It's impossible to encapsulate how seismic the effect of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS was on the field of comic books. Not only did it introduce a more prestigious package for comics (and a then-unheard-of cover price of $2.95) but interest in the series also inaugurated the now-common process of repackaging collections of recent storylines into … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1986
Another issue of SUPERMAN that I bought at my local 7-11. It's got something of a strange cover image to it--I'm not certain how intrigued a potential reader would likely to be by the notion that Solomon Grundy was stealing Superman's cape. It's not exactly a big stakes question, after all. But what do I … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #320
After FINAL YAMATO was released in 1983, it would be more than 25 years before we'd get another YAMATO/STAR BLAZERS project, though there were always rumors about new things in the pipeline, rumors that would never quite be borne out. It's taken a very long time, but the last decade has been very encouraging for … Continue reading In Our Next STAR BLAZERS Adventure – The Modern Era
Here's another book that was bought for my brother, Ken--it seems as though at this time, he was trying to match me book-for-book. And eventually it ended up with me in any case. That's a pretty dramatic cover by Sal Amendola. I wasn't as wild about his work on the interior of the book--he took … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN #296
One of the most compelling discoveries for me when I first became a fan of STAR BLAZERS and began to plug into the loose network of fandom that existed at that time was that there had been additional YAMATO stories produced after the two series that had made up STAR BLAZERS. Finding a way to … Continue reading In Our Next STAR BLAZERS Adventure – The Classic Era
Shortly thereafter, my local mailman also brought me my subscription copy of that month's issue of THE FLASH. I have to admit, this cover really freaked me out when I was younger. There was something about the manner in which the Flash's skin was melting off his bones that I found especially disturbing. When coming … Continue reading BHOC: FLASH #258
At around this time, the main delivery brought me the next issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA in my subscription. This was the first issue scripted by new regular writer Gerry Conway. Conway would go on to write the series steadily for around 60 issue over the next five years, providing the title with some … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #151
This issue of ETERNALS would most likely have been the third book in that 3-Bag in which I got INVADERS #13, based on when it was on sale originally and how I know I got it. Can you find the typo in the cover copy on this cover? It's a typically bombastic Jack Kirby cover, … Continue reading BHOC: ETERNALS #8
My brother Ken had eclectic taste in comic books. He was only ever so-so interested in them, mainly because I was--and that interest tended to flow in two directions. First, he wound up buying copies of more than a few comics that I already owned, so that he would have what I had. Alternately, he … Continue reading BHOC: ETERNALS #9
After a few false starts and doglegs, Dave Sim found his footing as his long-running Church and State storyline began to build up steam. Now paired with Gerhard, whose elaborate and expressive environments made the Earth-Pig's world more fully realized than ever, Sim was more free to focus on plot, character, world-building and even the … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Comics of 1985
