FSC: THE X-MEN COMPANION I

I owned at least two copies of this first volume of THE X-MEN COMPANION, possibly three. And I got them for the stupidest of reasons. At the time, having relocated to a new development in Delaware, I was forced to get my comic books monthly via mail order from Geppi's Comic World. This meant filling … Continue reading FSC: THE X-MEN COMPANION I

BC: MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #1

I don't know that I ever borrowed this first MARVEL TREASURY EDITION from my grade school friend Donald Sims, but I definitely read it over at his house during one visit or another. And I can recall seeking him out a year or two later, when I was in Junior High, to offer to buy … Continue reading BC: MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #1

BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #58

I had picked up POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57 thanks to the guest appearance of the X-Men in that issue. But having cracked the seal, that meant that I almost automatically began buying the book regularly, even though I was only lukewarm on that prior issue. I had sampled an issue or two of … Continue reading BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #58

Brand Echh: THE NEW UNIVERSE

The New Universe was a bit of an epic fiasco in the history of Marvel Comics. it had been conceived as a way to mark the company's 25th Anniversary as a popular publisher. Instead, it turned out to be an almost-instantly stillborn blemish, a complete creative misfire that was reviled and derided by the fans … Continue reading Brand Echh: THE NEW UNIVERSE

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #106

Marvel's long-running line of reprint titles was slowly diminishing as the 1970s reached the end of the decade and the mainstream newsstand outlets that were the lifeblood of comic book sales began to steadily be replaced by a greater reliance on the nascent network of comic book specialty stores. The idea behind such reprint titles … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #106

FSC: WARRIOR #1

I don't remember why or what for at this late date, but at some point in early 1982 my family had cause to go back out to Long Island, New York where we had once lived for some bit of business--maybe it had something to do with the sale of our old house to its … Continue reading FSC: WARRIOR #1

BC: SHAZAM #10

The cover to this next issue of SHAZAM, which I borrowed along with the rest of the compete run of the title from my grade school friend Donald Sims, presaged changes that were coming to the series. For the first time, the cover image isn't the work of the character's co-creator C. C. Beck but … Continue reading BC: SHAZAM #10

BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #238

This issue of INCREDIBLE HULK was another book where my household wound up with two copies. Once again, my younger brother Ken had picked up his own copy of this particular issue for some reason. He'd always been a big fan of the Hulk television series (and monster movies of all sorts) so it wasn't … Continue reading BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #238

The Last Robotman Story

As we talked about last week, Jerry Siegel's creation Robotman, while not being a trend-setter, grew into a reliable back-page feature over the course of his career. And in fact, the strip was popular enough to survive its home, STAR-SPANGLED COMICS, being rebranded as a western title. When that happened, the strip migrated to the … Continue reading The Last Robotman Story

BHOC: AVENGERS #186

The latest issue of AVENGERS came out around this time, the second part of a three-part story that would redefine the background and history of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. it was a series that I liked during this time, although it never quite rose to the status of my favorite book at any point; … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #186