It's a well-known part of comic book history that Fawcett Publication's character Captain Marvel was one of the most popular characters of the Golden Age of Comics, regularly outselling Superman. And in fact, the series was successful until a lawsuit from DC/National Comics forced Fawcett to agree to cease publishing the Captain's adventures. For years, … Continue reading The Second Captain Marvel Story
There's really no question that Bill Everett was the most accomplished and polished cartoonist to be featured in the early issues of MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS, the initial offering from Timely Comics. In general, the quality level of many of the artists of this period was questionable at best. But Everett was already an accomplished master, … Continue reading The Second Sub-Mariner Story
Marvel's first title, MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS (called simply MARVEL COMICS in its first issue--nobody quite knows how or why MYSTERY was added to the title, or for what reason) was something of a surprise success for publisher Martin Goodman. He'd initially printed up only 80,000 copies and the print job was so bad that he … Continue reading The Second Human Torch Story
So continuing our look at the second storys featuring noteworthy characters who would last the test of time, here is the second outing from the Winged Wonder, Hawkman. In the early days of FLASH COMICS, it was clear that the staff weren't quite sure which feature was going to click with readers, and so they … Continue reading The Second Hawkman Story
So we begin this feature with my favorite comic book super hero, the Scarlet Speedster known as the Flash. Introduced in FLASH COMICS #1 in late 1939, by the second issue Jay Garrick had been relegated to a small cameo image on the left side, the primary cover area given over to the almost-as-popular Hawkman. … Continue reading The Second Flash Story
It often takes a bit of time for characters and series to find their footing. While many have their basic broad strokes premise set out by the end of the first installment, it's beyond that where the series begins to take shape, to become what it will eventually be known for. But this can be … Continue reading The Second Story Introduction
The Tom Brevoort Experience 