Bud’s Best - Our 100 Bestsellers for 2025 |
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Looking at the first half of 2025, here are the most popular items--in case any have passed you by. We've broken them into categories which reveal the top 60 or so sellers. As always, we've combined the units sold for hardcovers and softcovers, as well as variant covers, to create one bestselling item. I’ve added my personal comments to nearly all the items. I find many of these are my own favorites. I try to offer some perspective on why it’s done so well as well as more details. Any SOLD OUT Bestsellers are not pictured & described; we've mentioned these below each category. Enjoy! - Bud |
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Artists & Illustration |
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1. ARTHUR ADAMS PRELIMINARY STUDIES Signed Closeout Price! Signed! Highly Recommended. Amazing and fascinating blue pencil preliminaries — only a few of these have ever been seen on Arthur's Instagram page. But this is how he works out his final drawings and figures — so John Fleskes began with a big stack of originals and culled it down to this cool little book, which is small but quite thick! 224 page 5 x 7.5 inches. There are action scenes, heroines in motion, closeups — all variety of images as Art works out what will go onto his final pencil and inked work. Flesk, 2025....More. Item Code: ARTAP Soft Cover, 5x7, 224pg, Partial Color |
| This was a first-ever collection of studies that John Fleskes was particularly proud of. But we bought a few too many for our customers, so it's on sale for a limited time. |
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2. LIGHT AND DARK The Art of Lee Elias Our Highest Recommendation. By Nick Neocleous with Michael J. Gilbert. Lee Elias was born in 1920 and drew comics for several decades from the 1940s to the 1980s. His lush brushstrokes were equally matched by his fine pen line. Now at last, his body of work can be fully appreciated in this book devoted entirely to him. Includes many of his gory horror comics covers in full color and pages reproduced from the original art and a lengthy interview from 1970. Moonage Books, 2025....More. Item Code: LIGDA Soft Cover, 8x11, 124pg, Partial Color $34.99 |
| Our latest catalog features this on the cover; Elias was Harvey Horror's #1 cover artist—and much more. |
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3. ILLUSTRATORS QUARTERLY SPECIAL #19 Prince Valiant Hardcover Our Highest Recommendation. Limited, 1000. Now is your chance to own a part of history, delving into the greatest comics strip created by Hal Foster, exploring its origin, the coloring process and showcasing samples from original artwork and the color proofs, many scanned at their actual size. Plus all the artists that followed Foster: John Cullen Murphy, Gary Gianni and the current artist Thomas Yeates, with samples of their work scanned from their original art boards. Interviews with Cullen Murphy (John's son) who wrote the script for many years after Foster retired, Meg Nash who colored the strip from 1991 until her father John Cullen Murphy retired in 2004, Thomas Yeates, Gary Gianni, Mark Schultz the current writer and Scott Roberts the colorist since 2004. Plus lots more! Book Palace, 2024....More. Item Code: IQS19H Hard Cover, 9x11, 200pg, Partial Color $53.99 |
| An overview of Prince Valiant and its history, what is there not to like? |
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4. INFECTED BY ART Vol 12 Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Tod Spoor and Bill Cox. Cover dust jacket painting by Ryan Pancoast, also one of the grand prize winners and featured in 'Body of Work'. "Volume 12 once again contains one of our most diverse groups of artists selected by our jury panel." 264 Artists are represented. Grand Prize Winners: Dug Stanat, Arantza Sestayo, Vanessa Lemen, Ryan Pancoast, Quintin Gleim. Traditional Painting Winners: Pancoast again, Annie Stegg, Sestayo again. Digital Painting Award Winners: Kaitlund Zupanic, Craig Elliott, Justin Gerard, Gleim again. Honorable Mention: Rob Rey, Gal Or, Ven Locklear, Aurore Folny. Dynamite, 2024....More. Item Code: INA12H Hard Cover, 9x11, 328pg, Full Color $39.99 |
| Includes the variant cover by Larry Elmore. The latest issue of the annual that's filled the gap left by Spectrum. |
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5. CONAN THE BARBARIAN COLOSSAL EDITION Barry Windsor-Smith Cover Highly Recommended. 190 pages of full-size 12 x 17 scans of the original comic art pages from throughout the original classic run of Conan comics and magazines. Explore the timeless works by legendary Conan artists John Buscema, Barry Windsor-Smith, Gil Kane, Alfredo Alcala, Neal Adams, and a host of others in the most vivid detail possible, all from the original artwork: covers, splash pages, interiors and special pieces. Very handsomely done. Nearly out of print; our supply is very limited. Zoop, 2024. Rush Service and International shipping could require an additional charge....More. Item Code: CONCHBWS Hard Cover, 12x17, 190pg, Partial Color $150.00 |
| This combines the variant covers for Buscema and Lee also. |
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6. HAL FOSTER'S PRINCE VALIANT SKETCHBOOKS An Illustrated Memoir Volume 1 Signed Signed bookplate! Our Highest Recommendation! This is the first of six volumes, all completed to be released six months apart, the same size as the Prince Valiant reprint volumes. Long time series editor Brian M. Kane has created a magnum opus for Valiant fans...a look behind the scenes at Foster's creation process. The entire series contains 366 penciled layout pages by Hal Foster (all at original size) — 8 of which are on two pages; 577 panel-by-panel description and caption pages, 40 character sketches, over 10 dozen pieces of additional art by Foster, over 100 photographs, and 123 letters and notes (mostly from Foster to John Cullen Murphy). There are also quotes by Foster and many by his fans (like Frazetta, Dave Stevens, Burne Hogarth, etc.). Fantagraphics, 2025. Due: Sept....More. Item Code: PVIM01HS Hard Cover, 11x14, 144pg, Partial Color $49.99 |
| This hasn't yet come out, but advance orders are strong. Fantagraphics is no longer selling to Diamond, so some outlets may not have this when it appears. |
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7. THE FRAZETTA GALLERY SERIES TERROR Slipcased Limited, 500. 3-D Lenticular Portrait. Foil stamped leatherette slipcase with embossed 2-color medallion. Recommended. Full-color covers plus foil stamping, luxurious 3-piece case binding, numbered limitation page that is a 3D Lenticular presentation of one of Frazetta’s classic horror icon paintings, Die-cast Frazetta Horror Medallion, finished in a raised-relief graphite silver with red and white color enhancements. 3.5” in diameter and permanently affixed to the slipcase, slipcase leatherette Midnight Graveyard Black material over the ultra-weight 3mm boards and decorated on both sides with 2 color foil stamping. American Hero Press, 2024....More. Item Code: FRAZGTD Hard Cover, 11x15, 72pg, Full Color $150.00 |
| The slipcased, hardcover & softcovers are combined. The slipcase and hardcover sold virtually the same numbers, far more than the SC. |
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8. SPECTRUM FANTASTIC ART QUARTERLY MAGAZINE #3 Issue print run: 1000. Our Highest Recommendation. A profusely illustrated interview with Brom and Laurie Lee Brom. None of Brom’s work here has appeared in his art books; Laurie shares some of her most recent drop-dead-gorgeous gallery paintings. A lengthy appreciation of Bernie Wrightson covers his entire career, from growing up as a fan in Baltimore to his comics and film work to his collaborations with Stephen King. Frank Frazetta’s glowing opinion of him is featured in a sidebar and David Salcido also shares his memories of adapting Bernie’s "Mementos" painting into a movie — with Wrightson himself starring as the axe-wielding killer! Packed with rare Wrightson artwork. Spectrum/Underwood Books, 2023....More. Item Code: SPEQ03 Soft Cover, 12x12, 88pg, Partial Color |
| Looks like the final issues, at least for the moment. A great oversized magazine, exclusive only to us and Stuart Ng. |
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9. TELLING STORIES The Comic Art of Frank Frazetta Hardcover Slipcased Closeout Price, now 50% off. Our Highest Recommendation. This offers the complete Thunda and his best romance works, such as "Untamed Love" and "The Wrong Road." Plus combat tales, funny animals, White Indian stories and covers, Ghost Rider covers and much, much more. Some of these stories offer some of his finest pen & ink works, with shapely women, nude statues, and lots of implied lust. Fantasy art's most popular painter was also one of the finest comic book illustrators in the pre-code 1950s. This deluxe collection exhibits the skill of a master craftsman but also provides tantalizing glimpses of where the young artist’s career would ultimately take him, into his iconic paintings of Conan, covers for the Warren mags and famous movie posters for Clint Eastwood, among others. Hardcover in slipcase! This was the ONLY trade edition of this book, never produced in softcover. Underwood Books, 2008. Out of print....More. Item Code: TELSH Hard Cover With Slip Case, 9x12, 192pg, Full Color |
| Still a great book, but thanks to a deal with Underwood Books, at half cover price. We also still have a super deluxe edition, but its nearly gone. |
