We offered a bound volume of The Magic Comic containing Nos 25-80 and it sold for its opening bid of £7200. Still a firm price for the this lesser-known DC Thomson title as it ceased publication with issue 80 in 1941 being sacrificed to keep Beano and Dandy going during the war.

The Thriller with one issue missing from 1938 featured The Saint, The Shadow and The Gang Smasher at £260.

The Dandy No 56 was the second Xmas issue and it sold for £310. The Beano and Dandy market is stabilising as more issues come on to the open market, inevitably lessening the perception of rarity although the Fine/Very Fine graded key copies are still hotly contested.

Here was an early Desperate Dan artwork by Dudley Watkins for £420.

A wonderful selection of 20 TV Boardman hard-boiled crime paperbacks with art-deco cover art by Denis McLoughlin delighted their new owner at £155.

The complete 1952 year of Beano comics reached £720.

In absolute contrast to the above lot, we offered a near complete year of Beano from 1955 missing 2 issues which sold for £2550 (followed up with the full Beano year from 1957 at £2050!)

A complete year of high grade 1960 Beezers in a bound volume brought cheeky smiles to Banana Bunch faces with £880. (Further full Beezer years from 1962 and 1963 made £540 each).

We were delighted to offer the best run of Commando War Stories in Pictures that had ever come up for auction. No 1 fought its way to £980, No 2 to £270 and No 3 to £520. We had also lotted all the issues up to No 30 separately. Nos 4-7 reached between £210-260 each and Nos 8-30 in the range of £55-180 each.

Commandos 41-50 made £320

Fifteen Commandos from Nos 61-75 captured £680

Twenty-five Commandos (Nos 76-100) stormed to a winning bid of £820. The second part of this unrivalled collection will feature in our next auction in February 2022.

Frank Bellamy’s signed Heros the Spartan artwork formed the centrespread of Eagle No 16 from 1965. Heros and Zathran, commander of the Black Guard, are tied together in a duel to the death (for £4,100)

 

Creating a huge new record for the POW! title, this first issue in [vfn/nm] grade was accompanied by its free gift Spider-Matic Gun and all six Spider Disc Bullets, still in their original press-out card. A rare high-grade combination leading to an almighty bidding frenzy that finally peaked at £1920.

POW! No 2 wfg Spider-Man Transfer also did not disappoint at £410 (and neither did No 3 wfg Haggis Game which followed for the same amount)

Two original signed boards of Garth by Frank Bellamy published in the D.Mirror during 1973 detailed the Mask of Atacama story and sold at £450.

Three consecutive Charley’s War artworks drawn by Joe Colquhoun for Battle comic illustrated once more the horrors of WWI and sold for £920

This was the original artwork drawn and signed by Enio for inclusion in Prog 4 of 2000AD in 1976. However the story, ‘A Man Called Probe’, written by Pat Mills, was pulled from publication at the last minute for being too violent. The text was hurriedly rewritten with the artwork repurposed and retitled ‘M.A.C.H. 1’. £1160 underlined its historical value.

Our US section promoted a strong collection of 1950s horror titles including mid- grade Dark Mysteries #7, Web of Evil #17 and Web of Mystery #25 at £300

EC’s Haunt of Fear #23, Tales from the Crypt #40 and Vault of Horror #38 frightened a £240 winning bid.

 

Here are Journey into Fear #4, Out of the Shadows #5 (actually #1), Tales of Horror#6 and (to lighten the mood) Venus #8 cajoling £470.

Mystery Tales, Mystic and Suspense snared £280

Three high grade cents copies of Amazing Spider-Man #49, 54 and 58 reached £185

Avengers #13 and #14 from 1965 collected £150

Daredevil #131 hit the Bullseye with £120

This [vg] cents copy of Fantastic Four Annual #1 made £200

Journey into Mystery #101 and 109 cents copies hammered at £165

Batman #171 took The Riddler to £300

Whilst the New [vg] Batgirl caved into £250

 

Scarce Flash #107 and #108, both cents copies, both [fn-] each £240 – inseparable.

 

Here was a near-full run of 31 Shazam! Issues for £165

 

Amazing Spider-Man continues to be upwardly mobile with this #300 CGC 8.0 copy amassing £450.

 

 

Talking of the upwardly mobile, ‘The Beano – The Art of Breaking the Rules’ is in the middle of a hugely successful exhibition at London’s Somerset House which we visited a few weeks ago. Mouth-watering original artwork from the war years, Lord Snooty, Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Roger the Dodger and The Bash Street Kids all have their special sections including the brilliant BMoMA BeanoTown Museum of Modern Art. There’s even an area where you can ask two over-worked sign-writers to make a placard for display in the adjoining room or to take home, saying what you like about the Beano or a new character you might imagine.

 

Waiting patiently in the queue I suggested ‘ROGER THE TAX-DODGER’ and a vegan version of the comic called ‘The BEAN-O’ and they turned away from me in disgust.