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BACK ISSUE! Magazine

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine examines comics & comic-related media from the 1970's, 1980's & 1990's. Ask your local comic shop for the latest issue or subscribe at: www.twomorrows.com BACK ISSUE! is published eight times a year. We nearly always write ALT TEXT.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 26d

"BACK ISSUE! Goes MAD!"

BACK ISSUE! Magazine #162 has been shipped and is available TODAY at your local comics shop!!!

MADMAN, THE MAD HATTER, HARLEY QUINN, MAD BALL, MAD-DOG, MAD MAGAZINE and more!

Order and/or subscribe here and get a free DIGITAL copy: twomorrows.com/index.php?ma...

October 2025 - 84 FULL-COLOR pages

“BACK ISSUE Goes MAD!”

Things get crazy this issue with Madman, Batman: Mad Love, MAD superhero movie parodies, the Mad Hatter, Madballs, and more!

Featuring the work of Michael Allred, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Gerry Conway, Doug Moench, Mike W. Barr, Jeph Loeb, and others.

Madman cover by Michael Allred!

Edited by Roger Ash.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 6h

The term 'graphic novel' was originated by Will Eisner for this classic anthology of true-life stories.

A Contract With God was NOT a trade collection of a comic series, but an original novel with graphic illustrations.

A Contract With God (1978) by Will Eisner; republished by DC Comics in 2000.

BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 6h

55 Dropsie Ave, a tenement in The Bronx in the 1930s.

These are its stories:

A good man is betrayed by God after God breaks their contract.

A street singer gets the opportunity of a lifetime.

A lonely super gives in to his immoral desires.

It is summer at 55 Dropsie Ave, time for the Catskills.

A lone man walks up the front steps of a tenement building as rain pours down.

A Contract with God (1978) by Will Eisner; republished by DC Comics in 2000.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 11h

Hippolyta's vision came true: Wonder Woman is dead.

The Queen selfishly saved the life of her daughter Diana but it cost the life of Diana's Amazonian sister, Artemis.

—

Wonder Woman #100, July 1995 by William Messner-Loebs, Mike Deodato Jr.

Diana finds Artemis. Her body is broken and dying after her battle with the Magician.

With her final words, Artemis returns the mantle of Wonder Woman back to the Princess.

She says she was never worthy of the uniform, Diana is the one true Woman Woman.

Wonder Woman #100, July 1995 by William Messner-Loebs, Mike Deodato Jr.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 15h

Words hurt, Batman.

They cut deeper than a batarang 😢

—

Batman #401, Nov 1986 by Barbara Randall (Kesel) & Trevor Von Eeden

Batman and Robin walk through a door and spot the murderous villainess Magpie.

"You're pathetic." announces the dark detective across the room.

—

Batman #401, Nov 1986 by Barbara Randall (Kesel) & Trevor Von Eeden

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Reposted by BACK ISSUE! Magazine

BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · Mar 30

A circus burns to the ground giving a group of disconnected clowns and freaks an opportunity to take a surreal joyride through America in the prose story...

A COTTON CANDY AUTOPSY.

Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children #1, July 1989 by Dave Louapre & Dan Sweetman

A demented looking circus clown bites down on a popped balloon.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 20h

In San Francisco, Spider-Woman saves a Jane Doe from drowning in the bay.

"Jane" is the missing Carol Danvers whose mind has been erased after an assault from a mutant named Rogue.

Now possessing all of Carol's memories and secrets, Rogue and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attack The Avengers.

Various panels depicting scenes from the storyline: Captain America getting punched, Iron Man incapacitated, Spider-Woman flying through the sky, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a silhouette of a mystery woman and the Avengers meeting the Uncanny X-Men.

The Avengers Annual #10 (1981) by Chris Claremont, Michael Golden & Armando Gil.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 1d

Just to clarify things, this is a joke. Mark Waid has NOT made this moment canon in the DCU.

My apologies to the person I upset on the Facebook group who thought it was real and demanded me to specify where in the series this occurred.

I never meant to mislead anyone. It was meant as a joke.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 1d

Wow! I didn't expect Mark Waid to make this moment canon in "The New History of the DC Universe"!

It certainly puts a new spin on "The Great Darkness Saga"!!

🤣

—

Elseworlds 80-page Giant (1999) by Mark Waid @markwaid.bsky.social & Ty Templeton @tytempleton.bsky.social

During the early Clubhouse days of the Legion of Super-Heroes...

Legion leader Cosmic Boy tells applicant Young Darkseid to get lost because his Omega-Vision could hurt a Legion member in the heat of battle.

As a consolation prize, Darkseid is presented with a Legion flight belt.

—

Elseworlds 80-page Giant (1999) by Mark Waid & Ty Templeton

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 1d

The pirate with a mercenary army and a fondness for wearing fur has certainly come along way since his unexceptionable debut.

It turned out he was a mutant!!

Claremont's evolving long-game had Victor Creed be Logan's father.

Sadly, that was overruled by Marvel years after Claremont left.

Painted cover to Sabertooth #1 (1993 mini series).

Painted by Mark Texiera.

BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 1d

Danny agrees to help Colleen bodyguard a client but when they arrive at the job they are overwhelmed by the army of a modern day pirate named Sabertooth.

Danny and Colleen escape capture but during a rescue attempt, Iron Fist is blinded and must survive the pirate's prowess and razor sharp claws.

Suffering from snow blindness, Iron Fist battles for his life in a the frozen Canadian mountainside against the pirate with the funky costume and razor claws, Sabertooth.

Iron Fist #14, Aug 1977 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne & Dan Green.

Cover by Dave Cockrum & Al Milgrom.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 1d

The classic and beloved imaginary tale of Superman Red and Blue is often included in "Best of Superman" collections. The 1963 story cfrom Superman #162 was used as inspiration for the Electric Blue and Red storyline in the late 90s.

Superman #162 (1963) by Leo Dorfman & Curt Swan.

Superman Red/Superman Blue #1, Feb 1998 by Dan Jurgens

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 1d

In an imaginary tale...

An experiment splits Superman into two beings and together they solve all the problems a single Superman couldn't solve.

After completing the tasks, there's one thing left to do: marry the girl of their dreams.

Superman Red and Blue.

Lana and Lois.

Who will marry who?

In front of a giant "S" symbol stands two versions of Superman; one with a red costume, the other is blue. Both identical except for the color scheme.

Best of DC #19, Dec 1981; cover by Ross Andru & Dick Giordano. Reprints Superman #162 (1963) by Leo Dorfman & Curt Swan.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 2d

Looks like Psycho-Man accomplished something that getting married, bearing a child (then losing one) and deciding on a perm mullet as a fashion statement couldn't do...it made Susie a WOMAN!

Hear her ROAR!!

—

Fantastic Four #284, Nov 1985 by John Byrne and Al Gordon

Panel of Sue Richards giving a soliloquy.

She says her encounter with Psycho Man and her temporary transformation into Malice has destroyed her innocence as a girl.

Invisible Girl no longer exists, from now on she is the invisible Woman.

Fantastic Four #284, Nov 1985 by John Byrne and Al Gordon

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 2d

Ah yes, the days when Patch, who is the incredibly unrecognizable (because of the patch, you see), thought-to-be-dead Wolverine, plays Marvel's version of Rick Blaine in the Casablanca stand-in, Madripoor.

Yeah, not what fans expected.

Wolverine #8, June 1989 by Chris Claremont & John Buscema.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 2d

Joe Fixit is in Madripoor on a job: he's looking for a man and was told an individual named Patch has the information he needs to find him.

Patch knows Joe is The Hulk and decides to have fun with him.

Patch gives Joe torn purple pants then gets him in trouble with sex traders and drug suppliers.

Patch and Mr. Fixit pose next to each other in white cool white dinner jackets and bow ties. Patch, who is the incredibly unrecognizable thought to be dead Wolverine, glaces at Joe with his adamantium claws drawn and Joe side eyes Patch with suspicion.

Wolverine #8, June 1989 by Chris Claremont & John Buscema

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 2d

Wally gets dumped by Francine and heads off to STAR Labs in Utah to work on getting his speed up from the current max of 700mph.

During a test in the desert, Flash's speed accidentally releases a bio-electric-magnetic organism trapped in limbo, a thing which names itself KILG%RE.

