BHOC: MARVEL CHILLERS #7

This was another book that I picked up out of my local drugstore's Big Bin of Somewhat Older Comic Books. It wasn't my usual fare on the surface of it--at the time, Marvel had a full line of monster/horror titles, to say nothing of reprints of 1950s Atlas suspense tales and their 1960s giant monster … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL CHILLERS #7

Comics Creators in the Wild 5

Another batch of vintage photographs of comic book creators taken in years past. As usual, there are a number of these that revolve around Stan Lee, probably the most photographed creator of the era. Roy Thomas wearing the first Spider-Man personal appearance costume at a comic convention in 1966 A sleepy Herb Trimpe in the … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 5

Brand Echh: Comico Primer #2

The opening up of the Direct Sales market in the early 1980s made it possible for anybody with a little bit of money to publish and sell their own black and white comic books. All sorts of new companies popped up, put out a few releases, then vanished without a trace. Comico performed better than … Continue reading Brand Echh: Comico Primer #2

Blah Blah Blog – Crossing Over

A post from my Marvel blog of the previous decade, this one discussing how some of the series spinning out of HOUSE OF M were conceived. Crossing Over April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Continuing from this morning, on the development of a crossover.After our initial document went out … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Crossing Over

BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #19

Another Thursday meant another trip to my regular 7-11 hangout for new comic books, plus possibly a Clark bar or maybe even a Slurpee. I had fallen into following the adventures of the wall-crawler, and so I picked up this new issue of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN when I saw it. I recognized the … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #19

Forgotten Masterpiece: EL SORPRENDENTE HOMBRE ARANA #154

Here's another in our series on the new Spider-Man stories that were written and drawn by local talent in Mexico for publisher La Prensa. This one's a real oddity for completely different reasons. To start with, Spidey himself is nowhere to be seen on this cover. The selling point is a positively scandalous image of … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: EL SORPRENDENTE HOMBRE ARANA #154

Lee & Kirby & Ditko: The Development of INCREDIBLE HULK

From the vantage point of hindsight, we view the Hulk as a super hero, the second in a string of new creations unleashed in the earliest years of the 1960s on an unsuspecting public, the building blocks for what would become known as the Marvel Universe. But that's really an impression that has been colored … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Ditko: The Development of INCREDIBLE HULK

Blah Blah Blog – Good Comics, Part One

A post from my Marvel blog of long ago, the first in a sequence talking about good comic books that I edited. Good Comics pt 1 April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Okay, one brief comment before I get into the series for the week, another set of Good … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Good Comics, Part One

BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #70

This is another comic book that found its way into my household twice. The first time, I bought it during one of our periodic visits to by Grandparents' house in Valley Stream. The other, I believe I got in a 3-Bag where there were other books that I wanted/needed. That would be the bane of … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #70

Brand Echh: Adventures of the Jaguar #1

As we've spoken about a few times in this feature, the early 1960s saw a bit of a renaissance in the fortunes of the costumed super hero in comic books. With the relatively newly-instituted Comics Code Authority putting an end to the crime and horror comics that had flourished in the early half of the … Continue reading Brand Echh: Adventures of the Jaguar #1