Great Covers: ASTONISHING X-MEN #17

This ASTONISHING X-MEN #17 cover by John Cassaday looks simple, but there's a lot of strong thought work going on behind it, and it's an effective and memorable cover. To start off with, that white space is going to stand out on the sales racks like a beacon. And that petrified face of Wolverine peering … Continue reading Great Covers: ASTONISHING X-MEN #17

BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #483

For almost the entirety of its run, I had been a regular reader of BATMAN FAMILY. But during the famous DC Implosion, in which DC's publishing line was significantly pruned back, BATMAN FAMILY had been merged with DETECTIVE COMICS in an effort to keep the series that the company had been named after alive. Clearly, … Continue reading BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #483

Lost Crossovers: The Epic Battle Between Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher, part two

The cover to WHIZ COMICS #16 gives no indication of the titanic struggle that was played out within its pages. Inspired clearly by the battle between the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner in MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS, a fight that made that series a best-seller, Fawcett's creative team decided to do their own super hero vs … Continue reading Lost Crossovers: The Epic Battle Between Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher, part two

BHOC: THOR #282

This next issue of THOR was the second part of a two-part story designed to help get the book back on schedule as writer/editor Roy Thomas prepared to get into his long Celestials storyline. This was the fourth issue in a row that felt like a bit of a throwaway, so the series was going … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #282

When Captain America Killed a Million People

I'd heard about this story for years--I think that I first read about it in the first volume of the Steranko History of Comics when I was a kid. But I'd never been able to locate nor read it--until now. And so, I'm going to share the same opportunity with you all. It's the Captain … Continue reading When Captain America Killed a Million People

BHOC: MS MARVEL #23

It's something of a mystery to me why I picked up this issue of MS MARVEL, what would turn out to be the last one released. I know that I bought it at that far-off supermarket where I'd earlier purchased SHOGUN WARRIORS #3, and it's possible that the smattering of comic books they had available … Continue reading BHOC: MS MARVEL #23

Lost Crossovers: The Epic Battle Between Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher, part one

As we've covered in the past, it was a relatively rare thing during the Golden Age of Comics for the heroes of two separate strips to meet one another. Despite the success of the Justice Society of America in ALL-STAR COMICS, no other company ever fielded a super hero team comprised of all of their … Continue reading Lost Crossovers: The Epic Battle Between Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher, part one

BHOC: MICRONAUTS #4

This issue of MICRONAUTS was purchased by my younger brother Ken. I'm pretty certain that it was bought at the same far-off supermarket where I'd previously gotten SHOGUN WARRIORS #3. And I also have no doubt that he gravitated to this particular book because Baron Karza looked like Darth Vader--which was kind of the point. … Continue reading BHOC: MICRONAUTS #4

The First Book Length Comic Book Story Redux

A few years ago, I ran a piece on the first book-length comic book story ever produced. You can take a look at that page here: https://tombrevoort.com/2022/03/19/the-first-book-length-comic-book-story/ But as it turns out, I had overlooked something. Prior to ALL-FLASH COMICS #2, there had been at least one earlier book-length story produced. And it saw print … Continue reading The First Book Length Comic Book Story Redux

BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #47

This wound up being the final issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION, the title that reprinted vintage AVENGERS stories from a number of years earlier. not that I knew it when I bought this book during a weekly trip to my local 7-11. Marvel had been steadily cutting down on its number of reprint titles, and … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #47