As Dave Lister explains to Arnold Rimmer in an early episode of the British science fiction comedy series RED DWARF, "Death isn't the handicap it used to be." Today, it's a given that, in the world of super heroes, death is, at worst, a revolving door, and any character who breathes his or her last … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Silver Age Character Deaths
This one isn't about a comic book feature that saw print but rather one that didn't--at least not in its original intended form. SHOWCASE was the round-robin series that would move from editor to editor throughout the DC stable, each of whom was expected to debut some new feature within its pages as a try-out … Continue reading SHOWCASE #50 and the Non-History of Yankee Doodle Dandy
https://youtu.be/ep24HnqQKus Here's the first video of all-new content that isn't based on a piece that previously ran on this site (though it could have.)
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
1989 was the year in which I entered the field, so this will be the final installment of this topic, as I don't think it's possible to be objective past this point. Grant Morrison begins his revelatory run on DOOM PATROL by hearkening back to the earliest stories and remembering that these characters are more … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1989
This one's a little bit of a cheat, as the story I'm about to share with you doesn't concern Robotman, Elasti-Girl or negative man in any way, nor does it have any direct relevance on the World's Strangest Heroes apart from the similarity of name. But as the Doom Patrol's creators seemed to take inspiration … Continue reading The First Doom Patrol
I'm pretty certain that my grandmother had brought this comic for me. I had thoughtlessly begun to badger her during the week to look for specific issues that I was interested in reading in the stores out her way, and she accommodated for a short period of time, before eventually just lying and saying that … Continue reading BHOC: SHOWCASE #96
The second issue of SHOWCASE featuring the All-New Doom Patrol. I have a strong feeling of having picked this issue up while at my Grandmother’s house, though I’m not 100% certain of that. It’s got a dynamic Jim Aparo cover that really grabbed me, despite the liberties taken with Robotmans new design. You can also … Continue reading BHOC: SHOWCASE #95
I was already a big fan of the Doom Patrol from their appearances in SUPER-TEAM FAMILY, and I had seen the ads touting the return of SHOWCASE (as well as publisher Jenette Kahn’s publishorial concerning it) for weeks, so I was totally in the tank for this book when it finally came out. Jim Aparo’s … Continue reading BHOC: SHOWCASE #94
The mailman brought my subscription copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, another oversized installment in writer Steve Englehart’s excellent year-long run. Having left Marvel behind, Englehart agreed to do a year’s worth of Justice League stories for DC, and negotiated that they be of extra-length so that he could service the huge cast the series … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #145
The Tom Brevoort Experience 