tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post32471566812270689..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: He's a Trenchcoat Hero: Captain America 172Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-8754069747424448312014-03-11T10:15:01.453-05:002014-03-11T10:15:01.453-05:00William, and everyone else who has been compliment...William, and everyone else who has been complimentary of the review --<br /><br />THANKS!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-29190077954140902152014-03-11T07:34:18.261-05:002014-03-11T07:34:18.261-05:00Great review. They don't make them like this a...Great review. They don't make them like this anymore, do they?<br /><br />These issues are great fun. I remember reading some of them when I was a kid, but I don't remember the story as a whole. I'm going to have to check them all out for myself (I have them all on my computer) so I can comment more on upcoming reviews.<br /><br />I've always loved Sal Buscema's art on Captain America. He is/was THE Cap artist, as far as I'm concerned. And like it's been said-- no one could draw a bone crunching power punch like Sal could. That one panel where Cap is swinging a guy by his foot and mowing down a couple of other goons is what comic art is all about, IMO. You just don't see that kind of over the top fun art anymore.<br /><br />As for Falcon climbing that flagpole, I think that was an attempt to make his flying ability seem more "realistic" by giving him some sort of limitation on his power. Marvel liked to do stuff like that back in the good old days. (Remember when the Human Torch could only maintain his flame for like 30 minute at a time, and Mr. Fantastic would get tired if he stretched too far?) Nowadays every Marvel hero seems to have unlimited God-like power. What fun.<br /><br />Anyway, keep up the awesome reviews, and I'll keep reading them.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-42042214234054515922014-03-10T22:29:39.577-05:002014-03-10T22:29:39.577-05:00Welcome Dan, and thanks for that bit of history -d...Welcome Dan, and thanks for that bit of history -disturbing as it may be. It's interesting how these sort of artistic traditions arise. Thankfully that particular one seems to have disappeared.<br /><br />And it wouldn't be right to end the day without an appearance by "Dyna-Mike" -our own Mike from T and T (see what I did there?). I also went back and looked at Banshee's first appearance and at one point Prof. X had the X-Men put these huge metal discs over their ears! Uh, not sure that really would have helped...also, Banshee was portrayed as so powerful, both in that issue and this one, that he could handle the whole team of X-Men by his lonesome. It seems like they really cut back his powers, or at least the variety of his powers, when they revived the book.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-80222207324053822632014-03-10T21:55:56.938-05:002014-03-10T21:55:56.938-05:00Welcome to BAB Dan Toland!
Well, what else can I ...Welcome to BAB Dan Toland!<br /><br />Well, what else can I say? A good issue, although it suffers from apparent lapses in logic as Karen and Doug pointed out. I does seem like Roy was in a hurry to set up the X-men together with Cap and Falcon, so we get a pointless battle with Banshee, who we see going to a country music concert all decked out in his costume!<br /><br />I did read the original issue X-men #28 many years ago, and come to think of it, Banshee really was drawn with that elongated face, although the most memorable scene for me was when he was captured by the X-men who wore earplugs to protect them from his sonic scream. He did have some sort of vibratory powers here too, if my memory is correct. <br /><br />Yeah, Falcon's gliding limitations look ludicrous here - he has to shinny up a lampost to launch himself? You'd think Wakandan technology would have addressed that flaw. His wings have jets and are wired to his brain but he still needs to jump off something high for them to work? T'Challa needs to fire his weapons designer. Sheesh!<br /><br />As for Marvel Girl's amped up telekinetic power, yeah I guess it can be explained by Professor X's assistance, although I don't think it was ever explained exactly how it was done.<br /><br />Yes, Prowler, I do recall Scott being called 'Slim Summers' - in the earliest issues he was called that, but later on that was dropped and it was 'Scott Summers' from then on. Ah, I remember reading all those classic X-men stories one summer when I was a kid. Memories .... <br /><br /><br />- Mike 'Hey I like Gil Kane's up nostrils shots' from Trinidad & Tobago. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-28068924000708748332014-03-10T19:32:46.987-05:002014-03-10T19:32:46.987-05:00Dan --
