It's perhaps difficult to see from the vantage point of so many years later, but this issue of X-MEN was a game-changer when it came out, and cemented the popularity of the series at the top of the Direct Market sales charts for a decade and a half. Powerful, unexpected, emotional, this comic generated both … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Comics of 1980
Back at the drug store, the big bin of somewhat-older comics continued to yield treasures. To my surprise, I came up with this issue of FANTASTIC FOUR, the oldest one I would find there--a good six months older than the previous earliest issue I had, and two years old in general. That doesn't seem like … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #164
#1 - S02Ep01 - "The Manhunter" Without question, the second season opener of HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL is my favorite episode of the series, one that I've watched a dozen times and always come back to. It's beautifully directed by Buzz Kulik, who performed such duties with some regularity on the series, and the … Continue reading Best of Have Gun – Will Travel – The Manhunter
However much I may have been beginning to explore the new-to-me world of Marvel Comics, I was still a die-hard DC reader as well, and so when the latest issue of SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS showed up, I swiftly purchased a copy. It was, believe it or not, one of my favorite titles during this … Continue reading BHOC: SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #11
It’s time to take a look at FANTASTIC FOUR #3. While I won’t be posting every page, I will be going a bit more in-depth on this one, as it’s the earliest issue for which some of the original art still exists, and examining those original pages tells us a number of interesting things about … Continue reading Lee & Kirby: FANTASTIC FOUR #3
EPISODE 32 "Huh. The Argo? Hmm, whatever it is, it's better than here!" - Sgt. Knox The next episode of STAR BLAZERS introduced a well-remembered and beloved new character; Sgt. Knox of the Space Marine Corps previously stationed on Planet Brumus. Knox was the stereotypical tough guy marine sergeant, and he often clashed with Wildstar … Continue reading In Our Next STAR BLAZERS Adventure – Episode 32
At around this time, the new season of the hit comedy HAPPY DAYS began, with a three-part opening storyline in which the cast went to Hollywood, and the Fonz wound up in a competition to water ski jump over a caged shark in the bay. This episode was the origin of the now-popular term "Jumping … Continue reading BHOC: X-MEN #108
This issue of MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE featured John Byrne's first outing with the team as both writer and artist, a time travel adventure that had Ben Grimm coming face-to-face with the earliest version of himself as seen and characterized in FANTASTIC FOUR #1 and #2. Byrne does a great job of capturing the period of the … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Comics of 1979
I've run across another show that has captured my attention. It's TOKUSATSU GA GA GA, a Japanese drama airing currently. Based on the manga of the same title by Niwa Tanba, GAGAGA tells the story of Kano Nakamura, a 24-year-old "office lady" with a secret: she's a fanatical devotee of the live action super hero … Continue reading Tokusatsu GaGaGa
Ever since I had become interested in the Fantastic Four, I had a burning desire to read the first issue of that series. from having haunted the Humor section in my local bookstores over the years (which is where anything even vaguely related to comics wound up being shelved), I knew that this first story … Continue reading BHOC: SON OF ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS
