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

Forgotten Masterpiece: ALL FUNNY COMICS #16

I only became aware of this story recently, and it has an aspect to it that may have been overlooked to some. So I'm going to feature it here. In the postwar era, the public's taste in comic books shifted away from super heroes towards other genres. Notably, humor comics became quite popular, and like … Continue reading Forgotten Masterpiece: ALL FUNNY COMICS #16

Jerry Lewis Meets Batman and Robin

It's somewhat difficult to believe today, but comedian and movie star Jerry Lewis headlined his own DC comic book for about twenty years, the first half-dozen in conjunction with his then-partner, Dean Martin. Amazingly, more copies of Jerry Lewis were being sold and consumed than of the Atom or Hawkman or the Doom Patrol, all … Continue reading Jerry Lewis Meets Batman and Robin

BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #287

I bought this issue of DETECTIVE COMICS during that same first visit to Bush's Hobbies, and I bought it for the same reason: it was old. I believe it was likely the oldest copy of DETECTIVE in the actual boxes (though I wouldn't be surprised if some earlier issues were either on the wall or … Continue reading BHOC: DETECTIVE COMICS #287

BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #18

At about this time, the next issue of BATMAN FAMILY came out, and I bought it at my trusty, reliable 7-11. I had been purchasing BATMAN FAMILY regularly almost since the beginning, and though I missed the vintage reprints in the transition over to the new Dollar Comics format, that didn't stop me from partaking. … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #18

5BC: Would You Believe Five More Forgotten DC Retcons

If there's one thing that DC has loved to do over the years, it's to explore strange story avenues and then abandon them. In some ways, that's become their history ever since CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS--it feels that you can't go but a few years anymore until everything you've read is thrown out and they … Continue reading 5BC: Would You Believe Five More Forgotten DC Retcons

BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #17

When she first arrived at DC as the new publisher, Jenette Kahn instituted a pet format that she hoped would help reverse DC's fortunes in the mainstream newsstand market: the Dollar Comic. As it said right in the name, a Dollar Comic cost a buck, but you got an awful lot of material for that … Continue reading BHOC: BATMAN FAMILY #17