BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #28

This was the second of two issues of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN that were illustrated by a young Frank Miller, before that name really meant anything. Even more meaningfully, Daredevil, the character he would go on to reinvent, was a guest star in these two issues as well. It almost feels like fate. At … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #28

BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #27

This issue of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN is probably the most noteworthy and sought-after one in the whole of the run, for reasons that were not apparent to me when I first read it. And that's because it represents the first time that artist Frank Miller works on the character of Daredevil--a series that … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #27

BHOC: DAREDEVIL #156

This next issue of DAREDEVIL featured the return of a hallmark of the series. Not DD's original yellow costume--something that I was excited to see, having read the first DAREDEVIL issue in SON OF ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS--but rather artist Gene Colan returning to the book that he'd labored on for many years throughout the … Continue reading BHOC: DAREDEVIL #156

BHOC: DAREDEVIL #144

This is another unfamiliar cover for me. Unfamiliar because the copy of this book that I got had been stripped of its cover, which was sent back to the distributor for credit. However, rather than destroying the remainder of the book as he was required to do, the wholesaler instead sold it and a mountain … Continue reading BHOC: DAREDEVIL #144

Perfect Game – BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Book One

This is, I think, one of the most discussed comic book stories of all time, so I don't know that I'm going to have a whole lot that's new to add to the conversation. What I can bring to the table is some personal perspective. I would have been 19 years old in 1986 when … Continue reading Perfect Game – BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Book One

Comics Creators in the Wild 8

More photographs from years and decades past showcasing the writers, artists and editors of our favorite comic books. Mark Gruenwald in M.C. Hammer costume for Halloween, early 1990s John and Virginia Romita at a convention, circa 1986 Stan Lee plays the Atari Spider-Man video game, circa 1981 Steve Ditko, 1960s Stan Lee and costumed fans, … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 8

The Sales Figures of Marvel’s Jim Shooter

Well, not really Jim Shooter's directly, not in the same was as the Irwin Donenfeld sales charts we looked at last week. But I'm reasonably certain that I cribbed these newsstand tracking sheets from Jim Shooter's old web page a decade or so back, and he would have been there when they came in--so we'll … Continue reading The Sales Figures of Marvel’s Jim Shooter

Forgotten Masterpiece: THE SPIRIT #30, Part Two

Continuing on with our survey of the "Spirit Jam", the all-new story featuring Will Eisner's celebrated golden age character produced Jam-style by a bevy of top cartoonists and comic book artists and writers of the era, under the auspices of publisher Denis Kitchen and associate editor Cat Yronwode. Picking things up where we left off, … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: THE SPIRIT #30, Part Two