BHOC: SUPERMAN FAMILY #197

One of the other benefits of my new Stationery Store comic book purchasing location was the fact that I could reliably get comics that I'd only been able to follow ad hoc up to that point. I'd been a mostly regular reader of SUPERMAN FAMILY for some time, but I'm not quite sure how, as … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERMAN FAMILY #197

BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #170

That same week, I also picked up the latest issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, with this dramatic if a bit generic cover image. It was a relatively rare cover done by longtime series penciler Dick Dillin who, for whatever reason, was seldom approached to do the covers for the issues he was drawing. The … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #170

BHOC: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #254

I had fallen off of reading SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES for the past couple of months, not for any particular reason, simply that it still felt weird and off-kilter to my sensibilities. But I came back for this issue, though again, I'm not sure what motivated that decision. And I'd only stick around … Continue reading BHOC: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #254

Brand Echh: SPITFIRE AND THE TROUBLESHOOTERS #1

The second of the New Universe titles to make its debut (at the same time as STAR BRAND #1) was ultimately one of the line's more troubled outings, right from the get-go. It only lasted a little bit over a year, a casualty of the line being contracted and re-envisioned following Editor in Chief Jim … Continue reading Brand Echh: SPITFIRE AND THE TROUBLESHOOTERS #1

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #106

Marvel's long-running line of reprint titles was slowly diminishing as the 1970s reached the end of the decade and the mainstream newsstand outlets that were the lifeblood of comic book sales began to steadily be replaced by a greater reliance on the nascent network of comic book specialty stores. The idea behind such reprint titles … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #106

BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #169

For the next year or two, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA turned into a bit of a forgettable series. I still was buying it every month, but some of that was simply out of momentum. I had loved the series when I was younger, but whether it was that nostalgia made those earlier issues look better … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #169

BC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #136

This issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was another one that I read courtesy of my grade school friend Donald Sims, who lent me his copy for a day or two. Already by this time, the Green Goblin had become somewhat legendary as Spider-Man's greatest foe, his reputation somehow enhanced due to the fact that he wasn't … Continue reading BC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #136

BC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #134

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN continued to be Marvel's most popular and consistently best-selling title throughout the 1970s, as the character began to have a larger footprint across popular culture. So it wasn't any surprise that my grade school buddy Donald Sims had a number of issues in his comic book collection. Like the couple of Fourth World … Continue reading BC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #134

BC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #131

If there's ever a competition to determine the single most batshit crazy issue of a comic book released during the Bronze Age of Comics, this issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN has a real fighting chance to take the title. Just the cover alone gives you a tiny sample of the absurd and operatic events that are … Continue reading BC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #131

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #105

I continued to make MARVEL TALES a regular purchase, it being one of the few remaining reprint titles at this point. My circle of comic book reading friends looked down our noses at reprint books, the understood belief was that they were "worthless" because they wouldn't accrue in value as back issues, something that we … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #105