I have a vague memory of running across this issue in a candy store far from my usual haunts in a shopping mall where my parents had gone to get something. I was very much invested in the ongoing storyline featuring Carrion--probably the first such "mystery villain" plotline that I'd ever read--so i was excited … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #30
Continuing back with our look at this 1973 release that explained elements of filmmaking storytelling and composition by using visual examples selected from contemporaneous Marvel comic books. This was a volume that could be found in many an artist's drawing space during the 1970s. A sequence illustrated by Larry Lieber. Here are two sequences by … Continue reading MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED: THE COMICBOOK FILMBOOK, Part Two
PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN was in the middle of a very good run of stories mainly revolving around the true identity of a mysterious new foe for the wall-crawler, the creepy Carrion. It was clear based upon the assorted clues dropped into the narrative that Carrion was somebody who knew an awful lot about … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #29
PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN had, for most of its run, been a weak sister second title to the main Spidey series, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. While there had been some good stories along the way, PPSSM operated in the shadow of ASM, never entirely carrying its own weight, and inevitably staffed by talent that wasn't yet … Continue reading GH: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #79
After a few shaky months following the successive departures of both writer Len Wein and artist Ross Andru, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN finally felt like it was back in the groove again. New writer Marv Wolfman had started up a number of running subplots in Peter Parker's life, making it feel nuanced and textured again, and the … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #190
And so, we come to the end of the line. This is the final issue that I got in my Windfall Comics purchase of 1988, where I bought a box of close to 150 silver age comics from a guy I bumped into at the post office for $50.00. And it's a good place to … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #356
This issue of ACTION COMICS is noteworthy in that it contains one of the first Superman story written by Cary Bates, who would go on to become a regular contributor to the Man of Steel's adventures in the 1970s. Bates broke into the field by submitting ideas for catchy cover images to editors such as … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #354
This next issue of AVENGERS was the second half of a two-parter that editor in chief Jim Shooter commissioned from Tom DeFalco in order to help him get ahead on the title, which was suffering as Jim's day job was eating up all of his time. I believe that this was the first story DeFalco … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #180
By 1966, there was a divide forming between the entertainment preferred by older generations of Americans and what interested the young people of the time. This was when the term "generation gap" was first coined, and it represents the state of affairs perfectly. Creators in all media sought some way of reaching a more youthful … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #345
I suspect that the middle-late 1960s was a tough time for longtime Superman line editor Mort Weisinger. For the first time in recorded history, Batman was routinely outselling his cash cow from Krypton as a result of the faddish success of the 1966 BATMAN television series. This state of affairs wouldn't last--the Man of Steel … Continue reading WC: ACTION COMICS #344
