There was a bit of a delay in the publication of the second volume of THE X-MEN COMPANION. Part of the hold-up, apparently, was that Neal Adams was meant to do the cover, but he wound up not turning anything in. I can't speculate on whether this was due to some other issue between himself … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #2: Chris Claremont Interview
Even by 1982, there was no figure more associated with the growing success of the X-Men than writer Chris Claremont. While Claremont hadn't come up with the book or any of its characters, he joined the series as its regular writer in very early days, and continued onward for an unbroken 16 year stint in … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Chris Claremont Interview
It's more of the same here, another interview conducted by Peter Sanderson in 1982 for the first of Fantagraphics' X-MEN COMPANION books commemorating the creation of the new series and its meteoric rise to popularity in the early Direct Sales market. This one was a bit more expansive a piece than the last two because … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Dave Cockrum Interview
Continuing our look at the two-volume X-MEN COMPANION published by Fantagraphics in 1982, just as X-MEN was expanding from being the darling of the Direct Market to a full-on juggernaut across the whole of the industry. Writer and historian Peter Sanderson interviewed pretty much all of the principle writers and artists involved in the creation … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Len Wein Interview
In 1982, there was simply no hotter book in the Direct Sales marketplace than UNCANNY X-MEN. Riding off of the tremendous success of the Dark Phoenix Saga, the series was rocketed to the absolute pinnacle of the sales charts, at least in comic book specialty shops. X-MEN was super hot, and so the publishers of … Continue reading THE X-MEN COMPANION #1: Roy Thomas Interview
Dealer and comics historian Bob Beerbohm was recently talking about how the sales of X-MEN skyrocketed in his shop when artist John Byrne came on board the title with issue #108. He indicates that his guess is that the series might have been cancelled otherwise, though I find this difficult to believe. Based on what … Continue reading BHOC: X-MEN #112
This is another unfamiliar cover for me. Unfamiliar because the copy of this book that I got had been stripped of its cover, which was sent back to the distributor for credit. However, rather than destroying the remainder of the book as he was required to do, the wholesaler instead sold it and a mountain … Continue reading BHOC: DAREDEVIL #144
Another issue that I picked up coverless in one of the plastic bundles of coverless comics that had been stripped for credit then sold nonetheless. This was the second issue of NOVA that I got in one of these, and it helped to make me interested in the strip. Before I'd read an issue, I'd … Continue reading BHOC: NOVA #8
I still wasn't a regular reader of DEFENDERS--I sort of backed into it after buying a few issues in a row, where momentum simply took over at that point. I had read the issue prior to this one and liked it well enough, but not so strongly as to motivate my purchase of the next … Continue reading BHOC: DEFENDERS #61
This is another comic book whose cover is a bit unfamiliar to me. And the reason for that is that this is another book that I got in one of those plastic-wrapped bundles of coverless recent comics from my local Drug Store chain. I think that to this day, I don't possess a copy of … Continue reading BHOC: DAREDEVIL #146
The Tom Brevoort Experience 