BHOC: MARVEL NOVEL SERIES #1

During this time, in loose conjunction with its efforts to get its properties onto television in Live Action and Animation, Marvel was making a concerted effort in the bookstore market as well. The success of the ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS series had proven that there was sufficient interest among book-buyers to make such activities potentially … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL NOVEL SERIES #1

Lee & Kirby & Simon & Ditko & Oleck: The Spider and the Fly

It's one of the big, fundamental questions that lies at the heart of the origin-myth of perhaps Marvel Comics' most popular single character, and its one that has been discussed and debated at length by those with some degree of insider information: how much did Jack Kirby have to do with the development of Spider-Man, … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Simon & Ditko & Oleck: The Spider and the Fly

Blah Blah Blog – Fred and Steve

A post from my old Marvel blog concerning Fred Hembeck and Steve Ditko. The image below is not the piece I purchased. Fred and Steve April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General I bought a piece of original art from Fred Hembeck the other day, a drawing he had done … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Fred and Steve

BHOC: MARVEL TALES #71

So the next time my family went to our local pharmacy, I chose to develop my burgeoning interest in Spider-Man by digging through their Big Big of Slightly Older Comics and walking away with two consecutive issues of MARVEL TALES, the reprint series that presented anew stories from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN that were a number of … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TALES #71

Brand Echh – The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #12

It's well-known that Steve Ditko, the formative Marvel creator, left that company in 1966 after broken promises and worsening relationships with the people at the outfit, notably editor Stan Lee. It's also well-known that, for all that Ditko's most popular and lasting creation for Marvel is Spider-Man, his work on the mystic series Doctor Strange … Continue reading Brand Echh – The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #12

Blah Blah Blog – Dream World

A post from my old Marvel blog re-presenting a story by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko from TALES TO ASTONISH #26 Dream World! April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General As a little treat/follow up to our coverage of Jonathan Ross's Steve Ditko documentary, here's a five-page story from one … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Dream World

BHOC: MARVEL COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS #6

I don't remember at all what prompted it at this late date, but for some reason my family wound up going to the far-off mall that housed the Heroes World store once again. Possibly my father needed to get something he'd left at his office, which was in the same complex. Or maybe I just … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS #6

Perfect Game – SUPERMAN #400

This is the single greatest issue of SUPERMAN ever put together in the character's 80 year history. Closer to home, it's the special Anniversary issue that I'm always jockeying against in my own mind when it comes to put together a book of this sort for the Marvel characters. Of course, I fail to clear … Continue reading Perfect Game – SUPERMAN #400

The Hammer of Thor

Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby famously introduced the mighty Thor in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83 in 1962. But before that, there were a number of antecedents for that story and that character, based as he was on actual Norse mythology. For example, here's an obscure story from OUT OF THIS WORLD #11 in … Continue reading The Hammer of Thor

Brand Echh – E-Man #2

In 1973, Charlton took one last late stab in getting a foothold into the super hero market with the publication of E-MAN, a light-hearted and whimsical super hero series about an energy being birthed in a star who came to Earth and became a costumed adventurer. It was a fun title and well-remembered, but it … Continue reading Brand Echh – E-Man #2