Here's the answer to a weird bit of Golden Age trivia: which two long-running super heroes debuted in 1939, had their last solo story in 1949, and featured the character's origin in both that first and last issue of their anthology titles? The answer is the Flash and the Human Torch. (Somebody will point to … Continue reading The Last Human Torch Story
I bought this issue of SUPER FRIENDS, and I'm not really sure why. I was 10 years old in 1977, and like any ten-year-old, while I watched SUPER FRIENDS regularly on Saturday Mornings, I also felt somehow like it was kiddie stuff--like it wasn't as mature or sophisticated as the mainstream DC titles that I … Continue reading BHOC: SUPER FRIENDS #10
Like me, my brother Ken would occasionally pull books out of the Big Bin of Somewhat-Older Comics at the local drugstore. As he was into war comics at this time and the bin held only Marvel books, there was only one place for him to turn: SGT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. It was a … Continue reading BHOC: SGT FURY #134
During this time, I was continuing to regularly pull comics from the Big Bin of Slightly-Older Books that was maintained by my local drugstore chain, which is where I got this issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP. I still wasn't much on Spider-Man, but the Human Torch was my guy, and so it was a no-brainer that … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #39
CAPTAIN AMERICA was a phenomenon when the series debuted in the very last days of 1940. It was by far the best-selling title that publisher Martin Goodman had in his Timely line of comics, and the character would go on to headline in other books as well--ALL WINNERS COMICS, ALL SELECT COMICS, USA COMICS and … Continue reading The Last Captain America Story
My brother Ken was still picking up the occasional war comic, and I have a memory of this one coming home from the supermarket one day. DC's Dollar Comics initiative did make inroads into my local supermarket, at least for a while, so on that level it was a success. Even as a kid, I … Continue reading BHOC: G.I. COMBAT #206
I picked up this issue of X-MEN at my regular 7-11, my second issue as a regular reader of the title. And I found it a lot easier to understand and follow than #108's conclusion to the M'Kraan Crystal storyline, with all of its guest-stars and extra characters. Here, I would begin to learn about … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #109
My brother Ken continued to be enamored with the Incredible Hulk, especially now that the first TV movie had aired, and so he continued to pick up issues of various Hulk comic books whenever the opportunity presented itself to him. As with the other books he bought during this time, this one eventually wound up … Continue reading BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #220
Whenever the conversation turns to the question of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and their collaborations during the 1960s and who was responsible for doing what--a question that I don't think can ever be definitively or conclusively answered--one of the misconceptions that I see come up time and time again is the notion that Lee … Continue reading Lee & Kirby: The Four Work Stages of Lee & Kirby
Continuing to follow up on my reading experiences from SON OF ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS, this was the first issue of AVENGERS that I purchased new (I had prior bought one issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION featuring the team.) It's the second part of what would someday become known as the Korvac Saga, a high … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #168
