Author Archives: Phil

About Phil

With 40 years of experience in comic reading, collecting and reviewing, English Professor Phil Mateer has an encyclopedic mind for comics. Feel free to ask Phil about storylines, characters, artists or for that matter, any comic book trivia. He will post your questions and answers on the AABC blog. His knowledge is unparalleled! He is also our warehouse manager, so if you are looking for that hard to find comic book, ask Phil!

Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #195

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Phil

Hate Annual #9 — Creator: Peter Bagge This doesn’t come out that often, but it’s always a pleasure to read, and a comfort to know that Bagge is still out there, chronicling the continuing adventures of Buddy and Lisa and their respective families (and that they’re all just as screwed-up and oddly compelling as always). Unlike a few of the recent issues, this one focuses almost all of its time on the key characters, making it even more of a find; as a link to the best of the ’80s and ’90s indy scene, and a reminder of just how … Continue reading →

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It Came From the Back Room #21

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Phil

Standard recap: I’m slowly going through AABC’s one-million-plus back-issue room, restocking the boxes on the sales floor and pulling stuff to sell as discount/overstock/special items. I’m going through the alphabet backwards (don’t ask), and at my speed, this amounts to a two-year project. This week, we’re continuing the letter “I,” and featuring the second half of The Invincible Iron Man. In our last episode, we got up to the end of Shellhead’s first run, which ended with issue #332, in 1996. If you’d like to see some high-end offerings of those early issues, check our stock here, here, here and … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics History, Marvel, News & Promos, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #194

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Phil

Journey Into Mystery #622 — Writer: Kieron Gillen;  Pencils: Dougie Braithwaite;  Colorist: Ulises Arreola This title takes over the numbering of the old Thor, since series writer Matt Fraction is leaving to helm the new Thor the Mighty (you’d think some sort of media event starring the Asgardian Avenger was coming…). Gillen handled a few Thor stories last year, and did a good job, and here delivers a young-Loki tale that’s layered, lyrical and actually makes you like the complicated little trickster; it’s a sign that, with a crossover mini-series and a movie all throwing a big spotlight on the … Continue reading →

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It Came From the Back Room #20

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Phil

Standard recap: I’m slowly going through AABC’s one-million-plus back-issue room, restocking the boxes on the sales floor and pulling stuff to sell as discount/overstock/special items. I’m going through the alphabet backwards (don’t ask), and at my speed, this amounts to a two-year project. This week, we’ve finally hit the letter “I,” and the first up is one of Marvel’s longest-running titles, and most popular movie stars: the Invincible Iron Man! Iron Man We can skip over much of Iron Man’s earlier years, since it’s not like there’s much in the way of discount issues available (although we’re now well stocked … Continue reading →

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Phil’s Reviews — Stuff I Bought #193

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Phil

Captain America #616 — Writers: Ed Brubaker, Howard Chaykin, Cullen Bunn, Mike Benson, Frank Tieri, Kyle Higgins & Alec Siegel; Art: Travis Charest, Howard Chaykin, Mike Deodato, Ed McGuinness, Jason Latour, Paul Grist, Paul Azeceta, Pepe Larraz This 70th Anniversary issue offers over 100 pages (I counted 104, plus the covers) for $4.99, so it’s a great deal, especially given that list of creators. Brubaker offers a one-page origin, a 15-page chapter in the regular book’s ongoing saga (involving Bucky/Cap in a Russian gulag), and another 15-page story with Steve Rogers trying to decide whether to don the uniform again … Continue reading →

Posted in New Comics, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment