The 41st Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: Using the right bags and boards

This is a topic I wanted to talk about for a while now.  As you may or may not know, recently I had to move my collection out of a cupboard, I used this cupboard as a place to store most of my comics.  Now some of these comics were bagged and boarded, many however were not.  My fault, I knew I should have bagged and boarded these comics but I am a procrastinator and always said I'll do it tomorrow, maybe next week, next month, next year and so on and so forth.

I noticed that many of these comics of mine had a very stubborn residue on them and some had this weird stain on them, many of them had yellowed over the years even the ones with the bags and boards.  Well when I moved my comics, I noticed the situation and condition was much worse than I thought, much much worse.  The damage was extensive.  It broke my heart to see these comics, many are beyond repair.  It's my own fault for initiating my own repair program so to speak by using tape to fix these comics, I showed your pictures of my stupid plan in my previous broadcasts.

Like this one, I used tape on it because the cover was coming loose, I read this issue at least a few hundred times.  Things like this, finding comics in this condition in my cupboard just broke my heart.  The isn't even the worst of it.  As I mentioned many of my comics were not bagged and boarded but a few were, I bought some so called "recommended" bags and boards.  Looking back now I should have just spent a little bit more on proper bags and boards instead of the home made boards I bought, like these:

When I bought these backing boards, I was told these were the real thing and acid free and what have you.  I bought a few and started putting the comics I bought in the bags and boards, well, for a while there it looked like I bought some good bags and boards.  The comics were well protected and they were in great shape.  Well, that's not how it turned out.

I don't know if you can see it but the boards started developing some yellowish stains on them, thereby affecting the comics as well.  For some reason, these boards also left a residue on the comics, a dust like stain which is very hard to remove.  I tried.

Now these boards scare me, look at that!  Look at how the boards have turned yellow and looking at these pictures made me realize what else was turning yellow along with the boards.

I think this scared me the most.  I noticed that the stains weren't random on this one.  Then I looked at the comic and realized that the cover was ON the backing board, the stain wasn't just a stain anymore, it was a copy of the ad you see on the back of a comic.  I don't know what caused this, I guess the cover had somehow stuck to this backing board and the board now had absorbed the ink or whatever from the cover.  I forgot to mention that I had to slowly peel away this backing board from the comic.

Now I tried to take a shot of this dusty stain on almost all my comics but to no avail. It doesn't show up clearly when I take a shot, here's one example.

The stains just don't show up for some reason.  When you run your hand across the cover, you can definitely feel that grainy dusty feeling and there's a lot of it on your fingers.  I knew something was wrong because this is a glossy cover and there shouldn't be any grainy dusty feeling on a glossy cover.  Sorry I wanted to show the stains on this cover but I guess I'm not that good of a photographer but I'll keep trying.

I found out that more of my comics have these stains on them and it just makes me feel bad that I didn't get the right kind of bags and boards.  Even though I did eventually get some recently, I hope it's not too late to save them, so take it from someone who is a procrastinator, don't delay, if you want to keep your comics for the long haul, get the right ones.  I made the mistake of believing the words of people who wanted to sell their own homemade boards and bags and look where that got me. 

If you come across the same problems with your comics, share them with me, would love to know how you solved this problem.  Thanks for dropping by and having a look at my broadcast, remember drop by anytime, you're always welcome here.  Take care.

The 40th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: Superman: Man of Tomorrow!!

I meant to update my broadcast a few days ago but it was the holidays and I had some time off from work, I wanted to jump right into the blog BUT I got sidetracked (as usual) which is not unusual for me.  To make matters worse for the past two maybe three days, it's been crazy for me as I must have eaten something that just didn't agree with me.  It's been more times spent in the men's room rather than more time in front of the laptop.  But I'm feeling better...well I hope I am.

Welcome to the 40th (Woo Hoo) Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast.  When I started this blog, I wasn't even sure I would get to write a 40th anything let alone write about comics.  It hasn't been easy but It's been an experience talking about and sharing my collection of comics and my experience with you.  It was a very rocky start for me (sometimes it still is) but I hope I'm getting the hang of it.

Okay, like I mentioned before, I am a fan of Superman.  I've collected quite a few Superman related titles and I've mentioned this in my previous broadcast.  For this edition, I wanted to show you a few more titles I bought over the years starting with this one, Superman: Man Of Tomorrow.

