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Update Archives For October 2007

29 October 2007

British Update: Annuals, #1 issues, Free Gift issues, most of the first ten issues of Lion, Commando PL and much much more!

Once again this week we return to our Free Gift Farrago (the penultimate segment for now!) and our Girls' Comic Bonanza (which will run and run for weeks to come!), plus a ginormous horde of other goodies in the following categories:

*Annuals: Film & TV and Boys’ Adventure sub-sections get a makeover this week, with new additions (or in some cases entirely new titles) being listed for Action Man, Dick Barton (from 1950), Eagle (1980’s and 1990’s), Every Boys’ Annual (from 1951, with an original W.E. Johns Biggles tale), Fantastic Four TV Picture Story Book, Hotspur (from 1966), Indiana Jones, Judge Dredd, the Pink Panther, Shoot! from 1971, Thundercats, Tiger 1975-1982, and Valiant 1972-1979. .

*Boys’ Adventure and War Comics: First, Final, and Free Gift issues from four decades this week as our Free Gift Farrago ™ continues! From 1947, the very first issue of Sun (previously ‘Fitness and Sun’, but we don’t talk about that…), which kicked off a 550+ issue run before the title folded into Tiger. From the 1950’s, we have later issues of ‘junior Eagle’ Swift, Express Weekly with Embleton’s Wulf the Briton, and early issues of Lion, commencing with the third edition, with space adventurer Captain Condor, Robot Archie (or 'The Jungle Robot', as he was known for his very first adventure) and more! From the 1960’s, more Eagle, from Volumes 17 and 18, TV21 spin-off Joe 90 and the second series of TV21, the Thunderbirds Are Go! TV21 Special, and the final issue of short-lived cult series Hurricane, before the dreaded 'Big News This Week!' heralded its amalgamation into Tiger. And from the 1970’s, we have later Wizard, the first three issues of Battle, the seminal war weekly masterminded by Pat Mills, the first three issues of soccer weekly Shoot! in VF with Free Gifts (and in the case of #1, a newsagent’s promo sheet), and the first four issues of Warlord, with Free Gift issues for #’s 1 and 3. Whew!

*Boys’ Adventure and War Picture Libraries: Another substantial Commando upgrade, with 100+ issues of the popular war digest added to our listings, ranging from pre-decimal #520 all the way to #3526.

*Girls’ Comics and Picture Libraries: Judy’s back again, this time from 1961 to 1962, with our grey-haired, bekittened hostess welcoming 'Wee Heather' and 'Marisa and the Doves' to the lineup of stories where Sandra of the Secret Ballet was the narrative quarterback. (Though it’s not so secret a ballet if they go around the town fund-raising for it, now is it? Maybe they should re-think the title…). Next week, we revisit Bunty, but there are many more Bunty and Judy updates in our future from the outstanding collections recently acquired, so pace yourselves – the gymkhana’s far from over! (and wait till you get to 'A Horse Called Buttercup'; I cried, really.)

Posted by Rob | 02:52 p.m. GMT | 29 October 2007

American Update -- All the latest DC Archives & Showcases, Marvel Masterworks, Essentials & Omnibus editions and much more!

*Modern Reprints: A plethora of vintage items re-presented from the Golden and Silver Ages, with new DC Archives (7 Soldiers of Victory Vol 2, Spirit Vol 22, Wonder Woman Vol 5, and the JSA All-Stars Vol 1, which reprints the solo tales of Hourman, Wildcat, Atom, Mr. Terrific, Johnny Thunder and the Red Tornado!), and Showcase Presents paperbacks (Adam Strange, Batman and the Outsiders, Martian Manhunter, Metal Men, and the Silver Age Wonder Woman and Worlds’ Finest), new Marvel Masterworks (Captain Marvel Vol 2, Golden Age Sub-Mariner Vol 2, Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD Vol 1, and new volumes for Thor and the Avengers), and Essential paperbacks (Daredevil Vol 4, Dazzler Vol 1, Moon Knight Vol 2 and Spider-Woman Vol 2). In addition, this category now covers Marvel’s handsome oversized Omnibus Editions, with the complete Amazing Adult Fantasy in one volume new to this update, the Gladstone Tales From The Crypt EC reprints are restocked, the first three Origins of Marvel Comics (Origins, Son Of, and Bad Guys) are available in first printings, the rare 1977 Miss Fury collection is in stock, and both the Superman and Batman Chronicles have new volumes (3 and 4, respectively) of the complete full-colour sequential paperback reprints.

Posted by Rob | 02:42 p.m. GMT | 29 October 2007

22 October 2007

New Catalogue Category - Mad!

*Mad: A brand-new section to our website, devoted to the many issues and incarnations of the famous satirical magazine, both American & British editions. Our range will be widening in months to come, but we open with a substantial run from Mad’s early days, just after its transition from a comic book to magazine format in the wake of Frederic Wertham’s 'Seduction of the Innocent' controversy. Beginning with 1956’s #27 (the fourth magazine-sized issue), we have a virtually unbroken run until 1962, featuring the work of EC alumni WallyWood, Will Elder and Jack Davis, together with ‘new’ recruits Mort Drucker, Jack Rickard, Don Martin, Dave Berg and more, for what is frequently regarded as Mad’s finest era. This remarkable selection ranges from Fair to Fine in grade, so whether your primary concern is for budget or quality, we should have something to suit! We also have an array of the Mad Super Specials, with many featuring the comic-book ‘Nostalgic Mad’ supplements or other free gift bonuses.

Posted by Rob | 12:05 a.m. GMT | 22 October 2007

21 October 2007

British Update - Loads more Free Gift issues, Marvel UK, Power Comics, Modesty Blaise, Garth, Charley's War, Albion Origins, early 1960's Wizard, Bullet and many other Boys' Adventure titles, Air Ace & Thriller Picture Libraries, Bunty 1960/61, Jinty #1-4 and many girls' titles!

In a massive update this week, not only do we continue our Free Gift Farrago (Free Gift issues this week in Bullet, Jinty and many Marvel UK issues) and our Girls' Comics Bonanza, we also have huge quantities of other stuff from many other British categories, in one of our biggest updates ever. Details follow:

*Marvel UK : A ‘gifted’ selection of number ones and relaunches mostly dating from the flurry of new titles around the early 1980’s; first issues of Blockbuster, Captain America, Fantastic Four (second series), Future Tense, Marvel Action, Marvel Madhouse, Marvel Super Adventure and Thor, all in high grade and many still bearing the original free gifts of, for example, a Fantastic Four boomerang (!), and Thor’s plastic spinning thingy, as used by All-Father Odin himself. Ahem. We’ve also got a lot of Star Wars Weekly, most of the first fifty issues from #2, the aforementioned second issue still proudly carrying its punch-out cardboard TIE Fighter for your delectation.

*Power Comics: More 'News from the floor of 64' (and how old do you have to be to remember that catchphrase?) with additions to our stock of Fantastic from #1 to virtually the close of play, new stock for Pow and a run of Smash, opening with #121, when Batman newspaper strips sat uneasily beside the new Brit material and the Marvel reprints, and continuing through 1969 and 1970, when the title was transformed into a Valiant-lookalike, giving it a new lease of life and bequeathing Janus Stark, Tri-Man and Cursitor Doom, among others, to comics posterity.

*Collected Editions: More iconic characters and series from UK comics showcased, with the first seven volumes of Titan’s full-colour hardcover Dan Dare omnibuses back in stock, a new collection of the delectable yet deadly Modesty Blaise, the Albion Origins hardcover, reprinting the first adventures of Kelly’s Eye, House of Dolmann, Cursitor Doom and Janus Stark, retrospective compilations on Eagle and Girl Annual, and the scarce Garth Book from 1976 by the superlative Frank Bellamy. All this, plus the fourth volume of Mills and Colquhoun’s groundbreaking Charley’s War, further sequential compilations of 2000 AD’s Strontium Dog and Nemesis the Warlock, and more!

*Boys’ Adventure and War Comics: More than 50 vintage issues of the story-paper Wizard, from the years 1960 and 1963 (the last year of publication), featuring series that, these days, are more evocative of top-shelf videos than clean-living adventure: 'Johnny Raw', 'Magnus the Muscle Man', 'Ginger, the Duke, and the Wee Blue Book', and 'Thruster John', to name but four. Joking aside, these short consecutive runs are in excellent condition, mostly a very appealing Fine with clean flexible white pages and a remarkable state of preservation for their vintage. Rugby star Bernard Briggs is the frequent lead feature, with daring tales of war, adventure, exploration and, er, train-spotting, aplenty. And no, it’s not an error, there were two Christmas issues in 1960, for reasons lost to history. From a later, less innocent time, we have 1975’s Bullet, in which our moustachioed n’ mulleted medallion man 'Fireball' thwarts spies and evildoers, ably backstopped by bandy-yet-plucky footballer 'Twisty', mad robot 'The Smasher' and more. The first three issues still bear their original free gifts of a ‘Secret Sign’ ring (A ring? Secret sign or not, isn’t that more of a, you know, Bunty sort of thing?), a survival wallet (now that’s more like it!), and two models (aircraft, not fashion) respectively. We also have the first issue of Crunch, Champion from 1950, and additions to our Buddy, Tiger and 2000 AD stock to tempt you this time.

*Boys’ Adventure and War Picture Libraries: Those daring young men in their flying machines return in Air Ace, from #3, in VG/FN, and a selection of a dozen more early issues, with pre-decimal Battle and War Picture Libraries also added to our stock. Furthermore, we have a very nice selection of mid-to-low grade Thriller, ranging from #38 (Children of the New Forest), through to #279 (The Worst Boy In School – harking back a bit to the days of Magnet, that.) Tales of derring-do with Dick Turpin, the Three Musketeers and Robin Hood abound…

*Girls’ Comics and Picture Libraries: Vintage Bunty takes the pole position, as we top up the years 1960 and 1961, with the advent of such classics as 'Mary Had A Little Ram', 'Millie’s Magic Broomstick', 'The Ballerina With Bow Legs', and 'The Pink Piano' (you’d be astonished how often the aforementioned musical instrument is a life-saver when you’re on the old Wagon Train …) join the Four Marys, the perpetually terpsichorean Moira Kent, and the other regulars. We’re also proud to welcome the first four issues of Jinty, which ran for a creditable eight years during a tough transitional time for the girls’ comic, and featured stories of suspense, abuse and cruelty such as 'The Haunting of Form 3B', 'Dora Dogsbody', 'Gwen’s Stolen Glory', and 'Mercy At Misery House'. The first three issues continue our Free Gift Farrago, as a Smiley Bracelet, pocket hairbrush and full-colour ‘Pop Box’ (what do you mean, “What is it?” Buy the mag and find out!) are up for grabs! Not only that, but Girls’ Crystal, the first series of Girl, June, Misty, School Friend and Tammy also receive ‘booster shots’ this update.

Watch for more items from both our Free Gift Farrago and Girls' Comics Bonanza next week!

Posted by Rob | 12:38 p.m. GMT | 21 October 2007

American Update: Tarzan/ERB plus Amazing World Of DC Comics & FOOM

Some rare items this week in the following categories:

*Tarzan/ERB: More from the house of Edgar Rice Burroughs, with Tarzan from Dell in the 1950’s, averaging FN, some Gold Key, and the 1973 Hamlyn hardcover in which the definitive Tarzan artist, Burne Hogarth, retold the Lord of Jungle’s origin. Plus, additions to DC’s Weird Worlds, with John Carter of Mars and Carson of Venus, and Marvel’s John Carter of Mars series.

