First 2000AD Dredd cover to go under the hammer

Veteran comics artist Barrie Mitchell, perhaps best known for his work on Roy of the Rovers, is selling some of his art - including the 2000AD cover that was the first to feature Judge Dredd.

Featuring on Issue 5 of 2000AD, published in March 1977, the cover sees Dredd in action against a giant robot, Krong, inspired by the story in the same issue, which was drawn by Carlos Ezquerra.

Despite having the honour of being the first Judge Dredd cover artist, Barrie's 2000AD career is quite scant in comparison with the huge amount of work he has done for a slew of publishers down the years. His credits include work for girls titles such as Bunty, Mandy and Diana, as well as action titles like Look-In, Pow and Wham, and various Marvel UK titles. He was the final artist on the Roy of the Rovers comic, drawing the strip from October 1992 until its cancelalion in March 1993, returning the character in 1997. He also worked on the The Mirror's Scorer strip in 1989-1990. (More info here on this downthtetubes comic artists page)

The cover will be auctioned by Island Auctions at Cowes Masonic Lodge on the Isle of Wight on 5th August 2010, as part of a larger sale of special auction of Fine Art & Maritime Collectables during Cowes Week.

In addition to this 2000AD art, Barrie told downthetubes he is selling some other pieces of art, some by other artists, in the auction. These include some pages of his own Doctor Who strip for Doctor Who Magazine, featuring Third Doctor Jon Pertwee, two pages of his Roy of the Rovers work, a signed page of the Penthouse strip Wicked Wanda by Ron Embleton, bought some years ago at a Society of Strip Illustrators event, two examples of John M. Burns Seekers and a page of Dan Dare from the Eagle, drawn by Keith Watson in the late 1960s. (Barrie wasn't able to tell us which story this art was from).

• Island Auctions web site: www.shanklinauctionrooms.co.uk or telephone 0198386

• Barrie Mitchell's 2000AD Credits

First Beano Book, Marvelman Cover Art up for auction

Over 200 items of British comics and art form the Summer 2010 auction at UK auction house Compalcomics, including a rare Beano book discovered in a charity shop and cover art for an early issue of Marvelman by creator Mick Anglo.

Beano Book No 1 was found in a pile of annuals at the back of a charity shop in St Andrew's, Scotland and luckily, the manageress, Tammy, and her volunteer, Matthew, realised it was something special and sent it to Compalcomics to be auctioned on behalf of Cancer Research UK. The book is in robust, bright condition and estimated at £1500-2000.

But that's not the only rarity in the catalogue which includes art by Ken Reid, Dudley Watkins, Martin Asbury and John M. Burns and some rare Dan Dare toys.

An 1890 bound volume of Comic Cuts 1-26 is available, the scarce first issue with creamy fresh pages. Cheerio 1-49 is at lot 4 and bound with Kinema 1-36 which it became in April 1920, and there's a bunch of low grade Film Funs (including No 1) at lot 10, all at No Reserve.

Tiger Tim was enormously popular in the 1920s and lot 21 includes his first six annuals with a Painting Book and the rare Bruin Boys wooden train set, the characters all with coupling and wheels (apart from Porky Pig, whose obvious weight put paid to a set).

Football is very much on many peoples' minds this Summer and The Football Post, which was only printed in Nottingham, concentrated on their great local teams, Forest and County. There are 146 clean, flat issues from 1935-39 at lot 30. Sports paper Topical Times gave away some superb free gifts and their 1933 selection of football stars coloured cards and supplements are highly collectable. You could've used a pair of Stanley Matthews' shorts to make a tent. Have a look at lot 32.

Hotspur complete years are well to the fore with unusually high grades for 1934 and '35 and the title is well represented right through the war years along with Wizard's two rare Holiday Books, one with a cover no-one in their right minds would surely ever commission today. The Beano and Dandy's lesser sibling, Magic Comic, only ran for 80 issues to 1941 and a particularly good selection including Nos 2, 3 and 4 awaits your attention. The Beano also competes in this rarified atmosphere.

Talking of atmosphere, Superman was first reprinted in the UK with The Triumph in 1939 and most of these issues should fly at lot 63. Also flying will be Dan Dare's Spaceship and Rocket Builder construction sets (Mum, whaty'do you do with my spanner?)

Wrapping off this huge auction, there's a fine selection of artwork on offer including Desperate Dan, Oor Wullie and The Broons by Dudley Watkins, Frankie Stein and Faceache by Ken Reid and Reg Parlett, a 1957 Mick Anglo Marvelman cover, two pages of John M. Burns Bionic Woman from Look-In, along with two pages of Battlestar Galactica from the same comic by Martin Asbury, plus rarely-offered with Ron Embleton art from his satirical Penthouse strip Oh! Wicked Wanda - and some great Rupert the Bear work, too.

