Atom, Teenage Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm, David Cassidy and Yogi Bear…hang on, isn’t that the next roster for the Justice League? The good Captain is represented by added issues of his own title and the Strange Suspense Stories run from the mid-1960’s that pre-dated his revival, all with exquisite Ditko artwork, and a spiffy Nightshade solo by Aparo in #89. Cult 70’s popster David Cassidy and his Partridge Family are newly listed, as are Hanna-Barbera Yogi Bear and Flintstones spin-offs Dino and Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm – you can’t say that Charlton didn’t try everything it could to get your money!

*Harvey: Our star item this week is 1953’s Adventures In 3-D #1, with the original glasses still attached, and in remarkable condition for its vintage – see the cover scan (click the link in the main catalogue listing) and see for yourself. Less valuable, but quite a bit more bizarre, is Fruitman #1, a special one-off featuring the back-up strip from Bunny; our hero is a corpulent greengrocer who thwarts crimes by changing into fruit. No, really. Look, see for yourself if you don’t believe me! It’s backstopped by Captain Flower and Sooper Hippie, so you can guess what decade it’s from! A 1950’s Joe Palooka takes the newspaper-strip pugilist to the Korean conflict, in the temporarily-retitled 'Joe Palooka’s Battle Tales', while Sad Sack serves the military on the home front, and we close with a round-up of Harvey’s trademark obsessive-compulsives: Little Dot, Little Lotta, Richie Rich (with a plethora of spin-offs), and Wendy the Good Little Witch.

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Four esoteric delights this week: two St. John 3-D comics in exceptionally high grade, both with the original glasses still attached: Little Eva 3-D #1, (a separate series from the regular Little Eva’s school-age hi-jinx), and Whack #1, a Mad-imitator featuring the considerable talents of Joe Kubert and his partner Norman Maurer on strips such as 'Dirty Mouse' and 'Scow Boat Sadie'. These are among the earliest 3-D comics, and scans of both covers may be seen in our Cover Gallery feature. Plus, we have two CGC-slabbed copies of the very rare Stories By Famous Authors Illustrated, adapting classic novels such as (in this case) H. Rider Haggard’s 'She' and Lew Wallace’s 'Ben Hur'. This series was regarded as a sufficient threat by Gilberton, publishers of the more famous Classics Illustrated, that Gilberton bought out the company after the thirteenth issue, but two copies have struggled over to Putney.

Posted by Rob | 11:49 a.m. GMT | 22 March 2009

Cover Gallery Update

We’ve now started a rolling programme of adding many more cover images of our stock to our catalogue. This week, new images can be seen for the following - just click on the link on the appropriate catalogue page(s):
*DC Comics: Adventure Comics (Silver Age)
Our scanning of notable items deals with DC’s 1950’s Adventure Comics, a period which saw the debut of many popular series and supporting characters, such as the Legion of Super-Heroes, Aqualad, the Phantom Zone, the Bizarros, and the Legion of Super-Pets. Many of these first or early appearances feature in much of the stock spotlighted this time, so get to the catalogue pages and give ‘em a click!
Many more to follow on a regular basis.

Posted by Rob | 11:43 a.m. GMT | 22 March 2009

16 March 2009

British Update: Lion & Tiger 1959-61, Girl 1955-57, Girls' Crystal 1955-56

We continue the listing of our recently acquired, mostly nice quality collection of boys' and girls' comics from the 1950s/early 60s this week. Interest in these has been very high, and we could have sold many issues from last week's batch many times over, so you are strongly advised to get in quickly if you're after any of the following:

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Two big cats consume two stellar bodies in this week’s update! And for those of you who, understandably, responded with a resounding “Huh?”, allow me to explain. In 1959, Amalgamated Press/Fleetway cancelled two of its long-running but anomalous titles, Comet and Sun, which were published in the smaller US-style format (originally a paper-rationing dodge), and inserted most of their headliners into two then-struggling larger-sized weeklies, Lion and Tiger. The shamefaced Lion and Tiger didn’t exactly big up the mergers, since most of their respective line-ups hadn’t made the cut - “And Sun” and “And Comet” were added to the logos in the smallest font imaginable and ditched within the year! In Lion, Paddy Payne, Warrior of the Skies, and Billy the Kid were the Sun transfers, joining Robot Archie and Captain Condor, while Tiger gained Comet alumni Jet-Ace Logan, Commando One and Buffalo Bill to run alongside Olac the Gladiator and Roy of the Rovers (the latter strip, the covers claimed, being written by soccer star Bobby Charlton – or at least his publicist – during this period!) 175 new issues from 1959-1961, including the first ‘merger’ issues of both series.

*Girls’ Comics: This week, a significant range of Girl weekly from Vol. 4 (1955) to Vol. 6 (1957). The distaff companion to Eagle, Swift & Robin, Girl, despite its anomalous title (the editors couldn’t think of a bird’s name that suggested ‘female’? Nightingale? Wren? Thrush? (Okay, maybe *not* Thrush…)) enjoyed a substantial run with a remarkably stable line-up. Cover-featured at this time were 'Wendy & Jinx' of Manor School, backed up by plucky student nurse 'Susan of St. Bride’s', 'Belle of the Ballet School' (no prizes for guessing her USP), globetrotting 'Vicky', 'Lettice Leefe, The Greenest Girl In The School', and some rather beautifully-drawn historical strips, a line-up which continued substantially unchanged for several years. Over 100 issues are added to our stock this time, mostly averaging GD/VG grade, though sadly some of the 1956 issues have a coupon cut out affecting text or advertisement pages (though leaving the strips intact); these are listed as such in our catalogue. And to follow up on last week’s splendid School Friend update, her stablemate Girls’ Crystal joins us this week! Like School Friend, Girls’ Crystal was relaunched as a comic in 1953 from a much older story paper, and featured clean-living gels upholding the values of the Empire in all corners of the globe, including 'June and the Jungle Boy', 'Ella & The Mississippi Showboat', native-American chum 'Wildflower of the Rockies', and Happy-Shopper Silent-Three, 'The Hooded Helpers'. This range runs from the tail end of 1955 through 1956, with many more, up to its final year of 1963, ahead.

Posted by Rob | 08:33 a.m. GMT | 16 March 2009

American Update: More 1950s/early 1960s DC titles

We continue our Spring-fest of vintage rarities this week with a further selection of popular titles from DC:

*DC: Well, you’ve got us; we can’t think of a unifying ‘thread’ for this week’s DC update, but it’s a nifty selection nevertheless; Action Comics from #255 (4th Supergirl, and an early Bizarro appearance), the first ‘Suicide Squad’ in Brave & Bold #25, Strange Adventures with Star Hawkins, World’s Finest from #97, and a batch of mystery/adventure/sci-fi titles from the 1950s – House of Mystery, House of Secrets, My Greatest Adventure, and Tales of the Unexpected – with art & occasional covers by Jack Kirby! All this, and 'The Jungle Boy of Jupiter' – what are you waiting for?

Posted by Rob | 08:23 a.m. GMT | 16 March 2009

8 March 2009

British Update: Comet 1956-1959, Countdown, TV Action & TV Comic, plus School Friend 1956!

This week we begin adding stock from a recently acquired original owner collection of boys' and girls' comics from the mid-fifties to early sixties. This collection, numbering towards 1500 issues between 1956-1963, are mostly unread copies and have been carefully stored for decades. Aside from the inevitable rusty staples (which aren't too bad on most copies), they feature remarkable page quality and very few tears or creases. The Comet and School Friend issues described below are the first extracts from this collection, and more wonders from it will be added as fast as we can process them over the coming weeks.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: A significant range of the Amalgamated Press adventure weekly, Comet, from 1956 until its penultimate issue in 1959, the year it was subsumed into Tiger. Having started as an oversized semi-tabloid in 1946, Comet switched to a smaller format reminiscent of the US comic book in 1952, and, minor tinkerings with format aside, continued with a remarkably stable line-up of established draws: Buffalo Bill, Claude Duval the Gay Cavalier, Commando One, space adventurer Jet-Ace Logan (whose late-1950’s tussle with a group of feminists who try to colonize Venus as a planet for women are a highlight of this run!), and, for most of this period, Billy Bunter of Grayfriars. Although this is by no means an unbroken run, there are several uninterrupted consecutive sequences, making it very appealing for those who want to acquire a ‘stream’ of a particular series or artist. More than 120 issues new to our inventory this week.

*TV Related Comics: A trinity of linked titles from the long-lived but little-remembered Polystyle publications. We begin with Countdown, the 1971 weekly which took over from TV21 as the comics home of all things Gerry Anderson, and added Dr. Who and Tarzan into the mix. Several new issues, including mid-high grade #4, #5 & #6. We then proceed to TV Action, the title Countdown morphed into at issue #60 when it started emphasising crime and thrillers (The Persuaders being the new headliner, but Dr. Who and Tarzan still hanging in there…); new issues beginning from #61, the second relaunch issue, included today. And we conclude with TV Action, which is where Dr. Who and Tarzan ended up when TV Action ended. More than a dozen new issues from 1973 and 1974 added.

*Girls’ Comics: We begin a significant listing of School Friend this week, from the end of 1955 through to November of 1956, featuring the cover-saga 'The Masked Ballerina', schoolteacher and résistance fighter 'Mam’selle Marie – Heroine of Fountain School', 'Anita - Beloved Princess', 'Dilly Dreem the Loveable Duffer', 'Gwen & The Gay Highwayman', and many more. This venerable title, which morphed from an identically-named story paper in 1950, lasted until 1965, when it famously joined with June and was co-starred for another eight years. Over 300 issues are waiting to be added to our lists over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on the website for more tales of ballerinas, equestriennes and gymslip-wearing crimebusters!

Posted by Rob | 01:01 p.m. GMT | 8 March 2009

American Update: Gold & Silver Batman - 16 issues from #24, plus Pre-Code Horror from Atlas, Comic Media & Ace

Another choice haul of vintage gems in our exciting Spring line-up this week as follows:

*DC: “Why Bruce – whatever are you doing in that costume, striking those young men?” A question often asked in the 1950’s, but never more pertinently than by 'Bruce Wayne’s Aunt Agatha!', one of the many vintage stories in this week’s Gotham Guardian top-up, with sixteen Golden & early Silver Age issues of Batman new to our stock, commencing with 1944’s #24. Also featured are the classic Dick Sprang story, 'The Joker’s Utility Belt!', 'The Caveman Batman!', 'The Phantom of the Batcave!', and the first three appearances of the Canine Caped Crusader, Ace the Bat-Hound! (Never let it be said that we don’t have our priorities in order…). Scans of the covers of batman #24, #73, #92, #97, #99, #102, #103 and #134 may be seen in our Cover Gallery feature – click on the relevant links in the catalogue section.

*Horror 1940/1959: A quartet of Pre-Code chillers with Beyond #12 from Ace, Horrific #9 from Comic Media, and two Atlas issues; Menace #8, and Strange Tales #16, the latter featuring a remarkably chirpy beheaded chap. With art from Morisi, Heck, Everett, Maneely, Post and Benulis, these tales of terror exert a timeless appeal today. A scan of Horrific #9’s 'Big Head Heck' cover may be seen in our Cover Gallery.

Posted by Rob | 12:46 p.m. GMT | 8 March 2009

Housekeeping Update

As regular visitors to our site will know, on a regular cycle, we sweep through our entire vintage 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 file in our British section:

*Alan Class Reprints

As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date with every item listed available, so you may order with confidence! More soon!

Posted by Rob | 12:38 p.m. GMT | 8 March 2009

Cover Gallery Update

Posted by Rob | 12:37 p.m. GMT | 8 March 2009

1 March 2009

American Update: DC Silver humour with Angel & the Ape & Inferior Five, early Marvel Amazing Adult Fantasy, Fantastic Four, Journey Into Mystery & X-Men, plus more complete Modern Sets and Grimm Fairy Tales

We continue our latest stellar parade of vintage gems from the 40's to the 60's this week, plus add some more contemporary bargains and rarities in for good measure:

*DC: Vintage 1960’s wackiness with Angel & The Ape and the Inferior Five! Both creations of E. Nelson Bridwell, these parody titles didn’t actually forge their sisterly link until the 1990’s, courtesy of Phil Foglio, but they were both very special in their day. The Inferior Five arose from an editorial instruction to do a parody of the Fantastic Four. Bridwell, straining for a different angle, added the fifth member and what would now be called the ‘Legacy Hero’ angle (the Five were the children of 1940’s crusaders the Freedom Brigade, but tragically inherited none of their skills or virtues) to make the simple parody a unique item. Where, on the other hand, he got the inspiration for Angel & The Ape, no-one knows. But when you have a shapely young lass and a smart gorilla as big-city private eyes, how much of an explanation do you need? Aided by the artistic talents of Mike Sekowsky, Bob Oksner, Wally Wood and Win Mortimer, Bridwell lampooned not only DC and the competition’s comics, but also film, tv and literature from many sources for these titles’ short runs.

*Marvel: A prime selection of early Silver Age Marvels, with the definitive Stan Lee/Steve Ditko mystery title Amazing Adult Fantasy, founders of the Marvel Universe the Fantastic Four, Journey into Mystery with Thor, and X-Men, in grades ranging from Fair to Fine. Tremble at the Terror of Tim Boo Baa! Witness the Return of Doctor Doom! Gasp at the debuts of the Enchantress & the Executioner, Molecule Man, Super-Skrull, the mutant-hunting Sentinels, and Unus the Untouchable, all newly stocked for your reading pleasure! Scans of the higher-grade items from this selection, including Amazing Adult Fantasy #9, Fantastic Four #7, #10, #18, and #20, Journey Into Mystery #91 and #96, and X-Men #8 & #14, may be seen in our Cover Gallery – click on the link in the catalogue listing!

*Modern Comics Complete Sets: Electoral shenanigans abound in the roman-a-clef series DC Universe: Decisions, involving the DC heroes making political endorsements during the 2008 ballots. From Marvel, four Spider-Man mini-series; The Lost Years, by DeMatteis and Romita Jr., Lifeline by Steve Rude, Unlimited, from the short-lived TV cartoon, and Spectacular Scarlet Spider, from the despairing depths of the Spider-Clone years. Additionally, we have a complete set of the paperback compilations of the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, all ten volumes of the definitive Who’s Who of the Marvel U.

*Modern Comics Special Interest: Grimm Fairy Tales joins this section, with their modern-day ‘dark’ reinterpretations of the classic stories. (Mostly involving, for some unfathomable reason, a cast mainly comprised of young ladies unencumbered by much in the way of clothing.) Due to their exceedingly small print runs and dual appeal – to horror/fantasy aficionados and Good Girl Art fans alike - these comics are much sought-after. This section also includes spin-off titles such as Return To Wonderland, in which Alice’s daughter visits her mum’s old haunt and discovers things are not as she was always told…

Posted by Rob | 01:50 p.m. GMT | 1 March 2009

British Update: Miller Marvel Tales, nice selection of Annuals, small but choice update to Adventure & War Picture Libraries, Free Gift Farrago in Younger Readers' with Once Upon A Time & Twinkle!

Another bustling update to our British stocks this week in the following categories:

*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material: Two early issues, #2 and #3, of the 1950’s Marvel Tales series published by Miller. These digest-sized 68-page compilations of vintage (though at the time of course it was contemporary) Pre-Code Atlas horror and fantasy material had a quite low print run and very few survive today, so we recommend early ordering to avoid disappointment.

*Annuals: Vintage items added in this week include Beano Annual 1971, Dandy 1965, Look-In 1973, and Marvelman from 1960, as well as new listings for Oor Wullie, Eagle, Marvel UK’s Titans, and 1950’s Girl.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: New additions to popular titles such as Commando (issues under #200), Fleetway Super Library Stupendous Series, with the Steel Claw and the Spider, Super-Detective, Thriller with the Three Musketeers, Pearson’s Western Picture Library, and the Wild West Picture Library Holiday Special.

*Younger Readers’ Comics: A Free Gift Farrago Update! The debut issue of Once Upon A Time, from 1973, with classic stories and fairy-tales sumptuously illustrated by Ron Embleton and other great artists. The comic itself is only fair, but the free gift – a Brer Rabbit hand puppet, complete with original presentation paper bag – is in Fine condition, and still garish after all these years! And that was only the opening act – we also have not one, but four, copies of Twinkle’s 1,000th number from 1987! This landmark issue features not only the debut of Milly Mermaid, and a multi-generational epic on the back cover, but each of the four has a different free gift. You see, this was the time that Twinkle became a publishing magnate and launched her own children’s book imprint, and one sample book – starring Sam the Sheepdog, The Magic Bus, Dandy Lion The Diver, or Bouncy In Trafalgar Square - is attached to each copy!

Posted by Rob | 01:43 p.m. GMT | 1 March 2009

Housekeeping Update

*Vintage UK/Australian Reprints of US Material

As of the time of writing, this category is bang up to date with every item listed available, so you may order with confidence! More soon!

Posted by Rob | 01:37 p.m. GMT | 1 March 2009