5BC: Five Times DC Referenced Marvel Characters in Interesting Ways

We've been talking a lot about the unofficial crossovers between characters and the homages that were done. But beyond that, there's a whole other category of instances in which one company either appropriated or parodied or referenced the characters of another. These instances tended to take many different forms--there was one memorable instance, for example, … Continue reading 5BC: Five Times DC Referenced Marvel Characters in Interesting Ways →

Blah Blah Blog – Bad Comics I Bought Part 3

A post from my old Marvel blog concerning early Marvel titles that I purchased which didn't hook me as a reader. Bad Comics I Bought pt. 3 April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Continuing our week-long survey of Marvel issues I purchased as a young child which put me … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Bad Comics I Bought Part 3 →

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #81

Another Marvel reprint title that came out of a 3-Bag. I seem to recall getting this particular issue at the Two Guys discount store, where they carried 3-Bags and to which my family would regularly go when we needed household goods. On this particular day there were a few 3-Bags in the batch on that … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #81 →

5BC: Five Best Forgotten Marvel Heroes

Just as with DC, Marvel also had a history of introducing new super heroic characters in the pages of their stories. Some of these went on to long and storied careers. Others faded after only a few, or even one, appearances. Here are the five best forgotten Marvel heroes. RAZORBACK: The creation of writer Bill … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Forgotten Marvel Heroes →

Brand Echh – Witzend #3

By 1967, Steve Ditko had become an industry legend. By this point, he had left Marvel and his two best-known creations, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, behind. But he was on the cusp of revealing the character whose outlook and point of view most closely resembled his own--and he did it in the third issue of … Continue reading Brand Echh – Witzend #3 →

BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #50

Shortly after yesterday's entry, I had occasion to be back in the drugstore with my family again and I came across and bought this prior issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP, the penultimate installment in the saga of the Wraith. So, yes, I read this story backwards. This cover is still crowded (as were many of the … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #50 →

BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #51

Here's another book that I pulled out of the drugstore's Big Bin of Slightly Older Comics. I honestly couldn't tell you what possessed me to purchase it--i wasn't really following either Spider-Man or Iron Man at the time. Perhaps I was inspired by having earlier read issue #57. But either way, pick it up I … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #51 →

BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #57

Here's another book that came out of a 3-Bag in that era. This issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP didn't wow me, and in fact I don't own it today--somewhere along the lines I traded it away. It was yet another Spider-Man comic book in which the allure of the wall-crawler eluded me. Despite having watched the … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TEAM-UP #57 →

Brand Echh – Fly Man #35

In their masterful two-issue summation of the WORLD'S WORST COMICS, James Schumeister and Rich Larson gave a particular adroit description of the books put out under the Mighty Comics banner. They said that it was as though Russian spies had smuggled out a copy of a Marvel book and had tried to reverse-engineer it. That … Continue reading Brand Echh – Fly Man #35 →

BHOC: MARVEL ADVENTURE #6

Here's another book I picked up from the drugstore's Big Bin of Slightly-Older Comics, affidavit return copies that should have been destroyed, but which were instead sold off in cut-rate lots. A bit of the double-dipping that helped make the comic book industry close to insolvent during this era. But a benefit to me as … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL ADVENTURE #6 →