The US section profiles The Batman #5 and #11, first issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, X-Men and Giant-Size X-Men #1; and there's also a high grade Brave And Bold #34 - the first Hawkman adventure.

• Bids will be accepted until Tuesday 1 June at 8 PM UK time. To go directly to the main page for the catalogue, click here: www.compalcomics.com/catalogue

• Compalcomics holds four auctions a year. As a member of this list you will receive a message shortly before auctions open and close. Results of most auctions are posted online two weeks after the closing date.

Charity shop's first-edition Beano find

The Scotsman reports today that a rare first-edition Beano annual from the 1930s is set to make a small fortune for Cancer Research UK after it turned up in a pile of donations at their St. Andrews shop.

The annual, which will be auctioned off by London-based Comic Book Auctions Ltd. next month, could raise as much as £2000 or more when it goes on sale.

"It's a very exciting find," Malcolm Phillips told the paper. "Our estimate is between £1,500 and £2,000, but we are hoping it will do a bit more than that – particularly because all the money raised is going to charity."

The highest price ever paid for a British comic was £20,350, which was paid for a mint copy of the first copy of The Dandy comic, published in 1937 and complete with a free whistle on the cover.

Before that, the record was £12,100, for the first copy of The Beano, published in 1938. Only 12 copies are believed to still exist.

The annual – known to collectors as Beano book number one – turned up in a pile of donations given to the Cancer UK's St Andrews shop in Scotland, to the delight of 24-year-old volunteer Matthew Harris.

"I knew it might be worth more than the average comic book, but when I checked it out online, and learned it could be worth more than £2,000, I could hardly believe it," he said.

• Read the full story on the Scotsman web site

• The annual will be on offer at www.compalcomics.com on 16 May. Bids closing at 8.00pm on 1 June.

Wheeler On The Wireless!!

downthetubes contributor Ian Wheeler, a former Coordinator of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, discussed the Bonhams Doctor Who auction on BBC Radio York this morning. You can hear the item on the BBC iplayer - it's part of the Adam Tomlinson show and can be heard at approximately the 45 minute point. Check it out here.

Daleks and cheetahs, oh my!

The catalogue for the Bonhams Doctor Who auction, which takes place 24th February in London, is now online.

Included in just over 160 lots are a huge range of costumes from modern era stories, including the Doctor's costumes and outfits worn by Billie Piper, Sophie Aldred and other actors. But collectors are certain to be making the highest bids for original Daleks from classic stories such as Imperial Daleks from Revelation of the Daleks (pictured above), and Remembrance of the Daleks, Cheetah costumes from the final Classic Who story Survival and many more goodies, including a Vervoid monster and Sil.

Bonhams is the world's oldest and largest auctioneer of fine art and antiques still in British ownership and the archive of Bonhams Magazine available on this website goes back to the winter issue of 2007. Art historians, historians, and archaeologists will find fascinating articles in the aforementioned issue on craftsman Matthew Boulton, the mystery of the Brontë children, centuries-old dog collars, and the curse of Tutankhamun. Visitors will appreciate the photographs of the artworks and antiques, as they are very vivid and show great detail.

Bonhams previously published an article about Doctor Who in its official magazine , Issue 21, which featured an engaging feature on the series by Benjamin Cook, alongside the publication's more regular fare of articles on antiques and art (see news story).

• The event details for the auction are here on the Bonhams web site, and the auction itself will be promoted via www.bonhams.com/drwho

• View the online catalogue for the Bonhams Doctor Who auction

(Thanks to Norman Boyd for the tip)

Bonhams auction house celebrates Doctor Who

Marking the upcoming auction of BBC Doctor Who memorabilia at the world-famous auction house later this month (24th February), the latest issue of Bonhams Magazine (Issue 21) features an engaging feature on the series by Benjamin Cook, alongside the publication's more regular fare of articles on antiques and art.

Titled "Who's in Town", the feature includes interview material with actors such as Peter Davison, citing the Cybermen as his favourite monsters, and other commentary on the show from Tom Baker, William Hartnell's widow, Heather and more, together with a fine selection of BBC publicity photographs of the show's many era.

Bonhams is the world's oldest and largest auctioneer of fine art and antiques still in British ownership and the archive of Bonhams Magazine available on this website goes back to the winter issue of 2007. Art historians, historians, and archaeologists will find fascinating articles in the aforementioned issue on craftsman Matthew Boulton, the mystery of the Brontë children, centuries-old dog collars, and the curse of Tutankhamun. Visitors will appreciate the photographs of the artworks and antiques, as they are very vivid and show great detail.

• The actual lots available in the auction have yet to be announced. The event details are here on the Bonhams web site, and the auction itself will be promoted via www.bonhams.com/drwho.

• View the online catalogue for the Bonhams Doctor Who auction

(Thanks to Norman Boyd for the tip)