2000AD, TV21 and Whoopee art offered in latest Compalcomics auction

Bionic Woman art for Look-In 13 by John Bolton. Lot details here

There's artwork and British comic rarities in the Spring 2011 auction at Compalcomics, which has just opened, including 2000AD art by Ron Smith and superb work by artists such as John Bolton, Frank Bellamy, Ken Reid, Robert Nixon and Italian artist Giorgio de Gaspari.

There are 292 lots in the winter catalogue, including a Thunderbirds page by Frank Bellamy published in TV Century 21 Issue 168, and a continuation of individually lotted Dandy Comic war years issues, many not seen at auction before.

The British section also includes Film Fun Issue 1, complete with its incredibly rare free 'Fatty Arbuckle' gift and a rare Beano No 2 is at lot 26 (only a handful of copies are known to exist) and there's a beautifully fresh second Dandy Monster Comic at lot 58, published in 1940.

The Compal team have also unearthed a Radio Fun first issue graded Very Fine for your consideration at lot 19, the comic that introduced readers to comic strip versions of the likes of George The Jolly Gee-Gee, Flanagan & Allen, Sandy Powell, Will Fyffe and brought them the Clark Gable Picture Story ‘Along Paths of Peril’, back in 1938.

Denis Gifford was a comics historian of great importance whose input was well known and the auction featuresa collection of his Gerald G Swan albums and comics as well as an unpublished 1944 album by him entitled 'Corker Comics issues 1-12' for which all of the page settings and original artwork is included.

There is also a minor contribution of artwork characters Larry, Horace and Pop and Percy Pig by RAM, a talented young artist and writer later going on to international comedic fame as one Robert A Monkhouse. Surel a unique piece of British comics history.

This Corker Comics lot features comic strip by the late, great Bob Monkhouse

Dick Daring cover art by Giorgio de Gaspari
for Thriiler Picture Library 244

While there are some terrific lots of comics - both individual and collected, including TV Century 21, Eagle, Junior Express Weekly and many more, it's the art in this auction that is sure to attract attention, not least from Western comics fans who might be salivating over several pieces of cover art for Cowboy Comics and Thriller Picture Library by Italian artist Giorgio de Gaspari whose atmospheric action style is well captured with Kit Carson, The Kansas Kid, Dick Daring and Spy 13.

There's also some 2000AD art on offer - including a page of Judge Dredd by Ron Smith, Ant Wars art by Alfonso Azpiri, and a joint lot featuring art by Adrian D. Beeton and John Stokes.

The Broons and Oor Wullie by Dudley Watkins are up to their usual tricks along with Frankie Stein and the World Wide Weirdies by Ken Reid, and a Frankie Stein piece by Robert Nixon - plus a special Viz artwork that ComPal is  offering on behalf of the charity Sunshine Project International.

You may notice that Simon Donald's snowman theme is well blessed in the testosterone department.  If you don't fancy that there's always the Dennis The Menace Clickity Clicker, given away in an issue of The Beano in 1960 -- in full annoying working order!

• Bids will be accepted until Tuesday 15 March at 8 PM UK time. Catalogue at:  www.compalcomics.com/catalogue/index.htm

(With thanks to Graeme Neil Reid for additional info)