Today, there are thousands of books on vintage comics, both collections of material from decades ago or literary tomes discussing those works, how they were created, what impact they had and what they meant. But in the 1970s, the landscape for such volumes was exceedingly scarce. So it was positively an event when a new … Continue reading BHOC: SHAZAM! FROM THE ’40s TO THE ’70s
This SHAZAM Treasury Edition featured Saturday morning’s Captain Marvel, Jackson Bostwick, on its front cover, a transparent though appropriate attempt to appeal to fans of the show, then-airing. I can’t say that I was especially a fan of the show–I watched it, but primarily because it was there. In those days of limited television channels, … Continue reading BHOC: LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #C-35
So in that same 3-Bag with FLASH #225 was SHAZAM #9, one of the two books I was forced to give to my younger brother, and which he handily destroyed shortly thereafter. But I did get to read it even though it wasn’t mine, so let me share a few impressions. As opposed to the … Continue reading BHOC: SHAZAM #9
My father brought this SHAZAM Treasury Edition home for me during a frequent cigarette run. I’d be wiling to bet that he thought it was a Flash book–red costume with a lightning bolt, how hard is it? Either way, I enjoyed my first encounter with the World’s Mightiest Mortal. It was a pretty huge deal … Continue reading BHOC: LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #C-27
Well, this isn’t going to end well for Mr. Tawny. A fun and intriguing CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES cover by C.C. Beck, from an era in which it wasn’t so much action or violence that sold comics as much as confounding imagery and fanciful ideas.
A super cool and graphic CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES cover by C.C. Beck. It’s a very simple idea–three logos to communicate the fact that there are three stories in the issue starring the Big Red Cheese. Again, good use of a black background to help provide contrast.
This is a wonderfully absurd CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES cover by C. C. Beck. That white background really makes all of the dogs as well as the logo and copy pop. And the expressions on the lead dog and Marvel himself are terrific.
A lovely and iconic WHIZ COMICS cover featuring Captain Marvel and his alter ego Billy Batson by C. C. Beck. This one just captures everything you need to know about the strip in a single image, particularly the big brother-little brother dynamic between Cap and Billy. Good use of color here, too–the red logo never … Continue reading Great Covers – WHIZ COMICS #22
Here’s a beautiful CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES cover by C.C. Beck. What really makes this one work is its sense of mood–it’s pretty well removed from the sort of whimsy and hi-jinx that most think of when they think of Captain Marvel covers. The fine detail in the pouring rain and on the stacked sandbags is … Continue reading Great Covers – CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES #132
The Tom Brevoort Experience 