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10. ILLUSTRATORS QUARTERLY #45 Frankenstein Cover Highly Recommended. Glenn Fabry gets the cover spot, featuring a variant Frankenstein cover (his Slaine cover is sold out). He's one of the seminal artists from 2000AD in the UK, and then became one of favorite cover illustrators for the Vertigo line of comics in the USA. Next: remembering Glen Orbik, who brought back all the thrills and chills from the crime pulp covers of the 1940s into the new millennium — outstanding work!! Howard Chandler Christy, creator of the Christy Girl and many of his rare nudes. And a Gallery of Doc Savage artists: pulp illustrator Baumhofer, James Bama, Ken Barr, Bob Larkin, Boris Vallejo, and Alex Ross. Book Palace, 2024....More. Item Code: IQ45 Soft Cover, 9x11, 96pg, Partial Color $30.00 |
| One of the latest issues, they always do quite well. Now that Illustration Magazine has retired, this is the place to find good features on artists old and new. |
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11. ILLUSTRATORS SPECIAL #18 THE U.S. WARREN ARTISTS Limited, 1500. Introduction by Guillermo Del Toro. Our Highest Recommendation. By Peter Richardson. This explores the careers of each featured artist, both their Warren and tons of non-Warren work. The ultimate guide to the U.S. artists who made Warren's Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, 1984 and all the monster mags the best in the business. With the aid of friends, family, fans, historians and the artists themselves, the compelling stories of the talent who worked throughout the golden years of Warren Publishing. Featuring an absolutely stunning roster including Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Richard Corben, Frank Frazetta, Angelo Torres, Basil Gogos, Russ Heath and many, many more. Book Palace, 2024....More. Item Code: ILLUSWH Hard Cover, 9x11, 400pg, Full Color $90.00 |
| This has been reprinted a couple times now. Still sells and sells. |
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13. CRUMB A CARTOONIST'S LIFE Our Highest Recommendation. By Dan Nadel. The first biography of Robert Crumb, one of the most profound and influential artists of the 20th century, whose iconic, radically frank and meticulously rendered cartoons and comics inspired generations of readers and cartoonists. Now, for the first time, Dan Nadel, a curator and writer specializing in comics and art, shares how this complicated artist survived childhood abuse, fame in his twenties, more fame, and came out the other side intact. Including forty-five stunning black-and-white images throughout and a sixteen-page color insert featuring images both iconic and obscure. Scribner, 2025....More. Item Code: CRUMCLH Hard Cover, 6x9, 480pg, Partial Color $35.00 |
| The first-ever full biography of the infamous underground artist. |
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14. ILLUSTRATORS QUARTERLY #46 Bob Fingerman Recommended. Bob Fingerman is an indie cartoonist who Harvey Kurtzman discovered amongst his students! Fingerman has worked for just about every major and minor comics and magazine publication in the US, and while artists like Dan Clowes and Peter Bagge achieved greater visibility, Fingerman's work is of equal merit. IQ then heads over to London's Cartoon Museum to meet its cartoonist-in-residence, Dark Horse contributor Mark Stafford. His fun avant-garde work is well covered here. His work includes Cherubs with Bryan Talbot, Lovecraft adaptations, Lip Hook and The Bad Bad Place, Hocus Pocus Ads, Great Moments in Dope History, etc. I think any fan of EC and horror comics may very much like his work; horror with a humor vibe. - Bud Book Palace, 2025....More. Item Code: IQ46 Soft Cover, 9x11, 96pg, Full Color $30.00 |
| Another recent IQ release. |
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15. INNOCENCE AND SEDUCTION The Art of Dan Decarlo Almost Gone! New Expanded Edition, 40 more pages. Our Highest Recommendation. DeCarlo fan, friend, and fellow cartoonist Bill Morrison has produced the ultimate book on this remarkable artist, lavishly designed with nearly 350 illustrations. Rare World War II-era cartoons, original Humorama pinups, seldom-seen newspaper strips, examples of his justly famous commercial comics work, and of course, lots and lots of those fabulous DeCarlo ladies! Full color and black-and-white illustrations and photographs throughout. Fantagraphics, 2024. Out of print....More. Item Code: INNSEH Hard Cover, 9x12, 248pg, Partial Color $65.00 |
| A new edition of this wonderful collection. It's out of print but we still have a few left. |
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16. ILLUSTRATORS QUARTERLY #47 Steve Stone/Pepe Moreno/C.D. Gibson Highly Recommended. Presenting the stunning science fiction and fantasy imagery of British artist Steve Stone, who blends photography and digital art—he's a new name to us, but his work is magnificent—think Brom, think Michael Whelan, even think Frazetta. Beautiful women as warriors, muses, witches...you have to see this work! - Bud. Then Pepe Moreno's post-apocalyptic visions of New York City: the punk, rebellion and war stories of the Spanish-born comic book artist, RPG designer and creator of one of the earliest digital comics! He also worked for the Warren horror magazines and simply showed up at their offices with a portfolio under his arm. Gideon Kendall entertains us with his weird and surrealistic cartoon world, followed by the truly monstrous creations of Pete Von Sholly, including vintage comics cover recreations that great fun. Book Palace, 2025....More. Item Code: IQ47 Soft Cover, 9x11, 96pg, Partial Color $30.00 |
| Yet another issue of IQ, with the typical variety of features. |
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17. THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA 40th Anniversary Highly Recommended. Introduction by Dan Nadel. The bestselling $200 XL edition is now available in a smaller and much more affordable edition, This monograph is the most complete ever produced on the artist, done in collaboration with the Frazetta family and with top collectors. This has a LOT of material rarely or never before seen. Many nudes that Frank just did for himself are here; early work from his youth and early days in comics, Li’l Abner and Thunda pages, early comic book covers — all from his original art. There are also later advertising works never before collected, early paperback covers now shown from the paintings. Taschen, 2024....More. Item Code: FANWFRH Hard Cover, 6x9, 480pg, Partial Color $30.00 |
| This was published long ago but still doing very well; we still have the first numbered printing, long out of print. |
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18. THE MARVEL COMIC COVERS OF JACK KIRBY Vol 1 1961-1964 Our Highest Recommendation. Introduction by Patrick McDonnell. "Echoes of the King" by Vincent Iadevaia. Beautifully reproduced mostly full page. The first volume of this series contains more than 175 classic Kirby covers from 1961 to 1964, including the earliest issues of The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Journey into Mystery (Thor), Strange Tales (The Human Torch), Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man), Sgt. Fury, Daredevil, The X-Men and all the stunning annuals too. Plus a few classic pre-hero monster covers, the first issues of all the premier titles, all in chronological order. My god, what this man was doing day after day, week after week, month after month. This is the true Marvel Age of creation by the King. Dark Horse, 2025. ...More. Item Code: MARJK01H Hard Cover, 9x13, 184pg, Partial Color |
| Surprised us, this did. Jack's great early covers for Marvel. |
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19. ILLUSTRATORS QUARTERLY SPECIAL #14 The Illustrated History of Warren Magazines New printing, revised and expanded with eight more pages. Our Highest Recommendation. This explores and showcases James Warren's highly successful magazines and their artists: Famous Monsters of Filmland, Screen Thrills, Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, 1984, The Spirit, Comix International and more. Packed with cover art and interior pages by the likes of Corben, Wrightson, Neal Adams, Ditko, Toth, Frazetta, Wood, Severin, Crandall, Infantino, Niño and many, many more. Plus the entire history, the ups and downs, of Warren's empire. Book Palace, 2024....More. Item Code: IQS15 Soft Cover, 9x11, 152pg, Partial Color $45.99 |
| Another Warren Magazines special that just keeps selling year after year. |
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20. JMB THE UNSEEN ART OF JOHN M. BURNS Limited, 500. Oversized Hardcover. By John Burns and John Dakins. John M. Burns was one of Britain's, if not the world's, finest continuity artists. In a career spanning over 60 years, he drew newspaper strips: The Seekers; Danielle; George and Lynne; Modesty Blaise; Eartha; Jane; and Psycops to name but a few. Although always in demand, John found time between his numerous long term work commitments to help John Dakin in his quest to revive the British newspaper comic strip. Unfortunately this revitalization never happened, but over a 15 year period, both Johns created sexy (and often unclothed) new characters — spies, assassins, hookers, artist models...these are full color pages that until now have barely been seen by the public. Book Palace, 2025. Mature Readers. ...More. Item Code: JMBH Hard Cover, 10x13, 68pg, Partial Color $52.99 |
| Just published but quite good, another import from Book Palace. |
