DOCTOR STRANGE #84

"Journey to the East"
WRITER:  J. M. DeMatteis
PENCILS:  Mark Buckingham
INKS:  Kev Sutherland
COLORS:  Kevin Somers
LETTERS:  Jim Novak

SUBWAY JACK: A BATMAN ADVENTURE

We've got a special treat just in time for Halloween! PJ Frightful himself (Ryan Daly to his friends) of the podcast It's Mightnight...the Podcasting Hour brings us a review of one of the most terrifying Batman stories ever.  From The Further Adventures of Batman anthology comes..."Subway Jack."

“Subway Jack: A Batman Adventure”

Written by Joe R. Lansdale

Reviewed by Ryan Daly

HEARTS OF DARKNESS

"Hearts of Darkness"
WRITER:  Howard Mackie
PENCILS:  John Romita. Jr.
INKS:  Klaus Jansen
COLORS:  John Wellington
LETTERS:  Joe Rosen

HOUSE OF MYSTERY #270

Three chilling tales from Cain's endless library of haunting stories.

VAMPIRELLA MAGAZINE #6 (2004)

"The Convent"
WRITER:  Frank Tieri
ARTIST:  Greg Scott
LETTERER:  Mike Conley

SUPER POWERS VOL 2 #4

WRITER: Paul Kupperberg
PENCILS: Jack Kirby
INKS:  Greg Theakston
COLORS:  Joe Orlando
LETTERER:  Albert DeGuzman

SUPERMAN RED/SUPERMAN BLUE

"SUPERMAN RED SUPERMAN BLUE"
WRITER: DAN JURGENS, STUART IMMONEN, KARL KESSEL, LOUISE SIMONSON
PENCILS:  STUART IMMONEN, RON FRENZ, TOM GRUMMETT, PAUL RYAN, JON BOGDANOVE
INKS:  JOSE MARZAN, JR., JOE RUBENSTEIN, DENIS RODIER, BRETT BREEDING, DENNIS JANKE
COLORS:  GLENN WHITMORE
LETTERS:  ALBERT DEGUZMAN

SUPERMAN #24 (1988)

"Power Politics"
WRITERS: Roger Stern
PENCILER: Kerry Gammill
INKER: John Beatty
COLORIST:  Petra Scotese
LETTER:  John Costanza

ACTION COMICS #550

"The Day the Earth Exploded"
WRITERS: Bob Rozakis, E. Nelson Bridwell
PENCILER: George Tuska
INKER: Sal Trapani
COLORIST:  Gene D'Angelo
LETTER:  Ben Oda

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #12

STORY AND ART:  Peter Laird
LETTERS:  Steve Lavigne

DEATH TALKS ABOUT LIFE

WRITER:  Neil Gaiman
ART:  Dave McKean

NOTES: This story has appeared by itself, as well as being featured in Hellblazer #62, The Sandman #46, Shade the Changing Man #32 and was collected in the trade collection Death: The High Cost of Living.

MARVEL TEAM-UP #15 & 16 (2006)

"League of Losers" 
WRITER: Robert Kirkman
PENCILS: Paco Medina
INKS: Juan Ulasco
COLORS: Marte Garcia (Studio F)
LETTERS:  Rus Wooton (VC)

AVENGERS: THE CROSSING

"The Crossing"
WRITER:  Bob Harras & Terry Kavanagh
PENCILS:  Mike Deodato Jr.
COLORS:  Marie Javans & Electric Crayon
INKS:  Mike Deodato Studio
LETTERS:  Richard Starkings and Comicraft

THE RED CIRCLE: THE SHIELD ONE-SHOT

"The Shield"
WRITER:  J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILS:  Scott McDaniel and Tom Derenick
COLORS:  Tom S Chu and Guy Major
INKS:  Andy Owens and Bill Sienkiewicz
LETTERS:  Sal Cipariano

GUEST BLOG: TARZAN AND THE GODS OF OPAR

[THANKS TO DARRIN & RUTH SUTHERLAND OF WARLORD WORLDS, TREKKER TALK AND XENOZOIC XENOPHILES.]

Tarzan swings back onto the silver screen this summer in a brand new big budget film. So, this is the perfect time to revisit Tarzan in comics. If you are interested in reading some excellent Tarzan stories, you need look no further than Dark Horse Comics. They have published some beautiful Archive and Omnibus collections featuring artists like Joe Kubert, Russ Manning, and Jesse Marsh and this summer they will be publishing the Tarzan Sunday comic strips written and illustrated by Mike Grell from 1981-1983.

