Brand Echh: His Name is Savage #1

The comic book business was once again facing a period of change as the 1960s drew to a close. The super hero fad that had driven sales for most of the decade was winding down, and there was a sense that, as the marketplaces where comic books had been traditionally sold began to dry up … Continue reading Brand Echh: His Name is Savage #1

BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #62

This issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP was another book that came out of a 3-Bag, those plastic sealed wonders that were sold in department stores and toy stores. And in fact, this issue was likely the reason I bought that particular bag in the first place. You see, ever since first becoming aware of him in … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #62

BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #7

Here's another issue of another title that I got in a 3-Bag distributed through either a department store or a toy store. At the time I would have purchased that bag, the books it contained would have been around 9 months old. Which was handy for catching up with recent issues of assorted Marvel series … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #7

BHOC: IRON MAN #99

At this point, there'd been another cycling of the 3-Bags of comics available at department and toy stores, and so I wound up over the course of several weeks picking up a number of recent books that I had earlier missed; in most cases because I hadn't been reading Marvel titles yet. The window on … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #99

Comics Creators in the Wild 8

More photographs from years and decades past showcasing the writers, artists and editors of our favorite comic books. Mark Gruenwald in M.C. Hammer costume for Halloween, early 1990s John and Virginia Romita at a convention, circa 1986 Stan Lee plays the Atari Spider-Man video game, circa 1981 Steve Ditko, 1960s Stan Lee and costumed fans, … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 8

BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #182 & THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERHEROES

The week this issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN came to my spinner rack in the neighborhood 7-11 was a big one for comic book happenings. In addition to the release of a regular slate of comic books, two other things were going on that grabbed my attention. The first was the launch of DC's new Newspaper … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #182 & THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERHEROES

Forgotten Masterpiece: THE SPIRIT #30, Part Two

Continuing on with our survey of the "Spirit Jam", the all-new story featuring Will Eisner's celebrated golden age character produced Jam-style by a bevy of top cartoonists and comic book artists and writers of the era, under the auspices of publisher Denis Kitchen and associate editor Cat Yronwode. Picking things up where we left off, … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: THE SPIRIT #30, Part Two

BHOC: SON OF SATAN #8

This was another comic book that I purchased out of the drugstore's Big Bin of Slightly Older Comics, books that had been reported destroyed but which had actually been sold "off the back of the truck" to my drugstore at a cut-rate price. I almost certainly picked up this issue to fill out a grouping … Continue reading BHOC: SON OF SATAN #8