| 21. THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES Highly Recommended. By Ed Hulse. This large-format coffee-table volume unveils over 800 posters, offering a visual journey through the genre's evolution from its earliest days to the gritty films of the 1970s, including rare foreign films and offbeat, rare lobby cards and more. Distinguished film (and pulp) historian Ed Hulse meticulously curates each chapter, providing insightful commentary and rare historical tidbits. From the emergence of genre archetypes to the rise of international "noir" films, Hulse's expertise shines through. Thoughtfully designed, grouping posters by theme and showcasing them in ample size allows readers to appreciate the intricate details of each piece of art. Special features highlight key figures in the industry, complemented by behind-the-scenes photos and firsthand interviews conducted by Hulse himself. Schiffer, 2025....More. Item Code: ARTCLH Hard Cover, 10x11, 320pg, Full Color |
| 23. ILLUSTRATORS QUARTERLY #20 Halloween Special Highly Recommended. Special issue featuring the dark arts of EC's master Graham Ingels (written by Grant Geissman), Famous Monster cover artist Basil Gogos (reminiscence by J. David Spurlock), the superlative Tom Grindberg (Tarzan: The New Adventures, Tarzan & the Martian Legion) and three other illustrators. Book Palace, 2025. Due: Sept....More. Item Code: IQS20H Soft Cover, 9x11, 200pg, Partial Color $53.99 |
| 24. THE ART OF RON LESSER Volume 2 Dangerous Dames and Cover Dolls Highly Recommended. By Robert Deis. Foreword by Joe Jusko. Introduction by Dan Zimmer. In the late 1950s, while studying with the legendary art teacher Frank J. Reilly at the Art Students League in New York City, Ron Lesser embarked on a long career as one of America’s top illustration artists. Over the next four decades, his artwork was used for thousands of paperback book covers, movie posters, magazines, and advertisements. Many great artists once made a good living doing such illustration artwork and Ron Lesser is among the greatest. He’s also one of the few who are still alive and still painting. Subtropic Productions, 2024. ...More. Item Code: ARTRL02 Soft Cover, 8x11, 130pg, Full Color $39.99 |
| This combines the HC and SC editions. |
| SOLD OUT!! 12. MARK SCHULTZ PORTFOLIO Hardcover Signed Includes the softcover, also now out of print. |
| SOLD OUT!! 22. FRAZETTA World's Best Comics Cover Artist |
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1. ERIC POWELL DRAWINGS, SKETCHES & SUCH 2024 Signed Signed! Highly Recommended. An outstanding new collection of art, quite a bit of it in full color. Eric Powell is releasing a new sketchbook for the first time in almost 10 years! This perfect bound 72 page full color collection contains sketches drawings and paintings that have largely never been seen before. We like the variety: there's work from Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Elvira, Universal Monsters, Alien, Godzilla, Conan, nudes and model figure studies, Marvel heroes from Spidey to the FF and Wolverine — even a couple of The Goon to celebrate his 25th Anniversary! Very impressive!! Albatross, 2024....More. Item Code: ERIC24 Soft Cover, 10x8, 72pg, Partial Color $22.00 |
| New sketchbooks are few and far between these days; it's cool to see this. |
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2. ARTHUR ADAMS DRAWINGS 2022 Sketchbook Signed Almost Gone! Full size 8.5x11, thick collection and signed! Highly Recommended. A portraits special: superheroes and supervillains, all fully finished in ink. Some wonderful pin-ups like the cover image. Wolverine, Swamp Thing, Man-Thing, Godzilla, Two-Face, Rocketeer, The Thing, Thanos, Frankenstein, Black Canary, the ladies from Spider-Man, Batman family, and more characters from X-Men, Star Wars, and more. Wonderful detail, which is an Adams specialty. Arthur Adams, 2022. Out of print....More. Item Code: AA22S Soft Cover, 8x11, 54pg, Partial Color $30.00 |
Comic Book Archives |
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1. ATLAS ARTIST EDITION Volume 2 Al Williamson Complete Stories, 1955-60. Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. Becoming a professional comics artist in 1948 at the age of 17, by 21 Al Williamson was so well-regarded he was recruited by EC Comics — the absolute peak of the field in the 1950s, and a team rarely challenged since. After the Comics Code forced EC to reduce their business, Williamson found himself at the door of Atlas Comics, the largest employer of freelancers in the field. Across 1955-57 and 1959-60, Williamson would draw 99 stories for Atlas (both solo and with help by "Fleagle Gang" studio cohorts Angelo Torres and Roy Krenkel, plus Gray Morrow and Ralph Mayo) in mostly western and fantasy genres, with a smattering of war, romance and "jungle girl adventure." HERE ARE EVERY ONE OF THOSE STORIES, SLIGHTLY OVERSIZED AND IN FULL COLOR! Fantagraphics, 2024....More. Item Code: ATLA02H Hard Cover, 10x13, 448pg, Full Color |
| A magnificent book, every one of Al's stories for Atlas—99 in all. We featured it on a previous catalog cover. Love it. |
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2. EC COMICS LIBRARY WEIRD SCIENCE Volume 1 XXL w/Signed Bookplate Color bookplate limited to 100 & signed by Grant Geissman and 3 Gaines family members. Collects Weird Science #1-11, 1950-52. Oversized 11x16. Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Grant Geissman. Art by Wood, Feldstein, Kamen, Orlando, Kurtzman et al. 30-page Introduction by Grant Geissman with lots of rare original art, photos, special artwork and more. Reproducing the initial eleven issues of the world’s first true science-fiction comic, this seminal collection exemplifies the genre’s Golden Age. Full of vivid artistry and narrative twists, the trailblazing series features wildly imaginative tales of nuclear apocalypse, interstellar adventures, and glittering utopias. Rather than recolor the artwork, this edition works with super-high-resolution photographs of each page as it was printed more than half a century ago, using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing. The result is a pristine product, keeping the character and feel of the classic issues, but freshly printed by a world-class press oversized, nearly twice the original size. Taschen, 2025. Rush Service and International shipping could require an additional charge....More. Item Code: ECLWS01H Hard Cover, 11x16, 462pg, Full Color $200.00 |
| Grant Geissman put together another cool bookplate for this first Taschen XXL EC collection. We added sales of the $650 Deluxe Edition to this. |
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3. LOST MARVELS Volume 1 Tower of Shadows Almost Gone! Collects the NEW material from #1-9, 1969-71. Our Highest Recommendation. By Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Len Wein et al. In 1969, with its revolutionary superhero line well established, Marvel took a chance on the kind of supernatural, EC-style anthology series that had been banned since the formation of the Comics Code in the 1950s. Tower of Shadows began featuring entirely new stories with a staggering array of artists: Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Berni Wrightson, Wally Wood, John Romita, Johnny Craig, Tom Sutton & othersAtmospheric gems of twisted suspense and sardonic horror. Fantagraphics, 2025. Out of print....More. Item Code: LOST01H Hard Cover, 9x12, 176pg, Full Color $34.99 |
| A sleeper from Fantagraphics that is already sold out from the publisher, but we have a shipment in transit. Tower of Shadows was Marvel's attempt in the early 1970s to emulate EC's horror titles, with all their best talent. |
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4. DC FINEST PLASTIC MAN The Origin of Plastic Man Collects Police Comics #1-36 and Plastic Man #1-2, 1941-44. Our Highest Recommendation. By Jack Cole. This, in my eyes, is the very best DC Finest collection yet! At long last, here are the first THIRTY SIX Plastic Man stories from Police Comics #1-36 — including his origin and all the wild first stories, entirely written and drawn by the acknowledged genius, Jack Cole. Plus his first two individual comics, Plastic Man #1 and 2. He can bounce, stretch, and crack wise, but can he save the day? And, more importantly, does he even want to? Jack Cole took the superhero business and turned it all around on its head, with wildly creative stories, beautiful gal villains, goofy bad guys, and flat non-stop action in every panel. - Bud DC Comics, 2025....More. Item Code: DCFPM Soft Cover, 7x10, 584pg, Full Color |
| Our very favorite DC Finest collection, and also that of our customers. Don't miss this! |
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5. THE SINCEREST FORM OF PARODY New Printing. Highly Recommended. By Jack Davis, Will Elder, Norman Maurer, Carl Hubbell, William Overgard, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Bill Everett, Al Hartley, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, Hy Fleischman, Jay Disbrow, Howard Nostrand, and Bob Powell. When Mad became a surprise hit as a comic book in 1953 other comics publishers were quick to jump onto the bandwagon, eventually bringing out a dozen imitations with titles like Flip, Whack, Nuts, Crazy, Wild, Riot, Eh, Unsane, Bughouse, and Get Lost. This collects the best and the funniest material from these comics, including parodies of movies (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, From Here To Eternity), TV shows (What's My Line, The Late Show), comic strips (Little Orphan Annie, Rex Morgan), novels (I, the Jury), plays (Come Back, Little Sheba), advertisements (Rheingold Beer, Charles Atlas), classic literature ("The Lady or the Tiger"), and history (Pancho Villa). Some of this is so good you'd have thought it was done in Mad! Some didn't even try for parody, but instead published odd, goofy, off-the-wall stories. Fantagraphics, 2025....More. Item Code: SINCF Soft Cover, 8x11, 208pg, Full Color |
| All the comics & magazines that tried to emulate Mad magazine. Some with very good material! Here's the best of them. |
