As the Direct Sales marketplace of comic book specialty shops became a larger and larger part of the marketplace in the 1980s, any number of new young publishers threw their hats into the ring. This led to a bevy of new companies putting forward their own efforts in an attempt to find fame and fortune. … Continue reading FSC: THE CRUSADERS #1
Just as he was an enormous fan of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, my friend David Steckel was also a hardcore acolyte of STAR WARS, and he purchased each monthly issue of the Marvel comic based upon that storied film with almost religious zeal. It's a bit alien to think of from the vantage point of today, but … Continue reading BC: STAR WARS #10
I also bought TALES OF SUSPENSE #66 during that trip to the Batcave comic book shop, and I did so for the most obvious reason: the copy I picked up was cheap. I bought it despite the fact that I already owned copies of the two stories that were published in it, in an issue … Continue reading BHOC: TALES OF SUSPENSE #66
One of the last series launched by Jim Shooter's ill-fated venture DEFIANT, CHARLEMAGNE was a title that a obvious amount of effort and expectation had clearly been spent on. The initial issue is oversized, and the launch was preceded by the publication of a CHARLEMAGNE #0 lead-in story, which was attached to an issue of … Continue reading Brand Echh: CHARLEMAGNE #1
One of the things that I was very obsessed with as a young comic book reader was age. Specifically, how old the comics that I was purchasing were. As much as anything, that's what led me to pick up this copy of STRANGE TALES #87 on my trip to the Batcave comic book store that … Continue reading BHOC: STRANGE TALES #87
Ever since DC had acquired the rights to publish new adventures of the rival character they had once put out of business, they had been teasing readers with the prospect of a full-on mano-a-mano showdown between Superman and Captain Marvel to determine once and for all which one of them was the mightiest. There had … Continue reading BC: SHAZAM #30
One of the calculations that I had to make whenever I found myself in a place like the Batcave, the South Shore Mall-located comic book shop, was how to make the most of my meager funds. The Batcave had a huge selection of back issues, but even though many of them were more well-worn reading … Continue reading BHOC: SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION #3
In 1982, the comic book marketplace was expanding. The Direct Sales network of comic book specialty shops had proven itself as a viable alternative to mainstream newsstand distribution, and so suddenly all sort of publishers were jumping into this new market with a variety of releases, some more polished than others. It was an exciting … Continue reading FSC: DREADSTAR #1
My grade school friend David Steckel was a huge fan of the science fiction media of the time, in particular STAR WARS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. In fact, that's a huge part of how we became friends in the first place. Having seen me making my own home-grown comic books, David wanted to enlist my help … Continue reading BC: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #1
One of the things that the Batcave comic book shop was notable for during this late 1970s period was in having affordable copies of relatively old and key comics. These were typically more well-read copies, but for my purposes, i didn't care. there was some elusive magic in holding an actual vintage book from a … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #19
The Tom Brevoort Experience 