In all of our talks in recent weeks about the Golden and Silver Ages and the early days of Marvel, we’ve been somewhat remiss in discussing the book that started it all, the book that was labeled “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” by Stan Lee as a tongue-in-cheek boast, but which history would later prove […]
Previously, in COMICS 101: When last we met, we’d been discussing Marvel’s adaptation of Mego’s cult-classic toyline the Micronauts, as realized on the page by writer (and Rocket Raccoon creator) Bill Mantlo and artist Michael Golden. We’ve just been introduced to the Micronauts: stellar explorer and man out of time Commander Arcturus Rann, royal princess […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about Bill Mantlo in recent days, the amazing cinematic success being enjoyed by his creation Rocket Raccoon, and the tragedy of Mantlo’s own medical condition. Mostly, though, I’ve been thinking about what a great writer Bill Mantlo was. Which made me want to go back and re-present this look at […]
We’ve been discussing the many marriages of Lois Lane in recent weeks, and it must be admitted, this week’s is particularly odd. Note, by the way, that Lois actually has hooves on this cover…So how did this match made in hell take place? For the answers, we turn to SUPERMAN’S GIRLFRIEND LOIS LANE #103 (August […]
If you thought the last trip to the altar by Lois Lane was a weird one, well, buckle in, kiddies, because things get super-freaky here in “Lois Lane’s Future Husband!” Appearing in SUPERMAN’S GIRLFRIEND LOIS LANE #90 (February 1969), this story once again bears no credits (although the art looks like Irv Novick to me), […]
Are you enjoying the new series LOKI on Disney Plus? I certainly am. And making it all the more enjoyable is the fact that Owen Wilson’s character, Mr. Moebius, is based on none other than my old friend Mark Gruenwald, who was in his day Marvel’s premier editor and “continuity cop,” which resulted in his […]
The year was 1962, and Marvel editor Stan Lee was feeling the pressure. Stan had come out of the gate three for three: his first three new “Marvel Comics” had been met with unexpected success at the newsstands. THE FANTASTIC FOUR, the INCREDIBLE HULK and the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN were not only selling like hotcakes, but […]
This column first appeared March 19, 2008. This is a tough one. Not only is Dave Stevens’ creation THE ROCKETEER such a longtime favorite of mine, but I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Dave many times over the last 20 years or so, and he was just a hell of a nice […]
When you’re a little kid, it’s hard to predict what’s going to scare you. I could read horror comics all the time, and they never did much for me one way or the other. But what scared the dickens out of Li’l Scott back in 1976? This issue of WORLD’S FINEST, for one thing. In […]
Last week we discussed the odd phenomenon of translating animated cartoons into comic books, focusing on the Pink Panther, if you recall. Well, by special request, we’ll be returning to the topic this week, for the benefit of a certain reader who demanded to know what a “BEEP BEEP THE ROAD RUNNER” comic looked like. […]
Some of my favorite comics as a little kid weren’t necessarily always the superhero stuff. No, I found just as much enjoyment out of the offerings from Gold Key/Whitman, usually the licensed adaptations of some of my then-favorite cartoons, books like BEEP BEEP! THE ROAD RUNNER, UNCLE SCROOGE and THE PINK PANTHER. What’s odd when […]
I think I’ve mentioned in these pages before that one of my favorite things about the San Diego Comic-Con is the annual back-issue crawl that fellow C101 columnist Chris Ryall and I make on Sunday afternoon. Quickly filing through aisles and aisles of quarter and dollar longboxes, it’s the most prime example of comic-book Darwinism. […]
I love comics. And specifically, I love old comics. And even more specifically, I love old comics I’ve never read before, because you absolutely never know what you’re gonna find. Case in point: this year at the San Diego Comic Con, I found myself trying to put together a full set of Jack Kirby’s 1970s […]
