In the years to come, anime would become an important part of my life. Through anime fandom, I would meet some of my closest lifelong friends, and also develop the skills that allowed me to succeed during my internship at Marvel Comics. But in 1979, all of that lay ahead of me. I had no … Continue reading BHOC: SHOGUN WARRIORS #3
For the first couple of years of its existence, WHAT IF was a really good comic book. Creators seemed to come up with premises that allowed them to tell stories that took familiar characters in wild new directions, and the outcomes of those stories were all over the map. So it was a fascinating series … Continue reading GH: WHAT IF #38
Now this was a comic book that I really liked. So much so that I sent a letter of comment in to the letters page asking that creator John Byrne be allowed to both write and pencil FANTASTIC FOUR. A real case of "be careful what you wish for", as I stopped buying FF under … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #50
Walt Simonson had taken over the reins of FANTASTIC FOUR and propelled it into the stratosphere with a series of expansive stories that drew upon the best of Jack Kirby's era on the title and turned the concepts up to eleven. Graphically, the book looked sweet as well, as Walter was able to channel Kirby's … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1991
This issue of MARVEL SUPER ACTION was, I believe, my first real encounter with the work of Jim Steranko. He had done earlier pieces that I had seen--the cover to the Olshevsky FANTASTIC FOUR index for one, and of course his two volumes of THE STERANKO HISTORY OF COMICS. But this was the first comic … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL SUPER ACTION #13
By 1971, Stan Lee's career scripting comic books was winding down. While he'd remain in place as Marvel's Publisher for the remainder of the decade, he ceased scripting pretty much everything he had been working on, except for an occasional and far-between assignment. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #96 is the first part of the last truly great … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1971
When I did the initial wave of these 5 Best write-ups concerning the best comic books of each year, I confined myself to just the years when I was a fan and a reader, 1973-1989. I didn't think that it was proper for me to go beyond that, as I was a participant in the … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1972
This issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA was the last book that was in the SUPERHERO GIFT PACK that I was given for Christmas in 1978. It was another issue from right at the end of writer/artist Jack Kirby's individualistic run, one that read and played unlike anything else in the Marvel line. As always, Jack's work … Continue reading BHOC: CAPTAIN AMERICA #213
NEW MUTANTS was very much an anticipated comic book in 1982. It was going to be a long-in-development spin-off/expansion of X-MEN, which was at that moment and throughout the decade the most popular comic book in the land. NEW MUTANTS started as a way of pushing back at Marvel EIC Jim Shooter, who had been … Continue reading GH: NEW MUTANTS #3
The last things that came in the SUPERHERO GIFT PACK that I was given for Christmas in 1978 was two consecutive issues of CAPTAIN AMERICAN AND THE FALCON, of which this was the first. While the series had returned to its middle-of-the-road Marvel house style approach in recent months, these earlier issues written and drawn … Continue reading BHOC: CAPTAIN AMERICA #212
The Tom Brevoort Experience 