WITH THE HOLIDAYS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, WE’RE HAVING A SPECIAL EDITION OF DOC’S CORNER. WHILE I COULD BE TELLING YOU THAT ADVENTUREMAN #7 IS ANOTHER TERRIFIC INSTALLMENT OF MATT FRACTION AND TERRY DODSON’S INDEPENDANT UPDATED PULP MASTERPIECE IS DEFINATELY WORTH READING OR THAT OVER IN THE BATMAN/SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES #9, THE GANG TEAM UP WITH THE RIDDLER(?) IN SOME PIRATE HILARITY, I HAVE DECIDED TO CHANGE IT UP AND REVIEW A FEW OF MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY GIFTS … THE BACK ISSUE!
THERE ISN’T A COMIC FAN OUT THERE WHO DOESN’T LIKE A GOOD BACK ISSUE. AND A SMALL STACK OF THEM WRAP WONDERFULLY AND WEIGH ENOUGH TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOU CARE. LONG A FAVORITE UNDER DOC’S TREE, I LOVE TO SEE WHAT THE FAMILY DUG OUT OF GRAHAM CRACKERS’ LONG BOXES TO SURPRISE ME WITH. HERE ARE A FEW PAST BACK ISSUES THAT REMINDED ME OF THE GOOD OLD DAYS.
MARVEL’S GREATEST COMICS #81 (1979) MARVEL COMICS
The 1970’s there was a reawakening of comics in the sense that comic readers both old and new realized that the comics they had been reading as children were no longer available. Of sure, a lucky trip to a garage sale or an antique store might find you some older comics. There was no ebay, no internet for that matter, and we comic readers were on our own. If you were lucky enough, you might be able to join a comic collecting group and mail your want lists back and forth around the country in the hopes that you might find someone to trade with (through the post office!).
And no one figured that out faster than Stan Lee and the folks at Marvel. Through a series of titles such as Marvel Double Feature which reprinted classic Captain America and Iron Man stories from their old Tales of Suspense and Marvel Super-Heroes which feature old Hulk and Sub Mariner stories from Tales to Astonish, Marvel’s Greatest Comics reprinted the old stories of the Fantastic Four. And this one is quite the treat as we get the high in demand Fantastic Fout #100 with a great new cover by Alan Kupperburg and Joe Sinnott! When all the greatest foes of the Fanatstic Four attack one right after another, what a super team going to do? What is the mystery behind the onslaught? A great little story idea from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. With only one little problem … if Johnny’s girlfriend Crystal is wearing a blue jumpsuit with a 4 on it, doesn’t that make them the Fantastic 5?! Excelsior! This sweet little reprint earns itself a 9 out of 10 Grahams. 
ACTION COMICS #320 (1965) DC COMICS
WOWSERS! A 12 cent comic book! How is that even possible? Can you believe in this $4.99 comic world we live in that comics ever costed 12 cents? Mind Blown! And just for the record that is not Jimmy Olsen on the cover as Hercules! But it sure does look like it! This was the mid 1960’s and anything went in a comic. By this point in time, Superman had met and interacted with his three literary co-stars, a point that is even referenced in the story. Criminals could invent machines that were comical in their power and effects. Superman could put a domino mask over his face and pretend to be a super-villain without anyone recognizing him. Time travel, parallel universes, evil counterparts, this one has it all. It even has a Supergirl back up story which proves that even an alien with super powers just wants to be loved. (Ah, the good old days!) This is one of those great stories that needs no multiple issues, no sister titles, it’s a one and done from the master storyteller Otto Binder and art by famed artist Al Plastino! Again, this one rates a 9 Grahams out of 10.
INCREDIBLE HULK #348 (1988) MARVEL COMICS
Remember when the Hulk turned gray, developed his own personality and ended up working in Vegas as a guy called Mr. Fixit? I do and in all honesty those were some pretty good times. And so when old Thor/Hulk villain, the Absorbing Man, shows up it’s a major showdown with much better dialog. And the ending here asks the real question, if you turn your entire body into concrete and then get busted into little pieces which is then flushed out the Hoover Dam, how do you get yourself back together? Mr. Fixit’s persona gave the Hulk a voice and insight into the monster. Banner was no longer the mouthpiece and it turns out the Hulk was quite the thinker. But in the end, whether he was green and grunting or grey and articulate, mankind still wouldn’t leave him alone. I give this one a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