Here it is, Superman: Man Of Tomorrow, when I heard that they were going to release another Superman title, I was excited, mostly because of the team they had on this one.  The cover is done by Tom Grummett and Brett Breeding.  By the way Brett Breeding also colored this beautiful cover.  With the release of this title, that meant that in 1995, there was a Superman related title on sale every week of the month.  Roger Stern was the writer for this title and I couldn't be happier, Stern took over the writing duties of Superman following the departure of John Byrne and guided the adventures of the Man of Steel for quite a few issues.  I'm also a great fan of Tom Grummett and when they combined his pencils and the Inks of Brett Breeding, it was to me the coming together of a great team.  Oh in this first issue, Superman returns to Metropolis, still searching for Jimmy Olsen, and finds that Lexcorp is under new management. But he doesn't yet know that Lex himself has been restored to health. Oh the storyline would ultimately lead to another death in the Superman mythos.  The Villain Conduit was introduced which leads us to this issue:

Superman # 100: The Death Of Clark Kent.  when I first heard about this storyline, I was wondering: Wait a minute they killed off Superman and brought him back, now they're gonna kill em again.  Talk about flogging a dead horse but I found out this wasn't the case.  In this issue, Kenny Braverman aka
Conduit lets Superman know that he has figured out the secret of his double identity, then abducts Jimmy Olsen. While the Kents prepare to go into hiding, Conduit threatens Clark's love. While Superman looks to protect Lois, the Rosses receive a mysterious gift. Superman realizes Conduit meant Lana, not Lois, and arrives just in time to save his childhood pals. When Superman tracks down Conduit, the villain threatens his parents. Superman speeds to save his parents and afterwards decides that they all must abandon their former lives.  The cover to this issue was done by Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein.  There are two different versions of the cover, the one you see here features something they call Prismatic enhancement. I just like it cause it's real shiny.  here's what the other one looks like.

This version is by Jurgens and Breeding.  I had to make a choice between getting this version and the one with the enhancement.  I went with the enhanced version.

Now we all know that Superman died at the hands of Doomsday.  Well after he came back, Superman fought Doomsday a second time.  Superman: Hunter/Prey was a prestige format 3 part mini series.  I bought all three issues just to see what the storyline was all about.  I'm glad I did as I liked this three parter by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.  what I forgot to show you was the back of this book, it's a wrap around concept, so there's more to the cover, that issue # 1, here's # 2 and # 3 all by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, colors by Gregory Wright.

Nice covers from a time when Superman had a mullet.  I wonder who thought that was a good idea. 

The one thing about comics and the people who create them is that they're always changing, constantly.  After the success of a few major storylines, the creative team of the Superman Titles were let go, there was a major major shake up.  So much so that a few of these creators left under left under some less than friendly situations.  Out with the old team and in with the new, that's what happened when the new Superman Editors brought in some new blood to re-energize Superman. Kinda like what they did when they brought John Byrne over to Superman in 1987.  One of the new artists they introduced was Ed McGuinness.  I liked his big brawny rendition of Superman when he took over the title.  Just look at that cover, Superman # 154 which featured some great artwork from Ed McGuinness and Cam Smith and also some pretty nifty 3D CGI artwork as well.  Pretty cool stuff.

You can probably tell I like shiny comics.  I love this cover by Ed McGuinness and Cam Smith. This variant of Superman # 166 is just beautiful.  The issue is titled: The Truth About Krypton!  In this issue, A ship from Krypton brings to the Kent farm a rod giving off a faint signal much like readings Prof. Hamilton has been getting from within the Phantom Zone. The professor and John Henry Irons strap Superman into a device to translate the signals from the isobar directly into Superman's mind. In this way, Superman learns the "true" story of Krypton's last days from his father Jor-El. Superman makes plan to follow the signal back through the Phantom Zone to Jor-El's Krypton, and Lois insists on going with him.  So with this issue, Jeph Loeb just wipes the slate clean and just throws out years of stories about Superman's home.  I didn't like the story he concocted because I didn't like the changes he had made but more changes wee made and perhaps will be made as to Superman's origins in times to come, so again comics and their creators are changing, constantly.

Thanks for taking the time to drop by and reading my thoughts about comics books, I appreciate your visiting my blog.  I hope you'll keep on reading and that you enjoy what I post and share.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Again as usual, please drop by anytime for more on the Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast, remember you're always welcome here.  Until next time, take care.

The 39th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: The Battle of The Gems.

