UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN ‘96 1996 We set out in the 1996 UNTOLD TALES Annual to create a package similar to the great Marvel annuals of the early 60s, and I think we succeeded admirably. Our not-so-secret weapon was Mike “Madman” Allred, who had spoken to Kurt Busiek about doing a story with him at … Continue reading BHOCOS: UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL 1996
SPIDER-BOY #1 April, 1996 SPIDER-BOY #1 is my vote for the best single issue of any book I’ve ever worked on. It realized its potential and then some. For those who don’t know, the Amalgam books were a one-week event in which the Marvel and DC Universes were merged into a combined Amalgam Universe–a result … Continue reading BHOCOS: SPIDER-BOY #1
AKIKO ON THE PLANET SMOO December, 1995 My favorite currently-published comic book is Mark Crilley’s AKIKO. An imaginative contemporary fairy tale, AKIKO follows the story of grade schooler Akiko, who’s summoned to the far-off planet of Smoo, where she becomes embroiled in one crazy adventure after another. Despite how it sounds, it’s not completely light-hearted … Continue reading BHOCOS: AKIKO ON THE PLANET SMOO
FANTASTIC FOUR UNLIMITED #8 December, 1994 FANTASTIC FOUR UNLIMITED #8 represents the one and only time I had the opportunity to write a Fantastic Four story, and it remains a highlight of my career. I can’t be completely objective about how the final product turned out, but I was very pleased with the results. Artists … Continue reading BHOCOS: FANTASTIC FOUR UNLIMITED #8
LOIS LANE #63 February, 1966 You could always count on the Mort Weisenger-edited Superman family comics of the late ‘50s and '60s for intriguing (if often silly, and usually misleading) covers. These books have a quaint, childlike charm. The stories were clearly geared for kids–not only are they told in the most straightforward manner possible, … Continue reading BHOCOS: LOIS LANE #63
ALL-STAR COMICS #17 June-July, 1943 I first saw a reproduction of this cover in the Steranko History of Comics in the mid-70s, and like many of the covers reproduced therein, I was fascinated by it, and wondered about the story the book contained. I ran across this copy many years later, in the early 90s, … Continue reading BHOCOS: ALL-STAR COMICS #17
BOYS’ RANCH January, 1992 The BOYS’ RANCH collection represents the one and only time I ever worked with the legendary Jack Kirby–and, even then, I never so much as spoke to him on the phone, communicating instead through his steadfast wife Roz. BOYS’ RANCH is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the many … Continue reading BHOCOS: BOYS’ RANCH HARDCOVER
FUN BOYS SPRING SPECIAL April, 1991 Jeff Bonivert’s wonderfully nostalgic FUN BOYS one-shot had perhaps an unexpected effect on me. The tale tells of a trio of kids who make the weekly pilgrimage to Pop’s Comic Book Shop for their weekly fix, and who run afoul of the local bully on the way home. Said … Continue reading BHOCOS: FUN BOYS SPRING SPECIAL #1
DEATHLOK #1 July, 1991 DEATHLOK was the first regular comic book series I got to edit–and I botched the hell out of it. Now, mind you, I had some help. The limited series that resurrected the character had been edited by Bob Budiansky, who would continue to be associated with the book as “supervising editor.” … Continue reading BHOCOS: DEATHLOK #1
SUPERSNIPE COMICS Vol. 2 #5 October, 1944 Billed as “The Boy With The Most Comic Books in America”, Supersnipe was actually young Walter Mitty-ish Koppy McFad. Not content merely to follow his favorite comics–a tag line tells us Koppy “reads ‘em, eats 'em and sleeps 'em”–Koppy indulges in an ongoing fantasy life in which he’s … Continue reading BHOCOS: SUPERSNIPE COMICS v2 #5
