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Update Archives For May 2006

28 May 2006

Car Booty Collection - Neal Adams GL/GA & Deadman plus Beast Amazing Adventures

Regular vistors to this page will already have heard of the amazing collection we've acquired via the BBC1 programme Car Booty. The relevant episode will be screened sometime soon (date to be confirmed), but here's your chance to grab some of the wonderful comics from it before the national TV publicity. This time we focus on the work of a master plus an upcoming film star!

*DC: Key runs for Neal Adams aficionados: the ground-breaking run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow in its entirity (#76-89), with some of his finest and most innovative work, and the entire series of Deadman in Strange Adventures (#205-216), which introduced one of the DC Universe's most popular ghostly characters, as well as the malevolent League of Assassins. These milestones in comics' history don't come up too often!

*Marvel: Oh, my stars and garters! The solo adventures of the bombastic Beast, in Amazing Adventures, now back in stock. Largely undistributed in the UK, this achievable short run (#11-17) featured Steve Englehart and Tom Sutton's daring re-imagining of the X-Men's favourite boffin (and re-introduced Patsy Walker to the Marvel Universe - bonus!) and recharged the character's popularity. Now, just in time for his co-starring role in the new X-Men 3 movie, here's Hank McCoy's entire solo series for your delectation!

Posted by Rob | 02:05 p.m. GMT | 28 May 2006

British update - Adventure & War Picture Libraries

*A rich and diverse selection added to our stock in the Boys' Adventure & War Picture Libraries section, including several Fleetway Super Library (Secret Agent and Stupendous Series, starring Barracuda, the Steel Claw and the Spider), Pearson's Air War, Picture Stories of WWII, and Secret Agent, spy-thrills with Top Secret, new Super Detective & Thriller (including several facsimiles of rare early issues), favourites Air Ace, Commando and Wild West, plus several Battler Britton, Air Ace and War extra-thick Holiday Specials.

Posted by Rob | 01:53 p.m. GMT | 28 May 2006

22 May 2006

British Update - Fantastic, Eagle, Lion & Scorcher

Some of our most popular titles updated this week in the following categories:

*Power Comics: from 1967/68, the first organised 'Marvel Invasion', comes a range of Fantastic from #3 up, mostly in FN, with repackaged stories of the Avengers, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, the X-Men and other stalwarts of the House of Ideas! Plus, additions to our stock of Terrific.

*Boys' Adventure & War Comics: Two portions of original Eagle, late and early from Volumes 3, 4 & 5 (1953/54) and Vol 19 (1968), with Dan Dare, Iron Man, the Guinea Pig and co. Plus a pride of Lion from 1963-1965, averaging VG/FN, with Robot Archie, Paddy Payne and chums making the Empire a safer place. And a splendid selection from the first year (1970) of Scorcher, the football-themed weekly which featured soccer stars who were criminals ('Lag's Eleven'), magically possessed ('Billy's Boots'), robots ('Charlie Ironsides'), or raised by marsupials (!) ('Kangaroo Kid'), in a surprising range of variants on a theme. Includes a very nice #1 in FN.

Posted by Rob | 12:42 p.m. GMT | 22 May 2006

Star Collections Update (American) -- Fox All Top, Dagar & Jo-Jo

*Another selection of gems this week from our Star Collections. This time, in Miscellaneous 1940-1959, from the realm of Victor Fox, the most notoriously sleazy and cheesy publisher of the 1940's, comes a plethora of Good Girl Art, Bondage, Women In Peril and other jolly japes, in All Top Comics (with Phantom Lady, Rulah, Jo-Jo & Blue Beetle), Dagar, Deserrt Hawk (and his inappropriately dressed lady friends), and Jo-Jo the Congo King. Despite his dodgy reputation, Fox employed some skilled and stellar artists, including Matt Baker, Jack Kamen and Edmund Goode, and the quality of their work still shines today in these infamous comics.

Posted by Rob | 12:31 p.m. GMT | 22 May 2006

14 May 2006

Star Collections Update (American) - Blue Beetle, Black cat, Fiction House, Atlas Jungle Girls, Parody titles and Horror, EC Shock Suspenstories and a whole lot more!

Yet another dip into the bottomless pit of the truly wonderful collections from premier collectors being marketed through us, with many thousands of rare items coming up for sale. This week, dozens of 1940's and 1950's gems in the following categories:

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: Casting our net wide to bring you a wide range of treasures, this time we offer you items from Fox (Blue Beetle, with good girl art and women in peril), Harvey (superheroine the Black Cat -- just try putting her in peril!), Magazine Enterprises (Dick Powell, Adventurer -- crime thrills with 'The Five Fingers of Satan!'), Fiction House (Fight, Jumbo & Rangers, with gleaming-thewed adventuresses aplenty), and Atlas, with both resident jungle queens, Lorna & Jann, and their much-underestimated parody line, Crazy, Riot & Wild, with superb art by Everett, Maneely, Post and others.

*Horror 1940-1959: More Pre-Code mystery and suspense to astound you, with Harvey's notorious Black Cat Mystery, Charlton's oddball Strange Suspense Stories, EC's spectacular Shock Suspenstories, and a wealth of Atlases, with new entries for Journey Into Mystery, Menace, Mystery Tales, Mystical Tales (Post Code but still classy!), Strange Tales & Uncanny Tales.

Posted by Rob | 12:06 p.m. GMT | 14 May 2006

British Update -- Modesty Blaise, Steel Claw, Dandy from 1953, Jinty, Spellbound & Debbie

A splendid selection of British gems this week in the following categories:

*Collected Editions: From Titan Books, the continuation of the superb Modesty Blaise softcovers, with the Puppet Master & The Gallows Bird (Vols 8 & 9) now available, and the first volume of the hardcover archive of the Steel Claw, the anti-hero from 1960's Valiant.

*Humour Comics & Picture Libraries: A small but special selection of Dandy from 1953, with old favourites Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat joined by oddments and obscurities like 'Mary's Mighty Uncle', 'Little Master of the Swooping Monster', and 'Great Big Bonzo'. A slice of comics' archaeology!

*Girls' Comics & Picture Libraries: Three significant titles updated this week: Jinty, from 1975 to 1979, with 'The Robot Who Cried', 'Sea Sister', 'Stefa's Heart Of Stone', and numerous sci-fi and 'gritty' tearjerkers. Plus a near complete run of the sought-after Spellbound (short 9 issues, but inc. first and last), with horror/mystery series galore, and helmed by intergalactic jailbait do-gooders, the Supercats. And as if that wasn't enough, a staggering series of Debbie from #4 (1973) to 1977, not an unbroken sequence, but very solid. Discover why 'Nobody Loves Nancy', marvel at 'Janet's Travellin' Javelin' (really!), walk in the shoes of 'Lisa, Lonely Ballerina', and gasp in awe at 'The Pink Banana!" (It's a boutique you mucky urchins...) Over 200 issues added to this title's listing!

Posted by Rob | 11:51 a.m. GMT | 14 May 2006

American update -- IW's, + New Archives, Masterworks, Showcases, Essentials etc

In our regular American update this week:

*IW/Super: More from this oddball reprint clearing house of 1959-1964, with their re-presentations of the Avenger, Daring Adventures (Disbrow), Eerie Tales (Wolverton), Fantastic Adventures (Wood) and
Hollywood Secrets of Romance (Kinstler & Ward) - a miscellany of the greatr, the good and those who were just payin' the rent, but usually with at least one gem per issue.

*Modern Reprints: Massive updates to this popular section, with extensive additions to DC's Archives and their new paperback Showcase Presents range, Marvel's Masterworks (with Golden Age & Atlas sub-divisions), and Essentials, plus treats such as new volumes of Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams, Classic What If?, Superman Chronicles, and Marvel Romance, plus two very different heroines -- Dan DeCarlo's 1950's Jetta nd the Thomas/Thorne 1970's Red Sonja.

*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: More editions of Roy Thomas's excellent Alter Ego fanzine, a must-have for archivists, historians and casual fans alike, plus horror comics fanzine From The Tomb, the latest Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide for 2006, and 2 further volumes in the 'Companion' series of softcover history and retrospective, starring the THUNDER Agents and the many incarnations of DC's Teen Titans.

Posted by Rob | 11:34 a.m. GMT | 14 May 2006

8 May 2006

Star Collections Update (British): Eerie, Mystic, Spellbound, Voodoo & Zombie!

*A real treasure trove of horror from our Star Collections this week in the Vintage UK/Aus Reprints section of our British online catalogue: From the early 1950's, the three issue believed-to-be-complete run of the UK's Eerie, featuring pre-code work by Wood, Orlando and Harrison among others. These are very rare indeed and this chance to add them to your collection should not be overlooked -- when will you see them again? Plus, new stocks of the mystery anthologies from Miller: Mystic, Spellbound, Voodoo & Zombie, replete with a bizarre amalgam of pre-code horror, classic sci-fi and the early days of the Marvel Universe. Of particular note is the 1964 Spellbound softcover album, a genuinely rare attempt to crack the 'Christmas Annual' market with big monsters!

Posted by Rob | 06:47 p.m. GMT | 8 May 2006

Star Collections Update (American) - Strange Adventures inc. #1 & #9!

*DC Comics: Their pioneering sci-fi title, Strange Adventures, from the very beginning (#1 VG £425) through to the mid-50's, with the debut & origin of Captain Comet in issue #9 (FN £400), and many other Captain Comet adventures, plus Darwin Jones, Kris KL-99, and artwork by Anderson, Kane, Infantino, Greene, and DC's crack team of artistic 'imagineers'. Seminal stories in, for the most part, appealing mid-high grade copies for the discerning punter.

Posted by Rob | 06:37 p.m. GMT | 8 May 2006

Car Booty Collection Update - Dell, Gold Key & 1970's DC gothic love/horror!

Regular vistors to this page will already have heard of the amazing collection we've acquired via the BBC1 programme Car Booty. The relevant episode will be screened sometime soon (date to be confirmed), but here's your chance to grab some of the wonderful comics from it before the national TV publicity. This time we've added some great rarities in the following categories:

*Dell: Many additions to this esoteric publisher, including: The Monkees! Cult 60's boy band tartlets in comic book wackiness from #1. Lassie Unleashed! Nice range (from #5 to #40), of the world's cleverest Collie, including three issues by Matt Baker (who doesn't do much for our canine heroine, but glams up her chick sidekick a treat...). Plus many film/TV adaptations including Lion of Sparta, Dracula, Moby Dick, the Great Race, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a brace of Sherlock Holmeses!

*Gold Key: Some very scarce items from this cult publisher, including: The Avengers! John Steed and Emma Peel star in this incredibly rare TV adaptation one-off. Doc Savage: before Marvel's Man of Bronze, Gold Key had a go in this one-shot with a stunning painted cover. Man from UNCLE: Solo & Kuryakin's spy-busting adventures in the first five issues of their comic series. Secret Agent a.k.a. UK TV's Danger Man, both hard-to-find issues. Plus Fantastic Voyages of Sindbad, Magnus Robot Fighter, Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying machines, and UFO Flying Saucers.

*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980's: We're giving you gothic love this update! That's right -- we're toying with your feelings by teasing you with gauzily-begowned damsels fleeing down rickety staircases by candlelight -- yes, it's Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love and Sinister House of Secret Love (and their revised versions, Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion and Secrets of Sinister House). These elusive short-run titles, with their odd hybrid status and low distribution, are in high demand for the name artists within, including Cardy, Sekowsky, Toth and Kirby. Also, early Witching Hour (with Toth, Wrightson and Adams) and the entire three-issue run (#95-97) of Red Circle's experimental Madhouse, with Gray Morrow, Bruce Jones & more!

Posted by Rob | 06:26 p.m. GMT | 8 May 2006

British Update - Mandy, Misty Specials, Sandie, Buster, Whoopee, TV Express, Eagle, Spider-Man & Zoids

Four decades of wonder covered in this week's extensive British comics update to our online catalogue in the following categories:

*Marvel UK: Almost the first 50 issues (just 2 missing) of Spider-Man & Zoids, a series largely disregarded on its release in 1986, but now pursued by collectors for its all-new stories by Simon Furman & others of the Zoids, interplanetarily-marooned warring Mechanoids and their human companions. Lord Gore or Krark? Red or Blue? Pick a side and join the fight! Oh yeah -- and Spider-Man's in there too...

*Boys' Adventure & War Comics: A scarce run of later first series Eagles, volumes 18-20 (1967-69), averaging FN but mostly with hole-punches at spine (not impinging on stories). In these low print run latter days, Dan Dare is joined by Iron Man (not not that Iron Man), Tales of Asgard by Jack Kirby (yes, that Jack Kirby), the Guinea Pig, Blackbow the Cheyenne, Smokeman, Jennings, Mickey merlin and many more in this run which ends with the penultimate issue! Plus TV Express, one of Eagle's prominent rivals, rides again! From 1960, a selection of the 'transition' issues (commencing in 1954 as 'Express Weekly', the comic racked-up 200+ issues before incorporating that new-fangled fad 'TV' into its title), featuring possibly the series' strongest line-up: Col. Pinto, The Lone Ranger, Battleground, Gun Law, and the sumptuously-illustrated 'Wulf The Briton' by Ron Embleton.

