Retro Review Archives - Major Spoilers - Comic Book Reviews and News

Posts Tagged ‘Retro Review’

Retro Review: Incredible Hulk #380 (April 1991)

As Major Spoilers resident old guy, I remember when this issue of Incredible Hulk first hit the stands, with its front-cover warning that the main character doesn’t appear anywhere in the pages. I wondered if the issue c...

Retro Review: The Spirit #1 (October 1966)

The art form known as comics has been through a lot in a little over a century, but did you know one of the most widely beloved heroes of the 1940s didn’t originate in comic books at all? Your Major Spoilers (retro) revi...

Retro Review: Excalibur #67 (July 1993)

With the recent release of ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’, I’ve read a number of comments on the internet that opined that Marvel should get off their butts and do a real sequel to the classic tale. Of course, ...

Retro Review: Flash #91 (June 1994)

I sometimes make the assertion that Barry Allen’s death might have been the best thing to happen to DC Comics in the 80s, giving the Justice League a fallen hero to live up to, giving a once-stagnant universe some life-or...

Retro Review: Super-Heroes #1 (January 1967)

The recent spate of comic movies and television shows has some declaring that it’s never been a better time to be a fan of superheroes and other such frippery. But those who remember the past can tell you it’s not ...

Retro Review: Superman #233 (January 1971)

The most wonderful part of Retro Reviews comes in seeing the trends that people think of as “modern” in play in comics decades old. In 2011, DC made serious changes to the Man Of Steel’s mythos, power set and...

Retro Review: Star Wars Tales #1 (September 1999)

In honor of Star Wars Day, Retro Review is off into a galaxy far, far away. (For best results, turn your font yellow, and read with your computer screen tilted to about a 30-degree angle.) The Star Wars Expanded Universe may ...

Retro Review: Godzilla #3 (October 1977)

There was a time at Marvel Comics where the ‘shared universe’ principle that had built the foundation of the House Of Ideas was universal for ALL Marvel titles. Shang-Chi started out in an adaptation of Sax Rohmer...

Retro Review: Action Comics #775 (March 2001)

What’s so funny about truth, justice and the American way? We’re about to find out… Your Major Spoilers (retro) review of Action Comics #775 awaits!

Retro Review: Showcase #37 (March/April 1962)

We all know the feeling of being up against a deadline and frantically trying to come up with something, ANYTHING to fill the particular bill we are working towards… This has led to some awkward moments in my life (inclu...

Retro Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (May 1984)

Every first issue is a gamble. Some roll off the end of the pier without a single ripple, others build something interesting that nonetheless fails the test of time. This one shattered every single expectation and created a w...

Retro Review: Exiles #3 (October 2001)

Some issues are memorable to everyone, some only to those who caught it the first time. Case in point: This one, in which Wolverine is used to his greatest effect, and one of my favorite characters gets the spotlight: ThisR...

Retro Review: Green Lantern #7 (July/August 1961)

Thaal Sinestro is a big deal these days, even temporarily headlining the main Green Lantern title during the New 52 relaunch, but have you ever wondered how he started out? Your Major Spoilers (retro) review of Green Lantern #...

Retro Review: The Amazing Cynicalman #1 (June 1987)

The history of comics is filled with people whose artistic skill and inventiveness marks them as geniuses in my book, from the stylized wonder of a Gil Kane “flipping-over-backwards-because-I’ve-been-punched-that-ha...

Retro Review: Iron Man #150 (September 1981)

There’s a certain portion of the comics audience (and also, to be honest, the editorial contingent) who have fallen prey to the theory that comics need to be “realistic”, that suspension of disbelief is broken...

Retro Review: Plop! #10 (March/April 1975)

Dying is easy, COMEDY is hard. But combining them is where things get REALLY interesting… Your Major Spoilers (retro) review awaits!

Retro Review: G.I. Joe Declassified #3 (October 2005)

Way back in 1982, Larry Hama created a legendary group of characters, a baker’s dozen soldiers who represented the best and brightest of the American armed forces, each one with a special set of skills and an awesome code...

Retro Review: Warlock #11 (February 1976)

In the earliest years of the Bronze Age of comics, relevance was the watchword, as the wacky sci-fi concepts of the Silver Age underwent a metamorphosis into strange psychological odysseys and journeys to the center of the mind...

Retro Review: Detective Comics #267 (May 1959)

Comics are a cyclical game. From the very earliest days of the industry, stories and concepts have been recycled, reused and generally repurposed on a regular basis. This explains why, for instance, Quality Comics’ Midn...