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Update Archives For May 2007

28 May 2007

British update: Strato/Thorpe & Porter reprints, Humour & Girls' Annuals, Hurricane, Ranger, Countdown, Battle Specials, Eagle with free gift, Starlord #1-3, a stunning selection of Cowboy Picture Libraries and loads more!

Whew! We've been burning the midnight oil to bring you another amazing selection of British comics this week. Absolutely tons of highly desirable collectibles in the following categories (please refer to the corresponding sections of our online catalogue for full details):

*Vintage UK/Aus Reprints of US stuff: From an original owner collection comes a notable range of Strato/Thorpe & Porter 68-page titles, including Adventures Into The Unknown (from #1), Forbidden Worlds (from #1), Justice Traps The Guilty (from #3), Out Of This World (from #1), and Race For The Moon (from #2). This choice selection of early issues averages VG, and includes many in FN/VF, affordable grades for top-notch copies with very nice page quality.

*Annuals: More new stock for popular series, with Beano (from 1976), Dandy (from 1971), the Broons, Oor Wullie, Sparky, Whizzer & Chips, Bunty, Blue Jeans, Girl (classic & modern), Jackie and Mandy, among others, plus a selection of story-paper nostalgia with the Howard Baker series of reprints from Gem, Magnet, School Friend and the like. Yarooh!

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Highlights this time are a half-dozen Hurricanes from 1965, with Typhoon Tracy, the Black Avenger, and others, a short-run sought-after series which amalgamated into Tiger; a nice selection of early Countdown, from #7 up, presenting Dr. Who, UFO and other TV sci-fi hits; Ranger from 1965 and 1966, early home to the famous 'Trigan Empire' series, a nice run including the final issue before the title’s merger with Look & Learn; a choice range of Battle Holiday/Summer Specials from 1975-1980; the first three issues of Starlord, 1978’s 2000 AD companion which unleashed Strontium Dog, Ro-Busters and more upon a world deprived of thrill-power; and additions to our stocks of All-War Monthly, Crunch, classic Eagle (including a Free Gift issue!), Speed, Speed & Power, Spike, and Warlord!

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: A wide-open range of Cowboy Comics/Cowboy Picture Libraries added to our stash this week! From 1950 to 1962, Amalgamated Press (who would later become Fleetway/IPC) brought readers adventures of Buck Jones, Buffalo Bill, Kansas Kid, Davy Crockett, Billy the Kid and other western heroes in this digest series. Our run begins with the second issue (in admittedly poor condition, but how often d’you see it?) and contains many early numbers, running intermittently up to the late 300’s. Most average VG, with nice white pages, and only slight rust on staples precluding a fine grade in the majority of cases. The 100+ new Cowboy libraries are the star of this section, but we round up the posse with new listings in Gunsmoke (Australian), Pecos Bill, Sundance Western, Western Star, and Western Trail. Saddle up!

Posted by Rob | 02:01 p.m. GMT | 28 May 2007

American update - New range of DC Silver Age

*DC: Another Silver Age sweep-through, with new stock for both the inner core and the outer fringes of the DC Universe, from the early 1960’s to the mid 1970’s. Action, Adventure, Anthro, Batman (including #200), Blackhawk, Brave & Bold, Detective (including the dazzling debut of Batgirl in #359), Green Lantern, Hawkman, Inferior 5, Justice League of America, Lois Lane, Shadow, Shazam, Showcase, Strange Adventures, Superboy (& the Legion of Super-Heroes), Superman, Superman Family, Sword of Sorcery, and World’s Finest, all newly recharged and ready to go!

Posted by Rob | 01:48 p.m. GMT | 28 May 2007

20 May 2007

American Update - High grade Amazing Spider-Man #1, lots of Charlton inc Peacemaker & Thunderbolt, lots of Harvey inc All New (1944), Black Cat & Fighting American

A diverse selection this week from favourite publishers of esoterica plus a stunning Spidey #1! Details as follows (as always check out the catalogue pages for the full skinny):

*Marvel: Only one comic in this week’s Marvel update – but it’s a big one! The very first issue of Amazing Spider-Man in excellent condition – this copy, which has been subject to minor professional restoration, would have graded high in any event, with clean, supple white pages, excellent cover colour and gloss and a sharp, tight cover. The iconic Lee & Ditko creation faces off against the Fantastic Four and the Chameleon in this slice of history at an admittedly daunting £3,750 – but it’s by a long way the most attractive copy we’ve seen in our years of dealing. Can our stock get better? Well, we’re going to keep trying! For scans of the front and back covers, please go to the entry in our Marvel catalogue, and click on the link.

*Charlton: Two of the classic 'Action Heroes' from the 1960’s revisited, as we have new intakes of Pat Boyette’s anti-hero Peacemaker – the man who loves peace so much, he’s willing to fight for it! – and Pete Morisi’s Thunderbolt, who combined Eastern mysticism with Morisi’s own experiences as a NYPD cop to create a unique storytelling style. Ignore the later corruptions of the characters by lesser hands, these two series offer an experience not seen elsewhere in comics. Backing them up, we have a selection of other original Charlton action series – Doomsday + 1, E-Man, Fightin’ 5, Vengeance Squad, Yang (and House of…), and a selection of TV tie-ins both adventurous (Six-Million Dollar Man, Emergency) and humorous (Flintstones, Top Cat, Abbott & Costello) to cater for all tastes!

*Harvey: Though most famous for Richie Rich and his cohorts, Harvey Comics had a diverse history dating back to the 1930’s, and we look at a few of those alternatives this time; All-new Comics, from 1944, gives us the Zebra, the Boy heroes, shapely journalist/adventuress the Blonde Bomber, and more of the wackier entries in the super-hero/action field, the three-issue revival of the Black Cat from 1963 presents giant-size compilations of Lee Elias’ actress/super-heroine in a delightful newsreel/serial style (and be careful when you’re practicing 'Black Cat’s Judo Tricks', kids!), and the 1966 one-off Fighting American reprints the classic 1950’s spoof of the patriotic hero genre by Simon & Kirby. But if that’s not enough, we can offer you an assortment of the patented Harvey compulsive-obsessive juveniles too, with Little Dot, Casper’s Ghostland, Sad Sack’s Funny Friends, and that ‘tuff’ little ghost, Spooky!

Posted by Rob | 01:19 p.m. GMT | 20 May 2007

British update - Captain Britain, Star Wars, Pow - all with free gifts, Thunder inc first and last issues, Lion 73/74 inc last issue & 1975 Special, Red Dagger, Tiger 1963 and more!

A very significant update to our British stock this week, with long runs of favourite titles, first and last issues, specials and many free gift issues. Details as follows:

*Marvel UK: A 'gifted' selection from Marvel’s British division! The first twenty-something issues of Captain Britain, with new material by Chris Claremont, Herb Trimpe and others intended to conquer the hearts and minds of the British public… in which case, in retrospect, they might have been best advised employing someone who’d ever actually heard how an English person speaks! Given the character’s later significance in the Marvel Universe, these are dead historically important and all that, but, well, the kindest thing you can say about them is that they meant well… Includes the first two issues and the ‘relaunch’ 24th issue with original free gifts; your Captain Britain mask and boomerang (hang on.. when did he ever use a boomerang?) await! Plus, most of the first hundred issues of Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi Weekly, in which the star-spanning saga was taken up by new voices, including a whole bunch of characters never seen in the movies. From issue #1 to #70 we have an unbroken string, then more patchily through to the 110s, with many free gift issues (beginning with #3), featuring star charts, posters, stickers, Ewok transfers, Corn Flakes Flikka-Pics (and if you have to ask, you don’t need to know…) and scores more!

*Power Comics: We conclude this marathon upgrade of our Power Comics listing with a complete series of Pow!, the third title in the series and the first devoted primarily to adventure strips. Featuring Spider-Man and Nick Fury (in both his 'Sgt' and 'SHIELD' incarnations, confusingly), backed up by a plethora of original features including Experiment X, the unfortunately-named Sammy Shrink, Two Faces of Janus, and Mike Higgs’ cult spy spoof, the Cloak. This 86-issue run takes in the incorporation of its older sibling Wham!, and the second issue still has the original free gift – an iron-on transfer of none other than your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man! (Really don’t try ironing it on to anything, though…) A cover image of #2 (with transfer!) can be seen on our Cover Gallery – click on the link in the Power Comics section!

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Spotlight item this listing is a selection of Thunder, the short-lived IPC/Fleetway weekly from 1970 & 1971, which despite managing only 22 issues before being merged into Lion, bequeathed one significant character, the immortal adventurer Adam Eterno, who went on into Lion and then Valiant after Lion’s demise. This batch of 13 issues – more than half the entire run – averages VG, and includes not only the first three but also the final issue. A scan of the first issue’s cover can be seen in our ever-captivating Cover Gallery – go to the title in our Boys’ Adventure catalogue listing and click on the link! We follow this up with a run of Lion from 1973 and 1974, post-Thunder merger, 40 + issues averaging FN, with Adam Eterno, Black Max and the Steel Commando joining the stalwart roster of the Spider, the Spellbinder, Zip Nolan and Robot Archie. This extremely attractive range includes 1974’s final issue, the end to Lion’s 30-year history, and the first post-cancellation Holiday Special, from 1975, in Fine. We also score with Striker, the 1970/71 footie paper, which began as a comics/features hybrid, but ditched the comics with #23 to make way for more soccer stuff (We include later issues for completeness.). There’s a handful of the incredibly scarce Red Dagger compilation mags from DC Thomson, which give you done-in-one stories of their adventure stars, and a clutch of Tiger from 1963. Variety is our middle name at 30th Century Comics! (Parents had a strange sense of humour…)

