Thursday, November 3, 2016

When It's Not "Continued Next Issue"...


The Bronze Age Babies blog is suspended indefinitely. We invite you to use the various navigation tools under the masthead and on the sidebar to find your way to over 2200 posts, almost 700 of which are reviews of comic books, films, books, etc.

Karen and Doug thank you for stopping by and welcome comments on any of our posts. We will be notified of your comment, so feel free to continue any conversations that grab your interest.



18 comments:

Edo Bosnar said...

Hmm, interesting title for the last post, as I guess it's more like one of those common occurrences in the Bronze Age, when a series got cancelled and the dangling story-line was continued in the pages of another series...

Doug said...

That's a wonderful conclusion, Edo. And many examples abound. I just finished reading the Frankenstein Monster tpb -- he moved from his own series to the Monsters Unleashed B&W magazine, back to his own series, and then into Marvel Team-Up and then the Avengers (of all places). Similarly, many have cited how Nova's last arc finished in the pages of the FF.

Still having that bittersweet feeling,

Doug

Humanbelly said...

Mind you, for years in the Incredible Hulk that dangling teaser was, "To be HULKinued next issue-!"

(Yup. . . it all comes back to the Hulk. . . all of it. . . everything. . . heh)

Doug, Karen-- would this space be another good spot for you guys to once more point shelter-seeking media-storm orphans toward the warm hearth at Back To The Bronze Age--? Yeah? Maybe?

HB

Rip Jagger said...

It's been a blast. Thanks for the work, and I know it's work sometimes as much as we love this material. Getting it together to post can be a chore.

Rip Off

Unknown said...

I'm horribly upset, but respect your decisions. You guys elevated discourse, you made debate more elegant. You opened up the net for fans (and pros) by making the cup half full, not saying 'the trolls made it half-empty, so we eliminate comments, we deny differing POV's".

When I was growing up, I prayed for women like Karen, and that they'd be espoused, lauded, start a new sociological trope. Friends of Lulu came close, but IMO, Karen really achieved that here. I admire the other authours on this blog, but I came here for Karen, because she 'was just herself', and lovingly, and respectfully. And in doing things HER way, she didn't spend time fighting a bad comics affecianado paradigm; she created a new one in a new and sincere/'memetically clean' way, which very effing few ppl in the world can do. or bother to do.

Karen here was like would have happened in an alt-verse if Clea had been chosen by The Ancient One and Stephen Strange had ben the accolyte/assistant, lol.

Mayim Bialik, a neurologist helping ppl sufferening cerebral problems before 'Big Bang', helped ppl just by being herself, in her own way.

Karen did the same thing for removing bad gender stuff in comics, both for readers, and pros. She superceded gender-concerns by being such a cogent and clever comics-culture pundit that all the gender concerns became meaningless. Thus I came here, for her, but also doug and the others, but mainly for Karen. She was a hero here to me. Like Hypatia. Like Boudicca.

And I say this as someone whom illustrated for Grell, and Gaiman, and was personal friends with Trina Robbins, for whom Wendy Pini was a huge inspiration not only due to her being able to write/pencil/ink/paint covers and keep deadline and redefine an industry during the hardest years RE sales/distribution/sexism in comics. I wouldn't have fought to break in unless Wendy was a hero, a Joan of Arc, in the Bronze Age. Karen did the same thing here as a pundit.

The fact that someone like her cared about what we comics scriveners do/did makes a lot of pain go away. More importantly, it made so much JOY and self-respect come our way.

I hope she will always share her thoughts/feelings on our art form, but if life gets hard, and she has not the time, well, that's like taking time off work for health issues and just enjoying HER life, not mearely adding benefit to our own, collectively, as readers of this blog.

I am pathetically sad over this, but happy Karen (and others) are 'looking after themselves', and respect that. Considering why I dropped out of the comics publication game I'd be a pathetic hypocrite to do aught else, and make MODOK look good by comparison.

Sad to See You Call It a Day,
But Glad You Spent So Much Time Making Our Times Better,

Kitty

BobC said...

I'm very sad. But thanks for the great times.

Karen said...

