I wAS four when Mom bought me my first comic book, when they were Still Only Thirty-Five Cents. Spider-Man? Doctor Octopus? Oh, yes, make it happen, please! So on that walk one summer day, up Spring Circle, she made it mine. Years later, I found out where the story originated, and then realized what must've been on sale up on Old Lindale Road. Marvel Tales, I discovered. I didn't get anymore for quite some time. But wow. Big scary explosion at the end, suspense in the snow, helicopters, and some strange business between some pretty friends at a party Peter's missing. "My Uncle...My Enemy?" is sheer ridiculous fun. Aunt May inherits a nuclear reactor? She thinks Doc Ock really wants to be her loving companion? It made her seem such a doddering ol' dupe! But I was four, so it worked just fine. I didn't know then, but one day I'd find out Gerry Conway was a big fan of the same cartoon I loved back then, too: SPIDER-MAN! Reruns of the ABC

I only had a single issue of Hulk - #217- for a long while. "The Circus Of Lost Souls" was similar in theme to the epic where he finally loses Jarella- an echo, through a one-shot character. I came into the Jarella stories later. Jarella's passing and the epilogue with the Defenders are just heartfelt enough to move you beyond the usual Triumph and Tragedy in the Marvel Manner. I wrote that Marvel marketing cliche before seeing the cover again, editing- it left a strong impression, as slogans are meant to do! Welcome back to the legendary twilight land of the Bronze Age, a.k.a. the affordable old comics, growing up. This one ran my folks no more than cover price- they may've cut a deal for the three dozen they picked off the racks at D & L Salvage Supply, for my single most memorable Christmas present, in 1981. We get to know Rex, Stilts, Blossom, and the Major a little by the fire. There's many ways the Hulk finds happiness for a time, and he enjoys

Imagine if Marvel Team-Up could’ve been more experimental and not had to rely on their mascot Spider-Man nearly every issue: more stuff like this cool Deathlok/ Devil-Slayer story I’m about to read, in the last issue of Marvel Spotlight. One imagines a decent tale, for every era of the title, without Spidey, easily, at least, potentially- so, it’s too bad they were locked into that mold, and make their black and white magazines print better. Granted, they didn't want to break an unbroken thing, trying to fix it. 1972 team-up? Ah, Black Widow and Iron Man, by Gene Colan Luke Cage and Iron Man, by Billy Graham and Ron Wilson. ’73? Conan the Barbarian and Dr. Strange. The Cat and Shanna the She-Devil, guest-starring Night Nurse. ’74 The Vision and the Scarlet Witch versus Dracula! I thought of lots of interesting things about Dracula and Vision, but then I got one helluva Hex Wanda could throw that seemingly cures Dracula. I'll say no more. ’75

The Joker review: of popcorn and proletarians, from two corny contrarians Johann Balasuriya: I do not understand why people say this is a violent movie that promotes gun violence. I mean, I have watched Arnold Schwarzenegger comedies with more violence than The Joker. Although, it goes without saying, the Joker is less tragic than “Hercules goes Bananas” (A.K.A. Hercules in New York) or some other DC movies. The Joker is the story of Arthur Fleck, an average Joe, chilling in his life, doing the best he can to bring joy and happiness to the world. He's also dealing with a condition that makes him suddenly break out in unaccountable and uncontrollable laughter. Surrounded by mentally ill people, bullies, and manipulators, he does what he can to take care of his Mother, in a world where there is great wealth inequality. C Lue: The insidious slope canters, under his unearned trust, and faith in the everyone who Society says we should reasonably rely upon. Johann

A pal online pointed out this tagline, not only prominent on the covers of Howard The Duck (the overground/ underground comics phenom of its time, released late in 1975), but also, paraphrased and referenced and out-right quoted in other Marvel stories, captions, titles, and cover copy- like, Doctor Strange #2. "Trapped In A World He Never Made." I can't say for certain Steve Gerber came up with the idea to use this on the cover, though it was certainly his plan to do so. He had increasing editorial control of the newly-established, popular comic series, co-created with Val Mayerick. It just might've been a play on life in New York City then, a comment on earning a living and trying to stay sane in America, or maybe just, this is the challenge of publishing anything witty and original within the strictures of the mid-Seventies comics industry. You could say the phrase was inspired by A.E. Housman's Last poems XII 'the laws of God, the laws of man' &