Even by 1982, there was no figure more associated with the growing success of the X-Men than writer Chris Claremont. While Claremont hadn't come up with the book or any of its characters, he joined the series as its regular writer in very early days, and continued onward for an unbroken 16 year stint in … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Chris Claremont Interview
As usual, I also picked up this issue of MARVEL SUPER-HEROES, the regular reprint series that dusted off stories that had appeared in INCREDIBLE HULK a few years earlier and put them in front of a contemporary audience. Marvel kept up a full reprint line for most of the 1960s and 1970s, with these earlier … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #75
Like FOOM before it, THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS was a fan magazine produced in-house--in this case, at National Periodical Publications. The work was done by the "Junior Woodchucks", a group of young editorial and production members who had been brought on staff. It was a very fine publication and represents a terrific inside … Continue reading THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #2
Crossovers among characters originating in different comic books have become by this point so commonplace as to not even be worthy of notice, and crossovers between characters from different publishing entities have similarly increased to the point where, while they've still got a bit of built-in excitement to them, they're still relatively commonplace. But the … Continue reading 5BC: Five Times Super Heroes Met Real People
The arrival of this Annual gave me my first inkling that something was about to go wrong, although I didn't quite realize that at the time. I bought it not at my usual 7-11 but rather at a Card Store in some other mall that my Mom had gone to for some shopping. It turned … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #13
I do love this bit, where at the end of a calendar year we take a moment to suss out which posts have been the most popular and most widely read. It's always just a little bit eye-opening and provides guidance as I work out what I want to write about in the coming year. … Continue reading End of the Year Stats – 2022
This was another book that came my way in my Windfall Comics purchase of 1988. As I've mentioned before, the common factor that all of the books in this assortment had was that they were all Silver Age books, but none of them were keys in any way. So while the chunk of STRANGE TALES … Continue reading WC: STRANGE TALES #117
It's more of the same here, another interview conducted by Peter Sanderson in 1982 for the first of Fantagraphics' X-MEN COMPANION books commemorating the creation of the new series and its meteoric rise to popularity in the early Direct Sales market. This one was a bit more expansive a piece than the last two because … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Dave Cockrum Interview
I bought this issue of DEFENDERS on my regular trip to the 7-11 as well. This was the middle chapter of what is perhaps the greatest Defenders story ever told (for all that I acknowledge that any number of characters are a bit out of character in order to make it work.) It was three … Continue reading BHOC: DEFENDERS #63
The basics are a familiar story to anybody who studies the history of comics. Young creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster sell the rights to their creation Superman to what would become DC/National Comics. As their ten-year contract to produce the strip was reaching its end and fearing that National wouldn't re-up it, the pair … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: FUNNYMAN #1
The Tom Brevoort Experience 