5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1972

When I did the initial wave of these 5 Best write-ups concerning the best comic books of each year, I confined myself to just the years when I was a fan and a reader, 1973-1989. I didn't think that it was proper for me to go beyond that, as I was a participant in the … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1972

BHOC: CONAN #77

The SUPERHERO COMIC PACK that I got for Christmas in 1978 included a copy of FANTASTIC FOUR #185, but I'd already purchased that issue during a previous trip to Heroes World, so it wasn't of any great use to me. https://tombrevoort.com/2020/08/09/bhoc-fantastic-four-185/ Also of limited interest to me was this issue of CONAN THE BARBARIAN #77. … Continue reading BHOC: CONAN #77

BHOC: THE SUPERHERO WOMEN

Back at Christmas 1978, I was working my way through the fourth and latest release in the ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS line of Trade Paperbacks from Simon & Schuster: THE SUPERHERO WOMEN. This book was a bit more of a mixed bag than the earlier ones and relied more on material that was more contemporary--the … Continue reading BHOC: THE SUPERHERO WOMEN

DC SAMPLER #2

The first DC SAMPLER must have proven to be a success, because for the next couple of issues, DC did it again--producing a free comic book-sized magazine promoting all of their upcoming series. You can really see that the switch-over to what DC would become was in full swing by this point, and there's a … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #2

DC SAMPLER #1

By 1983, DC was on a creative upswing. The arrival of new President and Publisher Jenette Kahn had coincided with efforts to expand DC's efforts into the growing Direct Market of comic book specialty shops that had sprung up across the country. At this time, DC's fortunes on the mainstream Newsstand weren't looking all that … Continue reading DC SAMPLER #1

5BC: Five Best Silver Age Character Resurrections

During the Silver Age of Comics, it was still a rare thing for a character of any significance to be killed off in super hero comics. Only two decades later, having realized the audience appeal that the demise of a beloved favorite would have, companies would turn death into a revolving door situation more promotional … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Silver Age Character Resurrections

BHOC: INVADERS #38

INVADERS was a series on a downward slope, and much closer to cancellation that I realized as a regular reader. I could tell that something was off about the book, but I was so invested in the Golden Age as a concept and in the formative versions of these characters, like the Justice Society of … Continue reading BHOC: INVADERS #38

BHOC: AVENGERS #181

This next issue of AVENGERS was also a book that my younger brother Ken bought his own copy of, though in this case that copy vanished somewhere over the years and never made its way to me. It's a well-remembered issue, with the narrative getting back on track after a trio of fill-in jobs due … Continue reading BHOC: AVENGERS #181

BHOC: THOR #281

This particular issue of THOR was another comic book that my household wound up with two copies of. As he would do from time to time, by younger brother Ken purchased his own copy of this issue for whatever reason. The series was drifting a bit at this particular moment, with this being another in … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #281

BHOC: MARVEL SUPER HEROES #79

Now here was an issue of MARVEL SUPER-HEROES that I quite liked. The story was reprinted, of course, from an INCREDIBLE HULK that had gone on sale seven or so years earlier, back when Roy Thomas had taken over the series. And it was a good example of the simple pathos that worked best with … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL SUPER HEROES #79