Here's another masterful Neal Adams cover from an issue of HOUSE OF SECRETS, one of DC's mystery/supernatural anthology titles. It has to be said that, especially in the early part of the 1970s, these books carried uniformly great covers much of the time--it was a real showpiece for the artists involved. Here, Adams uses Crafttint … Continue reading Great Covers: HOUSE OF SECRETS #88
This was another comic book that I came into possession of through swapping with my buddy Donald Sims, and it was an acquisition of some great interest. In general, for me during this period, any comic book with a 20 cent price tag seemed old somehow, vintage--even though I had started reading during the last … Continue reading BHOC: X-MEN #87
Starting in the late 1960s, DC maintained a whole line of "mystery" title, the inspiration of editor Joe Orlando, who saw an opportunity in the marketplace for books that would approximate the thrills of the long-dead EC line and their brethren. Individually, any of the issues within this line would be hit-or-miss, depending on which … Continue reading Great Covers – HOUSE OF SECRETS #91
This was yet another issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP that I wound up getting from my buddy Donald Sims during the last two years of grad school at some point. I definitely wound up with the better end of the deal in this instance. Because in just a few months, the prices on any and all … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #53
When I think abut the Christmas season, I'm often put in mind of this issue of DETECTIVE COMICS, the seminal issue #500. I bought it on Christmas eve, 1980, and I don't know that any of the gifts I received the following morning were a match for that reading experience. It's all tangled up in … Continue reading Perfect Game – DETECTIVE COMICS #500
This particular issue would be my candidate for most underwhelming oversized anniversary issue of the era. It was heavily promoted throughout the DC titles of the era--and who could resist that story hook? It's the day the Batman retires! But honestly, it's a pretty bleh read, tedious, and with the central thesis really being fitted … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN #300
in the final years of the 1970s, the major comic book companies realized that centennial issues and other similar anniversary issues could be upsized and uppriced and bring in a heck of a lot more money for their respective companies. And so, this was the age where the centennial mega-special was really hatched. And it … Continue reading Perfect Game – JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #200
Pretty sure that this was another book that my brother picked up that I eventually ended up with. All comics came to me eventually. Despite the fact that it was still being edited by Julie Schwartz, whose editorial style helped to define what I liked in my comic books, I still wasn't following Batman with … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN #299
This was another book that I picked up on my weekly trips to 7-11 on Thursdays when new comics would drop. Green Lantern was at this point one of my favorite characters, primarily due to his stories in the back of FLASH. I wasn't quite as wild about the GL/GA incarnation of the character--while I … Continue reading BHOC: GREEN LANTERN #102
There was a little store in one of the mini-malls where my Mother regularly shopped--I can't recall if it was a candy store or a stationary store or what. But the important bit here is that it carried a tiny selection of comic books. Tiny--just a few titles at any given time. So each time … Continue reading BHOC: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #140
