Lee & Kirby & Ditko & Everett: The linked stories of X-MEN #1, AVENGERS #1 and DAREDEVIL #1

I've seen different bits and pieces of this story told in assorted places, but I cannot recall anyplace where the entire sequence of events was laid out in a single recounting, so I thought that was worth doing. In the spring of 1963, with the super hero titles that his firm had been producing doing … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Ditko & Everett: The linked stories of X-MEN #1, AVENGERS #1 and DAREDEVIL #1 →

More On Color Separations – AVENGERS #10 and FANTASTIC FOUR #110

As a brief follow-up to the earlier post concerning the 3M cover proof, I've got a pair of examples to show here that may make understanding how the three primary colors were mixed to make the 64 available colors for printing back in the 1960s and 1970s. Here, I've got two examples where, for a … Continue reading More On Color Separations – AVENGERS #10 and FANTASTIC FOUR #110 →

BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #35

This issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP also came out of a 3-Bag at around this same time. I suspect it may have been bagged with FANTASTIC FOUR #182 and ETERNALS #11, but I have no way of proving that for certain. In any case, I got this issue not so much because I wanted it as … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #35 →

BHOC: AVENGERS #168

Continuing to follow up on my reading experiences from SON OF ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS, this was the first issue of AVENGERS that I purchased new (I had prior bought one issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION featuring the team.) It's the second part of what would someday become known as the Korvac Saga, a high … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #168 →

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #150

This issue of FANTASTIC FOUR was another book that I got from my friend and classmate Donald Sims. We were only tight for about two years, taking up separate paths when we entered junior high school. I haven't seen him in easily 35-plus years. But I hope he's doing well. This was another FF issue … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #150 →

Great Covers: Marvel Around the World

One of the many things that fascinates me about the history of comics is the manner in which these stories and characters were exported around the world--the mad, slapdash, haphazard manner in which the Marvel super heroes made their way across the globe. It was typical that color guides might not be provided, resulting in … Continue reading Great Covers: Marvel Around the World →

5BC: Five Best Marvel/DC Crossovers

It's been bettered but never equaled, the granddaddy of all inter-company crossovers. At a time when a comic book featuring Superman and rival Spider-Man sharing the same pages was a positively shocking idea, this enormous tabloid spent its 100 pages synthesizing the narrative styles of both the DC and Marvel house approaches into a single … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Marvel/DC Crossovers →

BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #39

It seems appropriate, though a fluke, to be talking about this issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION on this weekend, when the AVENGERS: ENDGAME film is shattering box office records worldwide. Having edited AVENGERS for far longer than anyone else, it's all pretty relevant to me--back in the day, when Stan Lee would facetiously talk about … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #39 →

BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #150

And so it came to an end. Steve Englehart's one-yearlong stint as the writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA concluded with this issue, which the postman happily brought me. I wasn't unaware of the fact that different people worked on the assorted comics that I read, but I was still a few years away from … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #150 →

Lee & Kirby: THE INCREDIBLE HULK: He can fly!

Okay, this is going to be another somewhat-strange piece, but I can't help it if I'm fascinated by odd and inconsequential bits of comic book trivia and speculation. And this one cuts to the center of the often-disconnect that existed between Jack Kirby, who was largely plotting and drawing the early Marvel stories, and Stan … Continue reading Lee & Kirby: THE INCREDIBLE HULK: He can fly! →