It was like a little miracle, a book that couldn't and possibly shouldn't ever happen. But happen it did--and SUPERMAN VS THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was an excellent mixing of the then-contemporary styles of Marvel and DC, very different flavors in that period. The creative team was spot on, anchored by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru, … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Comics of 1976
This next comic book I know was bought for my brother Ken, as there is no way I would have purchased a comic book based on a television comedy–that’s simply not what I was reading comic books for. But WELCOME BACK KOTTER was a hot show at the time, one that my family watched often … Continue reading BHOC: WELCOME BACK, KOTTER #1
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
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
Another folded-in-half subscription copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA showed up next in my mailbox. This one had a decent cover by Ernie Chua/Ernie Chan, though Wonder Woman has a strange torso, and a few of the background figures are a bit weird. I hadn’t been paying much attention to the continuing serial over in … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #128
I don’t own a copy of this issue of SUPERMAN today, so I’m pretty sure that it was traded to my next door neighbor Johnny Rantinella at some point, as happened occasionally with our comics. But I do know that I bought it from my regular 7-11 when it came out. This was another key … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #293
It came in the mail, folded in half as was the custom of the time: my subscription copy of the second half of 1975′s team-up between the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA and their counterparts in the Justice Society of Earth-2. As I’ve mentioned while chronicling the preceding issue, this storyline was, to put it generously, … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #124
The timing on this issue of SUPERMAN was fortuitous, and couldn’t have been simply a coincidence, as it follows up on a story recently reprinted in the SECRET ORIGINS SUPER VILLAINS treasury I had just read–the origin of Luthor. I can recall comparing panels from this story against their equivalents in the Treasury edition, and … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN #292
I was super-excited when my subscription copy of this issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA turned up in my mailbox, folded in half as was the custom of the time. That’s because it was the first part of the annual Justice League/Justice Society team-up. While I was familiar with the JSA, the only previous team-up … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #123
I feel like this issue of SHAZAM was probably purchased for my brother before ultimately ending up with me. That said, given that the cover features a reverse version of the hero, it is possible that I selected it myself, given my love of the Reverse-Flash. It’s a pretty solid issue, with two stories both … Continue reading BHOC: SHAZAM #19
The Tom Brevoort Experience 