This next issue of THOR got back to the business at hand after four months of fill-ins. It kicked off a long, sprawling saga in which writer/editor Roy Thomas attempted to integrate Jack Kirby's Eternals into the continuity of the Marvel Universe. This is akin to trying to drive a square peg into a round … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #283
After the peak sales period of the war years, the postwar period saw the changing tastes of returning G.I.s and the public at large impact on what was available at the Newsstand. Costumed super heroes had lost a lot of their popularity with the general public, no longer having a colorful, unifying enemy like the … Continue reading The First Two-Gun Kid Story
So my weekly sojourn to the neighborhood 7-11's spinner rack turned up the next issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA, a title that I was then reading regularly. The book was in the middle of an extended six-part storyline, not that I knew that exactly at this moment. This is a solid cover but somehow lacking in … Continue reading BHOC: CAPTAIN AMERICA #233
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
It must be said, this isn't a great cover. The cover copy is doing all of the work of making the image seem interesting. And seeing Spidey entirely from the back, while that might work in certain circumstances, isn't a great choice when our central figure is an old guy in a green lab outfit. … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #192
The question came up again this week, prompting a bunch of discussion (often blaming one person in specific for perceived slights): why did the announced and eagerly-anticipated 1983 crossover book starring the Avengers and the Justice League of America never see print and remain uncompleted? There are a bunch of fan rumor and innuendo and … Continue reading Why Did The 1983 JLA/AVENGERS Crossover Not Happen?
The 1970s were a tough time for comic books. The mainstream Newsstand circulation business was shrinking and changing as a result of rising competition and population migration, and comic books with their low cover prices didn't bring in enough revenue to compete for the space--especially as most kids began spending more of their time and … Continue reading BHOC: SHOGUN WARRIORS #4
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
The week brought another issue of MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, this one featuring an assortment of special guest stars hanging out with Ben Grimm. Part of the reason for that is that this was one of those stories commissioned as an emergency fill-in that could be used in multiple places given the need. So it could have … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #51
MARVEL COMICS #1000 was by far the most difficult editorial and coordination challenge that I've ever undertaken in my 35 years editing comics, and a book that I'm inordinately proud of. It was released in 2019 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Marvel as a comic book publisher, and as such, it was designed from … Continue reading Personal Best: MARVEL COMICS #1000
The Tom Brevoort Experience 