Auctions: comic books March 1972

Amazing Spider-Man (1963 1st Series) 106 VG- 3.5

Water spotting.

"Squash! Goes the Spider!" Part 2 of 3. Script by Stan Lee. Pencils by John Romita. Inks by Frank Giacoia. Cover by John Romita and Frank Giacoia. After a tough battle vs. the spider slayer, the wall-crawler heads toward home and changes clothes on a nearby rooftop. But once he removes his mask, he notices a spy camera watching him! Did the camera catch Peter Parker's face? The web-slinger can't take a chance, so he makes a nifty synthetic mask to trick Professor Smythe! In the meantime, the professor prepares to take another run at Spider-Man with an even bigger spiderslayer! Is the second time going to be the charm? Cameo appearances by Dr. Curt Connors, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Harry Osborn, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, and Flash Thompson. (Notes: Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #1 is also published this month. It becomes Spider-Man's second monthly title. This story was reprinted in Marvel Tales #85.) 36 pages. Cover price $0.20.

Brave and the Bold (1955 1st Series DC) 100 CGC 7.5

Paper: Cream to off white

Label #4427280022

Giant-size issue. Cover by Nick Cardy. "The Warrior in a Wheel-Chair," script by Bob Haney, art by Jim Aparo; When Batman is struck by a snipers bullet, only the skilled surgeon Dr. Hellstrom can save his life, however the doctor has to travel to Gotham from Zürich; Meanwhile, Batman is in a weakened condition right at a critical point in his mission to bus the latest shipment of Cocaine into Gotham City; Unable to finish the job himself at risk of killing himself, Batman enlists the aid of Robin, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Green Lantern to help him; He sends the group out to seek out his leads however, each and every single one leads to a dead end; When Batman is undergoing is surgery, the lead surgeon is revealed not to be Dr. Hellstrom, but the drug lord Belknap, who has taken Hellstrom's place to try and kill Batman on the operating table. Reprint back-up story: "Hide and Seek," script by Jack Miller, art by Neal Adams; Deadman seeks to learn what has happened to the police detective assigned to his case; He discovers that the detective, Michael Riley, has been falsely accused of brutally beating a thief who had already surrendered to him, and has been kicked off the force. Letter from comics writer Bob Rozakis. 52 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.25.

Daredevil (1964 1st Series) 85 CGC 6.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4735129015

Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Mike Esposito. Night Flight!, script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Syd Shores; On the way back from England, Daredevil and the Black Widow find their plane being hijacked by the Gladiator. Letter to the editor from comics writer Mark Gruenwald. 36 pgs. Cover price $0.20. Cover price $0.20.

Marvel Team-Up (1972 1st Series) 1 CGC 8.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4302689004

"Have Yourself a Sandman Little Christmas!" Guest-starring Spider-Man and the Human Torch. Script by Roy Thomas. Pencils by Ross Andru. Inks by Mike Esposito. Cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. A second monthly series for the Amazing Spider-Man begins with a team-up with his friendly rival in the Fantastic Four! After bumping into the Sandman on a New York beach, the web-slinger rushes to the Baxter Building! Only Johnny Storm is home on Christmas Eve, and he agrees to help Spider-Man track down the Sandman. The wall-crawler and the torch locate their foe in New Jersey, and the breakneck battle begins! Will Spider-Man and the Human Torch go easy on the Sandman? 'Tis the season! First appearance of Misty Knight (unnamed in the story). (Notes: The Marvel Team-Up title is published bi-monthly thru issue #7. Amazing Spider-Man (1st series) 106 is also published this month. This story was reprinted in 1974 in the Marvel Treasury Special - Superhero Holiday Grab Bag.) 36 pages. Cover price $0.20.

Phantom Stranger (1969 2nd Series) 18 FN 6.0

52-page giant. Cover art by Neal Adams. "Home Is the Sailor," script by Len Wein, art by Tony DeZuniga; When a lonely mariner girl named Lorelei is visited by ghosts out at sea, she is rescued by the Phantom Stranger; Later, she and her father are visited by a ship captain named Hans Vanderdecker, who has come to their port to wait out a storm; When the storm lets off, the impulsive Lorelei decides to leave with Vanderdecker. "War of the Toy Soldiers!", script by Jack Miller, pencils by Irwin Hasen, inks by Bernard Sachs; Retired general Roger Fielding loves to play with his toy armies and dies of exhaustion. "Stopover!", script by Steve Skeates, art by Tony DeZuniga; Called to witness a seance, Dr. Thirteen and his wife Marie are witness to something altogether different; Aliens who have decided steal the Earth's atmosphere arrive. "The Demon Spirit That Invaded Mark Merlin!", script by Arnold Drake, pencils by Mort Meskin, inks by George Roussos. Letter to the editor from cartoonist Jay Zilber. 52 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane (1958) 120 VG+ 4.5

Cover oxidation.

Cover art by Dick Giordano. Who Killed Lucy Lane?, script by Cary Bates and Irene Vartanoff (Plot), pencils by Werner Roth, inks by Vince Colletta and Murphy Anderson (Superman heads); Searching for her missing sister Lucy, Lois finds her diary and learns that Lucy was working for the 100 as a spy, stealing secret plans for a super-weapon. Not All Thorns Come from Roses!, script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Mike Esposito; The Thorn encounters a woman wearing duplicates of her costume and weapons, which were created years ago by costume shop owner Arthur Talbot for the woman's mother to use for criminal purposes. Lois Lane - Volunteer Nurse!, art by Kurt Schaffenberger; Lois falls in love with an injured soldier when she volunteers as a nurses' aide, but he turns out to be a member of the 14 Karat Gang. 52 Pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.25.

Where Monsters Dwell (1970) 14 CGC 6.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4714816018

Cover art by John Severin. The Green Thing!, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; A botanist invents a serum to magnify the latent intelligence of plants; He tested it on a remote island, but the plant was evil and wanted to conquer the world. The Haunted Paper!, art by Steve Ditko; A criminal skips town and sets up a newspaper as a front; The paper's typesetter writes headlines that seem to predict the future but it's a scam to convince the criminal to turn himself in. The Coming of Maaboo!, art by Don Heck; A mercenary hears of a tribe that hoards gold while waiting for the return of a legendary alien; The mercenary poses as the alien and steals the gold, but he is abducted by the real alien. All reprints. 36 pgs. $0.20. Cover price $0.20.