Okay, actually there won't be any battles, just me talking about some comics I found recently.  For the uninitiated, I foolishly decided to move my comics out of  a cupboard where I had been keeping my comics, that was a bad idea because I decided to take them all OUT of the cupboard and put them in my living room.  Second mistake was thinking that this would be a weekend job and if not three maybe four weeks to sort everything out.  Famous last words. Famous last words indeed.

Yeah, that's what I have to deal with.  The thing that scares me is how many comics I have found severely damaged due to my mishandling, due to the cupboard and other factors as well.  There are some great comics that I can't ever replace.  In my previous broadcast I mentioned that I bought some mylar bags and also backing boards, so when ever I'm not at work or behind the laptop, I'm bagging and boarding my comics.  As I do that, I stumbled across some real gems, some comics I forgot I bought.  So welcome to the 39th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: The Battle of The Gems.  Here are a few more I found today.

Iron Man # 228, Chapter 4 in The Armor Wars storyline.  I love this issue.  Iron Man Vs. The Captain.  This issue was from a time when there were some changes in the lives of both Iron Man (Tony Stark) and The Captain formerly Captain America (Steven Rogers).  Rogers assumed the identity of The Captain when he was forced to give up his identity of Captain America.  Over in the life of Iron Man, Tony Stark was tracking down and destroying stolen Stark Technology used by both good and bad guys.  All of this provided some great stories thanks to the teams of David Michelinie (plot, script); Bob Layton (plot), Mark Bright and Bob Layton (Pencils and Inks).  Over on Captain America, Mark Gruenwald, Kieron Dwyer along with a whole hosts of inkers like Allen Milgrom gave us some of the some intriguing stories.  Those were interesting times.  This issue is on good condition and since it's such a significant one, I've bagged and boarded it.   A real gem.

Ohhh a face only a mother could love.  Evil is back.  Couldn't agree more.  Captain America # 14 from February of 1999.  The cover is by Andy Kubert and Jesse Delperdang.  Simple cover but one that defibitely does the job, you have no doubt that The Red Skull IS evil. In this issue titled: The Red Skull In: Turnabout, we see the Skull is a valet in a fancy hotel catering to Americans and other unholy swine in the hell the Cosmic Cube has created for him; After a lethal encounter with Captain America, the Skull wins his way free of the Cube's influence and returns to the real world.  This story was told primarily in splash pages and gray tones in the Red Skull's mindscape. As verified by Mark Waid, the finished comic was, over the weekend before the Monday it was due at the printer's, rewritten in large part by staff editor Ralph Macchio at the request of Editor In Chief Bob Harras. Waid asked to have his name removed from the interior credits; the cover, crediting him, had already been printed. The first page has no art nor script, it only features the title and credits.

So yeah, as you can see, Mark Waid was not credited here as writer, although his name is on the cover.  I remember reading about what had happened, he insisted that since there was an extensive rewrite of this issue that his name should not be on the comic.  Apparently the ending that is featured in this issue is VERY different from what Waid first wrote. Waid's original ending was not liked for reasons unknown.  If anyone has the story behind this, please let me know.

Iron Man # 94 from January 1977.  Now if you look closely, you cab tell that this issue is not in great condition, plenty of nicks and cuts and a line right on the cover, a crease I think.  I believe I bought this issue because I wanted to have a Jack Kirby drawn cover.  This one is by the King Jack kirby and inks by Allen Milgrom.  Kirby did not however do the interior art for this issue.  That honor went to Herb Trimpe who co plotted this issue with Gerry Conway and he also did provided the pencils.  Inks were done by Jack Abel.  Despite the poor condition of the comic, I decided to bag and board it anyway and when I did, wow, the cover looked so good.  Yep, this one is a keeper, a gem.

Now that is one Bad Ass Cover as far as I'm concerned.  Do you remember this comic?  Ghost Rider 2099.  I can't really remember the storyline but man this cover rocks.  Pencil and Inks by Mark Buckingham.  For this comic, Chris Bachalo did the breakdowns while Buckingham did the finishes and Inks.  Ghost Rider 2099  featured a new Ghost Rider in the person of Kenshiro Cochrane or Zero.  I bought a few issues of Ghost Rider 2099 but after a while I lost interest because they changed the artist on the comic or something, I dropped the title.  Later on I found out that all the 2099 titles were cancelled and all the characters would be featured in a monthly special, like 2099 Quarterly or something.  Marvel 2099 was a good idea but in the end, it became a failed project for Marvel and the art just kept getting worse on the 2099 titles, so I gave up on them.  So is this a gem, yep, definitely, going to keep this one based on this cover alone.

