It was immediately apparent once the trio of writer David Micheline, penciler John Romita Jr. and inker/co-plotter Bob Layton came on board the series over the course of two months that something good was beginning to happen in IRON MAN. The series had, for a long while, been a bit out of step with the … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #117
This next issue of INCREDIBLE HULK was eminently forgettable, and so I forgot about it almost entirely until we reprinted it in a MARVEL MASTERWORKS volume a year or so back. It was a fill-in job, a break in the ongoing storylines and continuity, and so it didn't have all that much to offer to … Continue reading BHOC: INCREDIBLE HULK #230
This next issue of IRON MAN represented the beginning of one of the most storied runs in the title's history, even though it was the second part to an adventure already in progress. And that's because this issue heralded the arrival of a pair of creators who would leave their mark on the armored Avengers, … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #116
This was, it turned out, the final issue of BATMAN FAMILY in its current form. Shortly after this, the DC Implosion would happen, slashing the size of the DC line dramatically and costing a number of people--including this issue's editor Al Milgrom--their jobs. On the chopping block at that moment was DETECTIVE COMICS, as it … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #20
If there's a moment that truly crystalized the Direct Sales marketplace and helped to forge it into a meaningful distribution pipeline for comics, it was with the release of X-MEN #137 in which creators Chris Claremont and John Byrne wrapped up what is today known as "The Dark Phoenix Saga" in a double-sized issue that … Continue reading FANTASTIC FOUR #286 John Byrne’s Way
I was and am a creature of habit. When something becomes a part of my routine, I tend to continue with it even past the point that made it part of the routine in the first place. In the case of BATMAN FAMILY, I had begun to read the series when it was largely a … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #19
The Blue Beetle is one of the longest running character-concepts in the world of comic books. The character was initially conceived in 1939 as a take-off of the Green Hornet, but the approach swiftly changed to better suit the needs of a burgeoning marketplace. The Beetle got a regulation super hero costume and even a … Continue reading The Last Blue Beetle Story
E-MAN was a short-lived but well-remembered (and often revived) Charlton title of the early 1970s, representing a last gasp on the part of that firm to establish a presence in the super hero marketplace. E-Man was a bit of a throwback character, crafted in the mold of Plastic Man or Captain Marvel. A super hero … Continue reading Brand Echh: E-Man #6
You know the drill by this point, right? It's old pictures of comic book creators from back in the day! Bob Layton at a convention, 1980s. Me, Tom Brevoort, and Jack Kirby at a New York convention, 1990. I had only been at Marvel for six months. A trio of photos of Joe Sinnott from … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 6
At about this time, the next issue of BATMAN FAMILY came out, and I bought it at my trusty, reliable 7-11. I had been purchasing BATMAN FAMILY regularly almost since the beginning, and though I missed the vintage reprints in the transition over to the new Dollar Comics format, that didn't stop me from partaking. … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #18
The Tom Brevoort Experience 