Today, we take a look at "Tarzan and the Gods of Opar" which is a 24 page story written and illustrated by Mike Grell that was published in Dark Horse Presents  issues 8, 9 and 10 in 2015. The story follows the events featured in the novel "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar" written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1916. We hope you enjoy it.

Tarzan and the Gods of Opar

Written and Illustrated by Mike Grell

Colors by Jeremy Colwell

Letters by Tom Orzechowski

EX-MUTANTS SPECIAL EDITION #1

"A Breed Apart"
WRITER: David Lawrence (with David Campiti)
PENCILS: Ronald Lim
INKS: Timothy Dzon with Michael Witherby
LETTERS: Bob Pinaha

THE SPIRIT #1 (KITCHEN SINK REPRINT)

THE SPIRIT
BY WILL EISNER

This issue contains 4 orignal Spirit stories by Will Eisner:
"Christmas Spirit"
"Dead End"
"Hilde"
"The Spirit"

GUEST BLOG: THE POWER OF SHAZAM #27

A HUGE thanks for Jeff Farnham of The World's Mightiest Mortal blog for writing this post while I am away. An amazing book with amazing coverage for all of you.  

"The Tenants of Time"

Writer:  Jerry Ordway

Pencils:  Pete Krause

Ink:  Mike Manley

Color:  Glenn Whitmore

Letters: John Costanza

Associate:  Frank Berrios

Editor:  Mike Carlin

ROBIN II #1

"The Funniest Thing Happened..."
WRITER:  Chuck Dixon
PENCILS:  Tom Lyle
COLORS:  Adrienne Roy
INKS:  Bob Smith
LETTERS:  Tim Harkins

TMNT PRESENTS: APRIL O'NEIL #1

(no title given)
WRITER:  Steve Sullivan and Dean Clarrain
PENCILS:  Chris Allan
INKS:  Brian Thomas
COLORS:  Barry Grossman
LETTERS:  Gary Fields

HOURMAN #1

"Through the Hourglass"
WRITER: Tom Peyer
PENCILS:  Rags Morales
INKS:  David Neikis
COLORS:  John Kalisz
LETTERS:  Kurt Hathaway

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2016

For those who aren't familiar, Free Comic Book Day is the first Saturday in May. It is a day for comic book stores to give away comics to customers both as a token or appreciation to loyal customers and as a way to try and bring in new readers.  For more information visit http://www.freecomicbookday.com

My kids and I have made this event a yearly tradition, and hopefully many of you out there do the same. This year I was fortunate enough to pick up several great titles. Today I will take a very brief look at three of those.

MARVEL TEAM-UP #91 (1980)

Proud Member of the Super Blog Team-Up

"Carnival of Souls"
WRITER:  Steven Grant
PENCILER:  Pat Broderick
INKER:  Bruce Patterson
COLORS:  Geroge Roussos
LETTERER:  Jim Novak

ADVENTURES OF THE X-MEN #9

"Vanished"
WRITER: Ralph Macchio
PENCILS:  Derec Aucoin
INKS:  Ralph Cabrera
COLORS:  Paul Becton
LETTERER:  Michael Higgins

SIREN #1

"Deeper and Deeper"
WRITER:  K. H. Kanalz
PENCILS:  Kevin J. West
COLORS:  Ashley Posella (designer) and Malibu (interior)
INKS:  Bob Almond
LETTERS:  Clem Robins

SOLAR MAN OF THE ATOM #21

"Afraid of the Darque" part 1
WRITER:  Kevin Vanhook
PENCILS:  Peter Grau
INKS:  Stan Drake
COLORS:  Carol Vanook
LETTERS:  Jade Moede

PEP COMICS #300

PEP COMICS #300

Pep Comics was part of the Archie Comics family.  Each issue followed the general Archie format of showcasing a variety of stories featuring not only the traditional Riverdale regulars but also other short comics featuring characters like Randy and Lil Jinx.

NOTE: Credits have been listed as best as I can find them.

POP TATE'S CHOCKLIT SHOPPE

Something a little different this week on the blog, my coffee companions.  I figured it was time to relax a little bit and take a look at something most people take for granted--famous settings in comics.  This week, specifically, we'll look at that major staple of Archie Comics, Pop's Chocklit Shoppe.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY 2016: ECLIPSO ANNUAL #1

The Bloodlines Best Event Ever Network Presents:

ECLIPSO ANNUAL #1

Ready for some spinal fluid sucking aliens? Of course you are! Here we go, folks!  We're getting knee-deep into Deathstorm, the third part of the incredible Bloodlines crossover!  We've fought the Outbreak, we've dealt with the Earthplague, but will we weather the Deathstorm? And if we do, will we be able to shower off before the Bloodbath?  Let's crank that enjoyment dial up to 11 as we dive headfirst into one of the best and brightest of this incredible event--Eclipso Annual #1!!!!!!

"The Man Who Cracked"

WRITER: Robert Loren Flemings

PENCILS: David G. Klein

COLORS: Tom McCraw

INKS: Ryan Kryssing

LETTERS: Gaspar

THE QUESTION & BLUE BEETLE SPECIAL

This week, my coffee comrades, we take a look at some team-up adventures of Ted Kord and Vic Sage, aka Blue Beetle and the Question!  A Twitter poll was posted to ask which era to examine, Charlton or DC. The results came out dead even so looks like we get to compare the two. What a treat!  So, without further ado, I give you CHARLTON BULLSEYE #1 and BLUE BEETLE #5!

SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #7

Super-Team Family was a series from DC Comics in the 1970s.  It started out reprinting stories from a variety of DC's more popular series--Superman, Batman, Teen Titans, etc.--before branching out into original content featuring DC's heroes toward the end of its run.  Sadly, the series only lasted 15 issues, but all 15 serve as tribute to some of DC's iconic characters in their late Silver Age/early Bronze Age glory days.

GREEN ARROW ANNUAL #4 (1991)

Dearest readers,

This week we have a special treat. Darrin and Ruth of the outstanding podcasts Warlord Worlds and Trekker Talk have been kind enough to do a review of an issue that is right up their alley.  To coincide with the coming of Spring, this blog welcomes new thoughts to a green topic.  Without further ado, I give you the Sutherlands' review of the 50th anniversary spectacular that was Green Arrow Annual #4.

SUPER POWERS MINI-COMICS SPECIAL

                   



This week I have decided to take a look at three short mini-comics that were included in the earlier waves of the Super Powers figures released by Kenner in the early 1980s.

FATE #5

"Twist of Fate"
WRITER: Steven Grant and Len Kaminski
PENCILER: Anthony Williams

INKER: Andy Lanning

COLORIST: Mike Danza

LETTERER: Clem Robins

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #367

"Skullduggery"
WRITER: David Michelinie
PENCILER: Jerry Bingham

INKER: Randy Emberlin

COLORIST: R. Witterstaetter

LETTERER: Rick Parker

MARVEL SUPERHEROES CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS

WRITER: Bill Mantlo with Mark Gruenwald & Steven Grant

PENCILER: John Romita, Jr with Bob Layton

INKER: Pablo Marcos with Bob Layton

COLORIST: Andy Yachus, Patricia DeFalco, Michele Wolfman, Christie Scheele, Don Warfield and Carl Gafford

LETTERER: Joe Rosen

SPAWN/BATMAN

WRITER: Frank Miller

PENCILER: Todd McFarlane

INKER: Todd McFarlane

COLORIST: Steve Oliff (with computer colors by Olyoptics)

LETTERER: Tom Orzechowski

G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #119

WRITER: Herb Trimpe

PENCILER: Herb Trimpe

INKER: Herb Trimpe

COLORIST: Herb Trimpe

LETTERER: Rick Parker

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #119

Sonic the Hedgehog is a comic series from Archie Comics based on the best-selling series of video games and cartoon series starring Sonic.  The comic is known for taking its own direction with stories inspired by these sources.  This particular issue presents three self-contained stories that showcase some of the main cast of characters.

BLACK CONDOR #12

"Wings Over Gotham"
WRITER: Brian Augustyn

PENCILER: Rags Morales

INKER: Richard Space

COLORIST: Stuart Chaifetz

LETTERER: Gaspar Saladino

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #0

WRITER: Gerard Jones

PENCILER: Chuck Wojtkiewicz

INKER: Bob Dvorak

COLORIST: Gene D'Angelou

LETTERER: Clem Robins