JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #144 July, 1977 The first of two entries in what I considered the “DC Secret Origin Summer of 1977”, JLA #144 reveals for the first time, the hidden beginnings of DC’s premiere super-team. I had mixed feelings about Steve Englehart’s one-year tenure on JLA as it was happening–at the time, I … Continue reading BHOCOS: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #144
SUPER-HEROES BATTLE SUPER-GORILLAS #1 Winter, 1976 There was nothing DC as a company liked more than gorillas. Stemming from a sales trend which dated back to the early 1950s, when the editorial team had realized that sales increased whenever a gorilla appeared on a cover (particularly a human-acting gorilla), it seemed that not a month … Continue reading BHOCOS: SUPER-HEROES BATTLE SUPER-GORILLAS #1
SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #7 November, 1976 SUPER-TEAM FAMILY was one of a bevy of DC reprint comics of the 70s–one of the best ones, under the stewardship of editor E. Nelson Bridwell. Bridwell’s encyclopedic knowledge of DC’s back-catalog made any reprint collection he assembled a treasure-trove of obscure and terrific stories. STF was no exception. The … Continue reading BHOCOS: SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #7
SUPERMAN #300 June, 1976 SUPERMAN #300 was, to the best of my remembrance, the first anniversary issue I ever purchased. It wasn’t double-sized, it didn’t present “a radical turning point in the life of the Man of Steel.” What it contained was a splendid single-issue story, which was something of a precursor to DC’s current … Continue reading BHOCOS: SUPERMAN #300
SUPERMAN VS. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1976 THIS SAYS IT ALL! And it pretty much did. Even though I wasn’t a Marvel Comics reader in 1976 when SUPERMAN VS. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was published, I nevertheless recognized it as something important, and so purchased a copy. Printed in the oversized Treasury format, it was a massive 96-pages … Continue reading BHOCOS: SUPERMAN VS THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
THE COMIC-BOOK BOOK 1973 The sequel to the earlier ALL IN COLOR FOR A DIME, THE COMIC-BOOK BOOK was a collection of updated essays about the golden age of comics that had mostly appeared in the early 60s in the pages of the early fanzine XERO. As with most of the available books on comics … Continue reading BHOCOS: THE COMIC BOOK BOOK
THE STERANKO HISTORY OF COMICS Volume 1 1970 Besides lending its name to these very columns, THE STERANKO HISTORY OF COMICS was one of the earliest and one of the best volumes about the Golden Age of Comics, and the creators who made them. A masterful comics artist himself, Jim Steranko gathered his information firsthand, … Continue reading BHOCOS: THE STERANKO HISTORY OF COMICS
THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES 1965 Originally published in 1965, and available remaindered through most of the 70s, THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES was the first book ever published devoted to the comics of the Golden Age. In addition to Jules Feiffer’s vivid recollections of the era, both as a reader and then as an … Continue reading BHOCOS: THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES
SECRET ORIGINS OF THE SUPER DC HEROES 1975 This was DC’s answer to Marvel’s very successful ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS. It was also one of the most highly-awaited books in my household from the time I saw the first house ads for it. Big and expensive, I had to wait for Christmas before I could … Continue reading BHOCOS: SECRET ORIGINS OF THE SUPER DC HEROES
THE FLASH #153 June, 1965 Back in the days before comic book shops were a part of my life–before I could drive, certainly, or even bike to a nearby shop–the one place where I was guaranteed to see back issues of comic books was at annual shopping mall collectibles shows. These events have largely dried … Continue reading BHOCOS: FLASH #153
The Tom Brevoort Experience 