In the latter part of the 1960s, change was beginning to be felt within the halls of venerable old DC Comics (then operating as National Periodical Publications.) The culture at large was going through a shift, and so the tried-and-true methodology that had kept the giant publisher on top was no longer working as well … Continue reading TEEN TITANS #20: Titans Don’t Fit the Battle of Jericho
If there's one thing that DC has loved to do over the years, it's to explore strange story avenues and then abandon them. In some ways, that's become their history ever since CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS--it feels that you can't go but a few years anymore until everything you've read is thrown out and they … Continue reading 5BC: Would You Believe Five More Forgotten DC Retcons
I'm going to keep posting these as I come across covers in my travels that strike me as qualifying for the distinction. This Nick Cardy TEEN TITANS cover is simultaneously of its time and excellent, a prime example of why Cardy became DC's main super hero cover artist in the early 1970s. That hot purple … Continue reading Great Covers – TEEN TITANS #26
The story goes that DC cancelled this iteration of TEEN TITANS not because it was selling poorly, but because incoming published Jenette Kahn was so embarrassed by it. I’ve always been a little bit skeptical of that story (but only a little–I’ve known incoming EICs who’ve spiked titles because they didn’t like them personally) but … Continue reading BHOC: TEEN TITANS #49
The next comic I bought at my local 7-11 was the next issue of TEEN TITANS. This particular era of the series is pretty maligned–the story goes that it sold well enough, but new publisher Jenette Kahn was so embarrassed by the content that she cancelled the series anyway. I’ve always been skeptical about this … Continue reading BHOC: TEEN TITANS #48
Shortly before I picked up this issue of TEEN TITANS at my local 7-11, the Six Million Dollar Man aired its well-remembered Venus Space Probe episode. I only mention this to give some sense of the cultural landscape to those who weren’t around back then. SMDM and its sister show the Bionic Woman were among … Continue reading BHOC: TEEN TITANS #47
I had missed the first issue of the TEEN TITANS revival, and I skipped the second (though i recall seeing it on the stands at the time–there must have been other books that I wanted more) but with this issue I finally took the plunge. Kid Flash’s prominent placement probably didn’t hurt. It must be … Continue reading BHOC: TEEN TITANS #46
Now this is an important comic book for me–but that didn’t stop me from trading it to my neighbor Johnny Rantinella at some point. Later on, I wound up trading again to get it back. And why? The Doom Patrol, baby! Near the pinnacle of my personal favorite DC series, this was my first encounter … Continue reading BHOC: SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #7
Summer was drawing nearer, and so this issue of DC SUPER-STARS arrived at the 7-11, touted as a summer spectacular. I can’t say that I was the biggest Aquaman fan–I knew him, of course, from Super-Friends and his appearances in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. But none of those appearances had really driven me to seek … Continue reading BHOC: DC SUPER-STARS #7
Another Treasury Edition brought home by my father, and proof positive that we were in the closing months of 1974. I would have been reading comics for a year and a half at this point. These Christmas Specials used to be a regular thing, attractive even to more casual purchasers as something that could be … Continue reading BHOC: LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #C-34
The Tom Brevoort Experience 