As the 1940s transitioned into the 1950s, the heyday of the typical costumed super hero appeared to be in its twilight. While big marquee characters such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman continued to post sufficient sales to continue in their respective titles, all across the field, other less fortunate crusaders were hanging up their … Continue reading The First Silver Age DC Super Hero
During that first excursion to Ed's Coins and Stamps, I did what I always tended to do in these situations: I bought the oldest issue of a key comic book series that I could afford. In this instance, that turned out to be THE FLASH #130, which was my oldest issue of the title for … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #130
It's been well covered over the years that in 1964, with sales flagging thanks to editor Jack Schiff clinging to an outdated approach to the character as the Silver Age blossomed, the reins of the Caped Crusader's two titles were handed over to editor Julie Schwartz, in the hopes that Schwartz, who'd had a lot … Continue reading WC: DETECTIVE COMICS #329
It's an argument that comes up every couple of months like clockwork, especially when some new film or television project is announced. There are always those that espouse that Batman, in order to be treated realistically, should carry and use a gun. And these people inevitably point to the character's earliest days as justification, talking … Continue reading When Batman Used A Gun
This issue of MYSTERY IN SPACE, another book that I got in my Windfall Comics purchase of 1988, sports another of those great halftone covers that DC production man Jack Adler was experimenting with. The added texture does give the piece a nice painterly quality, as well as far more subtlety than the typical DC … Continue reading WC: MYSTERY IN SPACE #55
This issue of GREEN LANTERN was noteworthy right on the face of it, as it featured one of production maven Jack Adler's washtone cover treatments on Gil Kane's illustration. These washtone pieces were experimented with on assorted DC titles in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most often the war books. But as far as … Continue reading WC: GREEN LANTERN #8
This is one of the best and most memorable covers in the run of THE FLASH, and a good example of the appeal of the early Silver Sage DC line. Putting aside the actual image concept for a moment, look at how beautifully artists Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson use tone and texture on this … Continue reading WC: THE FLASH #133
When I was a kid, Green Lantern was my second favorite super hero, right behind the Flash (just as he was right behind the Scarlet Speedster in those days, when his strip was a back-up in FLASH.) This despite the fact that somehow, the character conception is nonsense. Green lantern--it's such a weird name for … Continue reading WC: GREEN LANTERN #7
Here's another comic from the Silver Age that I acquired in my Windfall Comic haul in 1988, paying a three-for-a-dollar price for them. The Flash had been my favorite super hero as a kid, and while his luster had dimmed somewhat for me by 1988, it was still a joy to find issues of his … Continue reading WC: THE FLASH #132
Another similar thing that I did during my first trip to my very first comic book shop, Heroes World in Levittown, was to buy the oldest issue of THE FLASH that I could. As with FANTASTIC FOUR, there were some older releases on the wall--I seem to recall that SHOWCASE #13 with its pirate torpedo … Continue reading BHOC: FLASH #158
The Tom Brevoort Experience 