Lost Crossovers: ADVENTURE COMICS #85

This is a little bit of a cheat, but only a little bit in my eyes, as the crossover element in this story is big and prevalent, even though it doesn't quite entirely qualify as a bona fide crossover in the way most others do. As we've spoken about in the past, DC (then known … Continue reading Lost Crossovers: ADVENTURE COMICS #85

BC: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #200

Among the other comic books that I borrowed from my grade school friend Donald Sims in order to read them was WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #200. I was interested in it mostly due to my understanding of how centennial issues were managed: they always contained a seminal story for the series involved, and so they were … Continue reading BC: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #200

5BC: Five Attempts to Replicate Spider-Man

It was clear early on that the most important and successful new super hero character introduced during the Silver Age of Comics was Spider-Man. The work that Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita had put into the series had paid dividends, and the wall-crawler was soon a worldwide icon able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against … Continue reading 5BC: Five Attempts to Replicate Spider-Man

Lost Crossovers: MAGAZINELAND, USA #1

MAGAZINELAND, USA was a giveaway comic book designed for the celebration on June 18, 1977, which had been proclaimed World Color Press Day. World Color were the printers for virtually all of the comic books that were then available on the nation's newsstands, including the output of DC, Marvel, Archie, Harvey and others. Accordingly, those … Continue reading Lost Crossovers: MAGAZINELAND, USA #1

BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #483

For almost the entirety of its run, I had been a regular reader of BATMAN FAMILY. But during the famous DC Implosion, in which DC's publishing line was significantly pruned back, BATMAN FAMILY had been merged with DETECTIVE COMICS in an effort to keep the series that the company had been named after alive. Clearly, … Continue reading BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #483

GH: DETECTIVE COMICS #526

If there's one thing that DC did well in the early 1980s, it was producing oversized anniversary issues. They wound up doing a bunch of these, and almost all of them are exceptional in one way or another. This one is no exception, a key moment in Batman history. But still, this was my final … Continue reading GH: DETECTIVE COMICS #526

WC: DETECTIVE COMICS #349

This was the latest issue of DETECTIVE COMICS that I wound up with in my 1988 Windfall Comics purchase, where I bought a box of close to 150 Silver Age comic books for $50.00. And it represents a bit of a quantum leap forward from the earliest one that was in that purchase, the strongest … Continue reading WC: DETECTIVE COMICS #349

WC: DETECTIVE COMICS #343

By 1965, DETECTIVE COMICS had become something of a schizophrenic title. Editor Julie Schwartz's revamp of Batman had taken hold and increased sales, saving the series from possible termination. Yet, he was still limited by DC/National's deal with Batman's creator Bob Kane. Kane was to be provided a certain amount of work on the series … Continue reading WC: DETECTIVE COMICS #343

BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #20

This was, it turned out, the final issue of BATMAN FAMILY in its current form. Shortly after this, the DC Implosion would happen, slashing the size of the DC line dramatically and costing a number of people--including this issue's editor Al Milgrom--their jobs. On the chopping block at that moment was DETECTIVE COMICS, as it … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #20

5BC: Five Times Super Heroes Met Real People

Crossovers among characters originating in different comic books have become by this point so commonplace as to not even be worthy of notice, and crossovers between characters from different publishing entities have similarly increased to the point where, while they've still got a bit of built-in excitement to them, they're still relatively commonplace. But the … Continue reading 5BC: Five Times Super Heroes Met Real People