Walt Simonson had taken over the reins of FANTASTIC FOUR and propelled it into the stratosphere with a series of expansive stories that drew upon the best of Jack Kirby's era on the title and turned the concepts up to eleven. Graphically, the book looked sweet as well, as Walter was able to channel Kirby's … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1991
When I did the initial wave of these 5 Best write-ups concerning the best comic books of each year, I confined myself to just the years when I was a fan and a reader, 1973-1989. I didn't think that it was proper for me to go beyond that, as I was a participant in the … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1972
Continuing our look at the first regular issue of MARVELMANIA Magazine, the fan publication put out by the short-lived fan club and merchandising operation of the same name back in 1970. This is a page from the story "Melvin and the Monster" penciled and inked by Tom Palmer and originally intended for publication in SILVER … Continue reading MARVELMANIA Magazine #1, Part Two
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
Another awesome assemblage of photographic images of comic book creators taken in years and decades past. Stan Lee with presentation board, circa 1976 John Romita, early 1970s John Romita and Stan Lee, circa 1970 Herb Trimpe, circa 1972 Mark Gruenwald at home, circa 1994 Not 100% certain who this is in the Marvel offices with … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 7
It was one of the great, mythic misfires of the Marvel Age of Comics. Looking for ways in which he could spread his wings and move from being just a comic book editor and writer, Marvel's Stan Lee presided over a one-night-only event at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan on Wednesday, January 5th 1972. Reportedly, the … Continue reading A Marvel-ous Evening with Stan Lee
Throughout the 1970s and beyond, one of the foremost new genres in comics turned out to be sword and sorcery. Inspired by the paperback book sales of Conan and his ilk in the mid-1960s, Marvel licensed the character from the Robert E. Howard Estate. After a slow start, the series really took off in a … Continue reading The Coming of Crom!
It was the scourge of the decade, and virtually every comic book collector of the period experienced it on one occasion or another. You would go to your local newsstand outlet, drug store or convenience store that stocked a spinner rack, pick through it to find exciting new releases, then pay for your books and … Continue reading A Guide To Marvel’s Unannounced 1970s Reprint Issues
It's a difficult thing to talk about the work of Dave Sim these days. For a start, he's fallen largely into obscurity since his masterwork, the 300-issue CEREBUS series, wrapped up in 2003. And the back half of that run was tainted by Sim's growing misogyny, his strange and often-deliberately-provocative belief that women had been … Continue reading Perfect Game – CEREBUS #36
This was another book that came out of my local drugstore's Big Bin of Somewhat-Older Comics. It was bought by/for my younger brother Ken, who had eclectic tastes in what comics attracted his attention. He was never all that involved in the medium, for all that he dabbled with it for many years, likely because … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING ADVENTURES #37
The Tom Brevoort Experience 