Who's the Best... Funny Scary Movie?

Karen: Happy Halloween, BABsters! In the 'spirit' of the holiday, we'd like to pose this question to you: What's the best funny scary movie? Here's a few candidates I'd like to throw out there. Feel free to nominate some of your own.

Discuss: Orange Characters

Doug: Yeah, that's a weird request. But since it's autumn and tomorrow is Halloween, humor me.

Discuss: Monstervision and Joe Bob Briggs

Karen: While it wasn't around during the Bronze Age, TNT's Monstervision with host Joe Bob Briggs captured the Bronze Age spirit of TV horror hosts and B (or Z-) grade movies. Anybody a fan of this show?

Marvel Movies Announcement -- Breaking News

Get yourself on over to Yahoo and read this story. Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa? Yes!!

My! How You've Grown...!

Doug: Hey, kids -- Karen and I are back again with another look at a comic book cover trope. Today it's larger-than-life depictions of villains! Be sure to leave your own suggestions for favorite covers in this genre, and we'll run a follow-up post next week some time.

NOTE: This post was updated on May 4 2020. There were originally 12 covers displayed; as my memory of those covers has fled, I post three here to give you an idea of the original intent. Thanks for your understanding. -Doug

Arc of Triumph? Champions 7-10

Karen: Today we have an arc with those lovable losers, The Champions. These issues featured writer Bill Mantlo with artist George Tuska on issue 7, and then Bob Hall on the remaining issues. This was where the book started to feel like it might have a chance, in my opinion. The Champs square off against a Soviet super-team that has kidnapped the Black Widow. The baddies include The Titanium Man, The Griffin (actually, not Soviet as far as I know), the mysterious Darkstar, and a new Crimson Dynamo, who was eventually revealed to be the son of Ivan, the Black Widow's -what was he? Her assistant? Advisor? Anyway, it also featured the Angel getting a new/old costume, as he shed the terrible red/yellow hippie togs for his old Neal Adams suit, only in red and white instead of blue and white. Ghost Rider and Hercules butt heads to add some spice to team relations. And Darkstar hangs around at the end, so she can wind up breaking Iceman's heart 7 issues later. What fun! 

Alex Ross Does Star Wars and More Guardians for Marvel's 75th

Doug: It was bound to happen sooner or later, with the collision of Disney, Marvel Comics, and Lucasfilm -- the return of Star Wars to Marvel Comics. Below is a variant cover to the first issue, and below that is the cover to Guardians 3000 #4.

Star Wars #1 Variant Cover

 

Guardians 3000 #4

Who's the Worst... Spider-Man Villain?

Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer is here!!!

Karen: WOW WEE!!! AVENGERS....ULTRON....HULKBUSTER!!!! 'NUFF SAID!

Discuss: The Beast

Who's the Best...Monster Comic?

Karen: We're talking comics, not magazines, and it must feature a monster -so no anthologies!

Arc of Triumph? Daredevil 138 and Ghost Rider 20

Doug: I recall buying these two issues around August of 1976 while staying for a week with my aunt and uncle in the western suburbs of Chicago. They had a 7-11 about a block from their home. Not only was it my haunt for comics, but Slurpee cups as well! This 2-parter contained two of my favorite characters in DD and Ghost Rider (I really only warmed to him due to his appearances in the Champions mag), and the John Byrne art was no small attraction, too! What are your memories of this little tale?

Chasing Your Own Favorite Title

Doug: With the finality of Mark Ginocchio's "Chase" to own every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, coupled with my own recent sell-off of around 90% of my complete runs of Avengers volumes 1 and 3 (gave vol. 2 away two years ago -- if you read it, you know why!), it got me to thinking -- if you would or could collect a complete run of any comic book series, which one would it be? And I'm not talking about doing it through trades, DVD-ROMs, etc. Nope -- physically own the paper comics as they saw the light of day on newsstands and spinner racks.

Doug: I chose the Avengers as my own "chase" back in the late 1980s simply because it has always been my favorite title. Sure, I've had other books that I've loved -- Amazing Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and Marvel Team-Up leap immediately to mind -- but there's not a book that I've just really treasured as I have the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And I'm sure you feel the same way about whatever your personal favorite is. So assuming you're in a financial position to make such a pledge to yourself, fully understanding that waiting and sacrificing along the way will be part of the deal, what's your complete run fantasy - large or small?

Open Recommendations -- What Would You Like to Read?

Doug: Today the Open Forum is wide open for you to request information from your Bronze Age brethren (and sistren... huh?). With the Christmas gift-giving season approaching, or maybe just some loose change in your pocket, maybe you've been thinking of venturing between the covers of a new trade paperback or hardcover but want to solicit some approvals before doing so.

Doug: A book that's been on my radar for quite some time, and maybe I've mentioned it before, is Mouse Guard. I know next to nothing about it, but have admired the covers from afar and have wondered just what it is all about. Today I'm hoping someone will encourage me to pick up a copy. Secondly, I would ask that anyone capable make a recommendation for the Golden Age All-Winners Squad Masterworks. Having been fully involved with the Invaders back in the 70s, and loving the Whizzer revival in the pages of the Avengers, I've long wondered about these "ancient stories". Lastly, and this is a much more modern request, can anyone say anything about the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes series of a few years past? I believe it was about Superman teaming with an adult version of the Legion.

Doug: So what would you like to get into? Toss out a few ideas, and we'll see what the assemblage has to say as critics -- or marketers!

Buried Treasures: Just a Roll of the Dice

Karen: Who remembers having these around?

Karen: I came across a bag full of these beauties in the garage. Some are the clunky dull plastic dice included with the original boxed Dungeons and Dragons set, and other boxed TSR games (maybe Gamma World?). There's a Ghostbusters die in there from that game -that's about all I remember about that!To the right is a cool six-sided die that resembles a vertebrae. The rest are just an assortment of big, small, opaque, crystal, and otherwise fun dice.

Karen: While I enjoy computer gaming now, there's nothing like the feeling of dice in your hand...

Discuss: Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family

Arc of Triumph? Iron Fist 11-12

Karen: I've always liked this two-parter from the Claremont/Byrne team, with a hopelessly out-classed Iron Fist going up against the Wrecking Crew, and then forced to infiltrate Avengers Mansion, where a misunderstanding between him and Captain America (of course) leads to a fight, before the two of them team-up to take down the bad guys. Anybody else recall this gem?