Lee & Kirby: When Challengers of the Unknown Presaged Fantastic Four

When we talk about the forces that came into play in the creation of the original Marvel super heroes, in particular the Fantastic Four and attempt to apportion credit (or blame) between the two men who worked on those early strips, one earlier feature that is inevitably invoked is Jack Kirby's series for DC, CHALLENGERS … Continue reading Lee & Kirby: When Challengers of the Unknown Presaged Fantastic Four

BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #113

Now this was a good issue all around, one that catapulted the new X-MEN into the upper tiers of my favorite comics of the era. I'd been growing more enchanted by this strange new team for a couple of issues now, having had to work out who everybody was on the fly a little bit … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #113

BHOC: THOR #275

This week brought out another issue of THOR, a title that I had only recently begun to get into and enjoy. New writer Roy Thomas had decided to lean into the genuine Norse legends for his first big epic, which saw the Gods of Ragnarok once again facing the approaching threat of Ragnarok, the end-of-the-world … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #275

BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN POCKET BOOKS Volume 2

It was on a shopping trip to the Smith Haven Mall that I came across this Pocket Books paperback reprint of early Spider-Man stories in one of the three bookstores that were located within that mall. Despite the fact that it was the second volume in the series and I didn't know whether I would … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN POCKET BOOKS Volume 2

BHOC: NOVA #21

Another week back at the 7-11 brought another issue of NOVA, a title that I'd only just begun to follow, having enjoyed the pair of coverless issues I'd gotten sometime previously. NOVA was an attempt on the part of writer Marv Wolfman to create a new young Spider-Man-like super hero for the Marvel Universe. And … Continue reading BHOC: NOVA #21

BHOC: X-MEN #18

As we spoke about yesterday, this was the second of two early issues of X-MEN that my father brought home for me one evening after I'd inveigled him into stopping off at the Heroes World store in the Levittown Mall on his way home from work for just this purpose. I don't know that I … Continue reading BHOC: X-MEN #18

Blah Blah Blog: The Old Young Avengers

A post from my old Marvel blog in which I shared Jim Valentino's and Rob Liefeld's pitch for a series called YOUNG AVENGERS from 1989--a pitch that didn't happen thanks to the similar NEW WARRIORS already being in production. The Old Young Avengers March 24, 2010 | 9:17 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog: The Old Young Avengers

BHOC: X-MEN #16

I continued to be a regular nuisance to my father, trying to convince him time and time again to stop by the Heroes World location in the Levittown Mall on his way home from work (since the bank branch that he operated out of was in that same mall complex) and pick me up back … Continue reading BHOC: X-MEN #16

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #95

During that same weekly run to the 7-11 on Thursday for new comics, I bought this issue of MARVEL TALES. This was a strange story, almost a reprint of a reprint in a way. When it was originally released in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Gerry Conway had just stepped onto the title as the new regular writer, … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #95

BHOC: INVADERS #32

I picked up this issue of INVADERS on another regular sortie to the local 7-11 on Thursday as usual. It was a title that I quite liked, though looking back on it it isn't anywhere near as polished as I recall it being. This particular issue, the first of a two-parter, was an attempt to … Continue reading BHOC: INVADERS #32