As I spoke about last week, the early Marvel Comics was relatively consistent with the manner in which it dealt with death. As a general rule, when a character was genuinely killed (as opposed to suffering a "super villain death" at the climax of a story where they fell into the river or some such) … Continue reading The First Marvel Resurrection
The opening up of the Direct Sales marketplace, comprised of a string of independently-operated comic book specialty shops across the Nation and eventually the globe--offered up new promise in terms of the way in which comic books were sold. Up to this point, Comics were sold like any other periodical publication: a print run was … Continue reading Brand Echh: JCP Features the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1
These days, the concept of a crossover between two different fictional characters has become so entrenched in popular culture that it's difficult to come across a pairing that is truly noteworthy. In a world in which everybody is exploring a Multiverse, it seems strange to think that there was a time when the idea that … Continue reading 5BC: 5 Most Unlikely and Unprecedented Crossovers
Continuing on with our look at the first issue of DC/National Periodical Publications' in0house fanzine, THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS. An introduction to the DC interns known as the "woodchucks" as well as the men who supervised them. Most of these individuals went on to have prominent careers in the field, notably Paul Levitz. … Continue reading THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #1, Part 2
Another installment of our popular feature where we showcase vintage photographs of popular comic book creators from days gone by. This is sometimes known as "Stan Lee and friends" given how often Lee was photographed over the years. Mark Gruenwald and Nel Yomtov at a convention in the late 1980s Renee Witterstaetter at a party … Continue reading Comics Creators in the Wild 11
With the untimely passing of Neal Adams, a giant in the field, I can't think of anything more fitting to feature than this largely-forgotten story illustrated by him for Warren publishing's CREEPY #75. The piece was written by Jim Stenstrum, and while it was of its time in its era, today some 47 years later, … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: CREEPY #75
I would have to say that arguably X-MEN: GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS is the single best-executed, best-realized single release in Chris Claremont's long time as the writer of the X-Men. It does exactly what the MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVELs were intended to do: crafts a story with a beginning, middle and end that encapsulates all of … Continue reading X-MEN: GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS Neal Adams’ way
While suprise reprints were something of a scourge over at Marvel Comics during the in 1970s, they were an almost unheard of occurence in rival DC's titles. Which is what makes this issue of ACTION COMICS such a surprise. Behind a dynamic new cover by Neal Adams (a different version of the image that he … Continue reading BHOC: ACTION COMICS #485
In the latter part of the 1960s, change was beginning to be felt within the halls of venerable old DC Comics (then operating as National Periodical Publications.) The culture at large was going through a shift, and so the tried-and-true methodology that had kept the giant publisher on top was no longer working as well … Continue reading TEEN TITANS #20: Titans Don’t Fit the Battle of Jericho
The NATIONAL LAMPOON is one of the great publishing success stories of the 1970s. It was effectively spun out of the long-running Harvard Lampoon published by that institution of higher learning by a number of graduates, and it successfully plugged into the zeitgeist of its era, expanding at its height beyond simply a monthly magazine … Continue reading Brand Echh: National Lampoon and the other Neal Adams Deadman
The Tom Brevoort Experience 