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Update Archives For June 2006

26 June 2006

Star Collections Update (American) - Pre Code Horror - Atlas Adventures Into Weird Worlds & Charlton Thing!

*Horror 1940-1959: From the archive of one of the world's foremost collectors of Pre-Code Horror comes a brace of notorious titles, in substantial runs:
-Atlas's Adventures Into Weird Worlds, from #6 through #30. With luminaries such as Everett (frequent cover artist on this title), Wolverton, Heath, Maneely, Sinnott & Colan, this superior title merges bloodshed and paradoxical charm for a unique appeal.
-Over at Charlton's Thing!, charm definetely isn't on the agenda. This virtually complete run, from #1, is notorious for its bizarre stream-of-consciousness stories and unprecendented level of gore. Of particular note are issues #12 & #15, with infamous early Ditko work.
Full details of both runs in the Horror 1940-1959 section on the American part of our website catalogue. And stay tuned for more chills very soon!

Posted by Rob | 07:26 p.m. GMT | 26 June 2006

21 June 2006

Car Booty Collection Update - Thor, Warlock, Jungle stuff, What If

Well, we hope you caught the 30th Century Comics appearance on Car Booty on BBC1 on 19th June. As you might imagine, our phones haven't stopped ringing since then! Over the last couple of months, we've released some of the gems from this wonderful collection on to the market as far as we can process them, but there's still tons more to come and we've only just scratched the surface. There was only time on the show to see one or two highlights from this 5000+ collection, which we shall be continuing to bring you in instalments most weeks for a long time to come. This week, another plethora of Marvel goodies:
*The Mighty Thor leads off, with a multitude of issues ranging from Journey Into Mystery #95 through the title's conversion to Thor with #126 and culminating in #250, the extent up to which we catalogue the title. This long run encompasses all the best of the character, featuring the Prince of Asgard's clashes with the Enchantress & Executioner, the rare Magneto & Hulk issues (#108 & #112), Hercules, Him, Tana Nile & the Colonizers (I think I have one of their albums...), Ego the Living Planet, Mangog, the High Evolutionary, Galactus amd the ever-scheming Loki. Lee & Kirby's epic grandeur unparalleled on one of Marvel's keynote characters.
*Plus, the power of Warlock! Tbe controversial pseudo-messiah of the 1970's, as interpreted by Thomas & Kane and Jim Starlin (inc. Strange Tales 'prequel' issues).
*A duet of jungle rumblers: 1st & 2nd series of the kharismatic Ka-Zar, and the Black Panther's solo run in Jungle Action, with many ND issues from both.
*And a wander through the wild and wacky worlds of What If?!
That's 'nuff said' for the Car Booty Collection for now -- but watch for more updates in the weeks ahead!

Posted by Rob | 08:48 a.m. GMT | 21 June 2006

Star Collections Update (American) Golden Age Superman, Human Torch & more

A small but very select group of incoming from our Star Collections this week in the following categories:
*DC: From the Golden Age, three vintage issues of Superman: #64, #70 & #72. Nice mid-grade copies from the late 1940's, showing some wear but still sound and very collectable. Early work by Plastino, Boring & more, with aliens, crooks and Annie Oakley! Plus Adventure Comics #68, with the Shining Knight, Sandman, and the exquisitely-rendered Starman by Jack Burnley.
*Misc. 1940-1959: Four very distinctive items: Ellery Queen #2 from Superior, featuring the classic detective strip; Timely's Human Torch #8, featuring the multi-chapter Torch/Sub-Mariner face-off; Rulah, Jungle Goddess #17, the first issue of the zaftig fur-clad huntress's own book, from the notorious Fox publisher, and a CGC slabbed 6.0 Zoot #15, also from Fox, with Rulah wrasslin' the least likely looking gorilla you ever did see! Super-heroic action, crime thrills, and busty bikini babes tussling with wild animals - the fun never stops!

Posted by Rob | 08:30 a.m. GMT | 21 June 2006

British Update - Cor, Whoopee, Sparky & more!

A huge update this week to our British Humour & Picture Libraries section - three major titles with extensive stock addtions:
*Cor, complete year from 1972, stomping ground of Gus the Gorilla, Kid Chameleon, Ivor Lott & Tony Broke, and Andy's Ants.
*Whoopee from 1975, with the Bumpkin Billionaires, Evil Eye, Sweeney Toddler and Toy Boy.
*Sparky, hundreds of new issues from 1971 right up to 1977's final issue #652, with Barney the Bulldog, Invisible Dick, Peter Piper, Mr. Bubbles, Thingummy Blob and scores more.
*Plus a smattering of the seldom-seen Shiver & Shake from 1974 (move fast, they sell out swiftly!), and additions to our stock of Cheeky, Dandy and Whizzer & Chips.

