Jim Shooter is one of the most undeniably important figures in the history of comics. A child prodigy, he first broke into the business when he was only 13 years old, submitting stories to DC editor Mort Weisinger for the Legion of Super Heroes feature in ADVENTURE COMICS. Not realizing quite how young Shooter was, … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Good Guys #1
We're back for the fourth and final chapter of Blooperman, a story that ran in Charlton's GO-GO for four issues during 1966 at the height of the super hero craze, and which incorporated ideas and characters from comic book fandom, most of which were the innovations of future Marvel superstar Roy Thomas. On this issue's … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Fannish Adventures of Blooperman, Part Four
Continuing our look at the obscure 1966 strip Blooperman, which incorporated a number of parody ideas from comics fandom, many of which had been originated by Marvel writer/editor Roy Thomas years earlier. Once again here, the character's designed Jon D'Agostino draws the small vignette of Blooperman on this cover for GO-GO #5. Writer Gary Friedrich … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Fannish Adventures of Blooperman, Part Three
Continuing on in our survey of the four Blooperman stories published by Charlton Comics in the mid-1960s and how they intersected with certain elements of fandom, today we're taking a look at the second adventure of the dimwitted character, published in GO-GO #4. The character's visual creator Jon D'Agostino drew Blooperman on the cover, but … Continue reading Brand Ecch: The Fannish Adventures of Blooperman, Part Two
GO-GO was a strange little comic book that was published by bottom-rung publisher Charlton for nine issues starting in 1966. It was something of an attempt to appeal to a counter-culture crowd, combining Archie-style teen hijinx comics with MAD-influenced parodies of assorted genres and a broad helping of what somebody thought was "teen-focused lingo." It … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Fannish Adventures of Blooperman, Part One
And so, we come at last to the end of the road for MIGHTY COMICS, Archie's attempt to replicate and cash in on the popularity of the Marvel titles of the day. By late 1967, the super hero fad that had driven sales to enormous numbers across the past few years had cooled off considerably, … Continue reading Brand Echh: Mighty Comics #50 and the Last Web Story
By the late 1980s, Japanese Manga was beginning to have an influence on the American comic book marketplace. As different creators such as Frank Miller discovered the works being done overseas and the adopted their influence into the comics they were making, awareness of the riches to be had began to spread. A number of … Continue reading Brand Echh: Mazinger graphic novel
1986 was the year in which the wider world began to become familiar with the concept that comic books could be vehicles for more serious and thoughtful ideas than merely slam-bang adventure stories for children. The twin juggernauts of Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and Moor and Gibbons' WATCHMEN along with the release of … Continue reading Brand Echh: Hero Alliance graphic novel
Eclipse had established itself early on as one of the most creator-friendly alternative comics on the burgeoning Direct Market scene. They began publishing in 1978 with the issuing of Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy's graphic novel SABRE. Publishers Jan and Dean Mullaney had been huge comics fans throughout the 1970s, and as the tastes of … Continue reading Brand Echh: Airboy #1
As the Silver Age kicked off in the late 1950s, DC/National Comics wasn't the only publisher testing out the genre once again,. All throughout the decade, different publishers had attempted to find success with new costumed heroes with names like Captain Flash, the Avenger and Strong Man. And Archie Comics was no exception. Getting a … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Double Life of Private Strong #1
The Tom Brevoort Experience 