Batman was created in direct response to the overwhelming success of Superman, and he represented the second major super hero to be created, and the polar opposite of the Man of Steel. While the two characters seemed like they shared a tailor, their attributes were in direct contrast to one another. Superman was godlike and … Continue reading The Second Batman Story
I was saddened to discover upon purchasing this latest issue of INVADERS that it was the final issue of the series. Which is a bit of a strange reaction given that my interest in the title had been waning for some months, pretty much coinciding with when artist Frank Robbins stepped down in favor of … Continue reading BHOC: INVADERS #40
Continuing on with our survey of this long-lost volume that uses examples from comic books to illustrate points of filmmaking theory. A Don Heck panel there on the lower right. Some Gene Colan here. More Gene Colan. A Steve Ditko panel on the right. A Gil Kane Spider-Man panel. More Gene Colan and a Dick … Continue reading MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Three
He'd been teased over the course of the previous month, but this issue of INCREDIBLE HULK firmly brought Jack Kirby's creation Machine Man into the Marvel Universe proper. The character had debuted in the last couple of issues of Kirby's 2001 and possessed ties to the mythos of that film. But after 2001 had run … Continue reading BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #235
By 1940, the newsstands of the nation were filling up with stories of all-new superhuman champions. Superman had set off a flood of imitators, and costumed characters were clearly a bit of a gold mine. Not all of them were great, some of them were downright bizarre, and many wouldn't last the test of time. … Continue reading The Second Atom Story
It had been two issues since I first took a real look at Marvel's GODZILLA comic book, dedicated to the colossal creature from the Toho films. And I was still buying it. But, you see, I had little choice. As with the previous installments, the Fantastic Four guest-starred in this issue, and my attachment to … Continue reading BHOC: GODZILLA #22
Continuing back with our look at this 1973 release that explained elements of filmmaking storytelling and composition by using visual examples selected from contemporaneous Marvel comic books. This was a volume that could be found in many an artist's drawing space during the 1970s. A sequence illustrated by Larry Lieber. Here are two sequences by … Continue reading MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Two
My brother was at this time still continuing to buy CONAN THE BARBARIAN, who had become one of his passing fancies. And so ultimately he picked up this issue when it was released. Eventually, the book would wind up in my eventual possession. CONAN was a huge series and a huge character for Marvel throughout … Continue reading BHOC: CONAN #98
As comic books entered teh 1940s, it became apparent to publishers that the thing that was really driving sales to kids, at least right at that moment, was super heroes. Larger-than-life costumed do-gooders dressed in outlandish costumes. Superman had shown the way, and every pulp publisher with two nickels to rub together began following suit. … Continue reading The Second Green Lantern Story
AVENGERS was beginning to get itself back on track after a long stretch of fill-ins and stopgapping, but the book was still running perilously behind schedule. This led to even more stopgapping in the future. But just as a reader, none of this bothered me especially, I simply accepted each issue for being what it … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #183
The Tom Brevoort Experience 