Ron Embleton art up for sale in June

Back in 2019 (here) I looked at 'The unseen art of Ron Embleton' exhibition that was held at Messum's gallery in London. It seemed to me at the time that mush of the art went unsold. Well, most of it has now come up for sale again, it's up for auction on 6th June in Farnham. Lots 253-285 are Embleton's abstract work and can be found here. There's also four examples of his more familiar illustration work - lots 286, 287, 289 & 290.

Good luck if you bid!

Catawiki auction this week - Carlos Ezquerra!

These auction end tonight - good luck if you're bidding!

Here are the British comics highlights from this week's Catawiki auction - auctions end Thursday evening...

This page by Carlos Ezquerra from Strontium Dog - from prog 106. The 'Journey into hell' story.

This page by Reg Parlett of Billy Bunter art

This page by Edward Kearon of Robot Archie (from the 13 June 1959 issue, 'Bodyguard to the menaced Rajan'

 This strip by Romero featuring Modesty Blaise

This page of art by Carlos Ezquerra from 'Journey into Hell', prog 106, page 2 

Oliver Frey art

A late shout-out for this auction lot that's up for sale today (Thur 30 May 2024) at just after 10am. It's described thus...

A large collection of ephemera and works of art, prints etc., to include male erotic magazines, novels, stories, computer magazine prints etc

It's not clear if the art I've highlighted here (apart from the first photo below) is original art or not. Could be art, could be prints. Bidding opens at £60 

There's also a selection of art by Frey's partner Roger M. Kean - these are lots 86-106 - link here

Leo Baxendale's 'Supercomic'

Just a reminder that these 2 Baxendale pages go under the hammer later today, I'll update with prices realised post-auction.

Leo Baxendale's proposed Supercomic is surely one of the great lost British comics. As he says (on page 86 of his autobiography A very funny business)... 

I conceived the idea of a monthly comic - Supercomic. Monthly comics are common enough in America, but not in Britain. My intention was that four week's work poured into one issue would produce a truly super-comic. I circulated publishers with the idea, and Odhams took it as an affront.  

It looks like (to me anyway, please tell me if I'm wrong!) that auctioneers Ewbank's have another 2 pages of Supercomic coming up for sale later this month in their comics auction on Wednesday 29th May at noon.

The very first lot (lot 4001) is here with an estimate of £200 - £400 and starting bids at £100. This is the first page of the Fort Fumble strip.

sold for £260 (plus commission etc)

The 2nd lot of the auction (lot 4002) is here with an estimate of £200 - £400 and starting bids at £100.  This is the second page of the Fort Fumble strip.

sold for £260 (plus commission etc)

Irish classics in picture story (1956)

Shout-out to friend of the blog James Bacon for proving me with these rare covers. The Lambiek entry for Jerome Sullivan (here) mentions 4 stories published in 1956 - issue 2 being called Sarsfield's the Word and Sarsfield's the Man! and issue 4 being called Knockknagow

Good luck tracking these down!

Irish classics in picture story #1, Cuchulainn, script by Una Morrissy, drawing by Jerome Sullivan

Irish classics in picture story #2

image not to hand - can you help?

Irish classics in picture story #3, Finn MacCumhal and the Fianna script by Una Morrissy, drawing by Jerome Sullivan

Irish classics in picture story #4

image not to hand - can you help?

Catawiki auction this week - Carlos Ezquerra!

Here are the British comics highlights from this week's Catawiki auction - auctions end Thursday evening...

This page by Carlos Ezquerra from Strontium Dog - from prog 106. The 'Journey into hell' story.

This page by Reg Parlett of Billy Bunter art

This page by Edward Kearon of Robot Archie (from the 13 June 1959 issue, 'Bodyguard to the menaced Rajan'

 This strip by Romero featuring Modesty Blaise

This page of art by Carlos Ezquerra from 'Journey into Hell', prog 106, page 2 

Mike Noble - Look-in

I've started (thanks to friend of the blog Bill Storie) showcasing just some of the art of Mike Noble. I've grouped together the images into a number of 'themes'...

Captain Scarlet was here

Look and Learn was here

and now we have Look-in...

Rip Kirby - Super Detective Library

I've long wanted to catalogue the issues of Super Detective Library that contained Rip Kirby strips and a recent listing on ebay gives me a chance to do just that...

These are the issues of Super Detective Library you're looking for...

#120 - Rip Kirby and the man who stole a million dollars

#122 - Rip Kirby in duel with danger

#124 - Rip Kirby in desert fury

#126 - Rip Kirby and the runaway lady

#128 - Rip Kirby and the fatal target

#130 - Rip Kirby and the race of death

#132 - Rip Kirby on terror island

#134 - Rip Kirby and the clue of the vanishing gun

#136 - Rip Kirby's dangerous manhunt

#138 - Rip Kirby and the trail of terror

#140 - Rip Kirby and the mystery of the prisoner of Doom castle

#142 - Rip Kirby and the case of the man from nowhere

#144 - Rip Kirby's invitation to danger

#146 - Rip Kirby in design for murder

#148 - Rip Kirby and the devil's henchman

#150 - Rip Kirby and the case of the crooked mile

#152 - Rip Kirby and the playground of fear

#154 - Rip Kirby and the case of the phantom film star

UPDATED: workin klass Super Hero #1 - Glenn Fabry

Ages ago (here to be precise) I looked at a really early Glenn Fabry comic - the 2nd issue of Workin' klass Superhero to be precise - I know that there was never an issue #3 but I'd never looked to see if I could find out anything about issue #1.

