A History of Hot Toys, Part 5: Iron Man Mark III (2008–2015)

After an interlude regarding my next book, The DC Encyclopedia New Edition (out March 2026), it's back to the idiosyncratic history of Hot Toys.

I mentioned in my last Hot Toys post how the Hong Kong company has a habit of revisiting and revamping action figures it's previously released. It's a practice that persists to this day, as advances in everything from base bodies (or bucks) to tailoring, sculpting and painting have seen Hot Toys perennially trying to improve upon older 1/6th-scale figures, or at least those deemed popular enough to warrant revisiting. A good example is the Batsuit worn by Christian Bale/Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which Hot Toys has revamped half a dozen times in 1/6 action figure form since releasing their first attempt, Movie Masterpiece Series MMS 71, in 2008. In 2010 there was a Deluxe Series version of the Dark Knight suit, DX 02; then in 2012 a Deluxe Series take on the Dark Knight Rises suit, DX 12; then in 2014 a slightly different version of DX 12 as part of three Movie Masterpiece Batman Armory sets, MMS 234, 235 and 236; then in 2022 the Deluxe Series Dark Knight Trilogy DX 19; then in 2024 a Batsuit as part of the Dark Knight Rises Armory, MMS 702; and most recently in 2025 as part of the Dark Knight Armory 2.0, MMS 750.

But this abundance of Bale Batmen, even if you include the four or so Hot Toys 1/6th versions of the Batman Begins Batsuit, is dwarfed by the cornucopia of Robert Downey Jr. Iron Men. The seemingly infinite iterations of the cinematic Tony Stark and his Iron Man armours have afforded Hot Toys the opportunity to return to the character again and again, starting with the movie that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Released early in 2009, almost a year after director Jon Favreau's Downey Jr.-starring Iron Man had debuted in cinemas in April 2008, Movie Masterpiece Series MMS 75 Iron Man – Mark III was Hot Toys' first licensed Marvel 1/6th-scale action figure. Faithfully replicating the third iteration of the Iron Man suit constructed by Tony Stark in the film – following the jerry-rigged-in-an-Afghan-cave Mark I and the riveted chrome Mark II – Hot Toys' take on the Mark III was a remarkable figure for its time, as Jeff Parker and Michael Crawford's contemporaneous reviews on Crawford's Captain Toy site expressed in glowing terms. While the Tony Stark head sculpt that came with the figure wasn't on quite the same level as some of Hot Toys' other work around the same time, the engineering of the Iron Man armour, by Jason Woo, Gary Wong and Ray Ling, was revolutionary, striking a balance between appearance and articulation and boasting an array of openable flaps and light-up features.

Within weeks, the Mark III was followed by Hot Toys' take on the Mark II (MMS 78), featuring a helmeted Tony Stark head sculpt that for Michael Crawford was an improvement on the prior sculpt. Next came a 1/6th-scale take on the Mark I armour (MMS 80), with another helmeted head sculpt, before Hot Toys made the first of many returns to the Mark III armour with a gunmetal version (MMS 101) only available in limited quantities at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, and in spring 2010, just ahead of the cinema debut of Iron Man 2, a battle-damaged version (MMS 110) boasting more vibrant colours in the paintwork. A mech-test Tony Stark (MMS 116) rounded off the Iron Man releases, but there was little respite, as by summer 2010 Hot Toys' Iron Man 2 figures had started shipping, this time encompassing not just multiple Iron Men but 1/6th-scale takes on Don Cheadle's War Machine (MMS 120), Mickey Rourke's Whiplash (MMS 121) and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow (MMS 124).

2012's The Avengers brought with it a handful more Hot Toys Iron Men in amongst some revisits of earlier armours, but it was with 2013's Iron Man 3 – to my mind the best of the three Iron Man films, due in no small part to director and cowriter Shane Black – that the floodgates fully opened. The plot point of a traumatised, hyperactive Tony Stark having built dozens of Iron Man suits, up to and including the Mark 42 (my personal favourite), afforded Hot Toys the opportunity to release two dozen Iron Man 3 action figures over the next few years. Moreover, this deluge of Iron Men came accompanied by a couple of innovations. The first of these, the Power Pose Series, traded articulation for the ability to keep figures in action poses for extended periods, and petered out after half a dozen or so releases. The second innovation proved much more enduring, however: diecast metal.

I'll endeavour to return to the initial Hot Toys diecast action figures in a subsequent post – Iron Patriot, Iron Man Mark 42 and War Machine Mark II, plus some of the other non-diecast Iron Man 3 releases in my collection – but suffice to say here that the introduction of diecast parts into Hot Toys' figures not only revolutionised the way those figures were engineered, it opened the way to even more revisiting and revamping of older figures, starting with the seventh diecast release, MMS 256 D07 Iron Man – Mark III.

Arriving in summer 2015, Hot Toys' first diecast revamp of an older figure had a more vibrant paint job than the original Mark III release, better proportions, a terrific helmeted Toy Stark head sculpt, removable armour plates revealing underlying circuitry, and a midsection that could be replaced with a twisted one to recreate the Iron Man landing pose. 

Best of all, it had heft, the diecast elements lending the figure a weight that previous plastic Iron Men had lacked. In turn this necessitated more durable packaging, a style of glossy outer sleeve and styrofoam inner tray that the Mark III shared in common with the diecast Iron Man 3 figures.

Henceforth, as Hot Toys' Iron Man offerings grew, more and more would feature diecast – not just the new armour iterations seen in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2016's Captain America: Civil War, 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame, but revamped versions of the Mark I, Mark II and inevitably, again and again, the Mark III. To date, Hot Toys has released well over a dozen versions of the Mark III suit, and something in the region of 150 Iron Man-related action figures overall (out of around 400 Marvel figures in total), with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Testing, Testing: Build the Guardians of the Galaxy Ship!

Currently swooping into view in newsagents and supermarkets... somewhere in the country (I have no idea where – if you've seen it out in the wild, please do leave a comment!) is this:

Hachette Partworks' Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Ship! It's something I've been working on for the past couple of years: a step-by-step build of the Guardians' – and Avengers' – ship from Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder and indeed I Am Groot, accompanied by a magazine delving into all aspects of the Guardians and cosmic Marvel both on screen and in comics. I wrote and edited the magazine – which was designed by the amazing Amazing15 – and in my capacity as author of Guardians of the Galaxy Ultimate Guide, Marvel Arms and Armour and other Guardians and Marvel books have been advising on the ship, the build, the Guardians, Marvel and multifarious other aspects of the project.

What's appearing in shops right now... somewhere in the UK (again, I really don't know where – I wish I did) is a four-issue test comprising the first four magazines and sets of parts. If the test goes well, then the partwork will launch nationally. So if you want the chance of building a huge model of the Guardians' ship (or the Infinity Saga ship as I like to call it) with working lights and engines, movable wings and tail, and even the auxiliary pod that Thor, Rocket and Groot use in Infinity War and War Machine and Nebula use in Endgame, and you want to know what else I have planned for the magazine, grab yourself an issue or three if it appears in shops near you, or head to the website and subscribe. Believe me, the ship truly is a thing of beauty – and the magazine's a damn good read too!

Marvel Arms and Armour Out Now!

If it seems like all I ever blog about on Existential Ennui these days are books that I've written – or edited – that's because I'm too busy writing – or editing – those books to blog about anything else. For instance, right now I'm in the middle of co-writing a book – on movies for a change, out autumn next year – whilst editing two DC Heroes & Villains Collection volumes and pondering what to write for the two volumes after those. All of which leaves me little time to do anything other than, well, briefly blog about yet another book that I've written:

Marvel Arms and Armour: The Mightiest Weapons and Technology in the Marvel Universe, which is published by DK in the UK today. I posted some spreads from the book back in June, along these lines:

but there's also now a back cover on the Amazon listing, which will give some indication of what the book's about:

My author copies haven't turned up yet, so hopefully when they do I'll be able to find the time to, er, briefly blog about an actual physical copy too.

Marvel Arms and Armour by Nick Jones: Cover and Interior Pages Revealed!

Just a quick note to say there's a rather splendid-looking cover up on Amazon for my next book, Marvel Arms and Armour: The Mightiest Weapons and Technology in the Marvel Universe. Titled, naturally, Marvel Arms and Armor in the US, it'll be out in October, and there are sample spreads on Amazon too. Feast your eyes on this lot, and rest assured I'll be banging on about the book a lot more ahead of publication.

Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy The Ultimate Guide New Edition by Nick Jones (i.e., me) Is Out Now!

Or rather, Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy The Ultimate Guide New Edition by Nick Jones (i.e., me) is out now in the United States and on Thursday 6 April in the UK. So actually it's out twice! Except 'Out Twice!' looked a bit weird in the blog post title, hence why I went with 'Out Now!' 

I like to think that one day I'll manage to write a snappy opening to one of my posts, but clearly that day isn't today.

Anyway, the gist of all this is I have a new book out – an updated edition of my 2017 book Guardians of the Galaxy: The Ultimate Guide, revised throughout (by me) and with an additional 16 pages (also by me). On first inspection it might not appear to be radically different to the original edition – its splendid new cover aside – but every page has been revised or tweaked in some fashion and/or shuffled around in the running order so that the whole thing is now a tighter, better read. I always intended the book to be read narratively from front to back as well as in a dip-in-and-out manner, and the updates and changes mean that it now does so even more effectively. Plus, the additional pages allowed me to bring the story of the Guardians in comics up to a more natural – and obviously more up-to-date – stopping point, rather than being curtailed two-thirds of the way through the Brian Michael Bendis run.

As well as James Gunn's much-anticipated third Guardians of the Galaxy film, there's also a new Guardians of the Galaxy comic series imminent, so the timing of The Ultimate Guide New Edition is perfect. Basically, if you want to know pretty much everything there is to know about the Guardians ahead of either the movie or the new comic, grab yourself a copy of Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy The Ultimate Guide New Edition (or borrow it from your local library – either works for me).

Guardians of the Galaxy The Ultimate Guide New Edition Coming April 2023

I posted this on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but it deserves a post here as well, if only to raise the consciousness of Existential Ennui from the freezing reefersleep it's slipped into. What can I say: these days I'm back to spending most of my time writing professionally – as opposed to editing, though I also do a fair amount of that – so I don't really have the time to blog here too. But anyway, up for pre-order now – on Amazon, obviously, but it's also available through the likes of WHSmith – is the new edition of my 2017 book Guardians of the Galaxy The Ultimate Guide!

Pleased as I was with the first edition, this new edition is even better, fully updated with new info, images, and even more pages, bringing the story of the Guardians in comics bang up to date – and not a moment too soon either: published on 6 April 2023, it'll be out just ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so if you want to know who Adam Warlock is ahead of the film, Guardians of the Galaxy The Ultimate Guide will explain all. You can read more about the book here, and no doubt I'll be banging on about it at greater length ahead of publication – and about the other book I'll have out later next year, and the other other book I've contributed an essay to.

The Existential Ennui Review of the Year 2021

Time was I would mark the end of the year with a post, or even a series of posts (ha! those were the days...), rounding up everything I'd read or watched or listened to or, sometimes, worked on over the previous 12 months – a record of certain aspects of my life, preserved for my own posterity (after all, it was pretty unlikely anyone else would be interested in years to come – or even right then for that matter). The last time I managed anything along those lines was the end of 2019; the pandemic, the death of my dad, and my complete inability to read a book – three things which were not unrelated – put paid to any notion of a round-up last year. This year has been better both personally and work-wise, and in recent months I've even managed to start reading novels again (albeit at a much slower pace than previously), so although the pandemic is still very much a going concern, and life continues to throw shit at us all with alarming abandon, I thought I'd post something about what I've been up to.

First and foremost, there's the DC Heroes & Villains Collection. I've written about this graphic novel partwork a few times already, so I shan't dwell on it here, except to say that editing it has allowed me to do more professional writing (as in, writing for money; I can't speak to the professionalism or otherwise of the actual writing) than I probably have since the start of what I laughingly call my career (back when I was a music journalist in the 1990s). By the time the collection reaches 100 volumes in about three years' time, I'll hopefully have written a fairly thorough history of the DC Universe since 1980, bit by bit, in the introductions and bonus features in each volume (alongside the occasional creator interview by my good friend Tim Pilcher). That's the plan anyway. 

The DC Heroes & Villains Collection launched in January (during lockdown no less), and is now up to 25 volumes, which is no mean feat considering everything that's been going on. Meanwhile, in November, the book pictured at the top of this post was published: Marvel Universe: Map by Map, co-written by James Hill and me, and illustrated by Adam Simpson, Matt Taylor and Andrew DeGraff (and, of course, a legion of Marvel Comics artistic legends). It's a lovely great big beast of a book – you can get a good look at it here – and it was an honour to be asked to play a part in its existence (by DK's estimable Senior Editor, and British comics vet, Cefn Ridout, to whom go my thanks). Four months before that, another DK book I contributed to was published: the updated edition of the DC Comics Encyclopedia, which I wrote even more of this time, and which in this new version sports a spectacular Mikel Janín cover. And somewhere in amongst all of that, Titan and I relaunched Star Trek Magazine as Star Trek Explorer, with all sorts of new-fangled features and regulars in it, including brand new fiction.

So that's what I've been up to this year. As to what I've read, I haven't actually kept a record of whatever comics I've consumed, but I have been making note of the books I've read since I managed to pick one up again, which in order have been:

The Moat Around Murcheson's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Dune by Frank Herbert (which I read shortly before seeing Denis Villeneuve's excellent and powerful film adaptation)
The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds
Elysium Fire by Alastair Reynolds
Jack Kirby by Tom Scioli
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine

I might also manage to finish Alastair Reynolds' most recent novel Inhibitor Phase – a first edition of which he kindly inscribed to me (he's featured in the forthcoming second issue of Star Trek Explorer) – before the end of the year. We shall see.

A Big Long List of the Comics, Graphic Novels and Books I Read in 2019

I've barely had time to think over the past few months, let alone blog. Besides editing Star Trek Magazine – the next one, #74, is out in January – and related specials – a Star Trek: Voyager 25th anniversary one is out in February, followed by a Star Trek: Picard one in March – I've also written my fourth book (mostly; still a few bits to do in the new year). That will be out May 2020, and is about comic book covers. Doubtless I'll be banging on about that nearer the time, but the net result of all that is that I've been working flat out – hence the absence of posts here.

I have, however, been keeping track of what I've been reading – comics for the most part, plus a couple of science fiction novels. Next year I'd like to get back into prose fiction, but I've still got a fair way to go on Doug Moench, Don Newton, Gene Colan et al's Batman and Detective run (and have just unexpectedly secured the one issue I was missing, the elusive Batman #386, featuring the first apperance of Black Mask), plus sundry other back issues/rereads (Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman; Marv Wolfman and George Perez's New Teen Titans; Gerry Conway and George Perez's Justice League of America; Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen's Legion of Super-Heroes; Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway's All-Star Squadron; J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck's Captain America, and too many others to mention) – and that's without factoring in new comics. So we'll see if I manage to read any novels in the new year.

Anyway, here's what I read this year. Merry Christmas.

BOOKS
Gateway by Frederik Pohl (Del Rey, 1977)
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz, 2005)
Watching the Watchmen by Dave Gibbons, Chip Kidd and Mike Essl (Titan, 2008)
The Art of Matt Wagner's Grendel by Matt Wagner et al (Dark Horse, 2007)
Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier (Abrams, 2008)