Kitty, thanks for your very kind and generous remarks. I am somewhat stunned - I guess I've felt lucky and grateful than anyone ever wanted to read my posts or comics articles. So if I've provided some enjoyment and/or encouragement, that's all I could hope for. Thanks again.

And I'm not dead! I'll be around.

Unknown said...

it's not a gender thing re you you vs Doug; i need 2 say that. i thank you 4 coming back here to reply. it's about how YOU think, see our art form, 'get it', analyze it, appreciate it. I wasn't being kind/generous, lol; I was being 'warriorana from venture brothers , ;)

i know it all gets tiring; freelancer deadlines are worse. but if you ever get the energy back, please share your love for 1970's comics more, in any way that you can, sans giving up prexcious energy for 'real life'.

we can't love x-men 102 by cockrum if we lose our energy, lol. nor can we artists draw such material.

you help us to make the art that helps you.

please 'be aeround' when life allows you to be :)

Jack Alberti said...

So sad to this come to an end. Totally understand the need to move on. But, this is kinda sudden, isn't it?

Doug said...

Jack, I suppose it depends on one's perspective.

Karen and I didn't want any sort of long, drawn out "retirement party". We really wanted to leave as we arrived -- one day we just showed up, so it seemed fitting that one day we'd just close the doors. We did give a hint to longtime readers with the post that ran a couple of days prior, and we also notified all readers for whom we had an email address that an announcement was forthcoming.

Behind the scenes, we made the decision three weeks prior to the end date. So again -- while sudden for some, this had been brewing for a little less than a month.

Thanks for reading,

Doug

drivingovercanaan said...

I discovered your outstanding blog only a couple of months ago. Sorry to see it end. It has been right there with The Bronze Age of Blogs as the most interesting and entertaining site for Bronze Age comics. A true GO-TO player in the game! And it is so, Doug and Karen, because of your commentary and feedback. Your posts have drawn excellent commentary from your regular readers...another sign of quality. You will be missed. Regards!

Ace Hamilton said...

I'm sure I don't know the whole story, but my first thought is: "Why close it? Why not just change to 'we'll update it occasionally, or once in a blue moon'?"

I would gladly look forward to new posts, even if they seldom came, or never, but it is sad to think of it as over. This is easily my favorite comic blog.

Kudos on the great work!

Doug said...

Hi, Ace, and Kevin, too --

Thanks for the kind sentiments. That means a lot to Karen and I that folks are still pining for the brand of conversation that the BAB provided. It's very gratifying, as it continues as evidence that our original goals for the blog were met.

Karen and I wanted to make a clean break for the very simple reason that the Bronze Age Babies had taken on an identity and readers like yourselves knew what to expect when they arrived. To do anything less than provide our best work on the schedule we'd set seemed to be a diminishing of the blog. Neither of us wanted that, so we rather easily came to a mutual decision to end production. And it was as simple as that -- no hidden agenda, no dark secrets. Just two friends who felt our work together and separately had run its course.

So thanks again for stopping by and dropping us a line. This is a special place for both of us, and we're glad you liked it.

Doug

Anonymous said...

When will this site be up and running again?

Doug said...

Anonymous --

Thanks for the query.

Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question presently. We'll remain shuttered indefinitely. However, we do want to direct you to our partners' blog, Back in the Bronze Age, for a similar sort of conversing to that which folks had enjoyed at this space. Give 'em a look!

http://backinthebronzeage.blogspot.com/

Thanks,

Doug

londonlee said...

Oh shame. I don't comment often but I loved this blog and shared its enthusiasm for the comics I read as a teen (like pop music I think your favorite comic era is when you were a teen).

But as a long-time blogger myself I know you can run out of time and gas. All the best

Jack Alberti said...

When will this be up and running again?

Doug said...

Hi, Jack --

Karen and I are still content in our "retirement". We've both used the time to further our reading (comics as well as "real" books), and get on with life in general. We've both taken on a bit of a larger presence on Twitter -- you can follow me @BronzeAgeBabies and Karen @Walker_KM. We'd still encourage all of the readers who enjoyed our brand to become a regular at our former partners' blog Back in the Bronze Age (https://backinthebronzeage.blogspot.com/); they are also on Twitter @BackintheBronze.

I hope that helps! Thanks for checking in on us. Be well!

Doug

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