Posted by Rob | 01:51 p.m. GMT | 20 May 2007

13 May 2007

American update - Atlas non-horror titles + Wacky 1960's Super-Heroes

*Miscellaneous Publishers 1940-1959: An amazing Atlas update! Although most famous during the 1950’s for its horror/mystery titles, the same talented Atlas bullpen produced many other series, several of which are represented this time: Mad-imitators Crazy, Riot, and Wild (issues #1 & #2 of the latter), featuring the artwork of Russ Heath, Howie Post, Bill Everett, Dan DeCarlo, and a surprisingly robust and energetic Al Hartley; we’ve also acquired the second issue of Speed Carter, Spaceman, in which our plucky hero and his 'Space Sentinels' (who seemed to consist of one shapely dame, one spunky kid, and no-one else) staunchly defend the galaxy against all manner of threats, exquisitely rendered by Joe Maneely. Then we turn our attention to the peculiar hybrid Girl Comics, a short-lived distaff answer to 'Man Comics' in which girls had various contrived adventures in stories like 'Murderer’s Daughter' and 'Horns of Horror' (about a lady bullfighter, in case you were wondering..). Must be seen to be boggled at!

*Plus, a plethora of pulsating peculiarities: in the wake of the twin successes of the Batman TV show and the burgeoning Marvel Universe, every publisher in the 1960’s launched at least one super-hero title, from the exquisite to the inept; many of the strangest are listed here this week in the following categories:
*From Archie, the infamous Fly Man, Mighty Comics Presents, and Mighty Crusaders, in which an infinitely incompetent pastiche of the Marvel style drags respected characters through the mire in some of the all-time camp classics. Read ‘em and listen to the sound of your brain dissolving!
*Dell hit back with the imaginatively-titled Super Heroes, in which our klepto protagonists stole the androids that gave them their super-powers. Having imitated the Fantastic Four for three issues, the 'Fab 4' had a makeover in their final issue #4 and imitated the Teen Titans instead, to no avail. A complete set awaiting your delectation!
*Gold Key’s response back with two issues of the Jerry Siegel-scripted Owl, who wasn’t at all like Batman, honest – but by then, as his glamorous aide Owl Girl famously remarked, “No one gave a hoot.”.
*Miscellaneous 1960-1980’s: The venerable ACG, in true off-beat style, gave us Herbie, the ‘little fat nothing’ with amazing abilities, from Richard E. Hughes and Ogden Whitney, a charming, whimsical and strange series in which our hero absent-mindedly travelled in time, saved the world, and romanced history’s greatest beauties, while his parents remained oblivious. A virtually complete run, new to our listings.
*DC: The topping on this cheesecake is Angel & The Ape, DC’s parody series by E. Nelson Bridwell and Bob Oksner, lovingly limned by, among others, Wally Wood, in which a curvaceous model turned detectrix, and her gorilla partner, solve the world’s strangest crimes. Okay, it’s not strictly super-heroic – but they don’t come much wackier! Six of the seven issues available now!

Posted by Rob | 01:17 p.m. GMT | 13 May 2007

8 May 2007

British Update - Alan Class, Terrific (inc. #1 with free gift), Annuals, 200+ Rovers, TV Express, Eagle 1963, TVCentury21 with free gift!

Another sensational gathering of new stock in this week's British update as follows:

*Alan Class Reprints: Long overdue updates to all of the Alan Class 'Big Six'; Astounding (from #17), Creepy Worlds (from #10), Secrets of the Unknown (from #6), Sinister Tales (from #7), Suspense (from #2), and Uncanny Tales (from #2), plus short-run or one-off titles Out Of This World, Outer Space, Space Adventures Presents Space Trip To The Moon, Tales of the Underworld and Weird Planets – over 200 new listings! This update includes many pre-decimal issues in affordable mid-grades. 30th Century is also pleased to confirm that our second signing with Alan Class himself will be taking place at our store in Summer 2007. Exact details will be announced soon, so keep an eye on the website – don’t miss a chance to meet Alan and talk about his role in UK comics history!

*Power Comics: Continuing our comprehensive overhaul of the entire Power line, we turn this week to Terrific, the second ‘prestige’ title (on high quality paper, launched in 1967 in the wake of Fantastic) starring the Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange, the Avengers, Giant-Man and the Wasp (from #23), and the UK-originated sci-fi/horror strip, 'The Living Dolls'. This run averages VG/FN, and lasts till 41, a couple of issues short of the title’s final #43, but includes a VG first issue with the original free gift, a spiffy Iron Man Iron-On T-shirt transfer (although we seriously recommend you don’t try ironing it on, after forty years!). This premier issue can be seen in our Cover Gallery feature – go to the listing and click the link!

*Annnuals – Bags of Boys’ Adventure – and Bella! Refreshing several popular titles this time round, we have the controversial Action from 1977 to 1984, Battle from the 1980’s, Lion and Tiger from the late 1960’s, Hotspur and Victor ranging from 1970 to the late 80’s, and – for the ladies – Bella’s Book of Gymnastics, a Tammy spin-off from 1981! (And if, like us, you worry that the artists spent far too much time staring at photo-reference of underage girls in leotards, then you just think the worst of everyone – welcome to the club!)

*Boys’ Adventure and War Comics: TVCentury21, TV Express, Eagle and the Rover’s Return! Leading off, we have approximately 200 issues of Rover added to our stock. The last of the DC Thomson story papers, Rover incorporated comics only slowly and grudgingly, remaining primarily text until its demise in 1973. Nevertheless it featured a wealth of characters who had long careers in both prose and pictures, including the Wolf of Kabul, wonder athlete Wilson, Braddock VC, and many more. This selection incorporates a couple from the first series, dated 1937, and many from the revival in 1961, where it absorbed both Adventure and Wizard, through to 1972, many in surprisingly fresh condition, averaging VG/FN. Fifty further issues of the classic weekly TVCentury21, with Thunderbirds and co, scattered from #8 to #238, but mostly high grade, and including a #106 in NM with the original free gift – go to the listing and click the link for a cover image. A selection of Eagle from 1963’s Vol. 14, including the first Eagle/Swift merger, which added the long-running Blackbow the Cheyenne to the lineup; and last, but far from least, 50 or so Express Weekly/TV Express from 1959/1960, Eagle’s premier rival of the time, with outstanding artwork by the young Ron Embleton on Wulf the Briton, Battleground and Biggles, to name but a few.

Posted by Rob | 01:30 p.m. GMT | 8 May 2007

American update - DC & 1960/80 Horror/Mystery

*DC: Double-barrelled Amazon Action, and more! A brace of Bob Kanigher babes lead off this update: Rima the Jungle Girl (who’s from the Amazon) and Wonder Woman (who is an Amazon!). The 1970’s 7-issue Rima run features evocative and haunting covers from Joe Kubert, sumptuous artwork from Nestor Redondo, and is a largely undiscovered treat; this complete run is in high grade. Our Wonder Woman update is from the late 1950’s, and begins with #98, the ‘relaunch’ where Kanigher, together with artists Andru & Esposito, modernized the character with a new origin after the death of original artist H.G. Peter. This run includes Wonder Woman #100 and a number of other Pre-Distribution issues in affordable low-mid grades. Plus, a very attractive Showcase #57, the first solo Enemy Ace, by Joe Kubert and that Kanigher man again! This gorgeous VF+ copy, featuring the controversial WWI anti-hero, sports extremely white pages and a clean black background cover with unbroken colour. For the cover image, go to the catalogue listing and click on the Cover Gallery link. Plus, we have a few comics this week that aren’t by Bob Kanigher; new additions to Adventure, Jimmy Olsen, Showcase, Secret Origins (2nd series), and Swamp Thing grace our listings this time.

*Horror/Mystery 1960s-1980s: Macabre Marvel Madness, and much more! Extensive updates to the Charlton (Ghostly Tales, Haunted, Monster Hunters, Scary Tales) Gold Key (Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, Twilight Zone) and DC (Black Magic, House of Secrets, Unexpected) sections this time, but the jewel in our eldritch crown is a major collection of Marvel’s horror output from the 1960s and 1970s, led off by complete runs of Chamber of Darkness and Tower of Shadows (8 and 9 issues respectively, with the relevant Specials), all-new chillers in which many genuinely inventive mystery stories were illustrated by Steranko, Adams, Smith, Wood, Wrightson and other minor talents you’ll never have heard of. This centrepiece is backed up by complete runs of Chamber of Chills, Dead of Night, Crypt of Shadows, Tomb Of Darkness, Uncanny Tales, Vault of Evil, and Beware, reprinting countless Kirby and Ditko classics plus an escalating selection of Pre-Code material, and major additions to Fear, Monsters of the Prowl, Where Monsters Dwell, Where Critters Perambulate, and Weird Wonder Tales. (Guess which one we made up?) Big-Panty monsters galore for those who like ‘em, but also some innovative new and classic stories.

Posted by Rob | 01:18 p.m. GMT | 8 May 2007