Now, this was a noteworthy issue of SUPERMAN for a number of reasons. In addition to being the first time that the Man of Steel's two most persistent enemies, Lex Luthor and Brainiac, met and teamed up, it also introduced an entirely new backstory for Brainiac--up to this point, he's simply been an alien space … Continue reading WC: SUPERMAN #167
Tag: Cary Bates
BHOC: FLASH #266
Pretty certain that I got this issue of FLASH at my local 7-11, but for some reason, deliveries of issues of FLASH were grwoing a bit more haphazard there. In a few months, I'd miss an issue of the title, something that was almost unthinkable to me, and it would be many years before I'd … Continue reading BHOC: FLASH #266
THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #2
Like FOOM before it, THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS was a fan magazine produced in-house--in this case, at National Periodical Publications. The work was done by the "Junior Woodchucks", a group of young editorial and production members who had been brought on staff. It was a very fine publication and represents a terrific inside … Continue reading THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #2
BHOC: ACTION COMICS #487
I picked up this new issue of ACTION COMICS on my weekly jaunt to the local 7-11 on Thursday when the new comics came in. It was the second-to=last issue that I purchased for a while. It's clear looking over the DC books of this period that the firm is still targeting a different audience … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #487
WC: WORLD’S FINEST #151
During the Silver Age of Comics, there was a prevailing wisdom that it was the cover that sold the magazine, rather than any quality within the book itself. Comics were largely an impulse purchase on the part of numerous casual young readers, so coming up with a cover image that would grab their imagination and … Continue reading WC: WORLD’S FINEST #151
BHOC: SUPERMAN #327
It would have been at about this time that I read the Pete Hamill column in the New York Daily News that is reproduced at the link below, which had a huge impact on me. As I describe in that piece, while Hamill's writing about his friend Casey was intended to underscore the emptiness and … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #327
BHOC: FLASH #265
The DC Explosion was finally upon us! As advertised for months leading up to this moment, DC's entire line of titles increased their cover price to 50 cents from 35, adding an additional 8 pages of story to each issue. This was an attempt to combat the low profit margin that comic books were able … Continue reading BHOC: FLASH #265
BHOC: THE FLASH #264
This was the third of the three issues of THE FLASH that I picked up during that unexpected and much-begged-for trip out to the Heroes World store in the Levittown Mall. My regular 7-11 had clearly scaled back on how many DC titles their spinner rack was carrying, and so I not only missed out … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #264
BHOC: THE FLASH #263
This was the second of three consecutive issues of FLASH that I picked up during an unexpected trip to the Heroes World store with my grandparents, after having missed them in the normal course of events. But I almost missed this book for a second time. You see, while I had noticed that there were … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #263
BHOC: THE FLASH #262
A momentous and unprecedented occurrence happened at this point in my young life. For some reason that I no longer remember, i was going to be spending a few days at my grandparents' home in Valley Stream. They came out to our home in Farmingville to pick me up, and I went back with them … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #262