ALAN CLASS COMICS

The total number of Alan Class comics has been calculated at 1,455 by one web-site. I make it 1,459 regular issues and there are some 'S' and duplicate un-numbered issues as well including two cover versions of Amazing Stories of Suspense #90. There are (to my knowledge) fourteen of these 'S' issues and a number of un-numbered ones. Some 'S' are illustrated below.

Amazing Stories of Suspense - 3 'S' issues.

Astounding Stories - 3 'S' issues (not 2 as one other official web-site says!).

Creepy Worlds - 3 'S' issues.

Secrets of the Unknown - 3 'S' issues.

Sinister Tales - 1 'S' issue.

Uncanny Tales - 1 'S' issue.

Alan Class, founder of Alan Class Comics, began by importing US titles late in the 1950s, but soon decided it would be easier to print his own comics in the UK than deal with all the vagaries of import duties, shipping, etc. From 1959 he arranged licenses to reprint various US companies' titles, over the years reprinted ACG, Charlton, Tower, Timely and Marvel stories in black and white anthology titles, often alongside one another. There was no set pattern for where stories were reprinted, so a given title might reprint an ACG story one month, and Charlton and Timely the next, and the comics were deliberately not dated, to increase their sales longevity. Which is also a researcher's nightmare!

Though Marvel would go on to be reprinted by other companies, and then by Marvel's own UK branch, Alan Class continued to reprint other companies comics right up until ceasing publication in 1989, and his cheap and widely available reprints were largely responsible for introducing many British fans to the wonders of American comics.

Alan Class comics are becoming more collectable than ever before. Early issues and particularly Marvel Silver Age reprint issues are much in demand. See also my Hot Alan Class List for the issues that most people are asking for.

Alan Class Checklist

• Ally Sloper #1-4
• Amazing Stories #1-2
• Astonishing Stories #1
• Astounding Stories #1-195
• Blazing Frontiers nn (#1) - very rare. Even Alan Class forgot he'd published this one when making a list!
• Blazing Trails #1-3
• Creepy Worlds #1-249
• Eerie Tales #1
• Hell-Fire Raiders #1
• Journey into Danger #1-8
• Just Dennis #1-5
• My Secret Confessions #1
• Out of this World #1-23 (1st Series),
• Out of This World #1-10 (2nd Series)
• Outer Space #1-10 (not up to #8 as other sites say!)
• Race into Space #1
• Secrets of the Unknown #1-249
• Sinister Tales #1-227
• Space Trip to Moon #1
• Super Mouse #1-2
• Suspense, Amazing Stories of #1-241
• Tales of Action #1-2
• Tales of the Supernatural #1
• Tales of the Underworld #1-10
• Uncanny Tales #1-187
• Uncensored Love #1
• Weird Planets #1-23 (not up to #15 as the Alan Class web-site says!)