Having dedicated themselves to making strides within the new Direct Sales marketplace, an arena in which Marvel had up to this point been overwhelmingly outselling pretty much everybody, DC produced a number of issues of DC SAMPLER, an overview and preview of their line intended to be given out at comic book specialty stores across … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #3
Tag: Curt Swan
5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1970
Super heroes as a genre were on their way out as the 1960s turned into the 1970s and the super hero fad that had driven success throughout the silver age fell away. But this meant that publishers were more encouraged to experiment than they had been previously in an attempt to stave off cancellation--and every … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1970
BHOC: SUPERMAN #333
Like with ACTION COMICS, I had also taken a three-month hiatus from buying SUPERMAN. I don't really remember why--possibly a feeling that my money was better spent on other titles. So there was a little gap in my collection. But as off-handedly as I left, I returned right as 1978 was on the way out, … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #333
GH: ACTION COMICS #543
I really liked Marv Wolfman's run writing ACTION COMICS. He was able to find a way to operate within the strictures of editor Julie Schwartz's likes while still bringing the sort of serialized storytelling and characterization that he'd learned over at Marvel to the stories. It probably didn't hurt that Marv and George Perez's NEW … Continue reading GH: ACTION COMICS #543
BHOC: ACTION COMICS #493
I had gotten back into the habit of buying ACTION COMICS after a break of three or four months. I don't remember making any specific determination that I wasn't going to follow the Superman titles any longer, it was just a thing that happened--possibly because my financial resources were being strained by all of the … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #493
GH: SUPERMAN #382
By 1983, SUPERMAN was feeling a bit like a product of a different age. While some effort was being made to modernize the Man of Steel, including having Gil Kane provide covers as he does here, the actual contents of the magazine were still very much of a piece with the kinds of stories that … Continue reading GH: SUPERMAN #382
DC SAMPLER #1
By 1983, DC was on a creative upswing. The arrival of new President and Publisher Jenette Kahn had coincided with efforts to expand DC's efforts into the growing Direct Market of comic book specialty shops that had sprung up across the country. At this time, DC's fortunes on the mainstream Newsstand weren't looking all that … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #1
BHOC: ACTION COMICS #492
For some reason that I can't really recall, I had taken a short break of about three months from buying both SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS. I came back to both titles before too long, and eventually filled in the missing issues with 3-Bagged Whitman copies once they became available. But as for what drove me … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #492
WC: ACTION COMICS #352
We're getting very near the end of the books that were a part of my Windfall Comics purchase of 1988, wherein I bought a box or around 150 silver age comic books from a guy I bumped into at the post office for only $50.00. So as usual, we'll be looking at this issue of … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #352
WC: ACTION COMICS #343
Well, from the looks of this cover image, we're about to get a bit more action in this issue of ACTION COMICS. I'm not 100% certain who would have been responsible for it. The actual cover art was done by Curt Swan and George Klein, but they likely would have been working from a sketch … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #343










