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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Wow... was that frustrating.



Doug: Well, what to think of that? As most of you know by now, Blogger went down for some reason late Thursday afternoon (US Central time). Was it maintenance, or a serious glitch? I don't know, but the fall-out has been a pain-in-the-butt. As you may have noticed, anything published on this blog (and I'd assume across Blogger) after Wednesday has been altered. For example, I believe the Side-by-Side post for 1984 was up to 21 or 22 comments; our post on Hawkman and the Angel had also generated almost a dozen comments. All of that is gone. That really bugs me, as it's long been a goal of Karen and I to create a message board for the community that enjoys this blog. Can't do that if your comments are deleted.


Doug: Additionally, our "Spotlight On" for Jim Aparo was set to run today. We had to table that, as I'd written it Thursday. Yep, wiped out in whatever this anomaly was. I'm going to try to get it put back together from memory (yeah, that's easy for an almost 45-year old guy...). Karen had started the second in our Fantastic Four trilogy, and was awaiting my turn with it. Gone. So we're a bit behind the 8-ball, and hope you'll bear with us if we need to take a day off. We try to work ahead, sometimes even a few weeks. But everyday life does "intrude" every now and then, and this may be one of those times.


Doug: But, as long as we have your attention, we'd like to announce that we've decided to continue the Side-by-Side series. Well, perhaps "continue" isn't the right word, as instead of moving forward, we're actually going to start quite a bit in the past. You all have really embraced the series, and it's certainly become a highlight for us each week to see your recollections. So, beginning shortly, we'll begin another 8-week run that we'll call Marvel and DC: Side-by-Side in the Marvel Age of Comics. Given that the Silver Age began at DC in 1956 while Marvel was mired in all sorts of monster and fantasy comics, we'll begin our romp in 1962 and run it through 1969. That end date might give us more fodder for our Bronze Age discussion, as several of you have posited that the Bronze Age may have begun as early as 1968. We shall see.

Karen: As my partner said, a frustrating time around the old bronze age baby clubhouse. We've been trying hard to have new content each day, and this has been a nasty speed bump, but we'll have things spinning along again soon. I'm excited to see your comments on our Marvel Age side by side, as I bet many of you read all the old Marvel reprint titles just like we did, so you'll be sure to have memories of those stories you can share.

Doug: So thanks for bearing with us, and keep stopping by. Hey, if nothing else, get in on an Open Forum that you may have missed earlier when it originally ran! We'll see your comments.

Doug: And one more thing, in news-you-can-use: it was announced today that NBC has rejected the Wonder Woman pilot.

13 comments:

  1. If I haven't mentioned it before, I really appreciate all the effort you guys put into this blog. And in that regard, I have to say (since I'm assuming you guys are doing this just for fun), don't let it become one of those obligations that runs your life. I think I speak for most of the readers here when I say I think we're happy with whatever you post whenever you post it.

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  2. Hi, Doug and Karen. It's a good idea to follow Blogger on Twitter. They give regular updates on whatever problems they're facing. The last few days they've been Tweeting like mad things. http://twitter.com/#!/Blogger

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  3. Inkstained WretchMay 15, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Let me second what Edo said. This is one of my favorite sites and I really appreciate all of the work you two put in to it. Whatever happened with Blogger obviously wasn't your fault, so don't stress over it. Just keep things fun.

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  4. Please accept one more note of thanks for this site and all your efforts. It is always interesting and entertaining, and your enthusiasm for the subject comes through!

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  5. Folks, thanks for your comments and understanding of this situation. We do enjoy putting the blog together, and the fact that so many of you actively participate makes it all the better. We've got some fun posts coming up and we're looking forward to your thoughts on them.

    Karen

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  6. Hi, Doug & Karen, I can definitely understand your frustration with these technical difficulties and likewise appreciate your work in keeping this blog going. It's been a fun romp down memory lane for those comics I have read, as well as other cultural events, or learning more about those I missed and I'll stay tuned.

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  7. You guys are all too kind. You make my eyes water. Or maybe it's pollen. Nah...

    Hey, Edo -- I wouldn't say that Karen and I do this strictly for fun. After all, when I got the tax info. at the end of 2010 for our Google AdSense over on the sidebar, we'd accumulated $8 over the year. Perhaps needless to say, I declined it. :)

    Doug

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  8. Yes, the Blogger anomoly was really frustrating, and I'm sorry for all your lost work, but I'm very glad to hear that the Side by Side feature will be expanded. It's something I really look forward to!

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  9. Sorry.., been away all weekend.

    Doug, Karen, and all you other regulars out there...:

    This blog has been my favorite each and every day. I'm just humbled to be among those of you who will always cherish milestones of my childhood, and to enjoy entertaining and educational banter about what made our heroes tick.

    It's always fun, just for a few minutes over hot, delicious Java, to sneak back into that world many of us grew up in.., whether it's the Daily Bugle, the Negative Zone or Gotham City.

    Not even a lousy Blogger can stop that.

    My thanks..

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  10. Well, that’s time I’ve ever heard that old chestnut from a teacher....”the Blog ate my homework”



    Richard

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  11. Sorry Doug, I tried to resist, but couldn’t pass it up.

    Seriously, huge love to you & Karen for doing all this. Frankly, I’m amazed that you don’t draft stuff in Word or similar and upload later, but I guess for you & Karen to interact it has to be done ‘live’.

    I feel like I want to shower you both with hyperbole, but it comes down to this:

    I honestly enjoy comics more as a result of reading this blog.

    Richard

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  12. You know Richard, on our previous blog we actually did draft things in Word and then pass it around via email but that was rather time consuming. of course now I have to wonder if maybe we should go back to it. But in any case it looks like things are back to normal (fingers crossed).

    Karen

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  13. Hi Karen,
    I find I get interrupted so much doing even the (relatively small) postings I put on here that I actually type this stuff (even this two-liner) into Word and then paste it. With some of the erudite, measured and well thought out stuff you and Doug post, if I were you, I would scream, cry and have a stiff drink (not necessarily in that order) if a whole thread went into the Negative Zone.

    If it’s any consolation, T.E. Lawrence left the first manuscript of Seven Pillars of Wisdom on Reading Train Station (pronounced Redding, but ironically spelt Reading) and had to re-write the whole thing from memory. It took 7 years, which is about 4 times as long as the Arab revolt itself. It’s cold comfort, but I guess, it could be worse, right?

    Richard

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