Posted by Rob | 08:18 a.m. GMT | 21 June 2006

18 June 2006

Car Booty Monday 19th June 2006 BBC1 11:30 A.M.

The Car Booty programme featuring 30th Century Comics is going to be aired on Monday 19th June 2006 at 11:30 A.M. on BBC1. In it, we are seen grading and purchasing the fabulous collection currently being sold by us.

Apologies for the short notice -- it's more notice than the BBC gave us, since they neglected to advise us at all when it would be transmitted!

Posted by Rob | 04:17 p.m. GMT | 18 June 2006

11 June 2006

Car Booty Collection Update - X-Men, Dr Strange, SHIELD, Ghost Rider and lots more inc. low grade Avengers #1, FF #3

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 week, a lollopalooza (how DO you spell that?) of goodies from Marvel:

*Marvel: Hundreds of vintage Marvels this week as follows:
- Let's visit the X-Men: A prime run of the Merry Mutants from #6 through to the final new issue (#66), and on into the reprint years, encompassing classic work from Lee, Kirby, Adams, Steranko and dozens more along the way.
- Dr. Strange: the Shadow of the Seraphim guides us to the Doctor's first solo run, continuing his numbering from Strange Tales: issues #169-#183, all present and featuring the talents of Adkins and most markedly Colan & Palmer, turning in perhaps the finest work of their long careers.
- Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD: the groundbreaking and innovative spy series by cinematic storyteller Steranko in its entirety.
- Marvel Premiere: the first 14 non UK distributed issues, with the debut of Warlock and the re-imagining of Dr. Strange by Barry Smith, Frank Brunner and others.
- from the scintillating 70s, the short run Black Goliath and Black Panther, the latter by Kirby at his wackiest, and Ghost Rider from #1, the ever-popular boy and his bike.
- and some inconsequential bits and pieces like Avengers #1 and Fantastic Four #3 in poor, grab 'em quickly condition at dirt cheap prices!

Posted by Rob | 11:15 a.m. GMT | 11 June 2006

5 June 2006

This week's updates -- some very special stuff!

We've pulled out all the stops this week to bring you probably the most significant set of updates we've ever processed in one week. There's a lot to take in, so please take the time to read all the 5th June entries carefully and have a look at the detailed listings in the appropriate categories of the online catalogue. We hope you'll find something to interest you; there should be something there for every vintage comics' fan, British or American. Many of the items are almost unique in their rarity, so moving fast would probably be a good idea. Happy hunting!

Posted by Rob | 01:54 p.m. GMT | 5 June 2006

Star Collections Update (British): Fleetway Stupendous, Super Detective & Thriller Picture Libraries, Beano & Dandy from 1930's-1950's

From the British part of our Star Collections, some of the choicest morsels we've ever served up:

*Boys' Adventure & War Picture Libraries: Three key titles expanded this week: Fleetway Super Library Stupendous series, with epic-length adventures of the mysterious Steel Claw and the Sinister Spider; Super Detective Library with new listings for space adventurer Rick Random and anti-hero Blackshirt; and a huge range of Thriller Comics/Picture Library from #31 up (several dozen new issues in stock), featuring tales of daring and swashbuckling adventure with Captain Blood, Rob Roy, the Three Musketeers, Dick Turpin and... Jane Eyre! (No, really...)

*Humour Comics & Picture Libraries: An oustanding selection of Beano & Dandy, ranging from 1939 to the late 1950's. These two humour anthologies, still being published today, have entertained generations of British chioldren. These historical issues, including many rarities from the war years and including several Christmas & Bonfire Night numbers, feature many of the 'superstars' - Biffo the Bear, Dennis the Menace, Desperate Dan, the Bash Street Kids, Little Plum etc, in prototypical form, as well as such short-run oddities as Big Eggo, Jack Flash, Young Husky & Jock MacSwiper, Pansy Potter, Whiskery Dick and Big Bonehead the Zulu Warrior! Hmm... wonder why none of those strips are still being published? Includes many affordable low-grade copies. A rare chance to own early copies of a British Comics institution. These turn up very rarely indeed, and seemingly never in such quantities. Who knows when we might see their like again?

Posted by Rob | 01:49 p.m. GMT | 5 June 2006

Star Collections update (American): Vintage DC Adam Strange, Batman etc, Ditko Charlton, pre-code horror inc Kubert & Ditko Thing!

Ever more wonders from our Star Collections. This week:

*DC: From the 1940's and 1950's, a small but special selection of vintage DC material, inc. Batman #42 & #55, with iconic Catwoman & Joker covers, Lois Lane #9 (guest-starring Pat Boone! Run! Hide!), Showcase #17, #18, & #19, the first three appearances of intergalactic adventurer Adam Strange in really nice shape (#17 & #18 FN+), and Wonder Woman #33, from her 'Charles Moulton' glory years.

*Charlton: It's a Ditko-Palooza this week! Not only his acclaimed Blue Beetel revival, the Fantastic Giants one-shot, Mysterious Suspense with the Question debut, and Strange Suspense Stories #75, which spear-headed Captain Atom's return, but also Racket Squad In Action #12, with the notorious pre-code explosion cover. (More Ditko in Horror -- see below!). In addition, two other pre-code Charlton sci-fi series: Space Adventures #7 & #8 (featuring oddball stories of sex changes, girl robots and uncontrolled Winkies!) and the decidely dodgy Space Western, with Spurs Jackson and his Space Vigilantes hunting Nazis among the stars -- must be seen to be deplored!

*Horror 1940-1959: More chilling stories form the Pre-Code years, with debut issues for Ziff Davis's Nightmare (with stunning painted cover), Chilling Tales (plus later issues) and St John's Strange Terrors (several issues of this, most with early Kubert art, and including the extra-thick #6 & #7), additions to Mysterious Adventures and Out Of The Shadows, and three issues of Charlton's infamous Thing! - the SOTI #9, and the highly-prized all-Ditko gorefests #14 & #15. Much more Pre-Code Horror on the way -- keep watching the updates!

Posted by Rob | 01:32 p.m. GMT | 5 June 2006

Car Booty Collection update: Avengers, Astonishing Tales & Champions

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 week we dip again into some of the Marvelous stuff from this collection:

*Marvel: Continuing the saga of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes -- the ever-Assembling Avengers! Our new stock takes us from the mid-1960's to issue #200, taking in such classics as the Kree-Skrull War, (stellar Neal Adams artwork), the Avengers/Defenders War, the Celestial Madonna war (they didn't get along with anybody, did they?) and many more catclysmic events; includes scarce Giant-Size and Annual issues. Plus: Astonishing Tales: One of Marvel's 1970's attempts to create 'split' titles a la Tales of Suspense, this co-starred Dr. Doom & Ka-Zar (by Kirby, Smith and Wood in early issues), then accommodated It, The Living Colossus and Deathlok the Destroyer. And also: the Champions! A random selection of mis-matched heroes struggle through oddball adventures couretsy of Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, Don Heck, John Byrne and others. Better than it had any right to be, really!

More from the Car Booty garage real soon!

Posted by Rob | 12:22 p.m. GMT | 5 June 2006

British Update: Annuals inc. classic Beano, Beezer, Topper, TV21 etc plus comics: Eagle, Hornet, Wizard & more!

This weeks' regular British update features vast additions to many of our most poular titles in the following categories:

*Annuals: Highlights in this large upodate include the 1940 Beano Book facsimile (a slipcased reproduction of the first annual) plus a nice condition 1953 original, several Beezer and Topper annuals from the 1950's in decent shape, rare Commando and War Picture Library Annuals, several Gerry Anderson related titles from the 1960's and 1970's including Joe 90, Thunderbirds and TV21 (including the first from 1965 in high grade). All this plus new stock of Oor Willie, Tarzan, Spider-Man, Victor, Eagle, Hotspur, TV Tornado, and Billy Bunter.

*Boys' Adventure & War Comics: large expanses of three long-running titles: Eagle from 1953 (Vol 4) and 1957/58 (Vols 8 & 9), Hornet from 1964-1969 and Wizard from 1960, 1973 & 1977. Plus shorter runs of Action (1976) and TV Tornado (1968), which features the Mysterons strip - a must-have for Gerry Anderson completists!

Posted by Rob | 11:55 a.m. GMT | 5 June 2006

American Update: Funny Girls: Debbi, Millie, Irma, Patsy & Hedy!

*Teen Humour/Funny Girls: New stock in this popular category, including DC's 'Debbi's Dates', and a melody of madcap Marvel-ettes: 'Mad ABout Millie', 'Millie the Model', 'My Friend Irma', and 'Patsy & Hedy, Career Girls'. You find it all at 30th century, sooner or later...

Posted by Rob | 11:42 a.m. GMT | 5 June 2006