There was no greater success story in the world of comic books in the 1950s as MAD Magazine. Even in the world of magazine publishing, the only thing that perhaps bettered it was the rise of PLAYBOY. When Harvey Kurtzman and Bill Gaines switched the dying EC line's breakout hit from a comic book to … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: LUNATICKLE #2
An entry from my defunct Marvel blog of the 00s, first of a series on bad comics that I worked on. Ran into some connectivity problems late yesterday, so our special series on Bad Comics I Had A Hand In is beginning a little bit later than planned. But we'll be running this exciting new … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Bad Comics I Had A Hand In, Part One
MS MARVEL was another title that I sampled out of the Big Bin of Somewhat Older Comic Books at my local drug store, and for the same reason: the need to hit a total of 5 purchases so as to be able to get them for a dollar, as opposed to risking the whims of … Continue reading BHOC: MS MARVEL #4
Yes, I know we covered a portion of this issue before, but there's still some fascinating stuff to look at in the other stories contained in FANTASY MASTERPIECES #6. To recap a bit; Marvel had begun reprinting the earliest Captain America adventures from 1941 within the book's pages. But, because the Comics Code had come … Continue reading Your Comics Code at Work: Fantasy Masterpieces #6
One of the more overlooked pioneers of what would come to be called the Direct Sales comic book market was Mike Friedrich. He'd started his career as a writer for DC and Marvel, among others, and eventually became first Marvel's first executive in charge of Direct Sales and thereafter an artists representative. But in-between, he … Continue reading Brand Echh: Star Reach #1
A post from my Marvel blog of long ago, part of a series discussing my early Marvel purchases which failed to make me a fan. Bad Comics I Bought pt. 4 April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Continuing our exploration of Marvel books I sampled in the 70s but … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Bad Comics I Bought, Part Four
I was sampling all sorts of random Marvel books out of my drugstore's Big Bin of Slightly Older Comics. Since they were selling these treasures at five for a dollar, it was always fiscally advantageous to pull five books at a time--if you went to the register with fewer than that, the outcome would depend … Continue reading BHOC: INHUMANS #9
This is a really pretty romance cover by Tony DeZuniga, one that draws upon larger influence in pop culture and the sorts of op art approaches that had garnered attention. It seems very sophisticated, way more so than the standard romance comic material that fills the insides of the book. But covers such as this … Continue reading Great Covers: FALLING IN LOVE #121
We've spoken before about the launch of Captain Atom in the pages of Charlton's SPACE ADVENTURES series at the very beginning of the 1960s. The character failed to catch on at that point, and was eventually pulled from the series. That perhaps should have been the end of things. But the super hero fad just … Continue reading The First New Captain Atom Story
A post from my old Marvel blog of days gone by talking about the constant renumbering of long-running comic book series. Renumbering April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General I was having a discussion the other week with assistant editor Aubrey Sitterson about a topic that I thought might make … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Renumbering
The Tom Brevoort Experience 