BHOC: MARVEL NOVEL SERIES #5

It was at about this point that my family went to see the film BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY at the local movie theater. We didn't realize it at the time--well, I didn't, at least--but this film was actually the pilot movie for a new television series that would debut in a couple of … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL NOVEL SERIES #5

BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #31

This is something of an underwhelming cover for the conclusion to a long-running story. But I was there for it either way. This extended Carrion sequence in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN was, I believe, my first experience with a long-running mystery figure plot, and so even though the end result was a just a … Continue reading BHOC: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #31

BHOC: MARVEL PREMIERE #48

I don't remember where I picked up this issue of MARVEL PREMIERE featuring the second half of the two-part debut of the new Ant-Man, Scott Lang. But it wasn't at my regular 7-11 haunt; they weren't carrying MARVEL PREMIERE, and their selection in general had been pulled back to tried-and-true sellers. So I must have … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL PREMIERE #48

BHOC: IRON MAN #123

After surviving years when it was at best a second-tier title and at worst an afterthought, things were beginning to look up for IRON MAN. The current creative team of writer David Michelinie, penciler John Romita Jr. and inker and co-plotter Bob Layton built upon what their predecessor Bill Mantlo had done with the strip … Continue reading BHOC: IRON MAN #123

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #207

My year of frustration continued with FANTASTIC FOUR #207, another issue of my favorite title that I first saw out in the world in spinner racks the week that it came out. But having won a free subscription to the series, I had to wait until my copy finally made its way to me through … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #207

BHOC: DEFENDERS #72

This is going to become a common refrain as we move through the next couple of years or so: another blah issue of DEFENDERS came out and was bought by me. It truly is a testament to just how well the mythology that all of the books that were a part of the Marvel Universe … Continue reading BHOC: DEFENDERS #72

BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #122

This particular issue had been spotlighted on the monthly Bullpen Bulletins page, so I was more excited to snap it up than usual. And in the end, it was simply all right--an issue dedicated more to character-building than heroic adventure. This was one of the elements that made this period of UNCANNY X-MEN stand out … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #122

BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57

This was the first issue of POWER MAN AND IRON FIST that I bought new off of the stands. I had sampled a random issue or two of both POWER MAN and Iron Fist's appearances in MARVEL PREMIERE, but neither of them had especially hooked me. But the big added factor here was the guest-appearance … Continue reading BHOC: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #57

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #104

MARVEL TALES continued to carry on, reprinting stories from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN that had originally been published only a relatively few years prior. But as I was still in the process of filling in the gaps in my Marvel knowledge, these reprints were invaluable to me, and I followed them as avidly as any new comic … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #104

BHOC:INCREDIBLE HULK #236

I expect that I picked up this issue of INCREDIBLE HULK on my weekly bicycle trip down to my neighborhood 7-11 on Thursday afternoon, which is when the new comic books arrived back in those days. It was a series that I was following, more because it was a part of the larger Marvel Universe … Continue reading BHOC:INCREDIBLE HULK #236