By this moment in time PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN was past its best days--and even at its highest it had never been a great comic book series. Almost by default, the title was dedicated to providing "more" Spider-Man adventures for readers for whom a single AMAZING SPIDER-MAN release wasn't enough. These stories existed in … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #32
This next issue of AVENGERS was the first part of a well-remembered storyline--not so much for the plot per se as for the revelations it set up for prominent Avengers Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch about their lineage. It's worth setting the table a little bit, though. When they were introduced, Wanda and Pietro were … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #185
Jim Shooter is one of the most undeniably important figures in the history of comics. A child prodigy, he first broke into the business when he was only 13 years old, submitting stories to DC editor Mort Weisinger for the Legion of Super Heroes feature in ADVENTURE COMICS. Not realizing quite how young Shooter was, … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Good Guys #1
This next issue of IRON MAN was something of a pause in the run, a fill-in issue albeit one that had been integrated into the ongoing story narratives. It was also something of a throwback, recounting the events of Iron Man's origin and updating them slightly. I had already read Iron Man's origin in SON … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #122
Every once in a while, my mother would go to a more outlying supermarket when she needed something in particular, something that apparently wasn't carried by our local store. In that same shopping mall there was a card store or a candy store that sold comics. And that's where I came across this issue of … Continue reading BHOC: HOWARD THE DUCK #31
The question came up again this week, prompting a bunch of discussion (often blaming one person in specific for perceived slights): why did the announced and eagerly-anticipated 1983 crossover book starring the Avengers and the Justice League of America never see print and remain uncompleted? There are a bunch of fan rumor and innuendo and … Continue reading Why Did The 1983 JLA/AVENGERS Crossover Not Happen?
I picked up the next issue of MARVEL SUPER-HEROES on my next weekly Thursday trip to my local 7-11. This was probably the heyday for this reprint series. While most of Marvel's other reprint titles had fallen by the wayside, MSH continued on without pause, buoyed by the popularity of the Hulk's weekly CBS television … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #80
Well, I'd known this day was coming for several months now, but it was somehow always a surprise when it happened--typically because I was used to budgeting against a particular amount, and now all of those calculations were in the wind again. This issue of DAREDEVIL was the first book I bought where the cover … Continue reading BHOC: DAREDEVIL #158
That week, another issue of AVENGERS appeared at my local 7-11, and I picked it up without even much looking at it, as the book was on my regular buy list. Which is perhaps a good thing, because I don't know that this generic cover would have enticed me into completing the sale on its … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #182
I didn't know it at the time, but CAPTAIN AMERICA was in the midst of what would turn out to be a six-issue epic story. These things weren't typically announced ahead of time. Rather, stories sometimes ended in a To Be Continued and eventually, they ended and you knew how long they would be. In … Continue reading BHOC: CAPTAIN AMERICA #232
The Tom Brevoort Experience 