While Valiant had had some middling success up to this point, it was really HARBINGER #1 that put the company on the map in terms of being a presence in the field. HARBINGER was the first fully-original super hero concept that was put forward by Valiant, and it shared enough of its DNA with X-MEN … Continue reading Brand Echh: HARBINGER #1
The first original super hero character to debut from the growing Valiant line of titles was introduced as a flip-book feature in the fifth issue of MAGNIUS, ROBOT FIGHTER. And with good reason, as this new champion would exist in the same future time frame and milieu as that robot-smashing hero. This was Rai (pronounced … Continue reading Brand Echh: MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER #5/RAI #1
The second super hero title in Valiant's new line of books was SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #1. Like MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER, the series was a revival of a property that had been published in the 1960s and 1970s by Gold Key: DOCTOR SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM. But unlike MAGNUS, SOLAR wasn't set up … Continue reading Brand Echh: SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #1
The VALIANT line of interconnected super hero titles were really the successors to Marvel's New Universe efforts. They evidenced a similarity of ethos, though they were both better conceived and better produced for the most part--and thus were a lot more successful. Whether this was due to Valiant EIC and lead writer Jim Shooter having … Continue reading Brand Echh: MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER #1
Jim Shooter is one of the most undeniably important figures in the history of comics. A child prodigy, he first broke into the business when he was only 13 years old, submitting stories to DC editor Mort Weisinger for the Legion of Super Heroes feature in ADVENTURE COMICS. Not realizing quite how young Shooter was, … Continue reading Brand Echh: The Good Guys #1
Walt Simonson had taken over the reins of FANTASTIC FOUR and propelled it into the stratosphere with a series of expansive stories that drew upon the best of Jack Kirby's era on the title and turned the concepts up to eleven. Graphically, the book looked sweet as well, as Walter was able to channel Kirby's … Continue reading 5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1991
As super heroes began to take hold of the comic book marketplace at the beginning of the 1960s, all sorts of different publishers stepped up to provide their own take on series featuring costumed do-gooders. One of the best-remembered was MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER (though today most readers may be more familiar with the character in … Continue reading Brand Echh: Magnus, Robot Fighter #1
In the 1960s, one of the factors that enabled DC/National Comics to become the best-selling comic book publisher of the era was the shattering of Dell Comics. Dell had been a powerhouse in the field for more than a decade, far and away the best-selling comics company--a company whose wares were so known and trusted … Continue reading Brand Echh: Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #5
The Tom Brevoort Experience 