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6. BLACK CONDOR & THE RAY Volume 2 Collects The Ray from Smash Comics #23-30 and Black Condor from Crack Comics #12-21, 1941-42. Our Highest Recommendation. Art by Lou Fine and Reed Crandall. Don't miss this fine new collection of rare early Quality Group stories. Lou Fine draws every single Black Condor story in this collection, while Reed Crandall draws every Ray story to #29, taking over from Lou Fine with Crack #23. These are two of Quality's earliest and best superheroes. The Ray is zapped by an electrical storm, giving him powers to absorb energy from his surroundings and emit it from his body in any form he chooses, including flight. The Black Condor is Richard Grey, who lost his parents and was raised by giant black condors. From his condor foster parents, he learned to fly. PS Artbooks, 2025....More. Item Code: BLACR02 Soft Cover, 7x10, 184pg, Full Color $32.99 |
| Vol 1 sold out last year; don't miss this. Includes the hardcover quantity sold too. |
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7. POLICE COMICS Volume 1 Collects #1-3, 1941. Our Highest Recommendation. Art by Reed Crandall, Jack Cole, Paul Gustavson, George Brenner et al. Police Comics was THE flagship title of Quality Comics. Lasting more than 120 issues, it features the origin and earliest adventures of Plastic Man. With #11 The Spirit was added. Reed Crandall did his finest work on The Firebrand, cover feature on these three issues before they realized Plastic Man was THE hero. The series combined superhero action, crime stories, and detective tales, reflecting the era's diverse storytelling styles. Some of the most notable characters that debuted in Police Comics include Phantom Lady (first incarnation), the Human Bomb, 711, The Mouthpiece, The Swordsman, Eagle Evans...three amazing 64-page issues now collected for the first time. PS Artbooks, 2025....More. Item Code: POLCOM01 Soft Cover, 7x10, 204pg, Full Color $32.99 |
| Jack Cole, Reed Crandall, Plastic Man. One of Quality Comics' very best titles. |
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8. R. CRUMB EXISTENTIAL COMICS Selected Stories 1979-2004 Recommended. This volume brings together twenty-five of R. Crumb’s most ambitious, acclaimed, and profound comics: characters searching for an understanding of the world around and within themselves. Through adaptation, autobiography, biography, and short fiction, Crumb, much like his subjects, demands we pay attention to our darkest desires, compulsions, fears, and obsessions. Features a new, introductory comic strip by Crumb! Editor Dan Nadel’s essay further weaves together Crumb’s life, career, and influences, delving into the creative environment that informed some of the artist’s most outstanding comics. David Zwirner Books, 2025. Mature Readers....More. Item Code: RCEXH Hard Cover, 10x12, 208pg, b&w |
| An offbeat Crumb collection to mess with your head. |
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9. THE COLLECTED WILL EISNER'S JOHN LAW Highly Recommended. By Will Eisner. Art by Will Eisner & his studio, and Gary Chaloner. In 1948, Will Eisner produced the first issue of John Law Detective, which he intended to add to a line of self-published comics. However, after Eisner's “Baseball Comics”, “Kewpies”, and “Pirate Comics” failed to find an audience, John Law never made it to the newsstand. Featuring original stories by Will Eisner, Gary Chaloner’s award-winning reboot from 2004, including a previously unpublished story, and a foreword by long-time Eisner publisher Denis Kitchen, this is a must-have not just for Eisner fans but comic collectors of all ages. Supporting characters include Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic (!), who both had their own long runs as backup features in The Spirit Weekly. Titan, 2025....More. Item Code: COLJLH Hard Cover, 7x11, 152pg, b&w $24.99 |
| Eisner on a unique comic series he kicked off in the 1940s. |
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10. ATLAS COMICS LIBRARY Volume 5 Police Action Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. Pre-Code cops and robbers' action from the early 1950s! This is the fifth stand-alone genre-themed collection in Fantagraphics’ archival series of mid-century Marvel Comics. Police Action had a seven-issue run of violent and noir-ish morality plays, pitting the officers of the law against the forces of urban malevolence. With the cream of the Atlas freelance roster, including Joe Maneely, Robert Q. Sale, Gene Colan, Art Peddy, Mort Lawrence, Carl Burgos, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Bob Powell. Plus an extraordinary sixteen page introduction as Vassallo examines the entire history of Timely's crime pulps & magazines, crime comics in general, and all of Atlas's crime comics—with dozens and dozens of rare covers. Super informative and visually a real gas. Fantagraphics, 2025....More. Item Code: ATL05H Hard Cover, 9x11, 254pg, Full Color |
| The latest in the Atlas series. Pre-code crime comics by Stan and company. |
| 11. DC FINEST SUPERBOY The Super-Dog From Krypton Stories from Adventure Comics #199-216 and Superboy #33-43, 1954-55. Recommended. By Otto Binder, Jerry Coleman et al. Art by Curt Swan, John Sikela, Ray Burnley et al. Despite having superpowers, being Superboy sure ain’t easy! Especially if you happen to be growing up in Smallville, Kansas, where subterranean cities, super brats, and robot doubles seem to be a dime a dozen And then there is teen-aged Lana Lang, always trying to prove Clark Kent is really Superboy! I find these stories a lot of fun. They happen in a world without other superheroes, just small-town Smallville in the 1930s. These are much like the Smallville television series but there's no Luthorcorp or Luthor, just relatively simple adventures and challenges in a far simpler time! Great fun. - Bud. DC Comics, 2025....More. Item Code: DCFSS Soft Cover, 7x10, 544pg, Full Color |
| DC Finest are doing quite well in general, DC's to be congratulated for coming up with well-priced new archives. |
| 12. DOLL MAN Volume 4 Collects #10-12, 1946-47. Highly Recommended. Art by Reed Crandall, Bill Ward, Al Bryant et al. Top notch artwork on a classic 40's feature. Dollman was one of the longest running superheroes of the 1940s and early 50s, the forerunner of The Atom and Ant-Man 20 years later. Not only did he headline Feature Comics for a decade, he got his own title, this one, which lasted into the 1950s also. And bonus: Bill Ward's sexy Torchy is here as a backup feature — she first appeared in Dollman #8 in 1946 and also appeared starting in Modern Comics #43. A captivating mix of science fiction, adventure, bad girls, and unique heroics. Follow the adventures of Darrel Dane, the brilliant scientist who can shrink to six inches tall while retaining his full strength, as he and his lovely girlfriend Martha battle villains and protects the innocent in these classic tales. PS Artbooks, 2025....More. Item Code: DOLLM04 Soft Cover, 7x10, 204pg, Full Color $32.99 |
| Dollman Vol 3 was just below the cutoff. |
| 13. EC ARCHIVES TALES FROM THE CRYPT Volume 5 Collects #41-46, 1954-55. Highly Recommended. By Carl Wessler. Foreword by Bruce Campbell. Here it is, the final six issues of comics' most famous horror title, that spawned films, television show and countless imitations. This terrifying tome has been digitally recolored — using Marie Severin’s original palette as a guide — and features stories drawn by all-star comic artists Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, George Evans, Graham Ingels, Bill Elder, Bernie Krigstein, Reed Crandall, and Joe Orlando! Every issue is a classic! 'Nuff said.Dark Horse, 2025....More. Item Code: ECTFC05 Soft Cover, 8x11, 216pg, Full Color $19.99 |
| 14. PLASTIC MAN Volume 7 Collects #27-30, 1951. Highly Recommended. With Alex Kotzky and Gill Fox. Jack Cole hitting his stride on the Plastic Man book, with more outrageous stories and inspired art. Even his gangland adversaries begin to match Plas, himself, in sheer zaniness, villains including Froggy Fink, underworld killer; Serena Sloop, defender of poor misguided crooks; Slinky, Slimy, and Slippery Slade, the elusive criminal brothers who lead Plas and Woozy on a gay nineties adventure; Elmer Body the body-possessing nobody; Fargo Freddie, the volcanic man; a trip to Coroner's Corners where everyone is crazy, and more! PS Artbooks, 2024....More. Item Code: PLAM07 Soft Cover, 7x10, 208pg, Full Color $32.99 |
| 15. DC FINEST AQUAMAN The King of Atlantis Collects stories from Adventure Comics #229-280, Detective Comics #293-300, Showcase #30-33, Aquaman #1-3 and more, 1956-62. Highly Recommended. By Ramona Fradon and Nick Cardy. Welcome to DC Finest, presenting comprehensive collections of the most in-demand and celebrated periods in DC Comics history, spanning genres, characters, and eras in a low-cost format! Beginning with Aquaman’s early Silver Age appearances in 1956, this volume is the perfect starting point for this long-time secondary hero who gained star status with his recent films. Meet Aqualad, Mera, Topo the octopus, and more. Includes the Showcase tryout issues and the first new run of Aquaman, after years as a back-up feature in Adventure Comics. DC Comics, 2024....More. Item Code: DCFAQU Soft Cover, 7x10, 624pg, Full Color |