OLD COMICS
Six from Sirius by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy (Epic, 1984)
Six from Sirius 2 by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy (Epic, 1985)
Rick Mason: The Agent by James D. Hudnall and John Ridgeway (Marvel, 1989)
Batman: Earth One Vol. 1 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (DC, 2012) (reread)
Batman: Earth One Vol. 2 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (DC, 2015)
Detective Comics #497–526 by Gerry Conway, Don Newton, Gene Colan et al (DC, 1980–83)
Batman #337–359 by Gerry Conway, Don Newton, Gene Colan et al (DC, 1980–83)
Detective Comics #527–539 by Doug Moench, Don Newton, Gene Colan et al (DC, 1983–84)
Batman #360–372 by Doug Moench, Don Newton, Gene Colan et al (DC, 1983–84)
Batman Annual #8 by Mike W. Barr and Trevor von Eeden (DC, 1982)
Batman: Son of the Demon by Mike W. Barr and Jerry Bingham (DC, 1987) (reread)
Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday (WildStorm, 2003) (reread)
Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact by Dan Abnett, Ian Edginton and Cary Nord (Marvel, 1998)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time by Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway (DC, 1994) (reread)
Batman: Brotherhood of the Bat by Doug Moench, Jim Aparo et al (DC Elseworlds, 1995)
Batman #300 by David V. Reed, Walt Simonson and Dick Giordano (DC, 1978)
Superman: Distant Fires by Howard Chaikin, Gil Kane and Kevin Nowlan (DC Elseworlds, 1998)
Batman: League of Batmen by Doug Moench, Mark Bright and Romeo Tanghal (DC Elseworlds, 2001)
Justice League: The Nail by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer (DC Elseworlds, 1998) (reread)
JLA: Destiny by John Arcudi and Tom Mandrake (DC Elseworlds, 2002)
Batman: Prelude to Knightfall by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan et al (DC, 1993)
Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1 by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan et al (DC, 1993)
Batman: Knightfall Vol. 2 by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan et al (DC, 1994)
Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn, Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell (DC, 1989) (reread)
Batman: Master of the Future by Brian Augustyn and Eduardo Barreto (DC Elsworlds, 1991)
Robin 3000 by Byron Preiss and P. Craig Russell (DC Elseworlds, 1992)
Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop by Howard Chaykin, John Francis Moore and Mark Chiarello (DC Elseworlds, 1993)
Batman: In Darkest Knight by Mike W. Barr and Jerry Bingham (DC Elseworlds, 1994)
Wild Dog #1–4 by Max Collins and Terry Beatty (DC, 1987)
Underworld Unleashed by Mark Waid and Howard Porter (DC, 1995) (reread)
Justice League: Trinity War by Geoff Jones, Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis et al (DC, 2013)
Forever Evil by Geoff Johns and David Finch (DC, 2013–14)
Batman (Vol. 2) #1–27 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (DC, 2011–13)
The Hunter by Joe Sparrow (Nobrow, 2015)
Lost Property by Andy Poyiadgi (Nobrow, 2015)

NEW COMICS
Action Comics by Brian Michael Bendis, Patrick Gleason, Ryan Sook, Steve Epting et al (DC)
Batman by Tom King, Mikel Janin et al (DC)
Batman: Damned by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (DC)
Batman: Last Knight on Earth by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (DC)
Batman's Grave by Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch and Kevin Nowlan (DC)
Batman/Superman by Joshua Williamson and David Marquez (DC)
Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder and Jock (DC)
Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Leinil Francis Yu et al (Marvel)
Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
Curse Words by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne (Image)
DCeased by Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine (DC)
Detective Comics by Peter J. Tomasi, Brad Walker et al (DC)
Doomsday Clock by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (DC)
Event Leviathan by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev (DC)
Green Lantern by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp (DC)
Green Lantern: Blackstars by Grant Morrison and Xermanico (DC)
Guardians of the Galaxy by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (Marvel)
Heroes in Crisis by Tom King and Clay Mann (DC)
House of X by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larz (Marvel)
Invaders by Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno and Butch Guice (Marvel)
Justice League by Scott Snyder et al (DC)
Lazarus Risen by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark (Image)
Legion of Super-Heroes by Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook (DC)
Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium by Brian Michael Bendis et al (DC)
Lois Lane by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins (DC)
Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman and R. B. Silva (Marvel)
Man and Superman by Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini (DC)
Mysteries of Love in Space by various (DC)
Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaghan and Cliff Chiang
Punisher: Soviet by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows (Marvel)
Shazam! by Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham (DC)
Silver Surfer: Black by Donny Cates and Tradd Moore (Marvel)
Spider-Man: Full Circle by various (Marvel)
Superman by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis et al (DC)
Superman: Leviathan Rising by various (DC)
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
Superman: Year One by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. (DC)
Trees: Three Fates by Warren Ellis and Jason Howard (Image)
Undiscovered Country by Scott Snyder, Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli (Image)
Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard (Image)
War of the Realms by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman (Marvel)
X-Men by Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Francis Yu (Marvel)
Year of the Villain #1 by various (DC)
Black Adam: Year of the Villain by Paul Jenkins and Inaki Miranda (DC)
Black Mask: Year of the Villain by Tom Taylor and Cully Hamner (DC)
Joker: Year of the Villain by John Carpener, Anthony Burch and Philip Tan (DC)
Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain by Jason Latour and Bryan Hitch (DC)
Ocean Master: Year of the Villain by Dan Watters and Miguel Mendonca (DC)
Riddler: Year of the Villain by Mark Russell and Scott Godlewski (DC)
Sinestro: Year of the Villain by Mark Russell and Brandon Peterson (DC)
Young Justice by Brian Michael Bendis, Patrick Gleason et al (DC)

(Mostly) 80s Comics Cavalcade: Brighton Comic Mart Bargain Bonanza

Back in July, over successive days one weekend, there were two distinct but related comic marts, both titled Comics And Beer, in two different Brighton pubs. One was in a couple of smallish rooms upstairs at the Haus on the Hill and consisted of boxes and piles of organiser The Reaper's (no, me either) own wares; the other was in a bigger area at the back of the North Laine Brewhouse and consisted of The Reaper's wares plus a selection of other dealers. I went to both and ended up with a sizeable pile of comics, most of them hailing from the 1980s, most for either 20p or 50p each. It was brilliant. Here's what I got.

A load of '80s indie comics: Mike Grell's Starslayer (Pacific Comics/First Comics, 1982 onwards), including the second issue, which features the first appearance of Dave Stevens' the Rocketeer (in a back-up strip); Mark Evanier's DNAgents (Eclipse Comics, 1983 on); Mike Grell's Jon Sable (First, 1983); Neal Adams' Ms. Mystic (Pacific, 1982); Bill Willingham's Elementals (Comico, 1985); and Mike Baron's Badger, including the Hexbreaker graphic novel (First, 1988).

Some Marvel and Epic stuff: Simon Furman and Bryan Hitch's Death's Head #1 (1988); Alan Davis's ClanDestine #1 (1994); and Steve Englehart and Steve Leialoha's Coyote #1–5 (plus #14).

A run of Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen's Omega Men (DC Comics, 1983 on), missing #1 (which I'd bought not long before anyway for 50p in Dave's Comics' bargain dump bins) and #3 (first appearance of Lobo, so no wonder I couldn't find it in the 20p boxes).

Some random DCs: Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway's All-Star Squadron #1 and 13 (1981 on); Legion of Super-Heroes #259 (in which Superboy buggers off and lets the Legion have their own title at last) and 282 (1980/1981); Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan's Night Force #1 (1982); DC Comics Presents #36 (1981); Justice League of America Annual #1 (1983); Superman Special #1 (1983); and the New Teen Titans Drug Awareness Special (1983).

A bunch of Baxter-paper DCs: Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland's Camelot 3000 (1982–1985); J. M. DeMatteis and Paris Cullins' Forever People (1988); and a few issues of Vigilante (1983 on).

More Baxter DCs, plus a couple of 1990s DCs: Pete Milligan, Brett Ewins and Steve Dillon's Skreemer (1989); Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden's Thriller (1983–1984 – I'd previously bagged #1 in Dave's dump bins); Don McGregor and Gene Colan's Nathaniel Dusk (1984–1985); Mark Waid and Howard Porter's Underworld Unleashed #1 (1995); and Batman: KnightGallery (1995), an Elseworlds one-shot by Doug Moench and lots of different artists.

A couple of Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo New 52 Batmans I was missing, and a run of Tom King et al Rebirth Batmans, mainly the rather nice Tim Sale cover variants.

And lastly, a run of #1–20 of Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas and Michael Bair's Young All-Stars (1987 on).

One of the dealers at the Sunday mart was the aforementioned Dave's Comics, whose bargain bins frequently produce fine 50p wares. Some of those I showcased in my previous 80s Comics Cavalcade post, but more recently I bagged the above. I was particularly pleased with the Mark Evanier/Steve Rude Mister Miracle Special (DC, 1987) and the complete Peacemaker miniseries (DC, 1988) by Paul Kupperberg and Tod Smith.

So those were my Bighton comic mart (and shop) bargains. Hmm. I should probably post something about some of my '80s comics eBay wins at some point as well, shouldn't I? Justice League of America and All-Star Squadron anyone...?