The first Compal comic auction of 2025 is live, offering some incredible artworks by TV Century 21 artist Ron Turner, and more “Charley’s War” art by Joe Colquhoun, among its many lots spanning British and American comic publishing across the decades.

ComPal are offering the first tranche of the John Lawrence Archive of Ron Turner Comics and Artwork in this auction, items owned by artist Ron Turner‘s agent and friend, starting with 18 issues of Tit-Bits Science Fiction Library from 1953 and followed by the six-issue run of Tit-Bits Science Fiction Comics by C Arthur Pearson, with many covers by Ron, one of the finest science fiction artists of his day.

Included in this auction is “The Diemos Deadline“, a stunning piece or re-creation artwork by Turner, painted in the 1980s and illustrated in a new book, due to be published in mid-March, entitled The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner, compiled and edited by his life-long friend, John Lawrence and completed by Phil Harbottle. (Head to the Telos Publishing web site to preorder this)

This auction also includes over sixty first issues of various British titles published between the 1880s and 1930s, collected over a 40 year period by one of Compal’s most ardent long-time collectors. They include Boys’ Friend, British Boy, British Girl, British Lion, Butterfly, Cheerio, Champion, Chimpo’s Circus, Firefly, John Bull, Larks, Charlie Chaplin’s Picture Show, Rover, School Friend, Skipper, Wizard and Union Jack.

The 1940s promote Beano bound volumes for 1947 and 1948, and a magnificent full story artwork of “Tom Thumb” by Dudley Watkins along with The Magic-Beano Book of 1948 from which it comes. A complete Beano year of 1951 with The Dandy years of ’52, ’56 and ’57 are also on offer, those last two years in high grade bound volumes. The Beezer No 1 is also on offer, along with its free gift Whizz Bang and No.1 flyer. 

The first four years of Judy comics competes for your attention along with Number One issues of Commando, Oz Magazine, Fabulous (with its free gift, a Beatles 20 Hit Songbook), Fantastic, Jag, Hornet, Hurricane and Terrific with over twenty 1970s first issues, most with their free gifts – including 2000AD progs 1, 2 and 3, all with theirs.

Three “Charley’s War” artwork sets by Joe Colquhoun, created for Battle, conclude the highlights of this auction’s UK section, but there are many other comic lots of interest, too, including bulk sets of issues of titles such as The Beano, Boys World, Buster, Cor!!, The Dandy, Judy, Lion, Mickey Mouse Weekly, Misty, New Hotspur, Sparky, Valentine, Victor, Vulcan, and more.

The US collection continues with a Golden Age selection including Action Comics, Big Shot, Bulletman, Fiction House, Green Hornet, Nyoka, Superman, Tip Top and Top Spot from the 1940s, along with Crime SuperStories, Out of The Night, Tales from the Crypt, The Thing and Worlds of Fear from the 1950s.

The Silver Age keys include Amazing Fantasy 15 (restored and CGC graded 2.0), The Incredible Hulk 2-6, Iron Man 1 and 55, Journey into Mystery 83, Strange Tales 110 and Green Lantern 1, with good runs of Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish and X-Men with a strong crop of CGCs under those titles.

• Click here for the main page of the ComPal February catalogue is here. You can place realtime bids at the-saleroom.com. Click here to place realtime bids at the-saleroom.com

Postal bids need to be with ComPal by Friday 28th February and the team will enter them on your behalf in thesaleroom.com/Comic Book Auctions website closing on Sunday 2nd March from 2.00pm

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John Freeman

John  is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of  comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.

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Categories: 2000AD, Art and Illustration, Auctions, British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, US Comics

Tags: Adventure Comics, Auction News, Battle Picture Weekly, Charley's War, Compal Comics, downthetubes News, Dudley Watkins, Gun Law, Humour Comics, John Lawrence, Judy, Magic-Beano, Oliver Frey, Paddy Nevin, Ron Turner, SF Comics, Tales to Astonish, The Beatles, The Incredible Hulk, Tit-Bits Science Fiction Comics, Tit-Bits Science Fiction Library, TV Express