| 16. ATLAS COMICS LIBRARY Volume 4 War Comics #1 Our Highest Recommendation. Major Historical Essay by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. Forged in the crucible of the Korean War, and produced by veterans of the Second World War, this volume's eight issues present the brutality and grimness of armed combat by some of Atlas' most notable war artists and future Marvel Age stars: Gene Colan, Russ Heath, Joe Maneely, Dave Berg, Jay Scott Pike, Mike Sekowsky, et al. Propaganda abounds from the very first story, published in War Comics #1 in September 1950: "Peril in Korea," a primer explaining why the US joined the conflict. Other highlights include Colan's "The Chips are Down" and "Victory," Heath's "Alone" and "No Survivors," Maneely's "Stormy Weather," Henkel's "Total Destruction," and Berg's "The Infantry's War." Fantagraphics, 2024....More. Item Code: ATL04H Hard Cover, 9x11, 180pg, Full Color |
| SOLD OUT!! 17. FORBIDDEN WORLDS Volume 10 |
| SOLD OUT!! 3. CRYPTOLOGY #1 |
| Twomorrow's new magazine devoted to you know what. Grab the other issues. |
Comic Reference & How-To |
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1. HORROR FROM THE CRYPT OF FEAR Volume 15 Closeout Price! Highly Recommended. The biggest issue yet: 138 pages with 58 pages in gory color! Mr. Monster artist Michael T. Gilbert gives us an illustrated account of his childhood neighbor George Evans; Dennis Cunningham, 1960's publisher of Weirdom and Tales from the Plague shares another pre-code inspired horror story. Lou Russo gives us an EC inspired tale "The Legacy of Man" and an illustration of Fredric Wertham that is accompanied by the "Seduction of The Innocent Bibliographical Note" listing ALL of the comic book publishers called out in his book. Bill Leach Collectibles, 2023....More. Item Code: HFTC15 Squarebound, 5.5x8.5, 138pg, Partial Color |
| #14 was just off this list. #18 just came out a week ago. Grab the other issues while we still have copies. |
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2. CRYPTOLOGY #2 Highly Recommended. Twomorrow's newest magazine — now devoted to horror in comics and cinema — is back with Roger Hill’s conversation with diabolical horror (and superhero) comics artist Don Heck! Then, Steven Kronenberg breaks down his favorite severed hand films! Barry Forshaw brings back the otherworldly horrors of Hammer’s Quatermass, while Tim Leese spends more Hammer Time on that studio’s output. Then, editor Peter Normanton prepares a viewing of horror-inspired covers from the Shadow’s own 1940s comic book, with plenty by the master Bob Powell! TwoMorrows, 2025....More. Item Code: CRY02 Magazine, 8x11, 84pg, Full Color $10.95 |
| Still available, the second issue of Twomorrow's new zine. |
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3. AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES 1945-1949 Our Highest Recommendation. By Richard J. Arndt and Kurt F. Mitchell. At long last, this 1945-49 volume covers the comic book industry during the aftermath of World War II, when scores of writers and artists returned from foreign battlefields to resume their careers. It was a period when readers began turning away from super-heroes in favor of other genres, like the grittier, more brutal crime comics, horror and more. It was a time when Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Young Romance, inaugurating a golden age of romance comics. And it was during this five-year period that Timely and National Comics capitalized on the popularity of Westerns, that Bill Gaines plotted a new course for EC Comics in the wake of his father’s death, and that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster first sued for the rights to Superman. TwoMorrows, 2024....More. Item Code: ACB08H Hard Cover, 8x11, 288pg, Full Color |
| Finally, part two of their 1940s coverage. A fascinating comic period covered in depth, looks at nearly every publisher. |
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4. TRAILBLAZERS A Tribute to Canada's WWII Comic Creators Closeout Price! Limited, 300. Highly Recommended. A very special homage by contemporary artists, celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the first published Canadian comic books and their creators. Canadian wartime comic enthusiast Ivan Kockmarek has edited an anthology of tributes to Canada’s original comic creators by some of the best current creators. Contributors include: Michael Gilbert (on Mr. Monster's creator Fred Kelley, naturally), Ken Steacy, Ho Che Anderson, Dave Sim, James Waley (Orb), Eric Kim, Ronn Sutton (of Dark Horse fame), Ron Kasman et al. North End Books, 2021....More. Item Code: TRAILB Soft Cover, 7x10, 56pg, b&w |
| Thanks to a sale price, here is an outstanding book on the curious Golden Age of Canadian Comics. |
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5. COMIC BOOK CREATOR #35 Denny O'Neil Highly Recommended. Edited by Jon B. Cooke. A celebration of quintessential 1970s writer/editor Denny O'Neil, an in-depth look at his life, work, and legacy, focusing on the era of relevant comics — from the fabled Green Lantern/Green Arrow series to the mod, mini-skirted Wonder Woman — that brought comics into the modern age. Also: Penthouse Comix's strange history, a career-spanning interview with Arnold Drake, co-creator of The Doom Patrol and Deadman. TwoMorrows, 2024....More. Item Code: CBCR35 Magazine, 8x11, 84pg, Partial Color $10.95 |
| Continues to be an excellent magazine. Here are other issues. |
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6. ALTER EGO #186 Angelo Torres Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Roy Thomas. EC fans, this is the one you need — that includes me, I can't wait to read this. -Bud. The cover feature spotlights Angelo Torres, the youngest and last surviving EC Comics artist, who went on to a fabulous career as a horror, science-fiction, and humor artist for Atlas/Marvel, Warren, and MAD! Includes 12 newly imagined Panic covers in all genres and more What-If covers of Angelo's for Crypt of Terror, plus tons of his finest Atlas pages! Also My Life with Wally Wood by Ralph Reese and FCA presents Captain Marvel — many time-travel stories. TwoMorrows, 2024....More. Item Code: AE186 Magazine, 8x11, 84pg, Partial Color $10.95 |
| Here are other issues. |
Comic Strip Collections |
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SOLD OUT!! BUMPED COPIES AVAILABLE 1. SKY MASTERS OF THE SPACE FORCE The Complete Sunday Strips in Color Almost Gone! New Edition, larger size with 16 bonus pages in color. Our Highest Recommendation. By Dave Wood. Art by Jack Kirby and Wally Wood. The Sky Masters newspaper strip is one of the most fascinating and obscure works by comics legend Jack Kirby. Created and developed by Kirby with writer Dave Wood at the beginning of 1958 while Kirby was working for National (DC), the Sky Masters daily strip debuted on September 8 of that year. Five months later, on February 8, 1959, the color Sunday strips arrived featuring a totally independent story line from the dailies.The strip narrates, with a realistic approach, the adventures of Major Sky Masters during the early days of space exploration in the late 1950s, just as a new front opened in the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.: a frenzied space race. Kirby Museum Press, 2024. Out of print....More. Item Code: SKYMH Hard Cover, 10x14, 144pg, Partial Color $55.00 |
| We are having difficulty getting a restock on this; the balance of the run went to The Kirby Museum and they are ignoring our inquries. Meanwhile, we have blemished copies for sale. It may just be out of print, so these could be our last copies. |
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2. DAVID WRIGHT'S CAROL DAY SHOWCASE Limited, 500. Our Highest Recommendation. Some of the very finest pen & ink that we have ever seen. This is amazing artwork in the tradition of Alex Raymond and Al Williamson. It's the story of a smart and strikingly beautiful young woman who decides to go into modeling but has all kinds of adventures, passionate connectings and exotic travels along the way. It ran from 1956 to 1967, one of the finest-drawn strips on both sides of the Pacific! Entirely from the original art for each carefully selected daily strip with large, satisfying and top quality reproduction, two strips to each oversized, oblong page. - Bud. Book Palace, 2025....More. Item Code: DAVCD Soft Cover, 12x9, 84pg, b&w $35.00 |
| A real surprise here; a British artist, nearly unknown in the U.S. But his pen work is incredible, and customers embraced this best-of collection. Click here to see the Deluxe Edition. |
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3. PRINCE VALIANT Volume 29 1993-1994. By Cullen Murphy and John Murphy. Val and Sir Gawain in North Africa; A traitor in control of Aleta's Misty Isles; The wedding of Karen and Vanni; The adventures of three queens and a princess; Val's quest for the truth-compelling Shield of Achilles! Plus, PV scholar and translator Dr. Uwe Baumann on Prince Valiant in the early 1990s. Fantagraphics, 2025....More. Item Code: PV29H Hard Cover, 10x14, 112pg, Full Color |
| We are nearing the end of the Murphy era and these still do well. Gary Gianni's years on the page will be next up. |
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4. ALLEY OOP IN THE ANCIENT LOST ATLANTIS 1946 10 color Sundays & all Dailies from 1946. Highly Recommended. Alley Oop is flung back in time to legendary Atlantis — right into the raging floodwaters that devastate the city! In the twentieth century, Oop fights a trio of crooked carnival con-men. Then it's back to Moo to find the population ravaged by the Cro-Mags and Oola kidnapped — and fighting mad! Finally, he time travels with "Pop Fish" to the old west to find a gold mine and get thrown in jail. They escape but are now wanted outlaws. Just wonderful adventures across time with our hero and heroine! Reprinting all daily strips from 1946, plus ten Sundays in full color! Wonderful work from Hamlin's finest era, fun to read and brilliantly drawn. Manuscript Press, 2025....More. Item Code: ALLEANC Soft Cover, 10x13, 118pg, Partial Color $37.50 |
| A particularly good V.T. Hamlin collection, but they are all excellent. |
