Auctions: comic books June 1975

Fantastic Four (1961 1st Series) 159 CGC 9.0

Paper: White

Label #4408162002

"Havoc in the Hidden Land!" Part 2 of 2. Guest-starring the Inhumans. Script by Roy Thomas. Art by Rich Buckler (breakdowns) and Joe Sinnott (finishes). Cover by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott. One of the best Fantastic Four covers of the bronze age as the FF storm into the Great Refuge to free the royal family! Can the fabulous foursome accomplish their mission before Xemu forces Black Bolt to speak into the Thunder Horn? An invisible stowaway on the flight to the Hidden Land holds the key to victory! (Notes: In this issue Medusa returns to the Inhumans and the Invisible Girl rejoins the FF. Also, the Human Torch switches back to his traditional blue FF uniform. The letters page contains Marvel Value Stamp series A #84 Doctor Doom.) 32 pages Cover price $0.25.

Giant Size Avengers (1974) 4 VF- 7.5

"Let All Men Bring Together!" Wedding of the Vision and Scarlet Witch. Story by Steve Englehart. Pencils by Don Heck. Inks by John Tartaglione. Cover by Gil Kane, Al Milgrom, and John Romita (touch-ups). Story continues from Avengers 135. The Vision's quest through time to discover his origin is over. But instead of returning to Immortus' domain, the synthezoid avenger materializes at the center of the Earth! And shockingly the Dread Dormammu is there! With his captive…the Scarlet Witch! Wow, how did Wanda end up in the dreaded one's clutches? It doesn't matter now as the Vision must fight for the woman he loves! It's a supernatural showdown at Earth's core: The Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Agatha Harkness vs. the Dread Dormammu and Umar! Meanwhile in Vietnam, while the Cotati explains the mystery of the Celestial Madonna to Mantis and Moondragon; Hawkeye, Shell-Head, and the thunder god slip outside the temple and bump into the Titanic Three! However the three communist super-villains have been beaten badly! Who did this? Who else…but the Conqueror! And one more time, one final time, the assembled Avengers battle Kang…for the Celestial Madonna! An extraordinary ending for Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Cameo appearances by the Space Phantom, Crimson Dynamo, Radioactive Man, Titanium Man, and Gaea. Flashback cameos by the Swordsman, original Human Torch, and Ultron. Avengers Lineup: Hawkeye, Iron Man, Mantis, Scarlet Witch, Thor, and the Vision. First reprint story: "Betrayed by the Ants!" Plot by Stan Lee. Script by Larry Lieber. Pencils by Jack Kirby. Inks by Dick Ayers. The Ant-Man battles Egghead. Originally published in Tales to Astonish 38. Second reprint story: "Then Came…the Black Widow" Script by Gary Friedrich. Pencils by John Buscema. Inks by John Verpoorten. Originally published in Amazing Adventures 1 (2nd series). (Notes: This issue marks the end of the Celestial Madonna saga. Truly a bronze age masterpiece. Kang appears next in Avengers 141. Mantis does not return until many years later in Silver Surfer (2nd series) 3 & 4. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch first met in Avengers 76. Elements of this story overlap with Doctor Strange (1st series) 8. This issue was reprinted in 2005 in the trade paperback: Avengers…Vision and the Scarlet Witch. The letters page includes letters from comics publisher Dean Mullaney and comics artist Bill Blyberg, respectively.) 64 pages Cover price $0.50.

Justice Inc. (1975) 1 CGC 9.6

Paper: White

Label #4323269012

Cover art by Joe Kubert. "Batman and the Mummy" Hostess Twinkies ad. "This Night, an Avenger Is Born!", script by Denny O'Neil, art by Al McWilliams; Origin and intro of the Avenger, and his support organization Justice, Inc.; The Avenger was Richard Benson; Due to the traumatic kidnapping of his wife and child the muscles in his face were frozen; This enabled him to literally mold his face into any shape. "Justice Incorporated" by Allen Asherman. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.

