Frank Bellamy Thunderbirds art, Commando Issue 1 in comics auction

The Winter 2010 auction at British auction Compalcomics includes another Frank Bellamy Thunderbirds board and is sure to attract strong bids from his legion of fans. 

The company's last catalogue in September saw a 1968 Thunderbirds board by Frank Bellamy from TV Century 21 sell for £3388.

This new item of Thunderbirds original artwork was drawn in the same year and signed by Frank Bellamy for TV Century 21 No 206. The page finds Thunderbird 1 pilot Scott Tracy and Professor Davies have travelled back in time to get Thunderbird 4 and save a fractured dam's waters from drowning New York, but before they can activate the main controls the time-machine topples into a raging torrent of water.

Thunderbirds fans may also be interested in a 73-card Thunderbirds Colour Card Set, released in 1967 in near-perfect condition featuring the characters and machines from the Gerry Anderson TV series, along with issues of TV Century 21 itself.
 
There are 316 lots in the winter catalogue, which includes a strong selection of early Dandy comics from Number 19 through to 109, including many issues that have not been seen until now such as the title's first Easter issue, published in 1938 and Dandy 100, published in 1939.

Also unearthed is a fine run of seasonal Christmas issues from the 1920s and Thirties of Butterfly, Comic Cuts, Chips, Jester, Rainbow and Tiger Tim’s Weekly as well as war years Beano and Dandy.

Bound volumes on offer includes The Thriller 1-25, Scoops 1-20, (the UK’s first science fiction magazine, published in 1934) and full years of Adventure 1941 and 1943 with Hotspur 1938 and 1940. There are also complete years of Mickey Mouse Weekly 1940 - 1941 with the first four Mickey Mouse Weekly Holiday/Xmas Specials and Mickey’s Calendar from 1939 – scarce wartime rations.

Also featured are issues of The Sun magazine featuring Battler Britton and collections of the original Eagle.

A star lot on offer is The Magic-Beano Book from 1944. As well as being the first annual to combine the characters from the Magic and Beano comics, the aucton house tell us this example is in exceptionally high grade. The auction also includes an early run of Magic comic itself with the scarce Number 1 Flyer.

Other art on offer includes are Davy Law’s Dennis The Menace for Issue 481, published in 1951; a rare piece of Pansy Potter art by Jimmy Clark (apparently the first art from him to come to auction in 11 years), Captain Condor art by Ron Forbes, Frankie Stein by Ken Reid and Morecambe & Wise by Roy Wilson. Dudley Watkins’s The Broons and Oor Wullie complete the line-up.

Also offered is magnificent collection of DC Thomson's still-in-publication Commando, starting with numbers 1 - 6, the 47 issues having been secured in a biscuit tin for over 50 years. Near complete runs of TV Century 21, Fantastic!, It’s Terrific!, Pow!, Smash! and TV Tornado encapsulate the 1960s selection.

US comics on offer include an early run of Golden Age Batman (#36), while Iron Man’s first appearance in Tales Of Suspense (#39), Fantastic Four 48 and Silver Surfer #1 headline Silver Age runs of key Marvel and DC titles.

• Bids will be accepted until Tuesday 30th November at 8.00pm UK time. Catalogue at: www.compalcomics.com/catalogue/index.htm