Suburban Long Island, where I grew up as a kid, was an extremely whitebread area. There was only one African-American kid in my class during my grade-school years–his name was Alonzo Cook, which I remember solely because of his uniqueness. Consequently, I had (and perhaps still have) a cartoonish understanding of Black culture, formed primarily … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #222
So at this stage of my life, I still wasn’t permitted to venture as far from home as the local 7-11. This was due to the fact that the 7-11 was across Horseblock Road, a main thoroughfare. I cold go as far as the shopping center across the street, but not across to the 7-11 … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #305
Back at that same far-off stationary store maybe a week later to pick up whatever we had ordered for Cub Scouting, I came across this beauty, which never showed up at my regular 7-11. I’d seen the ads and so I was primed to read it. But to start with, boy, what an ugly mess … Continue reading BHOC: SUPER HEROES BATTLE SUPER-GORILLAS #1
For a few years in my youth, I was in the Cub Scouts. And it has to be said, I was probably just about the worst Cub Scout ever. There were a number of different tasks that you needed to perform to earn your different merit badges and advance in the rankings, and I was … Continue reading BHOC: GREEN LANTERN #92
I bought this issue of SUPERMAN right about the time that fourth grade began. I’d had a rocky few years in school up to this point, with a too-quick temper and a greater-than-average sensitivity. Looking back, while it was appropriate to have been in that grade from an age standpoint (and my Dad hoped that … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #306
Summer was winding down when the mailman brought me my subscription copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #137. This was the wrap-up to that year’s epic meeting of the JLA with their counterparts in the Justice Society–and this year, the Fawcett super heroes of the 1940s had been added into the mix. But up until … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #137
There was a little smokes shop or candy store two or three doors down from the barber where I’d be sent to get my hair cut (”Tell him you want it styled”, my father would say to me, handing me a few bills to pay for everything.) that carried a tiny selection of comics. I’m … Continue reading BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #465
It had been a while since I’d picked up a copy of ACTION COMICS. I can’t be sure this many years after the fact, but I’m guessing that the fact that the Flash guest-starred in this one was the tipping point needed to get me (or really my parents) to plunk down thirty cents. I … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #465
The cartoon had been airing on Saturday mornings for about three years at this point, constantly rerunning the same 16 episodes again and again, but in 1976 DC finally got around to doing a comic book tie-in. And because of the characters it featured, I bought the first issue. I was a regular viewer of … Continue reading BHOC: SUPER-FRIENDS #1
I had missed an issue of BATMAN FAMILY, but was back for the next one that I saw, issue #8. Shrinking page counts on the reprint books were beginning to take their toll on the series–apart from the full-length all-new Robin story, there were only two other reprinted tales in the issue, one featuring co-star … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #8
The Tom Brevoort Experience 