Continuing our look at the obscure 1966 strip Blooperman, which incorporated a number of parody ideas from comics fandom, many of which had been originated by Marvel writer/editor Roy Thomas years earlier. Once again here, the character's designed Jon D'Agostino draws the small vignette of Blooperman on this cover for GO-GO #5. Writer Gary Friedrich … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Fannish Adventures of Blooperman, Part Three
Continuing on in our survey of the four Blooperman stories published by Charlton Comics in the mid-1960s and how they intersected with certain elements of fandom, today we're taking a look at the second adventure of the dimwitted character, published in GO-GO #4. The character's visual creator Jon D'Agostino drew Blooperman on the cover, but … Continue reading Brand Ecch: The Fannish Adventures of Blooperman, Part Two
It was almost the end of the road for INVADERS, though I didn't know that at the time. But looking back, it seems almost inevitable. The artwork had been progressively getting less and less polished, and editor and series creator Roy Thomas had been letting other people write his baby. I can't imagine that the … Continue reading BHOC: INVADERS #39
Having dedicated themselves to making strides within the new Direct Sales marketplace, an arena in which Marvel had up to this point been overwhelmingly outselling pretty much everybody, DC produced a number of issues of DC SAMPLER, an overview and preview of their line intended to be given out at comic book specialty stores across … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #3
From time to time, my younger brother Ken would become interested in one comic book title or genre or another, and for a brief period of a few months read and collect it. I'm not entirely sure what caused his attraction to CONAN THE BARBARIAN at this particular moment, but for the next couple of … Continue reading BHOC: CONAN #97
This next issue of THOR was the second part of a two-part story designed to help get the book back on schedule as writer/editor Roy Thomas prepared to get into his long Celestials storyline. This was the fourth issue in a row that felt like a bit of a throwaway, so the series was going … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #282
This wound up being the final issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION, the title that reprinted vintage AVENGERS stories from a number of years earlier. not that I knew it when I bought this book during a weekly trip to my local 7-11. Marvel had been steadily cutting down on its number of reprint titles, and … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #47
The world of super heroes is never a stationary place, despite feelings among certain fans that nothing ever seems to change. And primary among the places where alteration can be seen is in the attire of classic characters. Giving a lagging hero a costume redesign can sometimes enhance their appeal and help carry them to … Continue reading 5BC: Five Terrible Marvel Super Hero Costume Redesigns
Super heroes as a genre were on their way out as the 1960s turned into the 1970s and the super hero fad that had driven success throughout the silver age fell away. But this meant that publishers were more encouraged to experiment than they had been previously in an attempt to stave off cancellation--and every … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1970
This was actually a really good issue of ALL-STAR SQUADRON, yet it became my last, at least for a short while. Why? I can't really say. I maintained my pull list for other titles, but somehow this one didn't make the cut. Which seems strange to me today, as the book was just about in … Continue reading GH: ALL-STAR SQUADRON #20
The Tom Brevoort Experience 