The Flash is attacked by a slew of strange, robotic creatures as a crowd of people looks on.

The Flash #3, Aug 1987 by Mike Baron, Butch Guice and Larry Mahlstedt.

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Reposted by BACK ISSUE! Magazine

BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · May 13

Police scientist Barry Allen has suffered a lab accident; a bolt of lightning hit him and doused him in caustic chemicals.

As doctors try to heal his burns, he has vivid memories of being the hero, the Flash.

But the Flash doesn't exist, it's all in his mind; the accident has made him insane.

The Flash playfully runs across this wrap-around cover punching members of The Rogues Gallery, ending with a super-speed punch to Captain Cold, Mirror Master and Gorilla Grodd in this 300th issue extravaganza!

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Reposted by BACK ISSUE! Magazine

twomorrows.bsky.social @twomorrows.bsky.social · 3d

It's the final weekend to help TwoMorrows recoup our Diamond bankruptcy losses! With your help, we've chipped away almost 30% of our $65,000 losses from Diamond's bankruptcy. Thank you to everyone who supported us!

Find all the details, and make your donation here: givebutter.com/c/B7HQDj

TwoMorrows Diamond Recoup

Help TwoMorrows recoup its Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy losses

givebutter.com

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 3d

Last I checked, only Johnny Cash had a Christian comic biography by Al Hartley.

Johnny's at Folsom. No, he's not doing time...he's cutting a record and preachin' the Lord's gospel! Seriously, he is.

BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 3d

Johnny's at Folsom.

No, he's not doing time, he's cutting a record and preachin' the Lord's gospel!

Seriously, he is.

—

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" (1976) from Spire Christian Comics by Billy Zeoli & Al Hartley

Johnny Cash smiles while playing his guitar under the stage lights.

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" (1976) from Spire Christian Comics by Billy Zeoli & Al Hartley

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 3d

America attacked the world and now every nation lies ruined and starving.

Overmind used the Squadron Supreme as his lackeys to ravage Earth and now defeated, the world greets the Squad with distrust.

As atonement, the Squad pledges they are going to restructure all society, no matter what.

Action shot of the Squadron Supreme rushing towards the reader.

Behind them is an image of fellow member, Nighthawk watching them with a wary look.

Squadron Supreme #1, Sept 1985 by Mark Gruenwald, Bob Hall & John Beatty.

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 4d

James Gunn @jamesgunn.bsky.social truly appreciates comics history.

Some of the all-time greatest comic creators got a "special thanks" after this season of PEACEMAKER on HBO.

Paul Kupperberg @paulkupperberg.bsky.social · 4d

You're welcome! #Peacemaker Season 2

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 4d

What is the Incredible Hulk and the Justice League's favorite lunchtime meal?

-

Mad Magazine #208, July 1979 "A Mad LOOK at Superman" by Don Edwin & the legendary Don Martin.

As soon as it hits noon, Clark Kent leaves his office desk, changes into Superman and falls in line along with the Hulk, Batman and Wonder Woman to get a Hero sandwich from the deli.

Mad Magazine #208, July 1979 "A Mad LOOK at Superman" by Don Edwin & the legendary Don Martin.

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Reposted by BACK ISSUE! Magazine

BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · Aug 11

Aliens are hurling the world through space at light speed.

The fabric of reality is being torn to shreds; time is running amok.

As a slew of heroes fight valiantly to keep order on Earth; the heroes of space, science and magic (and Cryll) are mankind's last hope to save the world from destruction.

The trajectory of the Earth is stopped by a giant, cosmic-sized The Spectre and the combined wills of The Phantom Stranger, Green Lantern, The Atom, Space Ranger and Cryll, The Flash and Adam Strange.

Showcase #100, May 1978 by Paul Kupperberg & Paul Levitz and Joe Staton

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BACK ISSUE! Magazine @backissuemagazine.bsky.social · 4d

Yup. After Gaiman and Delano refused to finish Veitch's storyline, Doug Wheeler agreed to do the job.

He wrote one of the most underwhelming runs in Swamp Thing's history and was, IMO, rightfully terminated after many chances.

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