SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE Catalog, Part Three

Wrapping up our look at the first SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE catalog that was put together by Ivan Snyder for his mail order operation that eventually transformed into HEROES WORLD. This is the section that transitioned more into published work, books on comics and back issues and the like. And it's worth pointing out that, in 1976, … Continue reading SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE Catalog, Part Three

BHOC: AVENGERS #174

This issue of AVENGERS was, you guessed it, another book that I bought during my trip to Heroes World in Levittown with my grandparents. It sported a very nice cover penciled by George Perez and inked by an infrequent collaborator, Terry Austin. Terry was at this point making John Byrne's work look its best over … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #174

The Incredible Hulk & The Amazing Spider-Man: The Gamma Gambit

For no discernable reason that I can figure out, there's been a sudden burst of interest in this obscure Marvel item from 1979--people are amazed that such a thing exists, and want to know more. Well, rest assured, those of us who were around in 1979 for its release were just as befuddled by it … Continue reading The Incredible Hulk & The Amazing Spider-Man: The Gamma Gambit

BHOC: THOR #274

This issue of THOR was another new book that I picked up on my outing to Heroes World with my grandparents. I didn't do so because I was completely enthralled with the series so much as an overall "no comic left behind" attitude that I had towards books that I would typically have picked up … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #274

SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE Catalog #1, Part Two

Here's the second part of our look at the first SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE catalog, put together for entrepreneur Ivan Snyder by several moonlighting freelancers from Marvel and available through the mail. SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE eventually transformed into being HEROES WORLD, an outlet of which was the very first comic book store that I ever encountered, so I … Continue reading SUPERHERO MERCHANDISE Catalog #1, Part Two

BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #43

In addition to picking up back issues on that trip to Heroes World in Levittown, New York with my grandparents, I also purchased a bunch of brand new books that hadn't quite made their way to my area yet, such as this issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION. I wasn't the type of kid who could … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #43

WC: FANTASTIC FOUR #30

This is a weird bit of serendipity, but sometimes that's the way the ball bounces. I only just got done writing about the reprint of this story in MARVEL COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS #22 a few moments ago, and the source for that reprint is the next book up in my survey of the books I … Continue reading WC: FANTASTIC FOUR #30

Blah Blah Blog – My Friend Stan

An entry from my old Marvel blog about Stan Lee friending me on Facebook back in the day. I believe the collection of Stan's Soapbox columns is still available through the Hero Initiative and can be ordered here: https://www.heroinitiative.org/shop/books/stans-soapbox-the-collection/ My Friend Stan November 21, 2008 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General A … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – My Friend Stan

BHOC: MARVEL COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS #22

This was the second of the pair of issues of MARVEL COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS that I bought on my trip to Heroes World with my grandparents. It was the last issue of the magazine--the following issue, its title changed to the moch zippier MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS, though its contents remained the same: a Fantastic Four … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS #22

Lost Crossovers: When Kathy Met Patsy Walker

Now, this is a fun little Easter Egg, although I'm not quite certain who it was intended for. It may simply have been editor Stan Lee amusing himself, as he sometimes did in the girl humor titles. In any event, those books operated in a loose quasi-relationship with one another that was almost a precursor … Continue reading Lost Crossovers: When Kathy Met Patsy Walker