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5. FLASH GORDON CLASSIC COLLECTION The Complete Sunday Strips Volume 3 1941-1944 Our Highest Recommendation. By Alex Raymond. Flash Gordon is right up there in the Hall of Fame category with Hal Foster's Prince Valiant. And in fact, they were being created at nearly the same time, making the Sunday Page section of newspapers across the country a must-read for youngsters, oldsters, and all the comic artists of the day, who were deeply influenced by Raymond's magnificent artwork and dramatic storytelling. This new series collects newly restored pages. The battle between Flash and the devious Ming the Merciless reaches its climax. Includes an extensive essay examining Raymond's final years on the series by writer Doug Murray. Mad Cave Studios, 2025....More. Item Code: FLAG03H Hard Cover, 11x10, 208pg, Partial Color |
| Vols 1 and 2 were also on this list. |
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6. ALLEY OOP AND JULIUS CAESAR 1949-1950 Highly Recommended. By V.T. Hamlin. First Alley and crew have a new adventure in Moo, then they're back in the present and off on a trip to the moon! Next up, Julius Caesar has been beaten by the Britons and only Alley can come to the rescue, as he dons armor and becomes a warrior! Back in the modern day, Doc Wonmug is targeted by international gangsters! These stories and more are in this big oversized book, presenting two full years of daily strips and 78 color Sundays. As to why these two oversize books are different — ordinarily, Alley Oop daily and Sunday strips were completely separate and unrelated adventures. But, for reasons we'll never know, for three years (1946, '49, '50) , Sunday strips were integrated directly with the daily story lines, so that they were meant to be read continuously. Acoustic Learning, 2024. ...More. Item Code: ALLEJUL Soft Cover, 13x10, 290pg, Partial Color $75.00 |
| A fine new big collection of Sunday pages in full color. |
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7. ALLEY OOP AND THE NEANDERTHALS 1967 Hamlin/Graue Daily strips, 1967. By V.T. Hamlin and Dave Graue. Alley joins a Swingin' Sixties rock band on the opening time-travel story. But he soon finds out that his beloved country of Moo is at war with Neanderland! How will he save his home from this savage threat — and save himself from the designs of the rather cute Neanderthal Princess? Acoustic Learning, 2025....More. Item Code: ALLE67 Soft Cover, 9x8, 106pg, b&w $19.99 |
| One of the last Hamlin collection before his assistant Graue took over. |
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8. FLASH GORDON CLASSIC COLLECTION The Complete Sunday Strips Volume 2 1937-1941 Our Highest Recommendation. By Alex Raymond. Introduction by Doug Murray. More magnificent Sunday Pages by one legendary master artist. Five complete adventures, each one legendary : Beast Men of Mongo, Outlaws of Mongo, Tyrant of Mongo, Ice Kingdom of Mongo and Power Men of Mongo! Escalating tensions between Flash and Ming threaten to bring about a full-scale planetary war...and only Ming’s estranged son-in-law, Prince Barin, can avert it. Considered Raymond's artistic peak period! Mad Cave Studios, 2024. ...More. Item Code: FLAG02H Hard Cover, 11x10, 208pg, Partial Color |
Comics & Graphic Novels |
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1. HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 Frank Frazetta Cover Highly Recommended. Heavy Metal Magazine is back! Heavier than ever! more a book than a magazine, with a massive 232 pages of art, stories, special features and more. This relaunch brings the world's greatest illustrated magazine back to the forefront of comics. One of the magazine's original line-up of legends, Enki Bilal returns with the English language adaptation of his acclaimed BUG series. Michael Conrad (Hello Darkness, In Bloom) teams Greek comics legend, Ilias Kyriazis (Collapser, What We Wished For), for an all-new series entitled Millstone. The outrageous Burton & Cyb returns with "Poor Monsters" by Antonio Segura and Jose Ortiz, as well as Vicente Segrelles' classic, The Mercenary. The English language debut of Janevsky's cult sci-fi heroine, Sixella. Guido Crepax' classic character Valentina returns by the hands of writer/artist Sergio Gerasi. Artist profile on Greg Hildebrandt. Includes 14 Variant Covers. Heavy Metal, 2025. Mature Readers....More. Item Code: HM01F Magazine, 8x11, 230pg, Partial Color $14.99 |
| Includes the Palumbo and Hildebrant variant cover, the Hildebrant cover sold about 75% of the Frazetta. HM rises again with new numbering and a new format. |
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2. CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES #22 Facsimile Edition Highly Recommended. By CC Beck et al. From 1943, a standout issue in the Golden Age of comics, featuring the beloved hero Captain Marvel and the very first chapter of "The Monster Society of Evil" starring Mr. Mind, which ran until issue #46! Plus "CM Battles the Shipyard Sabotage." "CM and the Voodoo Showboat," and "the Revolt of the Comics." This offbeat story parodies Tarzan, Little Orphan Annie and other comic stars, unhappy with "Dextros Q. Penn, World's Second Largest Publisher of Comics." It's a real dig on someone in the biz! Plus Captain Kidd and more extra features! An outstanding issue! Includes Comix Cards of Mr. Scarlet and Minute Man on the backcover. PS Artbooks, 2025....More. Item Code: CAPM22 Comic, 7x10, 68pg, Full Color $15.99 |
| #19 and #24 were also a dead heat for this spot. |
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3. FIGHT GIRLS Director's Cut Highly Recommended. By Frank Cho, Sabine Rich, et al. This edition features new original art and an extended final chapter — how Frank originally intended the series to end. When the Queen of the Galaxy suddenly disappears, ten hard-as-nails women face off in an ancient contest to claim her throne. To win the challenge each contestant must survive the hazards of the planet’s harsh landscape, the ferocious predators on and below its surface, and their fellow contestants. There are no limits in this high-stakes contest, especially when we learn one of the competitors is an infiltrator who has her eye on a bigger prize. AWA, 2025....More. Item Code: FIGGDI Soft Cover, 7x11, 160pg, Full Color $17.99 |
| Frank Cho's very own graphic novel in a special edition. |
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4. DEN Volume 5 The Prince of Memories Highly Recommended. Introduction by Christos Gage. Epilogue by Jose Villarrubia. Newly restored pages. An amnesic Den encounters an unexpected woman from his past. Sienna is a medium that takes Den on a memory journey starting at birth, where he will meet old friends and future enemies and get closer to understanding his journey. This final volume of Den connects all four previous parts of the story and takes Den on perhaps his wildest adventure on the floating Island of Heaven, where an idyllic existence hides a horrifying secret. Nudity, violence. Bonus material. Dark Horse, 2025. Adult Material....More. Item Code: DEN05H Hard Cover, 8x11, 120pg, Full Color |
| Den 3 and 4 were just off this list. |
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5. CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES #24 Facsimile Edition Recommended. By CC Beck et al. Captain Marvel Adventures #24, published in 1943, features Chapter 3 of The Monster Society of Evil serial ("The Second Pearl Harbor")...plus "The Minneapolis Mystery," "The Curse of Zogi," "and "The American Lord Haw-Haw". Haw Haw was a British radio broadcaster who spouted Nazi propaganda on the wartime airwaves. Plus backup feature Captain Kid, text story and more in a 64-page issue. PS Artbooks, 2025....More. Item Code: CAPM24 Comic, 7x10, 68pg, Full Color $15.99 |
| Another good choice for a facsimile from PS; several more CMs and Master Comics are available, #19 was just off this list. |
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6. DRACULA OF TRANSLYVANIA Hurt Closeout Price! Highly Recommended. By Ricardo Delgado. A fresh, bold retelling of the classic Stoker novel with the pace of the modern thriller, written by AND lavished with incredible concept art from one of Hollywood’s leading Conceptual Designers, Ricardo Delgado. 1899 Transylvania bleeds history and evil. Young Solicitor Jonathan Harker braves ghosts, demons, living skeletons, and armies of rats as he encounters Dracula. The demonic, shapeshifting vampire imposes his wrath, malice and vengeance upon an England about to enter the Modern Era, crushing everything in his path. Clover Press, 2021. Condition: Bumped corners. ...More. Item Code: DRACHR Hard Cover, 8x10, 560pg, Full Color |
| SOLD OUT!! 7. STRANGE TERRORS #4 Facsimile Edition Closeout Price! From 1952. Recommended. Another legendary issue, this time with a wild and strange painted cover by the notorious William Ekgren. Inside we have work by Joe Kubert, Bill Molno, George Tuska and Charle Sultan, another forgotten artist who drew very much like Lou Fine. Comes with an oversized, 8 x 12 1/2 (image size) cover reproduction on card stock and matted. It is ready to display, with an embossed seal identifying the limited status. PS Artbooks, 2022....More. Item Code: ST04 Comic, 7x10, 36pg, Full Color |
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8. EYRIE MAGAZINE #1-3 Set Signed Signed by Mike Hoffman! Recommended. Art by Mike Hoffman, Jason Paulos, and Rock Baker. New tales of horror that salute the great mags of the past, but also plow new territory with imaginative and thought-provoking tales by famed fantasy artist & comics creator Mike Hoffman and his band of supremely talented artists and writers! Self-published and not available in most outlets. Intelligent and thoughtful horror tales with a moral — told without unnecessary gore or sexual content and high-quality art and content, much like the earliest Warren publications. Featuring dramatic covers by well-known comics and fantasy artist Mike Hoffman, 17 horror tales in total. We are starting with the first issues that came out in 2020-21, but if they do well we will pick up more—they are up to #30 this month. Hoffman International, 2020-21....More. Item Code: EYR01P Magazine, 8x11, 40pg ea, b&w $26.95 |
| The Eyrie Magazine Set #4-6 is also available, and signd by Hoffman. |
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9. DANTE'S INFERNO A Graphic Novel Adaptation First published in France in 2023. Highly Recommended. By Dante Alighieri. Art by Paul Brizzi and Gaëtan Brizzi. Entirely drawn as a homage to Gustave Dore's well-known illustrations, we're really impressed by the artwork, as if Dore himself had drawn this! It's dark and moody and quite the amazing story — a journey into Hell itself! Guided by the poet Virgil, Dante crosses the nine circles of Hell to find his beloved, Beatrice. He confronts sinners and demons: Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Achilles, and Paris ( whose loves were famously their downfall), the Greek Furies and Medusa — and heretics like Epicurus, writhing in a flaming tomb for eternity. Abrams, 2024....More. Item Code: DANIH Hard Cover, 8x10, 160pg, b&w $25.99 |
| 10. MICHAEL MOORCOCK'S ELRIC THE NECROMANCER Highly Recommended. By Julien Blondel. Art by Valentin Sécher. A superbly drawn, stand-alone story first published in France. Two years after the tragic climax of the previous volume, readers are exposed to their favorite protagonist in a new light. Elric is now leading the life of a mercenary, following the death of his beloved Cymoril. Answering Queen Yishana’s urgent call for help, Elric will now face his strongest and most cunning opposition yet — all while having to confront entities from the past that he vowed never to serve again. Titan, 2024....More. Item Code: MMELNH Hard Cover, 8x11, 64pg, Full Color $19.99 |
| 11. RICHARD CORBEN'S TALES FROM THE PLAGUE Limited to 500 copies. Highly Recommended. By Dennis Cunningham. Art by Richard Corben. This is a special edition of Horror from the Crypt of Fear which collects Richard Corben's very first graphic novel done for an obscure fanzine, Weirdom Illustrated, in 1969. Corben was 28 years old and still working at Calvin Productions when he began working on "The Plague" in 1968. Dennis Cunningham was one of the first publishers to use Corben's art in the comic book industry. Bill Leach, 2023....More. Item Code: RCTALE Soft Cover, 5x8, 46pg, b&w $9.95 |
Pulps |
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1. BLACK INFINITY Vol 11 Survive or Die Recommended. Edited by Tom English. New format with a spectacular wrap-around cover! The 11th big volume of the popular retro Science Fiction journal: heavily illustrated with art and movie stills, featuring articles on SF survival films, George Pal's Conquest of Space, Hammer's One Million Years B.C., Byron Haskin's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, plus 7 SF survival classics by Robert Silverberg, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Manly Wade Wellman, and others. Also: Frank Frazetta's Origin of Thun'da in black and white. Special illustrations by World Fantasy Award-winner Allen Koszowski and more. Wrap-around cover. Dead Letter Press, 2025....More. Item Code: BLAIN11 Soft Cover, 7x10, 146pg, Text/b&w $16.95 |
| The small periodical booklet with excellent features on film, television and comics history. |
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2. THE PULPSTER #33 Almost Gone! Highly Recommended. Three new articles on the Spicy pulps, which hit newsstands — or, maybe, slid under the counters — 90 years ago. Will Murray answers the question "Why Are Pulps So Scarce?" Ed Hulse looks at ashcan editions that Culture Publications used to lock up its titles. Two ERB features look at The Land that Time Forgot trilogy and ERB's strangest creatures. Mike Chomko wraps up his definitive history of comics & pulp publisher Fiction House. And Canadian Pulps, Secret Agent X more! PulpFest, 2024. Out of print....More. Item Code: PULP33 Soft Cover, 8x11, 64pg, Text/Partial Color $17.50 |
| Watch for a new issue in August. The annual publication of Pulp Con. Here are #31 & #32. |
Pin-Up & Erotic Art |
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1. CAVE PAINTINGS The Art of Budd Root Limited, 2000. Recommended. By Budd Root. Introduction by Frank Cho. "I'm a huge Budd Root fan from day one and I always wanted a nice hardcover Budd Root art book for a long time. After years of waiting, I decided to put my publisher hat on and just publish it myself." -Frank Cho. And is this a hot book! Page after page of dazzling art, not only wonderful nudes (and almost nudes) of Cavewoman, but specialty pieces, commissions, Universal monsters, convention book covers and posters, and an interview. Monkey Boy, 2016. Mature Readers....More. Item Code: CAVPH , 9x12, 128pg, Full Color $30.00 |
| Every year this makes our list; Frank Cho published this and it seems like we may be the only source for it. |
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2. SLEAZE ALLEY The Annotated Guide to Vintage Sleaze Paperbacks Vol 1 Profusely illustrated in full color. Recommended. By Peter Enfantino. Featuring detailed reviews and full color cover reproductions of nearly 100 vintage sleaze paperbacks written by the likes of Lawrence Block, Evan Hunter, Donald Westlake, and Robert Silverberg, and featuring cover art by Darrel Milsap, Tomas Cannizarro, and the twin titans of prolificity, Harold W. McCauley and Robert Bonfils. The author contributes regularly to Cimarron's Bare Bones and Wild World series about sleaze digest and paperback covers from the 1940s to the 1970s. Wild and fun look at under the counter publications of long ago.... Cimmaron Street, 2025. Mature Readers....More. Item Code: SLEAZ01 Soft Cover, 6x9, 148pg, Text/Full Color $35.00 |
| Vintate racy paperbacks—a book devoted to them. |
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3. THE PIN-UP MYSTERY OF 1950 After being hidden away for 70 years, a mysterious collection of photographs that have never before been printed, all taken in a few short months in New York in 1950. These women could have been bookkeepers, sales ladies, actresses, modern dancers or homemakers...they rarely seem to be professional models, which were few and far between three years before Playboy began. Full nudity. A unique look at the women posing fully nude in the year 1950. Asylum Publications, 2020. Adult material. ...More. Item Code: PINUM Soft Cover, 8x11, 96pg, b&w $24.95 |
| From a small publisher of Bettie Page and more, an interesting nude collection. |
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4. PENTHOUSE COMICS #6 Harvey Cover All the story arcs begun in the first year of Penthouse conclude in this issue, the last for 2024. Gun Crazy by Steve D and Jef concludes with the wild ride of Dolly Sanchez and Lanoya O'Brien, two girls fighting for survival; I Spit On Your Grave by Morvan, Macutay & Ortiz and The Dead All Have The Same Skin by Morvan, Erramouspe & Varas also both conclude. Miss October carries on, by Desberg and Queireix. Plus a nude photo shoot Blonde on the Roof and actress Barbara Dunkelman is interviewed. Penthouse, 2024. Adult Material....More. Item Code: PENT06 Magazine, 8x11, 96pg, Full Color $9.99 |
| The latest issue of the new era of Penthouse Comix. |
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5. AFTER HOURS MAGAZINE Facsimile Edition #1 The very first James Warren publication, meant as a Playboy style arts & entertainment with no lack of topless ladies! Published in 1957, one year before Famous Monsters of Filmland #1. This is a very tough magazine to find. This exact facsimile edition features: Bettie Page in a centerfold, a nude Bride to Be, Miss Teree on TV, Soldier of Fortune Photographer, Strange City, 36 Men and a Redhead, East Meets West in Philadelphia (Asian nudes), A Night with a Latin Quarter Girl, plus adult cartoons. This is a one-time new printing. Fantaco Enterprises, 2023. Mature Readers. Out of print....More. Item Code: AFT01 Magazine, 8x11, 48 pg., b&w $14.99 |
| Next week we'll send out an Mature Readers list separate from this. If you're not signed up for our special emails, you can do that here. |
Pop Culture |
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| SOLD OUT!! 1. HAMMER COMPLETE The Films, The Personnel, The Company |
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2. ONE TOUGH DAME The Life and Career of Diana Rigg Recommended. By Herbie J. Pilato. A sweeping portrait of the revered performer’s life and career. Deemed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1994, Diana Rigg (1938-2020) initially found fame as super sleuth Mrs. Emma Peel in the 1960s BBC/ABC-TV espionage series, The Avengers. A classically trained and multi-award-winning thespian, Rigg is known for her diverse body of work”Š —”Šfrom her big-screen debut in 1969 as Countess Teresa di Vincenzo, wife of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, to her Tony Award-winning, leading role in Medea on Broadway, culminating with her Emmy-nominated portrayal as Lady Olenna Tyrell on the heralded small-screen gem, Game of Thrones. 16-page section of photos plus more. Index. University of Mississippi Press, 2024....More. Item Code: ONETH Hard Cover, 6x9, 224pg, Text/b&w $35.00 |
Flash Sale Items |
