Great Covers: MASTER COMICS #29

I haven't posted one of these in a long time, but this cover is just too good not to share. It's the work of Mac Raboy, the regular artist on Captain Marvel Jr. and the subject of a recent biographical book put out by TwoMorrows. And it's a scream. The expression on Hitler's face in … Continue reading Great Covers: MASTER COMICS #29

The First and Last of Herbie

Herbie Popnecker was introduced in a short one-off story that originally saw print in FORBIDDEN WORLDS #73. It was intended as a throwaway tale, one more short strange adventure to fill the pages of the anthology series. But the story and the character proved popular with readers, and creator Richard Hughes subsequently brought him back … Continue reading The First and Last of Herbie

Blah Blah Blog – Continuity

A post rescued from my defunct Marvel blog of years ago, concerning continuity. Wednesday, 5:08 April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Continuity. Some people have asked about it, and its role in comic book storytelling. So here's what I can tell you:Continuity is a tool. It is not an … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Continuity

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #184

Another book that came to me out of a 3-Bag, this issue of FANTASTIC FOUR would have been the reason I bought the 3-Bag in question, regardless of what other titles might have been inside it. FF was, by this point, my favorite comic book series, and so an opportunity to fill in another missing … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #184

Lee & Kirby: More Thoughts on FANTASTIC FOUR #1

I recently got an e-mail from Glen David Gold, the fine writer and Kirby enthusiast, who had a few additional thoughts about FANTASTIC FOUR #1 and how it may have been put together. We ended up corresponding a bit dissecting these questions, and so with Glen's permission, I'm going to post some of that correspondence … Continue reading Lee & Kirby: More Thoughts on FANTASTIC FOUR #1

Blah Blah Blog – Mark Gruenwald Memorial

A post from my ancient Marvel blog concerning a tribute to the late Marvel executive editor Mark Gruenwald held at MoCCA. Tuesday, 4:00 April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Sick at home today, trying to recuperate from whatever bug I picked up while traveling. But while it was fresh … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Mark Gruenwald Memorial

BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #170

This was another issue that I purchased in a 3-Bag, the most readily available source of recent back issues in 1978. In that time before widespread comic book stores and trade paperback collections, these plastic bags containing three recent books (typically about nine months old) could be found in the toy departments of department stores, … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #170

Lee & Kirby & Ortolani: The Last Fantastic Four Story, Part Five

This is the back half of the fourth and concluding installment of the Final Fantastic Four story that Italian creator Leonardo Ortolani produced for the tenth issue of the Italian fanzine MADE IN USA in 1994. It was set immediately after the last FF issues produced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and was intended … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Ortolani: The Last Fantastic Four Story, Part Five

Lee & Kirby & Ortolani: The Last Fantastic Four Story, Part Four

This is the fourth and final installment of the final Fantastic Four story that Italian creator Leonardo Ortolani produced for the tenth issue of the Italian fanzine MADE IN USA in 1994. It was set immediately after the final FF story produced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and was intended as a climactic finale … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Ortolani: The Last Fantastic Four Story, Part Four

The Hammer of Thor

Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby famously introduced the mighty Thor in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83 in 1962. But before that, there were a number of antecedents for that story and that character, based as he was on actual Norse mythology. For example, here's an obscure story from OUT OF THIS WORLD #11 in … Continue reading The Hammer of Thor