BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #28

This was the second of two issues of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN that were illustrated by a young Frank Miller, before that name really meant anything. Even more meaningfully, Daredevil, the character he would go on to reinvent, was a guest star in these two issues as well. It almost feels like fate. At … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #28

Doctor Who: Space Babies/The Devil’s Chord pregame

The wait is almost over. We're less than a week out from the big Disney+ premiere of the new season of DOCTOR WHO--Season One on this new broadcasting platform, of course. And so, as I usually do, I'm going to sketch down a bunch of pregame impressions and desires before we get to the episodes … Continue reading Doctor Who: Space Babies/The Devil’s Chord pregame

BHOC: IRON MAN #120

By the time this issue of IRON MAN came out, there was no mistaking the qualitative improvement the series had experienced, and it became a title that I really enjoyed every month. Whereas the IRON MAN of most of the prior decade had always felt a bit underpowered, prone to attacks from one medical condition … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #120

GH: SUPERMAN #382

By 1983, SUPERMAN was feeling a bit like a product of a different age. While some effort was being made to modernize the Man of Steel, including having Gil Kane provide covers as he does here, the actual contents of the magazine were still very much of a piece with the kinds of stories that … Continue reading GH: SUPERMAN #382

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #204

It was right before this issue of FANTASTIC FOUR came out that SUPERMAN THE MOVIE finally opened on December 15, 1978. And strangely, for a film that sits so highly in my personal lexicon, I don't really have a strong recollection of going to see if for the first time. I don't think we got … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #204

DC SAMPLER #2

The first DC SAMPLER must have proven to be a success, because for the next couple of issues, DC did it again--producing a free comic book-sized magazine promoting all of their upcoming series. You can really see that the switch-over to what DC would become was in full swing by this point, and there's a … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #2

BHOC: SUPERMAN FAMILY #194

After my brief moment of having let an issue of SUPERMAN FAMILY go by and then turning back and picking it up later, I seemed to be back on the train of purchasing the series regularly. And I'm not entirely certain why. Some of it, I'm sure, is that I just liked Superman. And while … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN FAMILY #194

GH: SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #9

As I got older, my tastes in comics began to change, or at least to grow more expansive. And so I wound up trying titles that might have done nothing for me before, like SAGA OF THE SWAMPO THING, The series was a bit of a hybrid, existing in a world halfway between that of … Continue reading GH: SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #9

BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #164

I can remember this stretch of issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA trying my patience a little bit. As writer Gerry Conway continued to unravel the mystery of Zatanna's mother and her upbringing, I increasingly was checked out on the series. A lot of this had to do, I expect, with my absolute inability to … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #164

DC SAMPLER #1

By 1983, DC was on a creative upswing. The arrival of new President and Publisher Jenette Kahn had coincided with efforts to expand DC's efforts into the growing Direct Market of comic book specialty shops that had sprung up across the country. At this time, DC's fortunes on the mainstream Newsstand weren't looking all that … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #1