It’s Christmas Eve as I write this, and for the last near-decade, at least in my household, my children have learned about the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas, you see, is when Dad watches Doctor Who. Since the show came back in 2005, viewing each year’s Christmas Special has been something of a ritual, a … Continue reading DOCTOR WHO
Okay, so I’ve been thinking about writing a little bit about a wide variety of subjects that influenced me while growing up, beyond just individual comics (although including them as well). And this wold seem to be the appropriate place for such recollections. So moving forward, this will be the place where I’ll be waxing … Continue reading New Mission Statement
A pretty brilliant cover from Steve Ditko that reduces the iconic silhouette of Spider-Man down about as far as is possible while still keeping it identifiable. The fact that the caption boxes are also done in Spidey’s colors isn’t an accident, either. I suspect the decision was made to color Spidey’s eyepiece red rather than … Continue reading Great Covers – AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28
I can’t swear to it with absolute certainty, but I suspect that this BATMAN cover by Neal Adams represents the first time that any person of color has been depicted on a Batman cover. And especially given the time period in which this cover saw print, late 1970, you’d expect that most readers would be … Continue reading Great Covers – BATMAN #230
Another classic Alex Schomburg WWII-era Timely cover, this one depicting an amphibious invasion of Manhattan in such detail that each element had to be individually labeled. Once again, the wealth of detail and the explosive action made this book all but irresistible. Note that the coloring halos the Torch’s fist and head with white where … Continue reading Great Covers – MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #36
This Murphy Anderson FLASH cover is another example of a technique that editor Julie Schwartz used on numerous occasions: a cover on which a character engaged the prospective reader directly. This iteration adds the additional wrinkle of the Flash’s fate being too gruesome to be outwardly depicted–who could resist cracking the cover to see what … Continue reading Great Covers – FLASH #193
The Tom Brevoort Experience 