CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHOWCASE #105

Continuing on in our survey of CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2, the hand-printed collection of material created by DC Comics and left unpublished in the aftermath of the business contraction known as the DC Implosion. A scant number of copies were made and provided to contributors as well as the Library of Congress so as to … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHOWCASE #105

BHOC: ACTION COMICS #496

This next issue of ACTION COMICS was forgettable, and consequently I've forgotten it. Seriously, I don't remember a single thing about buying this one. I must have done so during my weekly trip to the 7-11 on Thursday, new comic day, as I was buying the book regularly again. But the story contained within really … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #496

The First Superman Knock-Off and the Perjury of Will Eisner

It cannot be overstated just what an enormous phenomenon Superman became almost instantly upon his first story being published in 1938. Within the span of only three years, the character would have his own self-titled magazine (something unheard of in the field before then) as well as his regular home in ACTION COMICS, a daily … Continue reading The First Superman Knock-Off and the Perjury of Will Eisner

BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #122

This particular issue had been spotlighted on the monthly Bullpen Bulletins page, so I was more excited to snap it up than usual. And in the end, it was simply all right--an issue dedicated more to character-building than heroic adventure. This was one of the elements that made this period of UNCANNY X-MEN stand out … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #122

Brand Echh: The Good Guys #1

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

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9: The Odd Man

Continuing our dig through the second issue of CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE, the hand-printed collection of material whose mainstream publication had been squashed by the DC Implosion that saw the company's line slashed by 40%. This time out, we're dealing with what would have been the back-up series in creator Steve Ditko's SHADE THE CHANGING MAN … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9: The Odd Man

BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57

This was the first issue of POWER MAN AND IRON FIST that I bought new off of the stands. I had sampled a random issue or two of both POWER MAN and Iron Fist's appearances in MARVEL PREMIERE, but neither of them had especially hooked me. But the big added factor here was the guest-appearance … Continue reading BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57

Doctor Who: The Reality War

Well, that was a very Russell T. Davies finale, putting my in mind especially of "The End of Time", a story in which the central action-adventure plot wraps up leaving a solid 15 minutes or so for emotional wrap-up and goodbyes. Not having entirely thought things through, I wasn't really mentally conditioned to be approaching … Continue reading Doctor Who: The Reality War

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9

Continuing on through the second of the two hand-copied volumes of written-off material put together by DC in the wake of the DC Implosion that saw their line cut down by 40%, today we're looking at another book that was intended to be completed but which wouldn't see the light of day for decades yet. … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #104

MARVEL TALES continued to carry on, reprinting stories from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN that had originally been published only a relatively few years prior. But as I was still in the process of filling in the gaps in my Marvel knowledge, these reprints were invaluable to me, and I followed them as avidly as any new comic … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #104