The last book that I picked up on that bike visit to Ed's Coins & Stamps in the Sun-Vet Mall was this issue of DC SPECIAL, a reprint title. And I would guess that the reason why I purchased this issue was that it was cheap. For all that i was flush with cash after … Continue reading BHOC: DC SPECIAL #14
Ed's Coins and Stamps, the collectibles dealer whose shop was in the Sun-Vet Mall where I had gone to spend a bunch of my sixth grade graduation money was more of the DC shop than a Marvel one in terms of the back issues they had in stock. They weren't entirely bereft of Marvel material--I … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #139
This next book isn't one that I ever actually borrowed from my next-door-neighbor Johnny Rantinella. But it was one that I saw over at his house and flipped through extensively--enough so that I can clearly recall several details about it. I had only begun reading JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA with the preceding issue, and would … Continue reading BC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #110
At around this time, I wound up buying a number of Tempo paperback editions dedicated to assorted DC characters. These were DC's answer to the Marvel Pocket Books format, and they released six volumes through Grosset & Dunlap's Tempo imprint all at once. I wound up owning four of those six, starting with this BATMAN … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN Tempo Paperback
On that same trip to Ed's Coins and Stamps in the Sun-Vet Mall courtesy of my accommodating grandparents, I also purchased a back issue of THE FLASH, one of my favorite series. Ed had a decent stock of back issues of the title at reasonable prices, so I flipped through them and landed on this … Continue reading BHOC: THE FLASH #173
As with Hawkman, the Flash's final golden age appearance was in ALL-STAR COMICS #57 in 1950 as part of the Justice Society of America. But we're talking about the Scarlet Speedster's solo exploits here. And by that metric, Jay Garrick's final run in his winged helmet took place in the final issue of FLASH COMICS, … Continue reading The Last Flash Story
Well, not quite. For the members of the Justice Society of America, most of them made their final appearance of the Golden Age of Comics in the last JSA adventure, published in ALL-STAR COMICS #57 in December of 1950. But before that, many of the heroes' home anthology series came to an end, and with … Continue reading The Last Hawkman Story
A while ago, when I ran a piece on the first appearance of Captain Comet, certain fans were upset that I'd labeled it as the first Silver Age super hero. And I get what they're saying--the specific codifications of the different eras of comics are hardly universally agreed-upon, and pieces like that one do make … Continue reading The Last Captain Comet Story
By 1965, DETECTIVE COMICS had become something of a schizophrenic title. Editor Julie Schwartz's revamp of Batman had taken hold and increased sales, saving the series from possible termination. Yet, he was still limited by DC/National's deal with Batman's creator Bob Kane. Kane was to be provided a certain amount of work on the series … Continue reading WC: DETECTIVE COMICS #343
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
The Tom Brevoort Experience 