BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #15

People sometimes wonder about the fact that it took me so long to become a fan of Spider-Man and a regular reader of his adventures. Considering that he was immensely popular and the flagship character of the Marvel line, to say nothing of one of the best characters ever conceptualized, it does seem strange. But … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #15

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR POCKET BOOKS

It was one of the most exciting days of my young comic book collecting career. I found it in the bookstore in the Smithhaven Mall, a regular stop whenever my family went out shopping there, which was often. I had no idea that it was coming out--which is strange, because ads for it appeared in … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR POCKET BOOKS

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #191

After two months of reprints and hastily-assembled album issues, the storyline in FANTASTIC FOUR once again began to move forward with the release of this issue. I have to say, I didn't particularly mind those diversions, since the reprint was new to me, and the information contained in that album issue gave me a greater … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #191

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR IN THE HOUSE OF HORRORS

I was wholly in the tank for the Fantastic Four by this point, and my interest in them led me to purchase a copy of this Big Little Books release from a local Stationary store. It had been issued several years previously, during the period when the first FANTASTIC FOUR cartoon was airing on Saturday … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR IN THE HOUSE OF HORRORS

BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #204

This was another book that came out of my drugstore's Big Bin of Slightly Older Comics and was purchased by my brother Ken during his brief Hulk phase. This issue eventually wound up with me, as most all comics did. And this issue of HULK I genuinely enjoyed, its time travel story really grabbing me. … Continue reading BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #204

BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #191

This was another book picked up from the Big Bin of Somewhat-Older Comics at my local drugstore. It was in all likelihood purchased by my brother Ken, who had an interest in the Hulk at this time thanks to the television movie. But I wound up with it eventually. I wasn't ever really a big … Continue reading BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #191

BHOC: SUPER FRIENDS #10

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

BHOC: SGT FURY #134

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

BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #39

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

BHOC: G.I. COMBAT #206

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