BHOC: THOR #280

This was one of the strangest issues of THOR that I bought as a relatively new Marvel reader, and I didn't completely understand why for several years, until I had learned enough about the history of comics to be able to fully appreciate it. Ever since the end of his Ragnarok storyline, writer/editor Roy Thomas … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #280

BHOC: THOR #277

THOR continued to roll along in a storyline that I felt relatively invested in, even though much of it took place in Asgard and began to feel more like a Conan/Barbarian series as a result. This was writer/editor Roy Thomas' big Ragnarok storyline, the first such story I had encountered, and so that gave it … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #277

MARVELMANIA Magazine #1, Part Two

Continuing our look at the first regular issue of MARVELMANIA Magazine, the fan publication put out by the short-lived fan club and merchandising operation of the same name back in 1970. This is a page from the story "Melvin and the Monster" penciled and inked by Tom Palmer and originally intended for publication in SILVER … Continue reading MARVELMANIA Magazine #1, Part Two

BHOC: THOR #275

This week brought out another issue of THOR, a title that I had only recently begun to get into and enjoy. New writer Roy Thomas had decided to lean into the genuine Norse legends for his first big epic, which saw the Gods of Ragnarok once again facing the approaching threat of Ragnarok, the end-of-the-world … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #275

BHOC: STAR WARS #9

STAR WARS #9 was the third issue contained in that specialty 3-Bag of plastic-wrapped comics that was bought for my brother, who had become a big fan of the film and its characters. We've spoken already about how voracious demand was for these early STAR WARS books in a time when there really wasn't any … Continue reading BHOC: STAR WARS #9

BHOC: STAR WARS #8

This was the second of three consecutive issues of STAR WARS that we got as a special 3-Bag set months after they had initially seen print. The early STAR WARS books were all reprinted and reissued in tremendous numbers, and it seemed as though every kid of a certain age had at least a few … Continue reading BHOC: STAR WARS #8

BHOC: THOR #274

This issue of THOR was another new book that I picked up on my outing to Heroes World with my grandparents. I didn't do so because I was completely enthralled with the series so much as an overall "no comic left behind" attitude that I had towards books that I would typically have picked up … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #274

BHOC: THOR #273

I had sort of backed into being a reader of THOR, and it was a title that I occasionally stayed from over my prime Marvel buying years--typically only for long enough to have to pick up two issues simultaneously. But as I've related before, THOR struck me, especially in the 1970s, as feeling more like … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #273

Blah Blah Blog – Lunch with Colan

A post from my ancient Marvel blog concerning artist Gene Colan coming into the offices for lunch. Lunch with Colan April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Secret plans were hatched around the Marvel offices yesterday to take me out for a special birthday lunch--but I snafued them completely and … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – Lunch with Colan

5BC: Five More Times Marvel Self-Mythologized

As assorted readers pointed out, there were a lot more instances of creators at both Marvel and DC including themselves as characters in the stories that they produced than I covered in the prior two pieces about Self-Mythologizing. And so, since this is a concept that seems to have attracted some audience interest, here then … Continue reading 5BC: Five More Times Marvel Self-Mythologized