Welcome (that was your first comment, corr...Dan --<br /><br />Welcome (that was your first comment, correct? Oh, I hope I'm right)!<br /><br />Thanks for that insight on the Irish. Boys, Bugs Bunny cartoons were rife with racist depictions, weren't they? I use several Looney Tunes shorts in the introductory unit of my Social Injustice course.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-60702358075190494792014-03-10T18:58:58.267-05:002014-03-10T18:58:58.267-05:00The weird way that Banshee is drawn (and I don'...The weird way that Banshee is drawn (and I don't think Sal meant anything untoward by it) is that it was very common in America to caricature the Irish as being vaguely simian, dating back to the mid 19th century (there's a Bugs Bunny cartoon where he impersonates an Irish cop and his features take on these characteristics), and after a while that just became accepted shorthand. Thankfully when he became a regular in X-Men, Dave Cockrum drew him more like an actual person.Dan Tolandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-90784295466239430902014-03-10T17:56:20.172-05:002014-03-10T17:56:20.172-05:00I'm glad you all are having fun with these iss...I'm glad you all are having fun with these issues too. They're a strange mix of serious zeitgeist and sheer weirdness, but it works.<br /><br />The reason given for our two heroes running around in their uniforms under trench coats is that Cap was so agitated, he didn't want to waste even a minute changing clothes and packing their uniforms -he just wanted to get going! Yeah, kinda silly, but then, it fits the rest of the story.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-61632466751438041482014-03-10T17:36:29.988-05:002014-03-10T17:36:29.988-05:00I really like Fred's opening volley.. "Al...I really like Fred's opening volley.. "All sorts of goofy fun mixed with the ongoing drama."<br /><br />Couldn't have said it any better, and I DID read this with my jaw open as an 11yr old. I was mesmerized.<br /><br />Mesmerized, I say.<br /><br />Great action, great flowing charactersation. I love the panel of Cap/Falc blowing by Moonstone. Why this wasn't picked as some iconic Cap/Falc image (like the famous 'Batman running in sand' panel in Batman 251), is beyond me. Would have been super on tshirts, you name it.<br /><br />Anywho.., as I mentioned for last ish, how Sam had to climb the pole here, yet achieve flight against Moonstone unaided in the last issue is beyond me.., but hey, who cares..? Seriously, it's STILL a classic.<br /><br />Not an X-Men fan then (or much now..), I didn't bother with the details on visuals, such as the old outfits. I could have sworn the Professor did mention next ish he was augmenting Jean's powers. I could be wrong, I don't have the issue in front of my here in my DC hotel room (apologies if I'm mistaken..).<br /><br />As for Sal's depictions of his slams, he's the MASTER of having guys flung in mid-air, never shown better anywhere but here.<br /><br />Prowler, great call on the clothes issue; I'm guessing they just didn't want to carry suitcases with their uniforms. Totally silly, but again, it's these huge gaps of logic that made me 'Make Mine Marvel' even more..<br /><br />This might even be my very-first Gil Kane up-the-nostril cover.. <br /><br />One of my all-time favorite issues in my entire comic collection. <br /><br />Great review, Doug and Karen..!!david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-45999682285854020102014-03-10T16:07:57.954-05:002014-03-10T16:07:57.954-05:00Nice review guys. And Doug, I did read this with j...Nice review guys. And Doug, I did read this with jaw agape as a 10 year old. Wait...re-doing the math...make that 12 year old. And as an anxious 12 year old I was somewhat disappointed that Cap & Falc didn't take it to Moonstone in this ish. But the buildup and inclusion of the X-Men was fun, gave things an "epic" feel and made the conclusion all the sweeter. I also liked Moonstone asking the goons to hit him over the head. Kinda reminded me of Col. Flagg beating himself up on M*A*S*H to make it look like a prisoner did it.