Captain America: Sentinel Of Liberty # 1.  After Heroes return when Mark Waid and Ron Garney returned with a brand new Captain America # 1 Marvel thought it was a good idea to release another Captain America.  I guess it sounded like a good idea at the time and apparently no one learned anything from the over exposure of the Punisher.  Sentinel of Liberty featured a gatefold cover with a two-page character profile on the inside. Mark Waid provided the script, while Ron Garney co plotted the story with Waid and he provided the pencils.  Dan Panosian did the inks.  Sentinel of Liberty was somewhat short lived, it ended with issue # 12.  I think I'm going to keep this one.

One more to go.  Now when I came across this comic, I immediately remembered how and why I had it.  A friend of mine had to sell off his collection and asked me to take it off his hands, it was a huge collection and at the time I just didn't have the money.  I instead offered to take a few comics off his hands and this was one of them.  I didn't realize this was in the box until I got home.  I saw this comic again today, here it is:

Battle of The Planets # 1.  I remember watching the old cartoons but I never read the comic.  So I was really surprised to see this issue.  I did some checking and this issue was written by someone named Gary Pool and the art and cover is by Win Mortimer.  Battle of the Planets..wow.  Never thought I would see an issue of this comic.  So I guess I'm going to keep this one.  Just for sentimental reasons.

Well that's a look at some of the comics I found today, tomorrow after work (yeah I have to work weekends) I'll go through the pile again and see what I find.  Drop by again next time for another Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast.  Thanks again and remember you are always welcome here.  See ya!

The 38th Co(s)mic omic Book Broadcast: Superman The Man of Steel.

No, I'm not talking about the Zack Snyder Man Of Steel.  No, this edition of the broadcast is not about that movie.  Don't get me wrong, I did watch it.  In my humble opinion, it was slightly better than Superman Returns but I thought Man Of Steel was just too dark for me.  Maybe it was because of the way they made a movie almost devoid of color and well, life but I felt the movie was just too dark and for a Super Hero who stand for Truth, Justice and The American Way, well I thought the movie was just a little off the mark.  Here's hoping the Superman Vs Batman Movie will have more color to it, more light.

Okay, welcome to the 38th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: Superman, The Man of Steel.  I am still sorting out my collection of comics, bagging and boarding them when I get the time.  As luck would have it, I had some time to day to sort out these comics and I found that over the years I bought quite a few Superman comics.  if you recall my earlier broadcast: http://thecosmiccomicbookbroadcast.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-twentieth-cosmic-comic-book.html

and this one as well

http://thecosmiccomicbookbroadcast.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-24th-cosmic-comic-book-broadcast.html 

I was talking about a few of the Superman comics I have in my collection. I love those comics and apparently I'm a bigger fan of Superman than I realized.  Here's a few comics Superman Comics I found today.

Anyone remember this comic book?  Let me take you back to July of 1991.  Superman: Man Of Steel was released with a beautiful cover by Jon Bogdanove who penciled, inked and painted this cover.  Beautiful.  in this issue titled Man Of Steel/ Man Of Fire, Cerberus strikes at Metropolis and Superman, Jimmy Olsen rents an apartment, not knowing he's about to be laid off by the Daily Planet, Professor Hamilton examines Mr. Z's gemstone, and the Eradicator is reborn in the sun.  This 1st issue had 48 pages which is unthinkable today.  

Superman: Man Of Steel was written by Louise Simonson, as for the artwork, well let's start with Pencils: Jon Bogdanove ( drew pages 1-6, 9-11, 23); Tom Grummett (did layouts; pages 7, 14, 17-20, 24, 25, 27, 29); Jerry Ordway (did finishes; pages 7, 14, 17-20, 24, 25, 27, 29); Bob McLeod (did pages 12, 13, 16, 21, 22, 26, 33-36); Dan Jurgens (provided the layouts; pages 8, 15, 17, 28, 30-32, 37-40); and Brett Breeding (did finishes; pages 8, 15, 17, 28, 30-32, 37-40)

Let's not forget the Inks: Dennis Janke (pages 1-6, 9-11, 23); Jerry Ordway (pages 7, 14, 17-20, 24, 25, 27, 29); Bob McLeod (pages 12, 13, 16, 21, 22, 26, 33-36); Brett Breeding (pages 8, 15, 17, 28, 30-32, 37-40)

 

This issue featured almost the entire Superman team.  With the release of this issue, this now meant that there would be a Superman title every week of the month. 

This is one of my favorite Superman titles, The Adventures of Superman # 592 which is saying something because at the time I wasn't really following this particular title, I did during the death of Superman and later on but eventually I had to drop this title.  Sure I was reading Superman, Action Comics and so on but I had always missed this title but when it was announced that a new artist was taking over penciling duties for The Adventures Of Superman, I made sure to pre order this issue.  This issue marked the first issue penciled by the late Mike Weiringo.  He was the reason I picked up this Superman title.  I never regretted it.  Never.  His art on this title was superb.  Just look at the cover he drew and inked by Terry Austin.  That is just beautiful.  From this issue on, I followed the Adventures of Superman. Looking back, I'm glad I did, it gave me a chance to enjoy the great artwork of Mike Weiringo.  I collected a few more issue until he left this title and a short after that he signed on to pencil a number of Marvel titles which I'll talk about in future broadcasts.

The Adventures Of Superman # 593 featuring Superman on the cover taking on Plasmus and Shrapnel and that green dude in the background is Chemo!  Again Mike Wieringo on pencils and Terry Austin took care of the inks.  I believe this issue was the prelude to a big storyline called Our Worlds At War.  Titled Our Worlds At War: Suicide Mission,  Superman is accosted by Manchester Black & a crew of his cronies who are 'trying out' their abilties for the US Gov't, presumably to fight whatever is coming. They are also digging up Mongul for part of their operation and the Secretary of Defense isn't telling Lois (his daughter) all she needs to know.

The Adventures Of Superman # 594 featuring a really simple cover but as they always say, a picture is worth a thousand words and boy this cover had a lot to say, drawn by Mike Wieringo, this time the inker is Jose Marzan Jr.  In this issue, as part of Luthor's Suicide Squad project, Doomsday is released to face the threat of Imperiex. But Imperiex himself finally arrives, incinerates Doomsday, and dispatches Superman.  the thing for me about this issue was Mike Wieringo's art.  As usual he delivers a top notch job. 

What a great cover from Mike Wieringo and Jose Marzan Jr.  The Adventures Of Superman # 595 featuring Superman taking on Grayven, Braniac and the Parademons.  In this issue Superman takes on Darkseid & holds his own as Apokolips rains down on the Earth. Braniac 13 seizes his chance & fires as well as Warworld comes to life and Lena tells the President that he will understand the truth soon. Luthor talks about General Zod's role in the NWO and Superman decides to kill Braniac.  Again, artistic genius that he truly is Mike Wieringo delivered another great issue along with Jose Marzan Jr.  By the way this issue also featured art by Bill Sienkiewicz  found on Page 9.

Another great cover by Mike Wieringo and Jose Marzan Jr. for Adventures Of Superman # 596.  This issue was a break from all the action.  In this issue we see a slight change in Superman's costume as he adopts a black background for the S on his chest instead of the usual yellow.  I could be wrong but if memory serves, he did this as a way of mourning the loss of lives during the Our Worlds At War Storyline as the cost of this was weighed heavily of the Man Of Steel.  

Thinking back, I'm thankful that I made the decision to buy these titles.  They were and they still are  a treat for me to read them.  Today's Superman in the current DC Comics is a little different not just from the costume standpoint but from many other areas as well.  I'm glad I bought and read these titles which are just well.....super.

The Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast will be back soon with more musings and thoughts from a comic book fanatic, yours truly.  I hope you drop by again.  Until next time, as usual take care!

The 37th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: The Further Adventures of the Uncovered Gems!!

Don't knock the title, it took me a while to come up with something like that.  It's gotta be better than "I Think I found more gems". Wait a minute, this is a new broadcast?  Usually it takes this guy a week to write something for his blog and now he's uploaded two?  Yeah, I know it doesn't always happen but I have been known to work hard sometimes.  Either I'm really hardworking right now or I'm on a sugar induced high thanks to a ginger beer I had after dinner.

It's the ginger beer.

Hey Welcome to the 37th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast:  The one I call The Further Adventures of the Uncovered Gems.  Recently I talked about how I had to move a whole bunch of my comics out of an old cupboard (which by the way is not a good place for storing comics without any bags or boards) Well, I found some Gems that I either forgot I had or I though were gone for good.  And thanks to this discovery I went out and ordered some Mylites 2 and Fullbacks for these comics, these gems.  By the way a lot of my comics are still on my living room floor, it's going to be a long few weeks but a fun few weeks.  Okay lets get to the gems, here's one I totally forgot I had.

