Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Two disparate articles from OZY and The Simple Dollar have recently put me to task on my hobby of choice, reading. First, here’s a definition of tsundoku. “Tsundoku” (n.) is the condition of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up…
An inherent part of collecting is being able to show-off your books, but having been blessed with astute sensitivity, I’m far above this crass behaviour. I kid, of course. I’m rarely above anything and this is Boxing Week 2016! As…
This week we take another look back at the Fantastic Four and another small run within opening #1-67 run of this fabulous book. This is part four if you are counting. Stories by Stan Lee, awesome art by jolly Jack…
It would have been Big John Buscema’s 89th birthday this week. The man who was one of the Silver Age greats who literally transformed the Marvel Age of comics into the Marvel House style after Jack Kirby left Marvel for DC, and is responsible,…
I’m back with part two of my list of recommendations. Similar to part one, you’ll find some dark themes, mind benders, thrillers and more sensitive, introspective stories to enjoy. These are books that I feel deserve recognition for being stellar…
Being a slow reader with many interests means that my “to-read” list is an ongoing work in progress. I recently made a push to chip away at my massive list and so, in another two part write up, I thought…
Well, I am officially an old guy. Rascally Roy Thomas otherwise known as Roy (The Boy) Thomas turned 76 on November 22nd. Not only was Roy Stan Lee’s first successor as Editor-In-Chief of Marvel comics and the carrier of the…
This month we feature a classic bronze-age arc from the pages of Captain Marvel. The Captain Marvel #25-34 storyline is the highpoint Marv-ell’s comic career, and introduced us to the full mad cosmic villainy of Thanos. Captain Marvel was first…
I’ll just warn you right up front! This article is gushing praise for Al Williamson’s “The Empire Strikes Back” Artist Edition! Now I have been a huge fan of Al Williamson, all the way back to Flash Gordon as well as…
In part one of this write up, I briefly looked at the changing demographic and the response from Marvel and DC. I also discussed the growing Asian influence, specifically from one Chinese company, who is making serious inroads into Hollywood…
A gay Green Lantern, a Korean Hulk and a female Thor. Marvel and DC have been working overtime to appear more inclusive these days, but are these changes simply about appearing more politically correct? For the longest time, Canada had…
Every time one of Scott VanderPloeg’s Artist Edition reviews (AE) comes out, I feel another withdrawal coming on. As in bank withdrawal. I’m a big fan of the Artist edition format, for the obvious reason that it is great to see such…
There were Treasury Editions! Before there were Artist Editions and the like, both Marvel and DC experimented with oversize volumes that collected both reprints and original stories. They were printed in oversize volumes, roughly 10.5″ x 13.5″. Printed on regular…
This month we feature a look back to the late sixties and early seventies and Marvels venture into horror comic reprints and my favourite title from the period: Where Monsters Dwell. We’ll begin with a quick overview of this period…
When writing my article “Keeping Kirby’s Legacy Alive” I did what you are supposed to do…research. I briefly mentioned John Byrne’s 1991 Omac Prestige series. I did not reread the mini series at the time but simply mentioned how much I…
Back in early February, I noted that sales during the past holiday were slow and that the back issue market appeared to be trending down. I wondered if comics had peaked, which did not sit well with the faithful. My…
September 1st would have been Gene Colan’s 90th Birthday. And September 18th would have been Joe Kubert’s 90th Birthday! In my last couple of columns I spoke of Jack Kirby’s legacy in what would have been his 99th Birthday. There is…
Another Fan Expo has come and gone, and this year, I had the good fortune of being able to set up as a vendor. In the past, I’ve set up at both the spring and winter show but I’ve always…
We continue our series on the “First Six” this month featuring the first six issues of the Incredible Hulk. This series is unique in that it was cancelled after issue #6. Commercially it might have failed, or it could have…
In honour of Jack “King” Kirby’s birthday, I dug into a couple of long boxes to take a look at the King’s legacy. His entire career is legendary from the Golden Age on up. His pioneering work on every genre…