Comics History

Ask the Professor #13 — Cap's Super-Soldier Serum

Posted on April 16, 2008 by Phil

“Jburruel79” asks: Captain America had his Super- Soldier Serum removed for a time during the Streets of Poison storyline of the early 1990’s. At what point did he get it back? Thanks. Ah, yes: Mark Gruenwald’s (almost) decade-long run on Cap seemed to throw in everything but the kitchen sink — there was Cap resigning, Cap turned into a teenager, Cap-Wolf (Don’t ask. Seriously: don’t ask), and many other variations. Through it all, he was always able to nail Steve Rogers’ essential optimism, patriotism and refusal to ever, ever give up. Older fans rolled their eyes at much of this, … Continue reading →

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Ask the Professor #10 — Indicia Blues

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Phil

The Professor’s been off… um, professing for a few weeks, so a few questions have piled up. Here’s the first one: How do you tell the difference between Superman Batman # 1, 1st Batman print vs 2nd Batman print, both look like the same cover. Both are issue # 1. Thanks The key to most otherwise-indistinguishable printings is the indicia — the small print listing the official title of the comic, the issue number and date, the address of the publisher, and other legally-required information. It used to be easy to find, because it was dependably at the bottom of … Continue reading →

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Howard the Duck's Presidential Run

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Phil

Phil Mateer Waddling into History: Howard the Duck’s Presidential Campaign DC may think they’re trying something new in 2000, by running Lex Luthor for President, but ol’ Lex is hardly the first comics character to do it — or to get media coverage about it in the “real world.” Let’s go back 24 years, when it was a Marvel character who had his webbed foot firmly in the race…. You think the candidates aren’t very special THIS year? Think about 1976, when the options included Gerald Ford, best-known now for (a) pardoning Richard Nixon and (b) his cameo appearance in … Continue reading →

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Steve Gerber: 9/20/47 – 2/11/08

Posted on February 11, 2008 by Phil

Steve Gerber died. Boy, is that hard to type; back in the ’70s, as I went through high school and college, I wanted more than anything to be a comic book writer, and Gerber was the guy I wanted to be. He’d been part of the second wave of comics writers, the first fanzine-makers and readers of the early-’60s Marvel renaissance who’d transitioned into pros, and he brought a literary talent, a grown-up way with words and subject matter that still allowed for superhero fun and sly humor, that made the comics medium’s potential seem endlessly entertaining. For a while, … Continue reading →

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Ask The Professor #1: Darcy's Discoveries

Posted on November 10, 2007 by Phil

John Eaves sent in the following message on Nov. 1 (the old Professor has been swamped with actual professorial duties for the last two weeks, and so apologizes for the delay in answering it): Howdy!! do you remember Darcy, of Darcy’s Discoveries???  If so does she have a store or website or anything like that???  If so please give me a go. I got my first job in Hollywood thanks to her and wanted to drop her a line of thanks. Answer: For newcomers, Darcy’s Discoveries was one of the first comics stores in Phoenix, back in the early 1980s … Continue reading →

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