Savage Sword of Conan (1974 Marvel) Annual 1 CBCS 9.4

Paper: White

Label #23-11CBD69-063

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Summer 1975. Conan reprints: "Beware the Wrath of Anu" (script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Barry Windsor-Smith, inks by Sal Buscema; from Conan the Barbarian 10) and "The Web of the Spider-God" (also by Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Buscema, from a plot by John Jakes; from Conan the Barbarian 13). Kull reprints: "The Forbidden Swamp" (script by Thomas, pencils by Marie Severin, inks by John Severin) and "The Death-Dance of Thulsa Doom!" (also by Thomas/Severin/Severin). Windsor-Smith frontispiece (reprint). Badia cover. Cover price $1.25.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 180 GD+ 2.5

Cover art by Jim Starlin. "The Judgment!", script by Jim Starlin (as Sam Jiltirn), pencils by Jim Starlin, inks by Jim Starlin (as J.L. Minirats) and Alan Weiss; While battling a couple of the Black Knights the Soul Gem almost takes control again and Warlock decides, that he must destroy it, however as he takes it off Warlock collapses and realizes, that he can no longer exist without the Gem as it has been sucking out Warlock's Soul in the last three Years thus becoming his life force; The Matriarch wants to make a Slave out of Warlock now instead of killing him; After trying to remove the Gem Warlock is invited by the Matriarch to the Sacred Palace, an obvious trap, but since she claims, that she knew that the gem would become a danger even to Warlock himself, Warlock decides to accept the invitation and ditches; Pip First appearance of Gamora. Spider-Man stars in a one-page Hostess ad, "The Trap." 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.

Supernatural Thrillers (1972) 13 CGC 9.6

Paper: White

Label #2121493005

Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Mike Esposito. A Separate War, script by Tony Isabella (plot, script) and Val Mayerik (plot), pencils by Val Mayerik, inks by Dan Green; The war becomes worse when Ron--an anthropologist--begins to take on a warrior's demeanor, and Hydron lords over the people of Cairo; But The Mummy, Ron, The Asp, Olddan, and Zephyr combine their skills to escape from the ancient Lord of Waters. 36 pgs. $0.25. Cover price $0.25.

Tor (1975 DC 1st Series) 1 CGC 8.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #0986921014

Written by Joe Kubert. Art and cover by Joe Kubert. While hunting, an adult Tor remembers a valuable lesson he learned as a child. Dinosaurs for Reel article about dinosaur films by Joe Kubert. Montage of early TOR pages by Joe Kubert. Tor: The Eternal Hero article by Allan Asherman. The Mummy Hostess ad, art by Curt Swan and Vince Colletta. 36 pages, full color. $0.25. Cover price $0.25.

Wendy the Good Little Witch (1960-1990 Harvey 1st Series) 88 CGC 9.6

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4346189010

"Project Save the Bluebirds"; Wendy's aunt Helpful Hannah tries to help Wendy and her fellow Camp Fire Blue Birds with their project to save the bluebirds. Untitled one-page story; Casper's description of what Wendy does at her Blue Bird meetings turns the Witch Sisters' brew sweet, to their disgust. "Helpful Hannah Helps Again"; Helpful Hannah leads the girls to Aunt Twitter's farm to look for bluebirds, but Aunt Twitter hasn't seen any this year. "Magic!"; Helpful Hannah tries to conjure up a bluebird but instead gets a blue dinosaur; The girls go back home and see bluebirds moving into the birdhouse they had built. "You Had to Be There!" text story with Wendy. "Which Witch Laughs Last?"; When the other Blue Birds surprise Wendy by showing up at her house, Wendy's aunts try to play a joke on them. 36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.25.

Yosemite Sam (1970 Gold Key) 28 CGC 9.4

Paper: Off white to white

Slab: Minor side/edge crack(s)

Label #4346189011

Number/month on cover: 90263-506, no month listed. Comic starring the Warner Bros. cartoon character Yosemite Sam with other cartoon characters, usually Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Issue features "Sail Power," "I Want Revenge," "Seawed Sal," and "Kid-Zapped." Story and art credits: unknown. Cover price $0.25.