Saturday, June 16, 2012

Another Year in the (Funny) Books



Doug:  Today we want to take a break from the usual routine around here, which is Bronze Age Awesomeness (in case you're stopping by for the first time and wondered where you landed!), and pause for another THANKS from Karen and I to you, our readers.  As we did last year, a short recap of what has just gone before seems in order, as we evaluate the past and gear up for the future.  So if you'll allow...  

Karen: As I told Doug privately when we realized the anniversary was coming up, I'm stunned it's been three years. We had some definite goals in mind when we started the blog, which included making the place feel welcoming and comfortable for other like-minded fans, so we could really build a little community. Happily, that has happened. Many thanks for taking the time to not only read BAB but to comment as well. That's what makes it fun for us!

Doug: In our never-ending quest to get our readers involved, we opened up a new sort of post designed to get you thinking on a specific topic. Whereas our Open Forum feature generally deals with broader topics that give our commenters some room to pontificate, Discuss tends to center on a more narrow topic. The first one we ran, on the Avenging Son, was a smashing success -- Namor drew 31 comments! This theme has quickly become a mainstay on the Bronze Age Babies.

Karen: Discuss has also become a great place to talk about all those TV shows from the 60s, 70s, and 80s that we watched. Sometimes they don't look quite as awesome under the microscope now, while others hold up fairly well. But I really enjoy reading everyone's comments and memories about them.


Doug: Karen and I love doing the Giant-Size feature in the summertime. We're really looking forward to the five books we've chosen for this July. Last summer we examined some time-traveling involving the Fantastic Four, the Invaders, and the Liberty Legion in a cross-over triptych, and closed it out with Thor Annual #5 featuring a major throwdown between Thor Odinson and the Lion of Olympus. Don't those "big books" just take you back?

Karen: The summer Annuals and Giant-Size books still get me excited, even if we've reviewed a clunker or two. I'll always remember the thrill of getting those books as a kid. You just knew if they had that many pages, they had to be terrific!

Doug:  We reviewed some fun comics, beginning with our inaugural offering in the 3rd year -- Amazing Spider-Man #'s 121-122.  What a way to kick it off.  I only hope that we handled that story with the reverance it so richly deserves.  I would say, however, that the "sequel" that saw the rise of Harry Osborn as the second Green Goblin was somewhat of a letdown.  I'm sure at some point we'll peek in on Dr. Bart Hamilton as the third Green Goblin.  Another classic storyline we took the plunge on was the sweeping "Kree-Skrull War".  That one was a blast, with such a hall-of-fame list of creators.  As many of you have intimated, they just don't make comics like that any more.

Doug:  I've also come to enjoy the "Zany Bob Haney" series of The Brave and the Bold posts. What's really fun is the way so many of our readers seem to be enjoying reminscing about those issues.  Not a huge DC fan from back in the day, my own sense of discovery has been a kick.  Recently we've played off the recently-released series of trade paperbacks, Marvel Firsts, with our own irregular series.  Those have been a blast as well!

Karen: I've also liked the polls and brackets we've run. I really do want to post more of those, they're just more time-consuming than your average post. But if the BABsters would like more...well, what do you say?

Karen: For the immediate future, Doug and I are talking about doing reviews of John Byrne's Man of Steel mini, The Avengers "Under Siege" storyline, the Iron Man/Doc Doom team-up in "Camelot" from Iron Man, and some more early Defenders tales. Of course, your suggestions are always welcome. As long as we have the books, anything's possible.


Doug:  And I think that's the key thing -- there is no way we are close to exhausting the material available for Bronze Age comics reviews.  Now, the posts that occupy the rest of the week?  Sometimes we run a little dry on those, but you guys and gals are usually good enough that we draw inspiration from the daily conversations that occur here.  And we wish we could personally thank each and every one of the more than 550 readers who make this a daily stop on the Internet surfboard.  Last year at this time we were drawing around 330 individuals each day... wow -- what an increase!  It really is flattering, and not just a bit blushing.  So one more time -- you have our deepest appreciation for making this blog truly a labor of love.



See you tomorrow for the start of our 4th year!

18 comments:

Edo Bosnar said...

No, thank YOU - seriously, it's been said by me and many others on numerous occasions, but thanks for the outstanding blog. It's definitely the top sites I just have to view at least once a day, and it's always fun to read your posts and the comment threads. So congratulations on finishing off another year.
And by the way, I am really looking forward to reading all of those near future posts you announced. As for my own suggestions, I just put one on your suggestion box thread.

dbutler16 said...

Congrats on another year!
Most of the online comics discussion out there is about new comics, which I hardly, if ever, read, so it's great to have a place to come to discuss the comics that I truly love. Thanks for keeping up this blog, you two.

Unknown said...

Keep up the great work, Doug & Karen! I love the tone that you've set for this blog. As I've posted more, I've come to feel a sense of community with the rest of the regular posters, and always look forward to their comments.

James Chatterton

david_b said...

BAB's my favorite spot.. As my wife is fond of saying, 'Its your Facebook, dear'.

My humble thanks for a shining oasis in the sea of current comic mediocrity. As my office desk becomes littered with network status reports and various Marvel Legend figs each morning, I sip a warm cup of java and delight insightful comments and ramblings of intellectuals gathered to comment on both serious and light-hearted topics alike. Always engaging and well-moderated by two wonderful hosts.

Again, my humble thanks.

Fred W. Hill said...

And thank you, Karen & Doug! It's certainly been fun to relive those Bronze & occasional Silver years, even on those comics or tv shows I barely remember or entirely missed. And there's still so much to cover.

Simon B said...

Congratulations on another fantastic year Doug and Karen!

I don't comment here as often as I should but I always enjoy your posts and all the interesting comments.

Keep up the great work, guys!

J.A. Morris said...

Happy Anniversary to the folks who inspired me to start 2 blogs. Thanks for creating a place for folks who love the Bronze Age of Comics!

humanbelly said...

It was that Bracketology project that pulled me in. I tell ya, that was the most fun ever-! And then I happened to look at a few other topics and threads and meandered around a bit. . . and discovered that HERE was another civil, enjoyable community of folks who liked to talk about comics and related pop-culture phenomenon. There aren't many, it seems. The civility is usually the conspicuously absent element. And yes, this and the AvengersAssemble boards are referred to specifically as "Dad's Facebook". I'm sensing a possible age-related shared experience, here. . .

Thanks Doug & Karen-- you guys are patient, dependable, thoughtful, well-spoken, and always interesting to read. It's a pleasure to share the worldwideweb with you.

HB

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to another 3 years Doug & Karen! :)

- Mike from Trinidad & Tobago

The Groovy Agent said...

Congratulations! I don't get to join in the conversations a fraction of a fraction as much as I'd like, but I'm here every day reading and enjoying. Thanks for all your hard work and keep on truckin'!

Redartz said...

Thank you so much, Karen and Doug! Congratulations on another fine year. I'm truly looking forward to the next one!

It is apparent, the affection you two have for the subjects touched upon here. The feeling of fun and friendship makes for a welcome visit daily. Best wishes to you both!

William said...

Congrats Karen and Doug. I love B&B and I check in several times a day. I rarely ever read any modern comics, but I am a diehard fan of the classics, so it's nice to have a place to go where everybody else feels the same way.

Thanks for keeping the Bronze Age of Comics alive and well. Hope you guys continue for many many years to come.

Fantastic Four Fan 4ever said...

Congratulations! I find myself going to this blog each day because I can't relate to the new comics out there. It's the 1970s era that I have an affection for.
I remember it so well because it was the time I started reading comics each week. When I went to Books A Million I saw the comics were (gasp) $3.99! The paperbacks are a much more economical value than the comics. I rather buy a Marvel Essencials from the 70's than invest in the new material.




The 1970's were the age of 25 cent comics, 50 cent 100 Page Super Specials and monthly over size Tresury Editions. It was a good time to collect comics and I wish those days could come back again.

johnlindwall said...

Congratulations and thank you! Like many, I get a ton of email every day most of which I mindlessly delete becuse I know it is junk. Not so for the BAB email! Even if I not always leave comments I always read every post. It is so much reading and sharing opinions on these comics that we loved so much.

joe ackerman said...

well done, guys. always a pleasure.

Gray said...

This site is responsible for reminding me why I fell in love with comic books...the conversation. I love coming here and reading the posts and the comments! Great site and great fun. Thank you Doug and Karen!!!

Anonymous said...

Doug and Karen, I've been away from the PC for a while but still want to chime in and echo all the thoughts above. Thanks and congrats!

Tom

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, guys. On behalf of your foreign correspondents, can I just say big thanks? Have a look at that spinning globe and realise that your words go right around the world and into minds and hearts every day. People who have almost no common ground with your lives or experiences are keenly waiting to hear what you have to say and discovering that though we have nothing else in common, we agree about some of our most treasured memories, and have agreed all our lives. And when we don’t agree, boy, is it fun disagreeing!

I don’t play games much but the second time I played Zelda (Ocarina of Time), I remember running out onto Hyrule field, in that absurdly sunlit and blue-sky world and feeling like I’d come home again. Whenever I’ve missed a few weeks on here and get back on, and see the banner, I get the same feeling.

There is wonderful civility and commonality of feeling on here, and it originates with you two.

Thanks again

Richard

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