5BC: Five Attempts to Replicate Spider-Man

It was clear early on that the most important and successful new super hero character introduced during the Silver Age of Comics was Spider-Man. The work that Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita had put into the series had paid dividends, and the wall-crawler was soon a worldwide icon able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against … Continue reading 5BC: Five Attempts to Replicate Spider-Man

Brand Echh: The Scorpion #1

As we've discussed multiple times in the past, Atlas Comics was Martin Goodman's short-lived publishing endeavor in which he attempted to prove that he, not editor Stan Lee, was responsible for the success of Marvel Comics after the ouster of his son Chip Goodman from the firm. Goodman wasn't so much interested in selling comic … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Scorpion #1

Brand Echh: The Cougar #1

We've looked at a bunch of different titles from the short-lived Atlas Comics line of 1975 in the past (and no doubt will continue to in the future), so I'm just going to hit teh basics here one more time. After his son Chip Goodman was passed over for the position of publisher at Marvel … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Cougar #1

The Last Sgt. Fury Story

SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS was a foundational title launched during the heyday of the dawning Marvel Age of Comics in 1963. Rather than being a super hero series like most of the other Marvel books then garnering attention, it was instead a war series--war comics continued to be strong performers for DC and … Continue reading The Last Sgt. Fury Story

Brand Echh: John Targitt…Man-Stalker #2

Here's another example of the wasted potential of the short-lived ATLAS COMICS line of the mid-1970s and how they unsuccessfully attempted to compete with Marvel Comics head-to-head, in the worst way possible. As we've talked about before, ATLAS was founded by Martin Goodman and his son Chip following the latter's ouster from Marvel. When Martin … Continue reading Brand Echh: John Targitt…Man-Stalker #2

Brand Echh: Tiger-Man #1

It's time for another look at one of the short-lived wonders of the 1975 Atlas Comics line. For those who are unfamiliar, Atlas was a company started up by former Marvel Comics founder and owner Martin Goodman after his son Chip was ousted from Marvel in favor of promoting Stan Lee. Goodman wanted revenge, he … Continue reading Brand Echh: Tiger-Man #1

Brand Echh: Phoenix #3

We've gone over the history a couple of times in teh past, and yet I feel a need to recap it again here for any newcomers to this page who haven't yet read about THE DESTRUCTOR or DEMON HUNTER or THE SCORPION. Atlas Comics (also known as Seaboard) was a short-lived company set up by … Continue reading Brand Echh: Phoenix #3

BHOC: DEMON HUNTER #1

I must confess, it feels a bit odd to be doing another piece on DEMON HUNTER #1 after having featured it in a Brand Echh segment here: https://tombrevoort.com/2020/12/31/brand-echh-demon-hunter-1/ But it would have been the next comic book that I picked up, and so I'll need to remain true to the self-imposed rules of this feature. … Continue reading BHOC: DEMON HUNTER #1

Brand Echh: The Scorpion #3 and the Marvelization of Atlas Comics

The short mid-1970s history of Atlas Comics represents one of the great missed opportunities in the history of comics. For a brief, shining second, it seemed as though there would be another mainstream publisher in the field, one that would challenge Marvel and DC for supremacy in the marketplace and create greater competition, and by … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Scorpion #3 and the Marvelization of Atlas Comics

5BC: Five Characters Marvel “Adopted”

Over the years, DC Comics (mostly while still operating under the name National) would occasionally buy out the rights to characters and titles from other publishers who had either gone out of business or were about to. This is how the original Captain Marvel and his family, Plastic Man, G.I. COMBAT, YOUNG ROMANCE, the Blackhawks … Continue reading 5BC: Five Characters Marvel “Adopted”