<br /><br />Tom<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-79902288855707389212014-03-10T12:55:05.624-05:002014-03-10T12:55:05.624-05:00Just a thought that Prof X could have been augment...Just a thought that Prof X could have been augmenting Jean's power here. I recall he would do things like that occasionally in the early X-books.Pat Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787799814630339641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-89405774293812771492014-03-10T11:42:46.330-05:002014-03-10T11:42:46.330-05:00Yep, nobody can draw a good a jaw-breaking and/or ...Yep, nobody can draw a good a jaw-breaking and/or rib-cracking punch like Sal (although cover-artist Gil Kane came in a close second).<br /><br />And with the mutant angle, the plot thickens. Great stuff.<br />By the way, I only started reading X-men when Byrne was the artist, and by that time Banshee was being drawn as a rather typically (for superheroes) handsome guy, so I always find these pre-All New, All Different X-men appearances rather jarring. The comparison to a Dick Tracy villain is apt.<br /><br />And I agree with you both about the limitation of Falcon's powers in this early phase. It's truly got me flummoxed: after all, real falcons don't just glide, so why should the superhero version be hampered like that?Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-20363208461543007942014-03-10T09:34:00.882-05:002014-03-10T09:34:00.882-05:00Two points that jumped out at me, if they went bac...Two points that jumped out at me, if they went back to Sam's apartment, wouldn't Sam have some clothes there. Or, as Steve would call them, civvies? I know we got Sam and Steve in trenchcoats, but imagine Steve in one of Sam's get ups? Bell bottom jeans, wide collar, perhaps a Dy-No-Mite t-shirt. Imagine the running joke as they get farther South; Son, what in the name of all that's Holy are you wearing? Cap in a visor turned backwards?<br /><br />But seriously, didn't Sam have any clothes in his apartment?<br /><br />Second, Sam needing launch help. Couldn't he just run at Steve and bounce off his shield, a la, the Black Widow in the Marvel's Avengers movie? <br /><br />I think Nashville was just a plot point. The major space cities in the South would be Houston for Johnson Space Center, Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and of course, Huntsville Alabama with it's Marshall Center where the Saturn rockets were developed. I think they needed a place to have moon rocks and country music come together. <br /><br />Does anyone else remember when Scott was called "Slim" Summers and he wore a brown western suit with a bolo tie?<br /><br />The Prowler (dancing in the dark, walking through the park and reminiscing).<br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-11752828886687996212014-03-10T09:32:12.990-05:002014-03-10T09:32:12.990-05:00Just re-read this the other day,it got me thinking...Just re-read this the other day,it got me thinking:Englehart wrote Beast stories in Amazing Adventures and the X-men appear in this story. I wonder if he expressed any interest in reviving the X-men series to the Marvel PTB in the 70s.<br /><br />I love this saga, but yeah, there are too many silly coincidences in this chapter. Plus, Cap's deduction about Nashville was a bit of a stretch. A guy mentions "Hank Williams' guitar", ergo he must be from a Country Music hub?<br />But I guess every epic story must have some less than epic moments.<br /><br />As for an Avengers Charge card, I'm guessing that could've eventually attracted the attention of the government, which seems to be buying Harderman's lies at this point. J.A. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15800901321134394272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-34648194332495874602014-03-10T06:51:42.522-05:002014-03-10T06:51:42.522-05:00This particular episode is all sorts of goofy fun ...This particular episode is all sorts of goofy fun mixed with the ongoing drama. Of course, Steve & Sam gotta keep their costumes on under their trenchcoats just so they can go to Memphis and literally bump into a country-music loving, paranoid mutant on the run who is also wearing a trenchcoat over his costume. And oh so coincidentally the remaining members of the X-Men just so happen to be in town also, wearing their old school uniforms. Seems like there must have been some mandate from up high requiring the X-Men to wear their old togs, although when they showed up in Marvel Team-Up about a year earlier they didn't bother with costumes at all! Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.com