A quick bit of googling tuned up some cover images from Lew Stringer's blog here and on John Charles blog here

Still not seen an actual copy in the flesh but, fingers crossed, one day!

UPDATE:

John Freeman has found this advert in the pages of BEM #23(April 1979)...

art by John Charles who says...

and now with a few more inages...

Here's Stevie Nicks (back cover)

The Blacksad books

On my 'to collect' list is certainly the Blacksad volumes by artist Juanjo Guarnido (see my feature on his sketchbooks here). I was a bit confused by the various editions of the books so i thought I'd work it all out to hlep me (and you!) out...

I'm indebted to this wikipedia page for helping me out with all of this...

The first story - Somewhere within the shadows

The second story - Arctic Nation

The 3rd story (Red soul) does not appear to have had an English-language translation.

This volume, from Dark Horse, collects the first 3 stories. I own this.

The 4th Blacksad story, A silent hell

The 5th Blacksad story - Amarillo

This volume (which is labelled as volume one actually collects the first two parts of the 6th story, They all fall down - in France these two parts appear to have come out as separate volumes).

There's currently no release date for parts 3 & 4 of the They all fall down story.

There's also this volume - the sketch files - to look out for. Same format as the first two books highlighted above. Seems rare, out of print and pricy!

Smooshees

I hadn't even heard of Smooshees until very recently - until friend of the blog Michael Carroll highlighted its existence to me - so this is my (limited!) progress so far on a covers gallery for Smooshees - well, you've got to start somewhere! It was published by Fleetway.

Smooshees, issue #1, 17-30 September 1988, 40p

Smooshees, issue #2, 1-14 October 1988, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #3, 15-28 October 1988, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #4, 29 October -11 November 1988, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #5, 12-25 November 1988, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #6, 26 November - 9 December 1988, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #7, 10-23 December 1988, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #8, 24 December - 6 January 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #9, 7-20 January 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #10, 21 January - 3 February 1989, 40p

Smooshees, issue #11, 4-17 February 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #12, 18 February - 3 March 1989, 40p

Smooshees, issue #13, 4-17 March 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #14, 18-31 March 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #15, 1-14 April 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #16, 15-28 April 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #17, 29 April - 12 May 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

Smooshees, issue #18, 13-26 May 1989, 40p

cover not to hand - can you help?

UPDATED: Beep! Beep! - Marvel UK, 1989/90

Michael Carroll's timeline of Marvel UK comics (here) has an array of interestingly short-lived comics on that I thought I should create cover galleries for them. Sometimes this is easier said than done but let's look at Beep! Beep! from 1989/90.

First issue has a cover date of 25th March 1989 (priced at 45p and with a free badge). 

It merged with Sylvanian families (whose final issue was #30, cover dated 2nd December 1989) with issue 20. The title then becomes Beep! Beep! presents original Sylvanian Families

See my work on Sylvanian Families here.

Denis Gifford (in ACE newsletter #113. March/April 1990) records issue #24 as being the final issue. That's 2 issues more than Michael records. We'll only know for sure who's right I suppose if/when a cover for issue 24 is found. 

Searching for covers for this is hard because there's a title with the same name all about a popular cartoon road runner character. Sigh.

Update for this post - the cover for issue #2 & issue 14 have been identified

Beep! Beep!, issue 1, Marvel UK, 25th March 1989

Beep! Beep!, issue 2, Marvel UK, 8th April 1989

Beep! Beep!, issue 3, Marvel UK, 22nd April 1989

cover is signed by "Colin"

Beep! Beep!, issue 4, Marvel UK, 6th May 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 5, Marvel UK, 20th May 1989

cover is signed by "Colin"

Beep! Beep!, issue 6, Marvel UK, 3rd June 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 7, Marvel UK, 17th June 1989

Beep! Beep!, issue 8, Marvel UK, 1st July 1989

Beep! Beep!, issue 9, Marvel UK, 15th July 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 10, Marvel UK, 29th July 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 11, Marvel UK, 12th August 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 12, Marvel UK, 26th August 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 13, Marvel UK, 9th September 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 14, Marvel UK, 23rd September 1989

Beep! Beep!, issue 15, Marvel UK, 7th October 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 16, Marvel UK, 21st October 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 17, Marvel UK, 4th November 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 18, Marvel UK, 18th November 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 19, Marvel UK, 2nd December 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 20, Marvel UK, 16th December 1989

Beep! Beep!, issue 21, Marvel UK, 30th December 1989

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 22, Marvel UK, 13th January 1990

Marvel UK had produced an Acorn Green comic in 1986/87 so I wonder if this is new Acorn Green material or reprints?

Beep! Beep!, issue 23, Marvel UK, 27th January 1990

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Beep! Beep!, issue 24, Marvel UK, 10th February 1990

cover image not to hand - can you help?