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 question of who did what on the early Marvel books is going to be something that's debated and argued ad infinitum, so long as the characters remain worldwide icons as they've become in recent years. Speaking for myself, while I enjoy weighing in on certain aspects of these questions, I'm of the broad belief … Continue reading Lee & Ditko: The Storytelling Snafu of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30
On my unanticipated trip to the Batcave comic book shop that weekend, I needed to make my meager funds stretch to their furthest. There was a cornucopia of back issues laid out before me. But I had only limited money with which to make my purchases. And so one of the books I wound up … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #20
In 1982, I was still ordering my comics through the mail order service offered by Geppi's Comic World in Maryland. I didn't yet have a driver's license, and my family's new homestead was in a new development that was too far away from any center of civilization to get to easily by walking or bike-riding. … Continue reading FSC: MARVEL AGE #1
And on and on it went! I continued to steadily eat my way through the complete run of DC's SHAZAM, which had been lent to me by my grade school friend Donald Sims. I have to say, it's fun looking back at these issues and seeing how deftly (or not) the editors were in avoiding … Continue reading BC: SHAZAM #29
That next weekend, my family had some reason to journey down to the South Shore Mall in search of some time or other that couldn't be so easily procured closer to home. This was fine by me, as I'd earlier discovered that the mini-strip mall that was adjacent to the main South Shore Mall structure … Continue reading BHOC: MEET THE DEALERS #13
The Tom Brevoort Experience 