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About this journal

I buy cheap reader comics. I read them. I discuss them.

Entries in this journal

TIPPY TEEN #1 - This Looks Familiar!

TIPPY TEEN #1 - This Looks Familiar! Wally Wood had a long and storied career in comics, and there's plenty to go into, but of note today was his and Publisher Harry Shorten's Tower Comics. Shorten had worked as a writer and Editor at MLJ (Archie Comics) in it's early days and Wood had worked for nearly everyone. Tower Comics is primarily remembered for it's Thunder Agents by Wally Wood, but the LONGEST RUNNING comic they published was Tippy Teen, an obvious Archie Comics influenced Te
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The STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES: The THING #13 - Dr. Strange had a Brother! (Or Did He?)

The STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES: The THING #13 - Dr. Strange had a Brother! (Or Did He?)   Everything I'm about to tell you is untrue, except this: This story was done by Steve Ditko two years before he ever worked at Marvel (as a freelancer for 16 stories), and five years before he worked there regular AND two years before he ever did a story with Stan Lee (it was a Western) and five years before he ever did a story with Stan Lee that was horror/scifi themed.  
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The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - Too many cooks!

The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - Too many cooks!   I bought this beat up copy for $4   Herb Trimpe did the cover for this (I really like Herb's run of covers on this book) but this is actually Part 2 of a two part story that Ayers and John Severin did the art on. John Severin is one of the few thin line inkers that I really like.   For some reason it took two people to write this, Roy Thomas and Mike Friedrich are credited, this just a
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The ATOM #27 - Funny Little Guy

The ATOM #27 - Funny Little Guy Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman survived the disappearance of Superheroes through most of the 50's, but DC's power was so strong during this period, that in July 1956 a re-vamped Flash hit the scene, followed by the Green Lantern 3 years later.  TWO YEARS after that (man things moved slowly back then), The Atom appeared in Showcase #34, an Atomic Age type of hero, firmly landing in the Silver Age of Comics. Culled from the concept of the Golden Age Ch
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The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set

The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set   I bought this beat up copy for $10   It's something I had never owned before, or even held in my hands, so I was excited to see it at the local comic book shop - and with that John Romita cover and $10 price, I had to have it.   Of course, I wondered how I'd listen to it, but... it's 2020 and You Tube has everything:   The Invasion of the Dragon Men Recording
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TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - Can't create? Imitate!

TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - Can't create? Imitate!   I bought this beat up copy for $8   This is one of those issues that are sort of well-loved... I mean, the idea of it and that cover are certainly well-loved. It IS a great Marie Severin cover (inks by Frank Giacoia), the kind of thing where someone (probably Stan) said, "What if the Hulk ran into the Silver Surfer?"   (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on
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Superman's Girlfriend LOIS LANE #35 - Scheming Up and Teaming Up!

Superman's Girlfriend LOIS LANE #35 - Scheming Up and Teaming Up! Man, it’s amazing to me what comics I can find, beat up, in $1 bins! Another classic Superman/DC artist that I prefer to Curt Swan, the oft-forgotten Kurt Schaffenberger, here with an early 60’s ‘modern-ish’ theme. I really like the way he uses shadows and shading to show depth and perception. (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - cover art by Kurt Sc
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Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - Romance Comics in Plain Sight

Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - Romance Comics in Plain Sight I'm going to warn you ahead of time - I may sound overly critical of Curt Swan's work here in this piece. I get that he was the definitive Superman artist for 2 1/2 decades. No question about that. But personally, I just never understood the huge fan love for his work, other than "I was 13 and these were my favorite comics." That I get. Going back and discovering his work after reading Neal Adams Superman stories? Hmmm...
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SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #208 - The Future NOW!

SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #208 - The Future NOW!   I bought this pretty nice copy for $8   As a young teenager, the Legion of Super-Heroes was one DC group I actually liked, thanks at first to Dave Cockrum and then a little bit to Mike Grell. This is Grell in the early stages of his career, and he did some pretty cool stuff, but looking back now, you can certainly see he was a new talent immediately thrust into the spotlight.  
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SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - Dress for Success!

SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - Dress for Success!   I bought this beat up copy for $4.00   Nothing against Cary Bates, who... wrote some decent stuff for DC Comics in his long career there (sold a few stories at the age of 13, wrote regular beginning in 1970 at age 17, and stayed until 1986). But this is all about the creativity of Dave Cockrum.   Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes was monthly, except for Ma
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STRANGE TALES #174 - There Walks the GOLEM!

STRANGE TALES #174 - There Walks the GOLEM! One of the earlier comics I ever had was this Strange Tales #174 from the Spring of 1974.  (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - cover art by Ernie Chan? John Buscema? Tony DeZuniga?) What a great cover and what a controversy surrounding who drew it!  I've read Gil Kane, Tony DeZuniga, John Romita, and Ernie Chan for pencils and then Ernie Chan, Tony DeZuniga, and John Romita
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METAL MEN #9 - The FIRST Quirky Team?

METAL MEN #9 - The FIRST Quirky Team? I'll be quite honest. I wan't really all that familiar with the Metal Men. But the research has been fun and I've learned a lot. And the issue I've read here (#9) was entertaining. These days, for $1 you can't beat it.   (METAL MEN #9 - Cover Dated Aug/Sept 1964 - on Newsstands June 25, 1964 - cover art by Ross Andru)   Many might think the Metal Men were some kind of rip off of the X-Men or the Marvel ‘team’ c
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MARVEL TEAM-UP #34 - The Return of the Meteor Man!

MARVEL TEAM-UP #34 - The Return of the Meteor Man!   The original intention of Marvel Team-up was to put Spider-man with a guest star every month, either a big name or someone Marvel wanted to feature and help make more popular. The main problem I always had with it, is that they featured... a lot of talent, that as a kid I thought wasn't up to par with John Romita, or Jim Starlin, and so I gradually drifted away from this book.   Marvel Team-up #34 th
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MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Wanna Play on the Bridge?

MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Wanna Play on the Bridge? Marvel Team-Up was the FIRST regular spin-off series for Spider-man (Spectacular Spider-man Magazine preceded it for two issues) and featured Spidey in all but 10 of its 150 issues and 1 of its 7 Annuals. Somewhere out there, someone has all 150 issues collected, but amazingly enough all SEVEN Annuals as well. I can picture the first one in my head (Spidey and the X-Men) but for the life of me can't remember the other 6. On
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MARVEL TALES #53/AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 - Wanted...Dead or Alive!

MARVEL TALES #53/AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 - Wanted...Dead or Alive!   The Amazing Spider-man was the comic I liked the most growing up. Occasionally something would strike me as interesting, but it seemed whenever I read an issue of ASM it would just entertain me in a way that the others just couldn't compare. Before I became a regular reader around 1975 or so, I remember having #43, #75, #80 and Spectacular Spider-man (Magazine) #2. Over time I would pick up an issue her
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LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 (and #23) - Remembering Amnesia!

LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 (and #23) - Remembering Amnesia! No, that isn't the cover to Life with Archie #109, it's the cover to Life with Archie #23. I'm starting this post off with it because it's another cool old comic I picked up for $1 at a recent show.   Featuring a fairly ho-hum cover (as far as Archie Comics and Life with Archie in particular goes) from the nevertheless under appreciated Bob White, the story inside (Sy Reit) isn't much to talk about either. However, it
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LAUGH COMICS #222 - Talk Dirty to Me!

LAUGH COMICS #222 - Talk Dirty to Me! As Archie got into the ’60s and 70’s, the amount of sexual innuendo obviously cooled - partly because of the Comics Code and partly because Archie Comics as a company brand, saw the wholesome family brand as a viable path to success.  They were RIGHT... it worked out great for them for decades - by the mid to late 60’s they were no longer leading in sales, but as an overall publisher, they were very strong.  But ever
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HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 - Ho Hum, Earth's Getting Destroyed Again...

HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 - Ho Hum, Earth's Getting Destroyed Again... This period in the history of DC Comics was NOT one of my favorites. There's probably a fair amount of GREAT work from this period I'm just not aware of, but... there's also so much bland junk, it's difficult for me to even begin to wade into these waters.... The Senate hearing on Comic Books in 1957 had allowed publishers like DC and others to put out a Comics Code, aimed directly at their biggest competitor (EC C
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HAWKMAN #25 - My Baby has a Temper!

HAWKMAN #25 - My Baby has a Temper! Here's another series I'm pretty clueless to, but this cover lured me in and, boy am I glad it did. It sort of has a 'Coop' (Devil Girl artist Chris Cooper) look to Dillin's art (even though Coop was born the year this came out!). Anyway, I dig it a great deal - the sexy green 'Death Goddess' (not sure why she's 'green' on the cover) - the flames  - Hawkman getting his butt kicked - the purple background...   (HAWKMAN #
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GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW #85 (2019 Reprint) - Grim and Gritty long before Alan Moore!

GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW #85 - Grim and Gritty long before Alan Moore!   See! I buy Modern Comics too! :-) In February 1971 Marvel Comics released Amazing Spider-man #96 WITHOUT the seal of approval from the Comics Code Authority. The reason was, supposedly (who knows what’s true when it comes to the history of Marvel) the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare came to them asking that they do a story depicting the dangers of drugs.  In my r
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FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - Pencil! Ink! Action!

FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - Pencil! Ink! Action!   I bought this beat up copy for $7.50   It's fun to read these old issues, in no order other than when I buy them, the same way I used to read them when I was a kid and teenager). Storylines are somewhat overrated if you ask me... sometimes I just want 15-20 minutes of entertainment. And one title that always seemed to deliver was the Fantastic Four.   (FANTASTIC
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FANTASTIC FOUR #51 - This Man, This Monster!

FANTASTIC FOUR #51 - This Man, This Monster!   I bought this slightly beat up reader copy for $8!   One of the greatest FF saga's of all time it comes immediately following the Galactus Trilogy and just before the 1st appearance of the Black Panther! Man, Kirby was on a tear! I'll be honest... I'm NOT the biggest fan of Jack's covers. As great as he is at sequential story telling, action sequences, and even grand splash pages... I always thought his co
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FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - It's a Thing Thang

FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - It's a Thing Thang One of the earlier comics I owned within the actual time frame it came out, I would’ve been 10 years old when SOMEONE made this available to me. The cover really stood out... and I would learn to really enjoy the personality and mannerisms of the Thing, one of the great characters of the Marvel Universe.   (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - cover art signed by Buckler and Sinnott)
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DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU #16 - What'd you call me?

DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU #16 - What'd you call me?   (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - cover art by Luiz Dominguez) Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #16 starts off with a painted cover by Luiz Dominguez. Not my favorite DHoKF cover, and certainly not my favorite Luiz Dominguez painted cover (that would be Dracula Lives #5), but... it conveys a scene from an interior story pretty well so... it's all good. I love this beat up co
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CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - It's all about the Art!

CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - It's all about the Art!   I bought this beat up copy for $7.50   I may have my issues with Steranko the 'person', but he certainly created some of the most memorable handful of issues ever made in comics. Probably no artist in history has less work that is more popular than Jim Steranko.   Captain America #113 was the third of 3 issues he did in 1969 - the first two #110 and #111 interrupted by the origin re
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