Personal Best: AVENGERS #1

This book has been on my list to write about for a while now, but given the sad news regarding the health of artist George Perez, it now seems like something I should get too sooner rather than later. For those who are unaware, george has been diagnosed with inoperable and terminal cancer, and he's … Continue reading Personal Best: AVENGERS #1

The Last Two-Gun Kid Story

The Two-Gun Kid was one of the longest-running characters in the Marvel line. He was created in 1948 in TWO-GUN KID #1 and over the next three decades he'd appear in not only his own magazine but also in stories featured in other western anthologies. This original Two-Gun Kid wasn't a masked cowboy, but rather … Continue reading The Last Two-Gun Kid Story

Make Mine Marvel Memorabilia 3

It's been a while since we did one of these round-ups of vintage Marvel merchandise from years past, primarily the formative 1960s and 1970s. So what say we look at a few more pieces of this stuff? This INCREDIBLE HULK/AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ADVENTURE CITY playset from 1978 features cardboard stand-ups of teh Green Goliath, the wall-crawler … Continue reading Make Mine Marvel Memorabilia 3

BHOC: THOR #257

This issue of THOR has a very nice, if somewhat generic, cover by the character's co-creator Jack Kirby and inker Joe Sinnott. Kirby had returned to the Marvel fold at this time, and he was immediately put to use on covers throughout the line, as well as his own solo written and drawn projects. But … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #257

Simon & Kirby: When Fighting American Stole From Starman

FIGHTING AMERICAN is a well-remembered series produced by the Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Studio in the 1950s. It started out as a reaction to the revival of Simon & Kirby's best-selling patriotic super hero at Atlas Comics, Captain America--they figured that if the public wanted that kind of a character, they were better suited … Continue reading Simon & Kirby: When Fighting American Stole From Starman

PIZZAZZ #1

In the late 1970s, things were not looking good for the comic book industry in general or for Marvel in particular. As "mom & pop" stores were steadily replaced by large chain outlets such as 7-11, the venues for comic book sales continued to dwindle. Comics were a small-margin business, and even those places that … Continue reading PIZZAZZ #1

The First Book-Length Superman Adventure

A short while back, we covered an issue of SUPERMAN that I had purchased in 1988 as a part of my big Windfall Comics buy. That issue featured a single full-length Superman adventure rather than the usual three shorter stories that the title typically ran. (That story was broken up into three discrete chapters so … Continue reading The First Book-Length Superman Adventure

Comics Creators in the Wild 9

Given that today is Stan Lee's birthday and that he is likely the most photographed comic book creator in the world, it seems like an ideal time to do another installment of this series. Once again, these are all vintage photographs of assorted comic book writers, artists and editors from years past. Jack Kirby in … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 9

5BC: Five Best Silver Age Character Deaths

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

Lee & Kirby: The Mysteries of INCREDIBLE HULK #1

In the latest issue of the fantastic magazine THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR published by TwoMorrows Publications (and available at this link: ) https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_57&products_id=1562&zenid=b1816d55c0c77183a6dd6e0571fa38f5 ...writer and comics historian Will Murray contributes a piece taking a closer look at INCREDIBLE HULK #1. Murray's contention is that the character of the Hulk originally had a different name, which … Continue reading Lee & Kirby: The Mysteries of INCREDIBLE HULK #1