Imagine a time when you first learned what a star was. When you didn’t know what a war was. It could've been one summer or fall day, in 1977, when I had my own image from Star Wars, with Leia, Luke, and I do believe, Threepio, courtesy of a cereal box. You can literally say the images are iconic. I am this little boy, looking at everyone, dressed like no one I'd seen, with some vague intimation of mystic energy, nowhere found in my mundane life. I didn't know anything else about the story of this man and woman, or this robot (I only recall the humans, clearly, there could've been Chewie, too). I felt awe. They were alien to my experience. I think they scared me just a bit. They hinted at a Force beyond my frame of reference. Their clothes weren't like anything I knew, until I'd seen a proper bathrobe, maybe. Some of my earliest sexual memory is me trying to understand the discomforting entertwining of the male and female figures. The icons of Star...

I actually don't know at what point the Silver Age creations were being made specifically to play off the others: rather than just a great variety of titles/ attempts to catch readers with something novel. I realize I'd never pinpointed when the shared world might've emerged from that 'at first' condition. Sort of like looking back into the creative Big Bang of Marvel. Certainly by 'Daredevil' in 1964, the way a character fits into the bigger Marvel picture's becoming part of the thought. (from Captain Marvel #29, 1973, pg. 8 ) Thanos and the company of Titan are generated to play with the rest of the MU. The Avengers title (cover date, Sept. 1963- so, summer of '63) is made to fit the line-up together. Characters are being made for stories, to play off title characters, always. Later characters like Deathlok and Killraven in the 1970s, and Dreadstar in the 1980s, are created as 'stand-alone' storylines- so creativity did eventually...

Gave my helmet to Rhodey With loose circuitry Said, “I can’t be Shellhead Would you do it, please?” He put on the armor, gave Magma what-for Forgive the few windows he made into doors Kept warm in the Bowery burning Ayn Rand almost killed by irony: death by Firebrand With advice from Morley, Jim did pretty well Until those damn headaches gave poor Rhodey hell I love Indries Moomji But met her disdain Too late found the Chess King: Obadiah Stane I built my own armor from a box of spare parts It helped me quit drinkin’, those ‘lectronic arts Confronted the Bad Guy At trillionaire's cost I did save the baby But somebody lost.

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...