This was a pretty welcome issue of MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION with its reprinting of this conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men. I was a bit unhappy about how the Beast and the Angel had been miscolored on the cover--somebody was pretty clearly working from reference of them in their original blue and yellow costumes. … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #46
It's interesting how time will change your perspective on something. When this run of UNCANNY X-MEN was coming out, nobody reading it thought that they were following a stint that would become an acknowledged classic. As a reader, I knew that I liked the series, but if you'd asked me then, I don't think it … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #117
Among the features in THE X-MEN CHRONICLES, the fanzine published by FantaCo, who were the publishing arm of a comic shop of the same name situated in Albany, New York, there was a relatively candid interview with Marvel's Editor in Chief, Jim Shooter. At the time, the Death of Phoenix was still a relatively new … Continue reading THE X-MEN CHRONICLES: Jim Shooter Interview
THE X-MEN CHRONICLES #1 was a fanzine published in 1981 by FantaCo, a small publisher situated in Albany, New York that was an adjunct to a notable comic shop. It was produced with the approval of Marvel, who went on to do a short-lived licensing agreement with the company, allowing them to do a number … Continue reading The X-MEN CHRONICLES: Smilin’ Ed and X-MEN #94
The release of this issue of X-MEN represented something of an existential crisis for me. You see, I had somehow missed the previous issue, #115, which was unthinkable to me. What's more, I had dutifully gone to the 7-11 every single week on Thursday in-between when #114 came out and when #116 dropped. I wasn't … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #116
Tis was a slightly more noteworthy issue of STRANGE TALES than many of the other ones that were in the box of comics that I bought as my Windfall. For the most part, any issues that could have been considered "keys" for one reason or another had been extracted. But this one was close, and … Continue reading WC: STRANGE TALES #120
Now this was a bit of a surprise when I rolled up into the 7-11 that week. Up until this point, MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION had featured reprints of earlier issues of AVENGERS. But with no warning whatsoever, this latest one instead contained a classic issue of X-MEN. The clue as to the reason was apparent … Continue reading BHOC: MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #45
As I spoke about last week, the early Marvel Comics was relatively consistent with the manner in which it dealt with death. As a general rule, when a character was genuinely killed (as opposed to suffering a "super villain death" at the climax of a story where they fell into the river or some such) … Continue reading The First Marvel Resurrection
My appreciation for this classic run of UNCANNY X-MEN kind of snuck up on me. Certainly, I liked it as a title from the start, and followed it regularly. But I didn't separate it from the pack--it wasn't any more or less of note to me than AVENGERS or IRON MAN or HULK or whatever. … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #114
After the success of the two-volume X-MEN COMPANION project proved it to be a profitable venture that helped to underwrite some of Fantagraphics other more high-minded publications, the company looked around for similar things that could be done that might likewise bring in some operating capital. By this point, the earlier amicable relationship with Marvel … Continue reading FOCUS ON JOHN BYRNE
