Crisis on a Brave New Earth

It's no secret that DC found itself with an enormous hit on its hands in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, the anniversary limited series produced by Marv Wolfman and George Perez designed to restructure and streamline the DC continuity. It was that rare Event series that both left a lasting change upon the line in its … Continue reading Crisis on a Brave New Earth

When Batman Used A Gun

It's an argument that comes up every couple of months like clockwork, especially when some new film or television project is announced. There are always those that espouse that Batman, in order to be treated realistically, should carry and use a gun. And these people inevitably point to the character's earliest days as justification, talking … Continue reading When Batman Used A Gun

BHOC: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #143

This issue of BRAVE AND THE BOLD was the first released under the auspices of the DC Explosion, which saw the line increating its cover price to 50 cents a copy from 35 while adding additional pages of material. Here, the Human Target, a feature that briefly ran in the back pages of ACTION COMICS … Continue reading BHOC: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #143

BHOC: JUDOMASTER #96

Whoever was responsible for selecting which old Charlton comics would be reissued in the 3-Bags put out under the Modern Comics imprint made some baffling selections. Take JUDOMASTER for example. Modern reissues four issues of the series: #93, #94, #96 and #98. Why not consecutive issues? Who knows? It may have been that these were … Continue reading BHOC: JUDOMASTER #96

BHOC: JUDOMASTER #94

This issue of JUDOMASTER was another of the books from the Charlton back catalog that Modern Comics reissued in the 1970s and sold three-to-a-bag through a network of discount department stores, supermarkets and the like. And it was another title that came into my possession during this time. I wasn't quite as crazy about Judomaster … Continue reading BHOC: JUDOMASTER #94

BHOC: THUNDERBOLT #57

This was another reprint of a classic Charlton comic book from the 1960s that was reissued under the Modern Comics imprint and sold in plastic 3-Bags through low-end discount department stores such as the Two Guys my family frequented. And it made an impact on me, not for the lead story especially, which I found … Continue reading BHOC: THUNDERBOLT #57

BHOC: CAPTAIN ATOM #85

It was a big surprise and a huge deal to me the next time my family went to the Two Guys discount department store chain, as I discovered a new flight of Modern Comics 3-Bags had arrived. Modern Comics was an attempt to sell bagged product directly to department stores and other such chains on … Continue reading BHOC: CAPTAIN ATOM #85

Brand Echh: Dr. Who and the Daleks

By the middle of the 1960s, Dell, once the leader in the field, was battling for market share and audience attention. Their split from Western Publishing had caused them to lose most of their creative staff as well as a number of licenses, and so the quality of their output had seriously dipped. Dell continued … Continue reading Brand Echh: Dr. Who and the Daleks

The Original Plot For The Unfinished JLA/AVENGERS Crossover

It's one of the great unfinished symphonies in the history of comics. After having successfully teamed up Superman and Spider-Man twice, Batman and the Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men and the New Teen Titans, in 1983 Marvel and DC were prepared to release JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VS THE AVENGERS, uniting their two flagship teams … Continue reading The Original Plot For The Unfinished JLA/AVENGERS Crossover