Ken Aldred

I started reading comics during the early / mid 70s DC 100 page program, just missing out on the Adams-era Batmans, apart from issue 255. I picked up all of Aparo's really enjoyable Brave and Bold issues and, being from this formative period for me, hardly surprising that I see him as one of the best and most significant artists ever to work on the Dark Knight's stories.

In this case, I suspect it's not just the horror character team-up, but also a frenzied bidding war between two or more fans of the stunning Frank Robbins interior artwork.

I never really looked closely at the foreground figures as, overall, it's a nicely-composed cover. At a distance, to me, the faces and figurework still look quite Aparo-like. Decades of conditioning, seeing it that way.

I know. Gets to be a repetitious thought these days.

For years I thought this was drawn by Aparo, but I eventually discovered it was Adams... To me, the opposite effect - Adams mimicking Aparo.

Yup. Exactly what The Spectre should be. Full-on, dark, no compromise, Old Testament justice.

It always seemed to me that, at most, Spidey wore slipper-like soles, something that thin.

Yup. That had occurred to me. One reason I said 'most'.

One of my favourite Bronze Age FF issues. Reintroduction of Atlas Era Marvel Boy. For 2 issues, anyway.

Sasquatch.

The problem with this chart is that most of them wear boots and the soles can have different thicknesses, so the height in costume here could be a bit deceptive. Some could be cheating. Rorschach comes to mind. A barefoot chart would be more accurate.

Already spoken for. I'm going all out for it this year.

If you’re OCD about condition and ordering a book that an LCS might only get a few copies of, then this scenario is more or less inevitable. I do empathise, because I’m pretty much the same. Diamond can send books through damaged, covering this with the statement that they supply "in saleable condition", not necessarily as close to perfect as we’re looking for. That said, I’ve seen a lot of material, including expensive hardcovers, with very bad half-inch-or-more spine and corner dings, on the shelves at full RRP, that wouldn’t even deserve a place in a seconds / remainder / clearance store. Eventually, either you select the books yourself or accept that the situation isn’t working and find an alternative source, be that another store, LCS or online, or go digital.

Yup. Just like the real-life animal. Courtesy of Wiki.. "It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. The wolverine, a solitary animal,[1] has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself."

I have seen alcohol sold in shops that also have pharmacies / chemists, here in the UK. IIRC, that’s one reason Walgreens' sales took off during Prohibition, noticing that a drugstore could legally supply alcohol on prescription, and so they shifted from being grocery stores to incorporating chemists as well, as a way of circumventing the Volstead Act.

Count me in. I was cruelly and unfairly robbed of last place last year, and this year I endeavour to work much, much harder in order to prevent that tragic situation from recurring.

Batman 251 has some truly inspired artwork. The McFarlane page is interesting. Taking away the cape exaggeration, the drawing looks very much like Marshall Rogers art.

It did make some sense to me. After all, sporting goods shops in the States sell guns, whereas ours in the UK don't, and so it seemed possible to me that builders merchants over there have an equally diverse range, selling not just concrete paving and decorative slabs but graded, plastic ones as well. I have to be liberal and allow for cultural differences.

Yup. I was confused about why builders merchants over there sold comic books. Unheard of, here in the UK.

Yup. Expected. Jimmers = Randomness

At least the mercury content is likely to be much lower than in tuna, even high-quality albacore. From that perspective, a healthier option.

You're not really missing anything. Very little Thanos in it, just The Avengers having a fight in space with an alien invasion fleet sent by him. Some nice interior art, but a minor addition to the storyline which was progressing in Captain Marvel.

That'll do nicely.

In terms of quality, I haven’t really found moderns to be much different to BA or SA. Some standout, excellent titles, lots of unmemorable mediocrity or outright dross.