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1. SHAMELESS ART 20th Century Genre and the Artist That Defined It Closeout Price! Highly Recommended. All from the original art: Rare, completely nude ladies by famous pin-up artists Fritz Willis, Roy Best, Zoe Mozart, Gil Elvgren (who rarely did nudes), Andrew Loomis, Earl Moran, Art Sarnoff, Rolf Armstrong (several), George Petty (one nude, four just-about), Bergey, and of course, Vargas. Suggestive pin-ups by Caldwell Higgins, Bill Randal, Ted Withers, Art Frahm, 11 pieces including one nude and several great Film Fun covers by Enoch Bolles. And much more by lesser-known and unknowns. Underwood Books, 2010. Out of print. Mature Readers. ...More. Item Code: SHAAH Hard Cover, 10x12, 112pg, Full Color |
| This is a Flash Sale item that we bought from Underwood Books; it was already priced like a bargain book at $15 in hardcover, and it sold at $15 for many years. |
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2. SAVAGE ART 20th Century Genre and the Artists that Defined It Hardcover Closeout Price! Highly Recommended! Entirely from the original paintings, with stunning reproduction, full page for each pulp cover. The lurid and violent illustrations which prefigured and helped create the visual language in movie poster art, comic books, and game art. Featuring classic illustration by pulp artists Virgil Finlay, Norman Saunders, H.J. Ward, Harold McCauley, Austin Briggs, Emsh, Harry Parkhurst, Walter Baumhofer, Rafael de Soto, George and Jerome Rozen, Tom Lovell and, of course, Weird Tales legend Margaret Brundage, and others. Underwood Books, 2010. Out of print....More. Item Code: SAVAH Hard Cover, 9x12, 112pg, Full Color |
| Also Flash Sale: This and Shameless Art were done as companion books, collecting top-drawer pulp covers from the original artwork. |
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3. IMAGES #13 Closeout Price! . Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. "A handsomely-selected tasteful mix of the best, well mounted, printed. It has my vote for its long life." That's how Alex Toth described the first issue. Here's Jim: "I scour original source material—magazines and books—from before 1923 for the most beautiful and forgotten images by famous and forgotten illustrators. Using the best technology available today on museum quality stock...I try to give century-old art the benefit of modern reproduction technology and display these artists as they have never been seen before." Vadeboncoeur, 2014. Out of print....More. Item Code: IMA13 Soft Cover, 9x12, 64pg, Full Color |
| Another Flash Sale, this time the final and largest-ever issue of my ex-partner Jim's fine magazine. Now 75% off cover price! With a Mucha cover too! Issue #9 was also a best seller, as was issue 4 of the Black & White Images. See them all here. |
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4. HENRY PATRICK RALEIGH The Confident Illustrator Exclusive New Sale Price! Our Highest Recommendation. By Christopher Raleigh. Henry Patrick Raleigh rose from school dropout at age 12 to esteemed Saturday Evening Post illustrator within the span of two decades. During his forty-year career, Raleigh was one of the highest paid newspaper and magazine artists in the United States, creator of iconic World War I propaganda posters, and arguably the most prominent story illustrator of the Jazz Age. This is the first book ever on the artist, and it's beautifully done. It features an abundance of full color work, from crowd and party scenes to wonderful advertising pieces. Auad, 2016....More. Item Code: HENPRH Hard Cover, 9x12, 132pg, Full Color |
| A Flash Sale item at more than 75% off. A great book but on an artist forgotten today; he was a major Saturday Evening Post contributor. |
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5. FRANZ WACIK Closeout Price! Highly Recommended. Franz Wacik (1883-1938) was an extraordinary Austrian talent who also designed for the theater, painted frescoes and murals, and illustrated children’s books. While his startlingly original work is largely unknown today, this volume (primarily composed of Wacik’s work for the satire magazine Die Muskete) will be a revelation for many. Wacik’s expertise encompassed a diverse array of fantastical subjects, including bizarre creatures and fairy tale settings. Illustrated Press, 2023. ...More. Item Code: FRAWAH Hard Cover, 9x12, 224pg, Full Color |
| This was an offbeat book from Illustration Magazine, about an early German expressionist. It underperformed so now its here due to its sale price. |
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6. EVERETT RAYMOND KINSTLER Closeout Price! The Artist's Journey through Popular Culture 1942-62. Our Highest Recommendation. By Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. and Everett Raymond Kinstler. Kinstler's work hangs in museums, boardrooms, banks, private collections, The White House, and in the homes of his clients and friends. Before portraiture became his life's work, he spent the 1940s and 1950s honing his craft in comic books: Hawkman for DC's The Flash, Black Hood and Black Terror for Standard. And dozens upon dozens of covers, inside cover contents pages, and stories for those delightfully lurid Avon titles like Eerie, Cowpuncher, Dalton Brothers, Jesse James, Strange Worlds, etc. And illustrating for pulp magazines like The Shadow, Doc Savage and Detective Tales! JVJ, 2005....More. Item Code: EVEH Hard Cover, 8x11, 228pg, Partial Color |
| We lowered the price on this, but the real deal is the signed/limited edition. Jim Vadeboncoeur's one and only book, marred only by doing a Western image on the cover. Inside it's superb. |
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7. SPECTRUM Volume 19 Hardcover Closeout Price! Our Highest Recommendation. Edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner. 300 diverse visionary artists, many world-renowned, including Michael Whelan, Donato Giancola, Leo & Diane Dillon, Kinuko Craft, and Peter de Sève. James Gurney (Dinotopia) is the featured Grand Master. Cover is by Brom. Here is the year's finest art, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners plus all carefully chosen runners up, picked by a jury of their peers. With art from books and book covers, graphic novels, video games, films, galleries, three-dimensional (statues, etc.) and advertising, Spectrum is truly an electrifying art book. Underwood Books, 2012. Out of print. ...More. Item Code: SPE19H Hard Cover, 9x12, 304pg, Full Color |
| Several back volumes are still in stock and on sale. The series ended with Vol 26. |
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8. MIDDLE EARTH Visions of a Modern Myth Closeout Price! Highly Recommended. From the brush of Donato Giancola, one of the world's most recognized and lauded fantasy artists, comes a book filled with new illustrations that apply his legendary Renaissance craftsmanship to J. R. R. Tolkien's fantastic Middle-Earth. Dramatic lighting and deft draftsmanship in a photo-realistic style, reminiscent of master painters, explains Donato's popularity. Winner of numerous Hugo and Chesley Awards. This long-awaited, moving, and beautiful voyage through Middle-Earth — a must-have for eager genre readers everywhere — offers a refreshingly new exploration of literature's most beloved fantasy realm with portraits as well as action scenes involving all the characters. Underwood Books, 2010. Out of print....More. Item Code: MIDEH Hard Cover, 9x13, 78pg, Full Color |
| Donato Giancola does Tolkien. Excellent volume on sale. |
| 9. DARK THOUGHTS ON WRITING Advice and Commentary from Fifty Masters of Fear and Suspense Closeout Price! Publisher file copy. Interviews with Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice, Clive Barker and 45 more writers! For anyone interested in writing horror, as well as true fans of the genre, Dark Thoughts is a source of inspiration and revelation with behind-the-scenes looks at the most popular and acclaimed authors of our time. Stanley Wiater extracts something out-of-the-ordinary from each of his interview subjects, whether it's their special writing tricks, strange fan mail or views on censorship. Underwood Books, 1997. Out of print....More. Item Code: DARTHO Soft Cover, 6x9, 206pg, Text Only |
| An offbeat Underwood book that's practically free now! |
| Click here for our current Flash Sale items! |
Calendars To save space we didn’t include Calendars in the list above, since many are gone now: Grimm Fairy Tales was #2, and also on sale. Tolkien was #3, and is sold out. Vintage Pulp Horror was #4, also sold out. The remaining 2025 calendars are all half-off or more. Click here to see all that are still available. We have a handful of 2026 Calendars that have trickled in if you want to take an early look. |
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We didn’t take up space on these either, but once again, our top sellers are Paperback Book bags and Magazine Bags, and 10” Fold-On dust jacket covers, the most popular size. |
Click here to see all 100 of the years best sellers on our website. |
Our Catalog and Contact Info We publish a color catalog every two months—if you’ve placed an order in the last 12 months, domestic customers will receive it hot off the press. If this is your first order, or if you’d like an extra copy, you can add one to your order: click here. You can also download it here. Place your order before noon PST, Monday through Friday for SAME DAY shipping (for in-stock items). Note: FREE SHIPPING OVER $300. If your order total is $300 or more and you are in the U.S., we pay the standard shipping cost. Contact us: csr@budsartbooks.com or 530-273-2166 Mon-Fri 9-4 |
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Website IndexSee our website for thousands of books of the Unusual and Hard-to-Find ~ Hundreds on Sale! |
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