BC: DETECTIVE COMICS #441

There would typically be some specific reason why I asked to borrow a particular comic book from my grade school friend Donald Sims. Usually, it was because I'd gotten interested in a specific character and was invested in learning more about them. So it was with this 100-Page issue of DETECTIVE COMICS, which I borrowed … Continue reading BC: DETECTIVE COMICS #441

Comic Creators in the Wild 12

It's been a while since we dropped one of these on you. So here are more photographs taken over the years depicting practitioners of the medium, both editorial and creators. As usual, there's a lot of Stan Lee. One of the earliest photographs that survives of Jakob Kurtzburg, who would come to be called Jack … Continue reading Comic Creators in the Wild 12

5BC: The Five Best Comic Books of 1991

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

BHOC: THOR #263

This was the second of two issues of THOR that were contained in the SUPERHERO GIFT PACK that I received for Christmas in 1978, and its story picked up where the preceding issue had left off, fortunately. So I rolled right in, interested to see what would become of Thor and his posse as they … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #263

BHOC: THOR #262

This issue of THOR was one of two that I got in my Christmas gift of the SUPERHERO GIFT PACK. While I was reading the series at this point, it wasn't truly one of my favorite. Mostly that was due to the extended periods the book would spend in Asgard, where it often felt more … Continue reading BHOC: THOR #262

GH: UNCANNY X-MEN #171

By 1982 when I was forced to pare back my comic book buying due to a lack of income, there was no more popular series in the land than UNCANNY X-MEN. Following the enormous reaction to the "Dark Phoenix Saga" by Chris Claremont and John Byrne a year or two earlier, the title simply exploded, … Continue reading GH: UNCANNY X-MEN #171

GH: AVENGERS #233

I had really enjoyed AVENGERS up to and just past issue #200. Likely a lot of that had to do with the artwork of George Perez and John Byrne. But once Perez left to go to DC, this was a book that took a hard left turn at a certain point, and I just didn't … Continue reading GH: AVENGERS #233

GH: THOR #331

Another series that I had been buying for a long time simply out of rote was THOR, so it was a simple matter to put it on the chopping block during my necessary purge. If I'm honest about it, looking back, THOR was a series that suffered throughout the entirety of the 1970s. Jack Kirby … Continue reading GH: THOR #331

BHOC: NOVA #23

In the space of just a few issues, I had really connected with NOVA. From the original house ads that I had seen and the name of the series, I had assumed at first that it was some science fiction thing, like JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS, in which I'd have little interest. But when … Continue reading BHOC: NOVA #23

BHOC: MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL #8

Around this time, the television series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA debuted on ABC, their attempt to cash in on the enormous popularity of STAR WARS with a weekly TV show in the same science fantasy vein. This was a big deal to most any kid during this time. As I mentioned earlier, my new friend David Steckel … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL #8