Whiz Comics #2

• Date: February 1940
• Publisher: Fawcett Publications
• Cover Price: 10¢
• 2013 Price Range: $8,000 - $176,000
• Stats: 64 color pages plus ads
• Writers: Bill Parker and ?
• Artists: C.C. Beck and ?
• Notable Notes: 1st appearances of Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, Golden Arrow, Spy Smasher, Scoop Smith, Lance O'Casey and Dan Dare!

Is It This Or Is It That?

Captain Marvel, aka Shazam, has a long and complicated history. The complications begin with this issue and the question of "Is it issue #1 or issue #2?" The inside front cover lists this as issue #2 of Whiz Comics, and a little bit of searching reveals that the first issue was actually an ashcan copy created for trademark purposes and it wasn't even called Whiz Comics! Anyway, this issue (the true #1 but actually marked as #2) is where all the magic happens. Oh yeah, there are other complications too - such as the name "Captain Marvel", his close resemblance to Superman and his integration into the DC Universe after DC Comics obtained the rights to the character... but we won't go there right now.

In March of 2009 my brother held another "spontaneous combustion" round for our writing group.  This was the second one, and the whole point was to write something, anything.  I contributed this little piece about an alien invasion force.  Its not really much of a deep or complex story, but I think its fun none-the-less.  Enjoy!

Orbiter's Reward

By Greg Wickenhofer

"Orbiter's Reward" is a very short 2008 science fiction short story by Greg Wickenhofer. It is about a scrap metal business that finds a very helpful robot.

Captain America #7 (Vol. 3)

• Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Cover Price: $1.99
• 2013 NM Range: $3.00
• Stats: 22 color pages plus "American Graffiti" letters page, Bullpen Bulletins and ads
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artists: Dale Eaglesham, Scott Koblish, Joe Rosas, John Costanza (and new creative team of Andy Kubert, Jesse Delperdang, Jason Wright and Todd Klein)
• Notable Notes: Captain America finally resolves the Skrull crisis!

Avenge With A Vengeance?

It seems like whenever Cap gets beaten down he always comes back in a big way. The story in this issue (the last 3 actually) is no different, but this one has a little bit more subdued (depressing?) ending. Not sure I really like it that way.

A 1999 short story that was nominated for the Hugo award, "Ancient Engines" explores the idea of robots that are so self preserving that they actually purchase replacement parts for themselves in a bid to live forever.

"The Real World" is a 2000 science fiction short story by Steven Utley. It is about a scientist who has the distinguished honor of being the first person to travel back in time using a recently discovered time funnel. The question is: did he come back to the same world he left?

Spawn #9

• Date: March 1993
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Cover Price: $1.95
• 2013 Price Range: $1.00 - $7.00
• Stats: 24 color pages plus Jim Lee poster, Image info, letters page, fan art and house ads
• Writer: Neil Gaiman
• Artist: Todd McFarlane
• Colors: Steve Oliff, Reuben Rude and Olyoptics
• Notable Notes: 1st appearances of Angela, Cogliostro and Medieval Spawn!

Who Owns The Rights To Angela?

In case you didn't know, there have been some big fights over who owns the rights to the character Angela: Neil Gaiman or Todd McFarlane. (Answer: they both own half now.) Anyway, when I heard that Angela was going to be appearing in an upcoming Marvel comic it got me thinking about this issue - so I dug it out and had a read. It was actually quite good, and probably my favorite issue of Spawn!

Not long after we held the Spontaneous Combustion Round in November of 2008, we started on Round 29 for our writing group. It was January of 2009 and I decided to continue the short story I had begun previously: Amelia's New Plan. This story starts shortly after the end of the previous one, and continues the adventures of Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred. However, in this one I speculate as to what may have happened to them on their trip around the world. Warning: this story does NOT have a happy ending! 

Ever wondered how difficult it would be to communicate with aliens? Probably a bit harder than Star Trek makes it appear - in fact a person might have to change her whole view of the space-time continuum to truly understand their point of view.

Comics Buyer's Guide #1696

• Date: December 2012
• Publisher: Krause Publications
• Cover Price: $5.99
• Stats: 58 color and B&W pages including ads

Because I Love Everything About Collecting Comics

I have been reading and collecting comic books for over 30 years now, and I enjoy everything about the hobby! Obviously I like reading comics, but I also really enjoy searching out and finding issues that complete my sets, reading about comic book history, learning about how comics are created and used in other industries and pretty much everything else associated with collecting comic books. Anyway, all this is leading up to the fact that I like reading Comics Buyer's Guide because it helps me enjoy the hobby more thoroughly. I've been reading issues of this magazine on-and-off for the past 9 years, and I figured it was time I talk about this very cool magazine. Here are my thoughts: