BHOC: GREEN LANTERN #117

We talked about this last time, I believe, but GREEN LANTERN (co-staring GREEN ARROW) was in something of a malaise at this time. It was still a book I bought faithfully, but I was finding myself less and less enamored of its content. Quite often, it felt like the logo was backwards, and that it … Continue reading BHOC: GREEN LANTERN #117

The Predecessors of Superman: Dr. Occult/Dr. Mystic

All throughout the years during which they were trying in vain to locate a buyer for their grand opus character Superman, partners Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster paid the bills by working on a variety of other features, primarily for National Allied Publications/Detective Comics Inc. Thee included such features as Slam Bradley, Spy, Radio Men,/Calling … Continue reading The Predecessors of Superman: Dr. Occult/Dr. Mystic

BHOC: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #151

I was only a casual buyer of BRAVE AND THE BOLD, the long-running Batman team-up title. And that's really down to the scripting work of Bob Haney more than anything else. Haney had a different perspective on super hero stories than I did as a young reader, he was interested in different things. And so … Continue reading BHOC: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #151

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHOWCASE #105

Continuing on in our survey of CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2, the hand-printed collection of material created by DC Comics and left unpublished in the aftermath of the business contraction known as the DC Implosion. A scant number of copies were made and provided to contributors as well as the Library of Congress so as to … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHOWCASE #105

BHOC: ACTION COMICS #496

This next issue of ACTION COMICS was forgettable, and consequently I've forgotten it. Seriously, I don't remember a single thing about buying this one. I must have done so during my weekly trip to the 7-11 on Thursday, new comic day, as I was buying the book regularly again. But the story contained within really … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #496

The First Superman Knock-Off and the Perjury of Will Eisner

It cannot be overstated just what an enormous phenomenon Superman became almost instantly upon his first story being published in 1938. Within the span of only three years, the character would have his own self-titled magazine (something unheard of in the field before then) as well as his regular home in ACTION COMICS, a daily … Continue reading The First Superman Knock-Off and the Perjury of Will Eisner

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9: The Odd Man

Continuing our dig through the second issue of CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE, the hand-printed collection of material whose mainstream publication had been squashed by the DC Implosion that saw the company's line slashed by 40%. This time out, we're dealing with what would have been the back-up series in creator Steve Ditko's SHADE THE CHANGING MAN … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9: The Odd Man

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9

Continuing on through the second of the two hand-copied volumes of written-off material put together by DC in the wake of the DC Implosion that saw their line cut down by 40%, today we're looking at another book that was intended to be completed but which wouldn't see the light of day for decades yet. … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #9

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: PREZ #5

Continuing at our look at CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE, the Xerox-printed compilation of material that DC Comics wrote off in teh wake of the 1978 "DC Implosion" which saw 40% of their line cancelled and a number of staff members laid off. These stories were reproduced in this fashion so that DC could continue to hold … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2: PREZ #5

CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2

In 1978, plans for a massive expansion of DC's publishing line, which were being promoted as the DC Explosion, crashed and burned as an unusually heavy winter took its toll on comic book sales. The DC line was slashed rather than expanded, and a bunch of staff members were laid off. This became known as … Continue reading CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2