FOOM, a.k.a. Friends Of Ol' Marvel, was the successor operation to the haphazard Marvelmania International once teh latter had gone belly-up. Stan Lee, now Marvel's publisher, still saw value in having a fan publication that could further ingratiate the readership with Marvel, as well as a place where the assorted licensing efforts that they'd begun … Continue reading FOOM #1
Here's another book that came to me out of a 3-Bag purchased at a toy store or a department store. It was the first issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA following the departure of the character's co-creator Jack Kirby as writer, artist and editor, and it gives every indication of having been something of a rush job. … Continue reading BHOC: CAPTAIN AMERICA #215
It's one of the great mysteries of the Golden Age of Comics why, after the Justice Society of America proved to be so popular in the pages of ALL-STAR COMICS, other publishers didn't attempt to put together their own teams of costumed crime-fighters to compete with it. There was really only DC's own Seven Soldiers … Continue reading Lost Crossover: MASTER COMICS #41
One of the myths about the Marvel Age of Comics is that it pretty much happened all at once--that as soon as FANTASTIC FOUR #1 hit newsstands coast-to-coast, the paradigm of comic books changed completely. And that's clearly not the case. In fact, it took a few years for the Marvel approach to storytelling to … Continue reading WC: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #91
Again, as with yesterday's book, I believe I picked up this issue of INVADERS on that same excursion to the Heroes World in Levittown with my grandparents. I wasn't really aware of it at the time, but the series had definitely reached its peak earlier, and now with the departure of artist Frank Robbins, it … Continue reading BHOC: INVADERS #31
This issue of THOR was another new book that I picked up on my outing to Heroes World with my grandparents. I didn't do so because I was completely enthralled with the series so much as an overall "no comic left behind" attitude that I had towards books that I would typically have picked up … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #274
In addition to picking up back issues on that trip to Heroes World in Levittown, New York with my grandparents, I also purchased a bunch of brand new books that hadn't quite made their way to my area yet, such as this issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION. I wasn't the type of kid who could … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #43
In addition to picking up a flight of new comics off of the racks at Heroes World in Levittown, New York, I also did a little bit of diving into the back issue bins. I didn't have a heck of a lot of money to work with--my grandparents were only going to indulge me so … Continue reading BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #165
It's one of the great unfinished symphonies in the history of comics. After having successfully teamed up Superman and Spider-Man twice, Batman and the Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men and the New Teen Titans, in 1983 Marvel and DC were prepared to release JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VS THE AVENGERS, uniting their two flagship teams … Continue reading The Original Plot For The Unfinished JLA/AVENGERS Crossover
Continuing our survey of the first issue of PIZZAZZ Magazine, published regionally by Marvel in 1977 before eventually earning full national distribution. PIZZAZZ was intended as an answer to such kids' magazines as DYNAMITE and was undertaken as a first step towards getting the company out of teh dying comic book business and moving into … Continue reading PIZZAZZ #1, Part 2