*Magazines/Books About Vintage US Comics: We’re proud to have the ‘House Magazines’ of the Big Two, Amazing World of DC Comics and FOOM, back in stock. Launched in the 1970’s, these embryonic ‘Pro-fanzines’ combined fannish enthusiasm with professional editing and production values, and featured interviews, unseen artwork, previously un-published material, and other insights guaranteed to appeal to the then-burgeoning Direct Sales market. Unfortunately a little ahead of their time, as the fanbase wasn’t quite organized enough to get behind them, they didn’t last long, and never having had large print runs, are very rare today. We’re pleased to have a complete run of Amazing World of DC Comics in stock, with special themed issues on Wonder Woman, the Legion, Batman, Superman and the Justice League among others, and a substantial amount of FOOM (which stands for Friends Of Ol’ Marvel, as if you need telling..) with Avengers, Kirby and Cosmic Hero spotlights.

Watch for a further American update with a brand new category to our catalogue coming very soon!

Posted by Rob | 12:18 p.m. GMT | 21 October 2007

14 October 2007

British Update: More #1 (inc. Monster Fun, Judy + first year) and Free Gift issues, Humour from 1920's-1980's inc lots of 1950's Beanos & Dandys, Princess Tina, Sandie and much more!

This week we continue both our Girls' Comics Bonanza and our Free Gift Farrago (Free Gift issues this week in Dandy, Cracker, School Fun, & Sandie), with a wealth of first issues, free gifts and long runs in the following categories:

*Humour Comics & Picture Libraries: The two DC Thomson stalwarts are recharged with a stunning range of issues from 1950-1956 for Beano and 1950-1998 for Dandy, the regular stars such as Dennis, Biffo, Desperate Dan et al being joined by a selection of less well-remembered features such as 'Nutty The Coal Imp', 'Jack Flash', 'Granny Green', 'Quick Dick', and 'Fergus of the Forty Faces'. With two Beano Summer Specials and a number of later Dandy free gift and Christmas issues, this is an impressive addition to our stock. But it doesn’t stop there! A medley of Mickey Mouse Weekly from 1950 to 1953, the first five Cracker from 1975 (with issues 2-4 still bearing the original free gifts!), a selection of first issues including Eagle-companion Robin, the hard-to-find Monster Fun, the short-lived School Fun (with free gift), and new entries for Beezer, Buster (from 1963’s Christmas Issue), Chips from 1953, Film Fun from 1920, Gem, Magnet, Radio Fun, Topper from 1953, Whizzer & Chips and Whoopee, we cover virtually a century (oh, okay, 88 years. Be pedantic.) of japes, hoaxes, and wizard wheezes that have delighted generations!

*Girls’ Comics and Picture Libraries: Our delve into the archive this week brings us the first year of Judy, companion to Bunty, from 1960’s premiere issue in VG onwards. The first issue is home to 'Sandra and the Secret Ballet', wherein young Sandra Wilson, along with seven other gifted but neglected pre-teen dancers, is kidnapped, spirited off to an island castle and forced to join a ballet company by the sinister Madam Sierra – and nobody much seems to mind! Under various guises, Sandra was in most issues of Judy for the next ten years, backstopped by features like 'The Ring That Winked', 'Popsi’s Circus', 'Janie B. Quick', and our eponymous, prematurely grey hostess, whose ultra-tame antics with kittens made Bunty’s adventures with Buster seem positively hoydenish. Most of the first year’s worth of Judy is now on sale, in grades ranging from FA to VG, with many more to come. A scan of the first issue can be seen in our Cover Gallery – click on the link in the main catalogue entry! We follow Judy with Princess Tina, a magazine with a curious history. Launching in 1967 as just Tina, with atom-age stewardesses the Space Girls, secret agent Jane Bond, super-model Barbie (yes, that Barbie..) and western adventuress Glory Gold, it merged within the year with the staid Princess to form Princess Tina, a pink & fluffy juggernaut that rolled on for the following eight years, transforming itself from a girl’s comic to a pop'n romance mag a la Jackie. Confusingly, it reverted to the Tina title (and fleetingly New Tina) with its last year. We’re releasing loads of them, from first to last; the debut of Tina and much of its short run, a handful of contemporary Princess from 1967 just pre-merger, the first Princess Tina, most of the PT series including its incorporation with Penelope, the latter Tina and New Tina, and 1974’s final issue. First-run Tina is listed under Tina, but the later ‘reversion’ Tina is found under Princess Tina from 1973 on, okay? Phew. Last but not least, early issues of Sandie, the short-lived weekly, launched 1972, that is like gold dust; we have the first three issues (including two and three with free gifts of lucky ladybird brooch and dolly purse!), plus other early editions, in extraordinary VF condition – a grade we very seldom apply to British comics, because of their tendency to discolour and tear, but these are remarkably nice copies. Grab ‘em quick; but remember to pay us for them before you run out of the store, okay? Enthusiasm only excuses a certain amount…

More Free Gift and #1 issues next week, but you 'll need to move fast to secure tham since interest in these is fierce!

Posted by Rob | 12:00 p.m. GMT | 14 October 2007

7 October 2007

British Update - Early Bunty inc #1, more girls, #1 issues (plus others) with free gifts, Rupert Adventures, Marvel UK, 1950s Knockouts and much, much more!

This week, not only do we continue our Girls' Comics Bonanza with the most significant and important #1 of all, but we also start our Free Gift Farrago, with many #1 (and other) free gift issues listed; many more of these to follow in the coming weeks. Not only that, but we also have a good new selection of many other popular titles from the 1950s to the 1980s. Details as follows:

*Marvel UK: Captain Britain’s early adventures, with free gift issues, added this week, plus a selection of his back-up run in Spider-Man Weekly’s ‘Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain’ phase, in which Fred Kida, Gary Friedrich and Pablo Marcos regaled us all with their version of UK life. Brrr. In other news, Mighty World of Marvel from #14, Spider-Man Comics weekly from #53, Rampage (1st series) from #1, Planet of the Apes from #1, and the Super-Heroes from #1, all freshly recharged to tingle your tastebuds. Or something like that.

*Rupert: We don’t get to update Britain’s Favourite Bear as often as we’d like, but we have two of the Rupert Adventures Series new to our listings. Running from 1948 to 1963, these full-colour slender comics, slightly shorter and squatter than the American standard, featured first reprints, then new stories ostensibly helmed by Bestall, though rumour has it his associates Enid Ash and Alex Cubie did most of the work. The later numbers, where the print run plummeted, are paradoxically rarest, and we have issue #37 and the final issue, #50, in stock. A cover scan of issue #50 can be viewed on the catalogue listing – click the link. People knowledgeable in Rupert-dom will appreciate just how very rare this latter item is.

*Boys’ Adventure & War Comics: Other than the ‘adventurous’ run of Knockout from 1956-1959, referred to in our Humour update, we’ve also got patchy but long-spanning updates for Lion (1965-1971 and the 1974 Holiday Special), Tiger (1962-1984) and a shorter sequence for Roy of the Rovers (1976-1978), as well as one-or-two issue touch-ups like for Look-In, Rover, Scoop, Scorcher, Score, Striker, 2000 AD, TV Action, TV Tornado, and a stray Wizard from 1957, with very dodgy content. (I don’t want to go into detail, but if I say 'Spadger Island', those in the know will know, y’know?).

*Humour Comics & Picture Libraries: The first series of Knockout (1939-1963) was a curiously hybrid title, mostly funnies, but going through several phases where it featured predominantly adventure strips. From 1956-1959, Davy Crockett, Hopalong Cassidy, Sexton Blake, superhero Thunderbolt Jaxon and the Space Family Rollinson tended to take the lead, leaving Sporty and Billy Bunter as the front-running funnies. Around thirty of the ‘adventurous’ Knockout are new in this week, in affordable low-mid grade. A less successful hybrid was the short-lived Ally Sloper from Alan Class in 1976; uncertain of whether it wanted to be drama, comedy, or a nostalgia mag, it didn’t quite gel, and while it was interesting to see later work from Frank Bellamy, Frank Hampson and Harry Law, the new features ('Kaptain Kween'? Tsk…) were sub-par. The first three are now on sale on our website. On more traditional grounds, we have the first five issues of Whoopee! from 1974, averaging VG/FN, with Daisy Jones’ Locket, Spy School, Evil Eye, and, more importantly, the free gifts from the first three issues (including the ‘fake chocolate finger’ variant free gift from #2). Yahoo! (Or even Whoopee!).

*Girls’ Comics and Picture Libraries: Our massive update of our girls’ stock continues with three very different titles, including probably the most important one in the field – Bunty #1! This attractive FN- copy features the debuts of the Four Marys, Bimbo and Her Baby (!), Pocahontas, the Dancing Life of Moira Kent, and many more, in addition to our eponymous heroine, and was the first in a series that only hung up its ballet shoes in 2001. A cover scan is available in the catalogue listing – click on the link – and this gem is supported by several more issues from the first 100 in 1958 and 1959, the start of a lengthy Bunty listing that will take us through to the final issue and beyond. We also have Dreamer, a short-lived 1981/1982 title which combined photo-stories with comic strips, features and pop pin-ups. The series merged with Girl Mk. II after only 35 issues, but here’s an opportunity to obtain the full set, averaging FN, in one fell swoop, including a VG #1 with the original free gift (A Super Heart Bracelet!). Lastly, a selection of Secrets from 1977, a DC Thomson story-paper aimed at housewives rather than schoolgirls. Although in the same format as Bunty et al, this is text rather than comic strips, but the illustrations (featuring people who look like Lindsay Wagner and Lewis Collins. On a bad day) depict genteel tales of suspense ('No Way Out'), temptation ('Trapped By My Marriage!') and, er, recipes. ('Twenty Ways With Beef!'). Yes, romance, mystery and meat – it’s all here for you at 30th Century!

One final note regarding our continuing Free Gift issue listings: we have dozens of these to grade and price over the coming weeks, as well as thousands of other items to be listed. We have had many enquiries wanting to know what new free gift issues will be available and when, but I'm afraid we will not be able to give any information out on these until they are graded, valued and listed on our website, so the quickest way to find out is to keep an eye on this page, which is updated weekly (usually on Sunday or Monday). This is the only way we can be fair to ALL our customers. We anticipate that every update in the next few weeks will feature some of these new free gift issues.

Posted by Rob | 10:52 a.m. GMT | 7 October 2007

American Update - Marvel & DC Silver/Bronze inc. Sugar & Spike!

A nice broad range from the Big Two this week:

*DC: A major top-up this week, with highlights including a handful of Sugar & Spike, the classic cartoon comedy by Sheldon Meyer; rare as hen’s teeth in the UK, these charming stories of ‘tomorrow’s teen-agers’ attract high demand whenever they appear. Order early to avoid disappointment! We also have the ground-breaking Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man tabloid from 1976, the rare Super-Friends Special (long thought to be a ‘phantom’ comic made up by Price Guides to protect copyright information), and additional stock to Batman, Blackhawk, DC 100-Page Super-Spectacular, DC Special, DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest, From Beyond the Unknown, Green Lantern, Hawk & Dove, Hot Wheels, Justice League of America, Karate Kid, Phantom Stranger, Showcase, Strange Adventures, Superman, Superman Annual, Superman Family, and Swamp Thing.

*Marvel: It’s a Bronze-Age Bonanza this week, with first issues for Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, Star Wars: Droids, Ms. Marvel and Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, plus early Star Wars, Howard the Duck, Astonishing Tales with Deathlok, Spoof, and a smattering of Silver Age additions to Avengers, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and Strange Tales.

Posted by Rob | 10:29 a.m. GMT | 7 October 2007