Not every idea that gets published in a comic book story is a good one. Especially over the long periods of time that most of the mainstay comic book heroes have been in existence, there have been any number of developments that turned out to be a bad instinct, and which were subsequently either overturned … Continue reading 5BC: Five Best Forgotten Early Marvel Story Developments
A million words must have been written over the decades about this issue of X-MEN, the conclusion to the Dark Phoenix Saga and the high point of the fabled Chris Claremont and John Byrne run. And in the shadow of what would follow in the years to come, perhaps the book has lost some of … Continue reading Perfect Game – X-MEN #137
This was another book that came out of my local drugstore's Big Bin of Somewhat-Older Comics. It was bought by/for my younger brother Ken, who had eclectic tastes in what comics attracted his attention. He was never all that involved in the medium, for all that he dabbled with it for many years, likely because … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING ADVENTURES #37
Bought this issue of X-MEN most likely at the same time as I got yesterday's INVADERS issue, at my regular source for new comic books, the 7-11. Every issue of X-MEN in these days was a discovery, as the cast had changed so completely from the team that I had met in SON OF ORIGINS … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #110
A bit of evidence has surfaced which casts some doubt on the story I related previously concerning how the difficulties in getting DAREDEVIL #1 to print on time led to the emergency creation of AVENGERS #1. I'm not ready to throw in the towel on this belief completely just yet, but I do feel the … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Ditko & Everett: More on the linked stories of X-MEN #1, AVENGERS #1 and DAREDEVIL #1
In the early 1980s, as the comic book Direct Market began to become a real sales force in the industry, the way was opened up for all sorts of new, smaller companies (and individuals) to publish their own comic books and potentially strike it rich. There was now a ready-made distribution network of specialty stores … Continue reading Brand Echh – The Crusaders #1
I've seen different bits and pieces of this story told in assorted places, but I cannot recall anyplace where the entire sequence of events was laid out in a single recounting, so I thought that was worth doing. In the spring of 1963, with the super hero titles that his firm had been producing doing … Continue reading Lee & Kirby & Ditko & Everett: The linked stories of X-MEN #1, AVENGERS #1 and DAREDEVIL #1
Finally, we come to the last comic that I bought on that fateful first trip to a comic book store--the Heroes World in Levittown. I had only just begun reading X-MEN, but this was both an issue #100 (which I already understood to be a milestone issue regardless of the title) and also had the … Continue reading BHOC: X-MEN #100
I wrote this post twelve years ago, on my 40th birthday. 40 April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General Today I am 40. It doesn't feel like all that long a time, certainly no longer than it felt a week or a month ago. At the same time, it's one … Continue reading Blah Blah Blog – 40/1967
I picked up this issue of X-MEN at my regular 7-11, my second issue as a regular reader of the title. And I found it a lot easier to understand and follow than #108's conclusion to the M'Kraan Crystal storyline, with all of its guest-stars and extra characters. Here, I would begin to learn about … Continue reading BHOC: UNCANNY X-MEN #109
The Tom Brevoort Experience 