Saw this cover the other day for the first time since it was originally published and was struck by how simple and how powerful the image here is. It's really a case where less is more, and the juxtaposition of the background American flag and the burning Superman cape forge an inescapable connection. Great use … Continue reading Great Covers: SUPERMAN #145
https://youtu.be/97chh-JJQ1w Tried a new experiment where I turned one of the features in this page's 5BC section into a down and dirty full-on video, expanded a bit for the occasion. I'm interested in seeing if I can expand the reach of this page in this manner, so my intention is to do more as I … Continue reading TBTV: The Five Best Marvel & DC Crossovers
Here's another masterful Neal Adams cover from an issue of HOUSE OF SECRETS, one of DC's mystery/supernatural anthology titles. It has to be said that, especially in the early part of the 1970s, these books carried uniformly great covers much of the time--it was a real showpiece for the artists involved. Here, Adams uses Crafttint … Continue reading Great Covers: HOUSE OF SECRETS #88
I've spoken in the past about how as a kid I was a bit disdainful towards DC's SUPER FRIENDS comic book series, an adaptation and outgrowth of the ongoing Saturday morning cartoon series. Now, mind you, I watched SUPER FRIENDS dutifully every weekend, but I was also aware even then that the story material was … Continue reading BHOC: SUPER FRIENDS #12
In the early 1940s, as a myriad of would-be publishers heard about the overwhelming success of Superman nd rushed into the marketplace offering their own get-rich-quick versions of a comic book super hero, the reality is that nobody quite understood just what factors made Superman work. And so, everything was tried, and creativity--both good and … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Most Unique Super Heroes of the Silver Age
First off, what a great name for a comic magazine. I can't help but thinking to myself, "As opposed to the SECRET HOUSE OF SINISTER LOVE", which may have been down the block. Anyway, in attempting to cash in on a corner of the growing marketplace for gothic romance stories in the early 1970s, DC … Continue reading Great Covers: SINISTER HOUSE OF SECRET LOVE #2
We've talked about Quicksilver in the past, and how this perennial back-page filler for Quality Comics' NATIONAL COMICS was brought back decades later by writer Mark Waid in the pages of FLASH and transformed into a virtually new character, Max Mercury. Quicksilver had never been a headliner, but he was a reliable supporting player, and … Continue reading The Last Quicksilver Story
This obscure issue of Charlton's BLUE BEETLE series--not the version re-conceptualized by Steve Ditko but the earlier, super-powered version, seems like any other throw-away Charlton comic of the era--good for a few moments of entertainment, but not at all memorable for any particular reason. But this issue is noteworthy for being one of the earliest … Continue reading Brand Echh – Blue Beetle #54
This is another book that I got from my friend Donald Sims back in fifth grade. And honestly, it was a bit of a mess of an issue, though I enjoyed it quite a bit. KOBRA had started life as one of the last projects worked on by Jack Kirby before his return to Marvel. … Continue reading BHOC: KOBRA #1
FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1 was another comic book that I got in trade with my childhood friend Donald Sims. Given that I was a big fan of comic book history, of the Justice Society and the Invaders, and that I liked weird, off-the-wall super heroes, FREEDOM FIGHTERS seems like it should have been a title that … Continue reading BHOC: FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1