Anyone recognize the guy on top of the bodies?  The guy with the claws?  The year was 1998 I believe when Marvel Comics finally released a Wolverine regular series.  It was written by regular X Men Scribe Chris Claremont, the art was by Big John Buscema and Al Williamson.  Now I have to admit that when I saw the cover, I was a little...confused.  What in the world was he wearing and what's that across his eyes?  I was also a little dissapointed that John Buscema was doing the pencils, I thought a new series would have a new penciler.  I didn't grow up reading John Buscema comics and it wasn't until a few year later that I realized that John Buscema was a true industry legend, an artist who had influenced a great many artists.  So having said that I'm so happy I still have this issue.  Man the Mylites 2 bag really makes a cover POP doesn't it?

In Wolverine # 1, Wolverine takes down a band of pirates who have captured Mariko's secretary; Wolverine adopts the "Patch" identity in Madripoor where he tries to track down the infamous Black Sword of legend.  I heard that after the current Secret Wars is all done, The All New All Different Marvel will introduce a different, new Wolverine.  Have you read about that?  If not, you can check it out here: http://www.scoop.it/t/the-co-s-mic-comic-book-broadcast/p/4047473392/2015/07/11/sdcc-15-marvel-announces-new-titles-at-retailer-event 

or go to:

http://www.scoop.it/t/the-co-s-mic-comic-book-broadcast/p/4047473392/2015/07/11/sdcc-15-marvel-announces-new-titles-at-retailer-event

So, this is definitely a Gem worth keeping, let's move on to this next one:

Don't you just love that cover.  I think this is my favorite version of the Hulk, the one with the strength of the Green Hulk, The Cunning and smarts of the Grey Hulk and the Intelligence of Bruce Banner.  The Ultimate Hulk.  I love this cover by Dale Keown, he supplied the pencils and inks  in this homage  to the cover of  The incredible Hulk, (Marvel, 1962 series) #1 (May 1962). Cover is green foil enhanced which makes it stand out even more.

Written by Peter David, art by Dale Keown and Mark Farmer.  In this issue, the Hulk finally has his vengeance on the Russian spy who didn't stop the gamma bomb test which turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk.  In a great story, we get to relive the origins of Bruce Banner/ The Hulk.  the issue also features a number of guest stars, Hector; Ulysses; Ajax; Atalanta; Igor Drenkov; People's Protectorate [Crimson Dynamo; Red Guardian; Fantasma; Perun; Vostok]; Leader (flashback); Abomination (flashback); Juggernaut (flashback); Dr. Doom (flashback); Thanos (flashback); Modok (flashback)
all that plus a number of pin ups and a back story by Peter David and Herb Trimpe.  Definitely a gem worth keeping.

Isn't that a great cover?? Featuring Spider-Man; Mary Jane Parker; Mysterio; Green Goblin; Lizard; Morlun; Venom; Rhino; Sandman; Morbius; Scorpion; Electro; Prowler; Kraven the Hunter; Doctor Octopus; Hydro-Man; Chameleon; Vermin all drawn by J. Scott Campbell and Tim Townsend.  This is   The Double-Sized 500th Issue! With this issue THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN returns to its old numbering from the 1963 series.

The 500th Issue of The Amazing Spider Man is a 38 page issue with story from J. Michael Straczynsk, art by John Romita, Jr. [who did pages 1-34] and John Romita, Sr. [who did page 35-38] and Inks Scott Hanna.  A tale you must read, if you are a Spider Man fan, this is one of those issue.  After the disastrous Clone Saga and the other really bad ideas that came after it, I was thankful Marvel realized their mistake with the Clone Saga and tried to save Spider Man.  Thankfully they did.

The cover to the 2001 Green Arrow # 1, the cover is by Matt Wagner who did the Pencils, Ink and Colors.  Great cover isn't it?  When I read that there would be a new Green Arrow comic coming out, I wasn't really that interested.  But when they said it was written by Kevin Smith, I knew it would be good and the first issue did not disappoint.  Kevin Smith is a great writer.  

The first five pages of this issue (the resurrection sequence) are a flashback and take place during the "Final Night" story (sequence has direct parallels in Green Arrow #137 and Parallax: Emerald Night #1); A relatively "quiet" issue told primarily in flashback; GA Quote of the Month: "What's the matter, Chum? You look like you've seen a ghost."  In the rest of the story, Batman and Superman stand on the verge of the Final Night when Supes feels something strange take place (courtesy of Parallax); Arsenal, Black Canary and Connor reminisce about their lives with Ollie; A bedraggled (yet familiar) bowman saves an old man from a mugging in Star City.

I couldn't wait for issue # 2 which I also bought, we'll talk about that some other time.  This issue featured some really great artwork by Phil Hester & Ande Parks.  Keeping with the green theme, we move on to this next gem.

Look at that cover by George Perez who did the pencils, Inks and then he also colored the cover, how about that?  This is the first of a two part series by Peter David and George Perez.  The Hulk, convinced by Rick Jones, travels into an alternative future with Rick's great granddaughter Janis. The world of the future is a radioactive distopia ruled by the Maestro. Janis, the leader of a band of freedom fighters needs Hulk's help to destroy the Maestro.  I love the way the Hulk and Maestro's first meeting and the witty conversation and quips they had for each other.  I love the line where the Maestro said that he chose the name The Maestro because there was no way he would use the name The Leader.  The whole issue was great, storywise and artwise, it was perfect.  And the issue came with an enhanced cardstock cover.

These comics are my gateway to a time when I could just read these comics all day, all I needed was some snacks, soda and a toilet nearby.  It was a way to escape school and then workplace stress.  It was good to sit down and read them again.  

Well that's it for now.  The Gems I uncovered from my cupboard, I will continue to share any other gems I might come across right here on the Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast.  Thanks again for stopping by, remember you're always welcome here and as usual take care!!

The 36th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: Secret Wars Part 3.

Yeah it's the final part of Secret Wars.  The third and final part.  I'm doing this while reading the news that's coming out of the San Diego Comic Con.  SDCC is the big one for comic fans, movie fans, just about anyone who's into comics, toys and movies and so on.  Hard to imagine that at one point in time, only 300 over fans turned up for SDCC.  Personally I have never been to SDCC, I just read about it, maybe one day, one day.

Welcome to the 36th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast.  Thanks for dropping by.  For the past two editions of the broadcast, I was going thru what I called the most significant 12 issue Limited Series in comics, certainly an event that started off the summer big events for comics.  Ever since then, we've been treated to a major cross over event each year.  Yeah I am talking about Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars.

Now did you know that apart from the groundbreaking 12 issue comic books, Secret Wars was also about toys?  Here's proof, a Marvel House Ad.

Action figures were certainly the most prominent promotional items that sprung from the Secret Wars franchise. When people think of Secret Wars merchandise, this is most often what they think of. Interestingly, it was the toys that inspired everything else. According to former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, Mattel came to Marvel with the title "Secret Wars." Thus, comic series was born. And with it came these memorable Marvel figures.

The figures were Marvel's answer to Kenner's DC Super Powers line also launched in 1984. The Secret Wars figures were articulated only at the shoulders, hips and neck and had no special "action feature" (Super Powers figures had both knee joints and built in action features). 

All figures came with "Secret Shields." The Heroes came with round shields and the Villains came with square shields. These shields came with a series of two-sided inserts that changed the scene when tilted. With a few notable exceptions, the most figures came with few other accessories and the accessories that were present (e.g., guns) were reused frequently.

Here's an odd one, Daredevil was not part of Secret Wars on Battleworld but here he is with a Secret Wars Secret Shield.  Hmmmm.  Now Despite come shortcomings, these figures remain fan favorites. And in 1984, they were the only game in town. While many of these figures were destined for better versions in later lines, the Secret Wars figures represent a nostaligic era for Marvel toys. It was the first real marriage of Marvel comics and toys. Not too shabby.

Now I never saw these toys, ever.  Again either they were sold out or the toy stores which were miniscule didn't carry these toys.  It would be years before I would come across these items.  Same thing happened with the comics, it took me years to get them but I loved reading them.  Okay, let's get to the remaining four pulse pounding issues of Secret Wars.

Secret Wars # 9 featured a cover by Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod.  Mike Zeck and John Beatty supplied the interior art.  In this issue, The X-Men reunite with the rest of the heroes as they make a last ditch effort to prevent Galactus from eating Battleworld; Spidey gets used to his new black costume; Dr. Doom rescues Klaw from the heroes base and begins to put his final plan into action; Weak and needing energy to continue his efforts, Galactus begins to consume his world ship. Things get really tense as the action heats up to a finale which brings us to issue # 10.

 And boy what an issue!! As Galactus eats his word ship for energy, Dr. Doom uses a set of lenses he has devised from the body of Klaw to suck the energy into himself; Now supremely powerful, Doom confronts the Beyonder himself in ultimate battle; The heroes are shaken as Battleworld begins falling apart; Just as things look hopeless, Doom arrives, in a way that shocks just about everyone, clad in his new armor, I wont say anymore, suffice to say that Doom knows how to make an entrance, he proclaims he has beaten the Beyonder and assures our heroes that there is no reason to fight as the Secret War is over.  The cover is by Mike Zeck and Terry Austin.  One of if not the best cover in this limited series.  Only two more issues to go.

I believe this issue features the first appearance of Dr. Doom's new armor.  I remember reading that Mattel had a number of other requirements for Secret Wars. Doctor Doom, they said, looked too medieval. His armor would have to be made more high-tech. So would Iron Man’s, because their focus groups indicated that kids reacted positively...etc. Okay.  This issue also showed Dr. Doom's repaired face.  Hence the title The Face of Doom. Doom explains that the Beyonder is dead and now he has ultimate power in the universe; Molecule Man attacks Doom and is shown the true potential of his powers; Molecule Man and the villains move to the area of Battleworld that was pulled from Denver and Owen shoots the bad guys into space to return to earth; The heroes rest in Doombase and a mysterious beam first invades Hulk and then transfers to Spider-Woman; Colossus spends the night with Zsaji; Doom summons the heroes to his new tower and offers to grant their wishes but they decline; The force inhabiting Spider-Woman transfers itself to Klaw; The heroes decide that Doom with the Beyonder's powers is too dangerous to exist and choose to battle him one last time; As the last vote is cast, (spoiler alert) they are destroyed in a gigantic explosion. Now that was a cliffhanger.

Now if I had not bought Issue # 12 before I bought the other 11 issues, then this cliffhanger would have been a bit more significant.  In years gone by I wondered to myself if it was better if I had said No Thanks to the store owner in Singapore and just waited to read the entire 12 issue in it's proper sequence?  I don't know.  I'm just glad I read issue 12 and when I got the rest, I was happy to finally connect the dots.  

 So here they are, my 2 copies of Secret Wars # 12.  The one on the right is the copy I bought in Singapore.  You can't quite tell from this picture but it's got a few nicks here and there but it's still in good condition.  Thanks to the Mylites I bought, they both look mighty fine huh?  This cover was done by Mike Zeck who did both pencils and inks.  Again he and John Beatty did the art for this double sized final issue.  By the way, John Beatty had some help in the inks department, I mentioned this in part one, he had help from Arthur Adams, his inks are very distinct, one look and you'll know which pages were done by Beatty and which were done by Adams.

The heroes are dead and Doom try to contain the power of the Beyonder. The villains, heading back, begin to squabble. Klaw manipulates Doom to resurrect the heroes. The Beyonder, sucks his power back out of Doom. Doom, Klaw and Ultron disappear. The heroes return changed to earth. Spider-Many with a black alien costume. Curt Connors cured of the Lizard. Hulk has a busted leg. Colossus has lost love, Zsaji. The X-Men get new costumes. Lockheed returns with another dragon. Captain America's shield is restored. She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four when The Thing remains on Battleworld.

Looking back while I was getting all three of the broadcast ready, I enjoyed reading the stories in each issue, I particularly enjoyed the artwork by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton.  While I didn't know it at the time, putting together such a milestone couldn't have been an easy task and apparently according to the writer who at the time was the Editor In Chief of Marvel comics, it was was not easy.  

He said in his blog and I quote: " For me, it was one of the most difficult and yet enjoyable things I’ve ever done. To this day, when I go to conventions, I’m asked to sign many, many copies. Lots of people tell me that Secret Wars is what first got them into comics. Makes sense. The idea came from the fans. I’m proud to have been a part of it." James Shooter.

You can read his thought and comments on Secret Wars right here:  http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/04/secrets-of-secret-wars.html

I was told that this Collection of Secret Wars is available out there somewhere.  It looks really nice. As a fan, I would love to have it.  Maybe.  It has been fun re reading this great series again.  It's always nice to have a look at something you always wanted and also be thankful that it's still in good condition.  Those are my opinions.

Secret Wars has over years spawned a great many other major story lines,  big cross over events and the like, ones we'll enjoy anytime we want with the flip of a page.  It's been my pleasure sharing Secret Wars with you, hope you liked it as much as I did, see you next time for another broadcast, remember drop by anytime, you're always welcome here and as usual, you take care!