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Update Archives For September 2008

30 September 2008

British Update: Alan Class Collectors' Plate Sets and certificated comics, James Bond, Charley's War, Jeff Hawke, Bellamy's Robin Hood, Annuals inc. lots of Roy of the Rovers, Scorcher & classic Eagle, hundreds of pre-decimal picture libraries

We have a ton of incoming vintage stock fresh on sale this week as follows:

*Alan Class Reprints: More than a dozen fresh Collectors’ Plate Sets from the Alan Class personal archives, featuring file copy comic, certificate of authenticity signed by Alan Class and the original 4 lead plates used to print the cover, all in a presentation case. These sets have proved immensely popular and we don’t anticipate that this fresh batch will last long, so early action is suggested. We’ve updated our website listing by deleting sold sets, so that all the sets shown are in stock as of the time of writing – a situation we don’t anticipate lasting long! Plus, we’ve also added a couple of dozen new certificated file copy comics from the Alan Class Archives, mostly pre-decimal early issues.

*Collected Editions: The latest volumes of favourite British strips, including James Bond, 2000 AD stalwarts Judge Dredd & Slaine, the classic Charley’s War, the exquisite Jeff Hawke by Jordan & Patterson, and the Complete Robin Hood Adventures by Frank Bellamy, plus a small press limited edition of Ron Turner’s Space Ace.

*Annuals: An across the board top-up to our stocks this week in all sub-categories: Humour, Boys’ Adventure, TV & Film, Western and Girls’. Highlights include Eagle Annual #1, several 1960s Bunty Annuals (many with dust jackets), the Marvel Annual for 1972, a couple of TV21s, School Friend 1958 and lots of Roy of the Rovers from the 1960s to the 1980s.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: This week, a small top-up to our stock of classic Eagle, all from the scarcer Volume 15, plus a lovely run of nice condition copies of the popular title Scorcher from 1973, almost the entire year.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Picture Libraries: A massive update to our stock this week, with a couple of hundred or more fresh issues in, all pre-decimal, across the following wide range of titles: Action War, Air Ace, Battle (inc many from the first 20 issues), Combat, Commando, Cowboy Picture Library, Lion, Thriller, Valiant, War At Sea, War and Wild West Picture Library Holiday Special, plus a rare Gemini 2000 Picture Library sci-fi tale: ‘The Womanoids’. Also in are a handful of the much sought-after Pearsons titles: Air War Picture Stories, Picture Stories of World War II and Sea War Picture Library. Here’s a chance to fill those gaps in your 1960’s collections, but we anticipate a brisk interest in these, so you may need to move fast.

Posted by Rob | 11:47 a.m. GMT | 30 September 2008

American Update: 1940s/50s horror, Undergrounds, more modern signed/variant/rare editions

A varied update this week to our American stocks as follows:

*Horror 1940-1959: As a precursor to a much larger selection of 1950s/60s titles arriving over the next few months, we have a small but perfectly-formed selection of pre and post-code 1950s horror. A Charlton Tales of the Mysterious Traveler (#10) with cover and three interior stories by Steve Ditko, and from Atlas: Adventures Into Weird Worlds, Mystic (Ant-Man prototype issue) and Spellbound. Scans of Adventures Into Weird Worlds #28 and Tales Of The Mysterious Traveler #10 may be seen by following the links from the catalogue page for this section.

*Undergrounds: New stock of Skull Comics & Slow Death from Last Gasp, plus 3 striking collections: Alan Moore’s voyage into erotica Lost Girls, Gilbert Shelton’s Freak Brothers Omnibus (all the stories collected into one bumper volume for the first time) and Scott Deschaine’s hardcover Screaming Eagle.

*Modern Comics Signed/Variant/Rare Editions: A whole new passle of rarities featuring signed, rare and sought-after editions of Action Comics, Angel & Spike, Spider-Man, All-Star Batman, Glamourpuss Comics Industry Preview, Green Lantern, House of M, Lady Pendragon, Madam Xanadu, Naughty Bits, Star Wars, the Darkness, Vampi Viscious, X-O Manowar and a whole lot more.

Posted by Rob | 11:39 a.m. GMT | 30 September 2008

23 September 2008

Wednesday 1st October - Slightly late opening

Please note that due to unavoidable circumstances, our shop will be a little late opening on Wednesday 1st October. If you're thinking of stopping by on that date, best leave it till after midday -- we'll be open by 12. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Posted by Rob | 03:05 p.m. GMT | 23 September 2008

British Update: Dozens of war-themed picture libraries inc. Lion & Valiant, more Buster and complete Bunty 1993

After our brief hiatus whilst I revelled in the sunshine of lost Cornwall, here's our next British update:

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics Picture Libraries: A fresh selection this week of all your favourite war titles: Air Ace, Battle, Combat, Commando & War in both their pre and post decimal phases, as well as more of the rarer Lion and Valiant Picture Libraries.

*Humour Comics and Picture Libraries: We conclude our Bumper Buster Bonanza for the time being with a round-up of issues from 1975-1980, several dozen new in. Also worth noting is that, in accordance with our housekeeping policy, our Humour Section has been totally updated this week, with all sold items having been deleted so that (albeit briefly), the listing is completely up to date with all issues shown being available as of the time of writing.

*Girls’ Comics and Picture Libraries: This week, our Complete Year Initiative continues with a complete run of Bunty from 1993 in very nice condition, when the comic was well into its glossy pop phase that would last until its demise, and a fresh batch of the seemingly very popular Twinkle from the 1970s and 80s; been a bit of a sales sensation of late has our Twinkle, so you might need to move fast to see what all the fuss is about!

