All throughout the years during which they were trying in vain to locate a buyer for their grand opus character Superman, partners Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster paid the bills by working on a variety of other features, primarily for National Allied Publications/Detective Comics Inc. Thee included such features as Slam Bradley, Spy, Radio Men,/Calling … Continue reading The Predecessors of Superman: Dr. Occult/Dr. Mystic
I was only a casual buyer of BRAVE AND THE BOLD, the long-running Batman team-up title. And that's really down to the scripting work of Bob Haney more than anything else. Haney had a different perspective on super hero stories than I did as a young reader, he was interested in different things. And so … Continue reading BHOC: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #151
Continuing on in our survey of CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2, the hand-printed collection of material created by DC Comics and left unpublished in the aftermath of the business contraction known as the DC Implosion. A scant number of copies were made and provided to contributors as well as the Library of Congress so as to … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHOWCASE #105
This next issue of ACTION COMICS was forgettable, and consequently I've forgotten it. Seriously, I don't remember a single thing about buying this one. I must have done so during my weekly trip to the 7-11 on Thursday, new comic day, as I was buying the book regularly again. But the story contained within really … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #496
It cannot be overstated just what an enormous phenomenon Superman became almost instantly upon his first story being published in 1938. Within the span of only three years, the character would have his own self-titled magazine (something unheard of in the field before then) as well as his regular home in ACTION COMICS, a daily … Continue reading The First Superman Knock-Off and the Perjury of Will Eisner
This particular issue had been spotlighted on the monthly Bullpen Bulletins page, so I was more excited to snap it up than usual. And in the end, it was simply all right--an issue dedicated more to character-building than heroic adventure. This was one of the elements that made this period of UNCANNY X-MEN stand out … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #122
Jim Shooter is one of the most undeniably important figures in the history of comics. A child prodigy, he first broke into the business when he was only 13 years old, submitting stories to DC editor Mort Weisinger for the Legion of Super Heroes feature in ADVENTURE COMICS. Not realizing quite how young Shooter was, … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Good Guys #1
Continuing our dig through the second issue of CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE, the hand-printed collection of material whose mainstream publication had been squashed by the DC Implosion that saw the company's line slashed by 40%. This time out, we're dealing with what would have been the back-up series in creator Steve Ditko's SHADE THE CHANGING MAN … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9: The Odd Man
This was the first issue of POWER MAN AND IRON FIST that I bought new off of the stands. I had sampled a random issue or two of both POWER MAN and Iron Fist's appearances in MARVEL PREMIERE, but neither of them had especially hooked me. But the big added factor here was the guest-appearance … Continue reading BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57
The Tom Brevoort Experience 