BHOC: SGT ROCK #312

My brother Ken was still buying and reading the occasional war comic, and so here's another one that eventually came over to me. That's a pretty dramatic Joe Kubert cover on it--Kubert was the undisputed king of DC's war comics, having drawn so many of them over the years, and edited them as well. His … Continue reading BHOC: SGT ROCK #312 →

5BC: Five Best Marvel/DC Crossovers

It's been bettered but never equaled, the granddaddy of all inter-company crossovers. At a time when a comic book featuring Superman and rival Spider-Man sharing the same pages was a positively shocking idea, this enormous tabloid spent its 100 pages synthesizing the narrative styles of both the DC and Marvel house approaches into a single … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Marvel/DC Crossovers →

BHOC: SUPERMAN #319

I'm pretty certain that I bought this issue of SUPERMAN at the same time as the MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS and possibly the MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION. Like the MGC issue, I can recall biking back to my house with it. Having spent a week during the summer working out that new comics were released on Thursdays … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #319 →

5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1983

Another instant masterwork from the typewriter of Alan Brennert, this issue of BRAVE AND THE BOLD brings the story of the original Batman of the 1930s and 40s (i.e. the Earth-2 model) to a satisfying and emotional conclusion, as he finds his soulmate in Selina Kyle as the two battle the Scarecrow. As usual, Brennert … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1983 →

BHOC: BATMAN #295

My brother Ken also dabbled around with super hero comics from time to time, which is where this issue of BATMAN came from--it's another that was purchased for him but which I eventually wound up with.I liked Batman well enough, but in this period I found his adventures a bit too colorless for my tastes, … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN #295 →

BHOC: WEIRD WAR TALES #59

My brother Ken continued to intermittently read assorted war comics, most of which eventually ended up with me, This issue of WEIRD WAR TALES was the next. In the 1970s, DC had some success with the word WEIRD, cross-breeding their supernatural/mystery titles with other genres--WEIRD WESTERN TALES has given the world Jonah Hex, for example, … Continue reading BHOC: WEIRD WAR TALES #59 →

BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #150

And so it came to an end. Steve Englehart's one-yearlong stint as the writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA concluded with this issue, which the postman happily brought me. I wasn't unaware of the fact that different people worked on the assorted comics that I read, but I was still a few years away from … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #150 →

5BC: Five Best Comics of 1982

The first entry in Marvel's line of European-style albums, released under the sobriquet "Marvel Graphic Novels", THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL remains as effective and affecting today as it was when it was first published. A good deal of that is down to the subject matter, which sees the titular Mar-Vell dying not in battle … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Comics of 1982 →

BHOC: THE FLASH #257

I was still maintaining my subscriptions to FLASH and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA throughout this time, although now that I could regularly get to outlets that sold comics, this was beginning to become an aggravation. because the latest issues inevitably showed up on the spinner racks before they reached my mailbox, meaning I'd have to … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #257 →

BHOC: SHAZAM #33

This is another book that I think was purchased by my grandmother, in this instance for my younger brother Ken. I can see her feeling as though if she was buying a comic book for me, she would have to bring one for him as well. At this moment, SHAZAM was an occasional read for … Continue reading BHOC: SHAZAM #33 →