The mailman brought along the next issue of THE FLASH to my door, always a welcome occurrence. This one had an Ernie Chua/Chan cover that was actually pretty good. I’m guessing that Carmine Infantino did the sketch for this one, as it seems like his sort of layout. The story this issue was fine but … Continue reading BHOC: FLASH #242
Centennial issues in comics books have for many decades been accorded a special status, an acknowledgment of longevity, a celebration of success. By 1976, it wasn’t enough any longer to simply publish a centennial issue, that issue had to in some way be special, and reflect the fact that this was a significant moment. SUPERMAN … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #300
This was the beginning of the end for the regular reprint series at DC, as DC SPECIAL went from being all-reprint to half-new, half-reprint, a format that the FAMILY books had for the most part been following. Which sounds like a good thing, but not so much from my point of view; I tended to … Continue reading BHOC: DC SPECIAL #22
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a copy of this particular issue of SUPERMAN FAMILY whose cover wasn’t miscut. I wonder if this wasn’t the result of the switch-over from a squarebound binding to traditional end-staples–if the cover has perhaps been set up for the former, and so without that additional bit of space, shifted the trim on the … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN FAMILY #177
My youngest brother Mike was born at around the time I got this Treasury Edition, which might even explain why I got both this one and the previous SUPER-VILLAINS one, either as an affirmation of parental love in the face of a new arrival, or simply as a way of keeping me entertained as bigger, … Continue reading BHOC: LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #C-44
The first SECRET ORIGINS OF SUPER-VILLAINS treasury edition must have done some business, because before you knew it, this follow-up was on the stands and in my hands. The cover, while very nicely executed, is a little bit confusing, as of the three villains placed most prominently on the piece, two of them (Bizarro and Captain … Continue reading BHOC: LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #C-45
My younger brother–youngest brother for another month or so then–Joe scribbled all over the splash page of my subscription copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #131 with a black marker. Maybe he was trying to improve the inking, I don’t know. But it was one of those momentary childhood crises that come up from time to … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #131
Another eh cover by Ernie Chua/Chan graced the latest issue of THE FLASH to arrive in my mailbox. As was usual for the DC covers of this era, the premise of the image was good, but the actual drawing was a bit lumpy and misshapen, and the reproduction was blotchy. It would be a few years … Continue reading BHOC: FLASH #241
Picked up the next issue of ALL-STAR COMICS at the 7-11, quite possibly at the same time that my brother got SUPERMAN #299. This was a no-brainer, as I was already a huge Justice Society fan. The whole affair is very much trying to be more like a Marvel comic, likely the influence of writer/editor Gerry Conway. … Continue reading BHOC: ALL-STAR COMICS #60
Another comic book that was bought for my brother Ken, but which eventually ended up with me. This issue of SUPERMAN was the concluding chapter to a then-unprecedented four-part epic storyline, one that would be collected a couple of times in the intervening years. In addition, it wrapped up a subplot that had ben brewing … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #299
The Tom Brevoort Experience 