*Alan Class Rough Guide Updated! As our regular visitors will know, we are continually updating our Rough Guide to the contents of Alan Class Comics as we come across issues we haven’t seen before. This Guide may be found under the Articles & Features section of our website and this week we’ve added details of a dozen or so more issues that weren’t there previously. One day we’ll be complete! And look for both fresh issues of Alan Class Comics and more Collectors’ Plate sets from the archives of the man himself over the next few weeks!

We have some amazing stuff coming up in the months between now and Christmas, so keep watching!

Posted by Rob | 03:02 p.m. GMT | 23 September 2008

American Update: Huge Silver/Bronze Marvel incoming plus dozens more modern complete sets

Lots of volume in our American update this week:

*Marvel: An enormous update to our Marvel Silver/Bronze stocks this week, across all major titles through Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Tales of Suspense, Thor & X-Men including many shorter run 1970s titles and loads of non-distributed issues. As with our massive DC top-ups a month or two ago, we can now offer a much bigger selection of issues in alternative grades with corresponding varying prices, to suit every budget!

*Modern Comics Complete Sets: Several dozen complete sets added from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Chaos, Valiant and other publishers from 1980-2008. These great value packs are always popular, so if you’re into American stuff later than those listed in our vintage sections, take a browse through here and you might just bag a bargain.

Posted by Rob | 02:53 p.m. GMT | 23 September 2008

17 September 2008

Email Alert Reminder

Well, I'm back from a very nice week in sunny Cornwall, and we'll have some fresh vintage stock on sale and added to the website within the next few days.

In the meantime, don't forget that if you're not on our email alert list, here's how it works. You simply email us to tell us the sort of things you collect, and we send you an alert whenever comics that match or approximate your requirements come into stock. That way you find out about new stock before it gets snapped up (as long as you move quickly - a significant amount of new stock sells within the first week of coming in!). So, if you're a collector with specific wants, we want to hear from you, and when we get stuff you're after, you'll want to hear from us right away! Don't delay - email today!

Posted by Rob | 12:19 p.m. GMT | 17 September 2008

4 September 2008

September Holidays

Today's update is the last for about 2 weeks or so, since for the rest of the month, first myself and then Will are going on holiday. I get Cornwall, he gets New York. Sheesh...

There will be some more updates later this month, but they'll be more spotty than usual. Just imagine how much stuff we'll have piled up for your delight by the time October rolls round!

Of course the shop remains open 7 days a week as normal throughout our holiday period, and it's a good chance to catch up on the many thousands of back issues we've been stuffing into the boxes all through the year.

We'll be dealing with all emails as well, but there may be slight delays in getting back to you via email. The quickest way to contact us through the rest of September is by phone (020 8788 2052).

That's it. Back sooner than you know it. Happy collecting!

Posted by Rob | 11:20 p.m. GMT | 4 September 2008

British Update: Buster, Shiver & Shake, Debbie, Love Story Picture Library & Sandie (inc #1)

Just a quickie midweek update for you this week, featuring some popular humour and girls' titles, plus a large-ish batch of the rarely seen Love Story Picture Library. Details as follows:

*Humour Comics and Picture Libraries: Our Bumper Buster Bonanza continues, with additions from the end of 1975 through to 1977, seeing the title claim yet another scalp in the shape of the short-lived Monster Fun, adding the original pathetic shark, 'Gums', 'Kid Kong', 'X-Ray Specs', 'Mummy’s Boy' and Ken Reid’s 'Martha’s Monster Make-Up' to the mix, all popular and enduring strips which, in Buster, far outlasted their original Monster Fun run. Plus, in 1976, unsung classic 'Marney the Fox' came to its tearjerking finale, to be replaced by the most long-running adventure strip in Buster’s history – 'The Leopard of Lime Street'! When young Billy Farmer was scratched by a radioactive leopard (hey, it could happen to anybody), he gained feline powers as well as a superheroic identity, a costume, a job as a freelance press photographer, an ailing aunt, a bullying editor, a bullying fellow student, and a snoopy girlfriend. Gosh, what a totally original and unprecedented concept! Nevertheless, with aid of Mike Western’s artwork, it lasted until May 1985, beating out Fishboy’s previously-unsurpassed eight-year record. Our Bumper Buster Bonanza has been such an unprecedented success that we’ve taken the step of completely updating the Buster section in the wake of rapid sales, so, as of this week, every item listed is present. And as if that wasn’t enough, another dozen primo Shiver & Shakes from 1973 and 1974, bringing you the pinnacle in pulse-pounding pachyderm and poltergeist pandemonium!

*Girls’ Comics and Picture Libraries: From 1966 to 1976, a decade of tearstained longings in the pages of Love Story Picture Library, self-contained stories of thwarted, unrequited and occasionally true love. These digest-sized comics were intended for older female readers, and so feature more grown-up themes (though still very far from explicit, of course), but with titles like 'Dangerous Near Him', 'Picture of Guilt' and 'Shotgun Wedding', as well as gorgeous painted covers, they were definitely selling the suggestion of ever-so-slightly illicit romance. On a more traditional note, we have new issues of Debbie from 1979, (incorporating Spellbound, but more importantly featuring 'The Big Cheese' – oh, you must remember it! Go back and read previous updates..), and Sandie from 1972, a short-lived Tammy-clone with 'Little Lady Nobody', 'No-one Cheers for Norah', 'Wee Sue', and other tales of suffering and ostracism. This run of Sandie includes the very first issue, VG at £15.

Posted by Rob | 11:00 p.m. GMT | 4 September 2008