As more and more of these pieces get written, we begin to get down to those titles that had a number of different issues within that Windfall Comics box that I bought for $50.00 back in 1988. Which is to say, expect to see a preponderance of Mort Weisinger-era Superman titles in the weeks ahead. … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #305
For the final interview in THE X-MEN COMPANION, interviewer Peter Sanderson looks to the future, for what is poised to be an extremely eventful couple of months for Marvel's mutant heroes. He speaks at length with both Chris Claremont and X-MEN editor Louise Jones (better known as Louise Simonson today) concerning a variety of upcoming … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: Chris Claremont and Louise Jones (Simonson) Interview
Next we come to a somewhat seminal issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, the story in which Peter Parker finally graduates from college. Peter had begun his sojourn in Higher Education back in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #31 in 1965, so writer/editor Marv Wolfman may have thought that it was time to move his life ahead a bit. In … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #185
In 1953, after an absence on the newsstands of four years, Martin Goodman resurrected his company's three big successful super hero characters from the 1940s; Captain America, the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. By all accounts, this decision to bring back these heroes appears to be in response to the strong reaction the new ADVENTURES … Continue reading The Last Sub-Mariner Story (of the 1950s)
MARVELMANIA was the house fanzine of the company of the same name, an outfit which had been licensed the rights to produce Marvel-related merchandise and specialty items to be sold directly to the readership. MARVELMANIA took the place of the earlier MERRY MARVEL MARCHING SOCIETY as the official fan club of Marvel, though it didn't … Continue reading MARVELMANIA Magazine #1
This was, it turned out, the final issue of BATMAN FAMILY in its current form. Shortly after this, the DC Implosion would happen, slashing the size of the DC line dramatically and costing a number of people--including this issue's editor Al Milgrom--their jobs. On the chopping block at that moment was DETECTIVE COMICS, as it … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #20
Editor Mort Weisinger wound up inheriting the oversight on WORLD'S FINEST COMICS in the DC editorial shuffle that passed the flagging Batman titles into the hands of editor Julie Schwartz in the hopes that Julie could reverse their fortunes. One gets the sense that, while he was happy enough to have another series that regularly … Continue reading WC: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #160
Perhaps the most popular artist of the 1980s, John Byrne's star truly began to rise when he began drawing (and co-plotting) X-MEN with Chris Claremont. Eventually, irreconcilable differences in the direction to take the characters caused Byrne to leave the book for greener pastures--his long run as writer/artist of FANTASTIC FOUR. But the mark he … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: John Byrne Interview
As usual, I picked up the new issue of SUPERMAN on my weekly trip down to my neighborhood 7-11, the main source for my regular comic book fix. Earlier, comic books had been more readily available in card and candy stores dotted around the area, but one by one, they had stopped carrying them, so … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #328
Continuing with our survey of FOOM #2, the second issue of the fan magazine published by Friends Of Ol' Marvel, Marvel's in-house fan club of the 1970s. The second issue, like the first, was put together by Jim Steranko and reflects his aesthetics in terms of its design and typography treatment. Another puzzle page. As … Continue reading FOOM #2, Part Two
The Tom Brevoort Experience 