These next two issues of IRON MAN were somewhat defining for the era, in that they separated Tony Stark from his armor and caused him to have to deal with life-threatening situations on his own without the aid of advanced ordinance and head-to-toe protection. In essence, it was a full steer into the style of … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #125
The second of the New Universe titles to make its debut (at the same time as STAR BRAND #1) was ultimately one of the line's more troubled outings, right from the get-go. It only lasted a little bit over a year, a casualty of the line being contracted and re-envisioned following Editor in Chief Jim … Continue reading Brand Echh: SPITFIRE AND THE TROUBLESHOOTERS #1
Even at the time, we all knew in my circle of friends that the New Fantastic Four cartoon that was then airing on NBC on Saturday mornings wasn't very good. This despite the involvement of the comic's co-creator Jack Kirby as a designer and storyboard artist and dialogue written by Marvel figures such as Stan … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #209
Another issue of DEFENDERS came out, and this one was a bit more to my liking. It was Earthbound, for one, and it introduced me to Steve Gerber's creation the Foolkiller. I wasn't familiar with the character prior to this--I hadn't much read MAN-THING or similar monster/horror titles. But I immediately understood his shtick, and … Continue reading BHOC: DEFENDERS #74
The eight New Universe titles rolled out two-a-week across a month's worth of time, and I sampled all of them. The promotion around this initiative made it feel like a seminal event, and so I was determined not to miss the moment. Ultimately, I found myself disappointed with pretty much all of the launch titles, … Continue reading Brand Echh: STAR BRAND #1
By the time of UNCANNY X-MEN #124, I had been buying the book for about a year and a half, and I enjoyed it every month. It wasn't my favorite title, didn't differentiate itself from the rest of the pack in that manner at the time. But it was a book that could be relied … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #124
I owned at least two copies of this first volume of THE X-MEN COMPANION, possibly three. And I got them for the stupidest of reasons. At the time, having relocated to a new development in Delaware, I was forced to get my comic books monthly via mail order from Geppi's Comic World. This meant filling … Continue reading FSC: THE X-MEN COMPANION I
I don't know that I ever borrowed this first MARVEL TREASURY EDITION from my grade school friend Donald Sims, but I definitely read it over at his house during one visit or another. And I can recall seeking him out a year or two later, when I was in Junior High, to offer to buy … Continue reading BC: MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #1
I had picked up POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57 thanks to the guest appearance of the X-Men in that issue. But having cracked the seal, that meant that I almost automatically began buying the book regularly, even though I was only lukewarm on that prior issue. I had sampled an issue or two of … Continue reading BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #58
The New Universe was a bit of an epic fiasco in the history of Marvel Comics. it had been conceived as a way to mark the company's 25th Anniversary as a popular publisher. Instead, it turned out to be an almost-instantly stillborn blemish, a complete creative misfire that was reviled and derided by the fans … Continue reading Brand Echh: THE NEW UNIVERSE
The Tom Brevoort Experience 