I understand that this type of book isn’t up everyone’s alley. The first issue had a Joe Kubert Hawkman story that was a wonder to behold, but other than that there hasn’t been a single super-hero to be seen. Instead, you will read stories that range from sci-fi, to depression-era slice of life, to war. It is also a great love letter to comics history, both in format (one collection of shorter stories in different genres) and with creators (Kubert is joined by contemporary Sam Glanzman). Comics and history are two of the things I love most, and combining the two is always going to be a winning situation for me, but my affection for this series goes beyond simple nostalgia. The art is wonderful, the stories are interesting, and the entire package is well worth your hard earned money. I’m sad to admit that I’d never hear of Sam Glanzman before reading this series, but his reminisces about serving in the Second World War are beautiful to look at, fun to read, and a great historical document. Brian Buniak’s Angel and the Ape stories have an exciting retro vibe, they look like they could have been drawn in the mid to late sixties, and I really enjoy reading them.

Despite all this, seeing art from Joe Kubert is really the biggest draw for me. I started collecting comics in the late ’80s and at that point Joe had already been a professional for fifty years. In a way it seemed like he had been making comics forever and would continue to make comics forever. This was probably supported by the fact that he never missed a step and his work was top of the line until the very end. I was sad hearing that he passed and, on a purely selfish level as a fan of his work, I was sad to realize that I wasn’t going to get to see any more from him. I look forward to this series every time it comes out because I get to see new art from someone whose work I love and who is no longer with us.

This is exactly the kind of book I love seeing on the shelves every month. You can pick it up and read comics as they were produced in their infancy, with different types of stories from talented creators. I know that it is Joe Kubert’s name that gets this comic published every month, so I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.