Uncanny X-Men #125

My very FIRST X-Men comic, the one that introduced me to those Uncanny heroes, and WOW, what a issue to start off with! Not only was I introduced to all the X-men, but also Moira MacTaggert, Phoenix, Beast, Havok and Polaris AND the Danger Room! EVERYTHING was in this issue!

And if that weren’t enough, this was the first part of the incredible PROTEUS storyline, the beginnings of the HELLFIRE CLUB storyline and, of course, the seeds of what would eventually become the “DEATH OF PHOENIX” saga!

To this day this run remains the title that all others must compare to, and John Byrne and Terry Austin are STILL my favorite Artist/inker combo of all time!

Cross-Over Comics

The year was 1978 when my friend BLEW MY MIND by introducing me to what was called a “CROSS-OVER”!!  He showed me Captain America #230, where Cap went up against the Hulk (and what a COVER!), and I was astounded when the story continued into Hulk’s OWN title with Incredible Hulk #232!!!

MAN, I remember thinking comics couldn’t get COOLER!!!

The Complete Phonogram

As a HUGE fan of Keiron Gillen/Jamie McKelvie masterpiece THE WICKED+THE DIVINE, I decided to check out their previous work "Phonogram", a much-lauded work consisting of three story ars. Hmmm, can't say I was a real fan of this series. While I can clearly see the roots of WicDiv here, I just couldn't get into it...very snarky, IMO.

Infinity Gauntlet

Saw a used copy of Jim Starlin's "Inifinity Gauntlet"  and decided to check it out. Was surprised to find that this was the FOURTH in a SERIES of books, Infinity War, etc. Just as well I didn't know because I don't know if I could have sat through FOUR of these.
 I grew up with the original "Power Of Warlock" series and REALLY loved the original Jim Starlin run from STRANGE TALES to its killer conclusion in Avengers Annual 7, but somehow, this new series just didn't grab me...

Super-Villain Team-Up #15

My Favorite Marvel Villain of all time is Victor Von Doom, and as a kid, I tried to grab every issue I could with him on the cover. Living in Hawaii, there weren’t a whole lot of places to buy back-issue comics, but there was a shoppe in Waikiki that sold Hawaiian stuff (koa bowls, carved statues, etc) and in the back of the store, the little old lady that ran the place sold used comics!

Me and my friend would bicycle down there every weekend to see what new comics she had, and when I saw this Super-Villain Team-Up in one of the comic boxes, I couldn’t WAIT to check it out!

 Getting home,  I was treated to one of the finest Doctor Doom stories ever! I was used to seeing Doc Doom as drawn by artists like Jack Kirby, John Buscema and Keith Pollard, but George Tuska’s take on him was SO different…very robotic and archaic looking that made me feel like I was reading a ancient tale of Doom.

Even as a kid I could tell that this story of Doc Doom VS Red Skull was made up of two parts- there was a very distinctive split in the middle of the story, and sure enough, the first page said “Originally presented in Tales to Astonish 4-5” and when I was a teenager and seriously collecting, these were issues I just HAD to have! 

Still one of my all time favorite Doctor Dooms stories, with one my FAVORITE Doom quotes ever (when a thief tries to rob him in his sleep): “ What’s THIS?A common thief who dares disturb my royal repose? Such audacity borders on madness, and towards the mad, I am nothing if not merciful! Hence the merest TASTE of my weaponry! (electrocutes the robber to hell)!

Lazarus Vol.1-5

With the arrival of Book Five, i decided to read LAZARUS right from the beginning, and now, having finished book 5, can honestly say this is one of the best freaking books out there!!!!
Sad to hear that the creative team is taking a break and handing it off to others...hope they retain the book's greatness!