*Humour Comics & Picture Libraries: From 1973, a run of perennial favourite Buster, with the adventures of Charlie Peace Esq. (now to be seen in DC's 'Albion'), and dozens more, and a selection of Whoopee! from 1978-84, with 'Supermums', 'Sweeney Toddler', 'Snackman', and more comedy classics.

*Girls' Comics & Picture Libraries: A triple treat this week for our followers of all things pink'n girly. A splendid range of early Mandy from issue 11 (1967) to 417 (1975), a scattershot sample of wackiness aplenty with 'Slaves of the Mill', 'Valda, Girl of Mystery', 'Lily's Pink Drink' and more. Plus two of the ultra-rare Misty Summer/Holiday specials from 1978-79, which are almost never seen and sell extremely quickly, and from 1973-74, a selection of the short-lived Sandie, featuring 'School for Crooks', 'Dawn at Dead End St', and the bizarre slave story 'Captives of Madam Karma' ("I'm deeply ashamed!" - Pat Mills 2004), among other features in this wannabe streetwise weekly.

Posted by Rob | 05:59 p.m. GMT | 8 May 2006

1 May 2006

Star Collections Update (American) Mystery In Space, Showcase, Marvel Mystery, Miss Fury, Dagar Desert Hawk, Ditko Strange Suspense 'Electric Chair', Pre-Code Horror and much, much more

A truly phenomenal update this week from our Star Collections:

*DC: Iconic pre-distribution sci-fi, with early issues of Mystery In Space (from #10, with a gorgeous Murphy Anderson cover on #16), the first and second Adam Strange appearences from Showcase in comparatively economical low-mid grades, and an attractive FN- debut of Rip Hunter Time Master from Showcase #20. Almost never seen in this country, let alone at affordable prices, we expect these character debuts to sell quickly, so order soon and keep watching for classic Strange Adventures from the 1950's -- as soon as we get them graded!

*Miscellaneous 1940-1959: A literal embarrassment of riches (with many more to come). Highlights include:
*A virtually complete run of Dagar, Desert Hawk: issues 15, 16 and 19-23 of Fox's desert adventurer (14 was the first issue and 17 & 18 were not published) who rescued an array of implausibly dressed ladies from horrific fates in this bondage and Good Girl Art extravaganza.
*Marvel Mystery Comics #29, with Subby, the Torch, Angel, Patriot and chums against the Axis. (Schomburg bondage cover)
*Avon's Mask Of Dr. Fu Manchu #1, with gorgeous Wally Wood artwork.
*Miss Fury #2, with Tarpe Mills' fur-clad hellcat heroine fighting sinister saboteurs and an evil twin!
*Saint #2: Leggy dames and hard-boiled sleuths in the crime classic.
*Son Of Sinbad #1: A stunning all-Kubert fantasy classic.
*Thrilling Crime Cases #49, with the notorious LB Cole poisoner cover, as 'recommended' by Dr. Frederic Wertham.
*Plus: Atlas sci-fi pioneer Space Squadron, Star's Terrors Of The Jungle and the innappropriately-titled Terrifying Tales (with more jungle hi-jinx)... keep watching for further updates, but if you don't find something to intrigue you here, then you're in the wrong place!

*Horror 1940-1959: Having devoted a lot of time to Atlas recently (Atlas fans -- loads more to come in future weeks!), we turn for this update to some of the other outstanding publishers of the period: a Pre-Code Plethora of Palpitations from Star (Blue Bolt Weird, with lurid LB Cole cover), Prize (Monster Of Frankenstein), Fiction House (Ghost), Charlton (Strange Suspense Stories, with the infamous Steve Ditko electric chair cover), St John (Weird Horrors with Kubert art), Comic Media (the very pre-code Weird Terror), and from Harvey, Bob Powell's Man In Black (post code, but still a damn fine comic). Stay tuned for more horror to come!

Posted by Rob | 05:20 p.m. GMT | 1 May 2006

British Update -- Full set of Misty Annuals

*New to the Annuals section of our British section this week, make way for Misty! All 8 annuals of the teen goth and her spectral chums, bringing you 'stories of the midnight world'. From 1979 to 1986 (outlasting the run of the comic itself for some years), these are enduringly popular (and very scarce, especially the final three), so grab 'em before they vanish like the morning mist...

Posted by Rob | 03:00 p.m. GMT | 1 May 2006