BAB2K

 2000

Doug: A long time ago and in a mobile classroom during summer school, in collaboration with my partner Karen I set up the first post for bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com. And here we are, almost 6 1/2 years to the day later, publishing post #2000. What a long, strange trip it's been! Honestly, I am in Karen's debt for bringing me along for the ride. She's pretty tolerant of me in many regards.

Doug: I wonder if we have much to say beyond what's been said in our last six anniversary posts, other than to reiterate that this has truly become a community. Sure, we've had many regular commenters come and go through the years (and you're missed if you're one of the "wents"). But this place never fails to provide at least a little respite from the daily grind. I think the fact that we've had 32,000 comments on 2000 posts says it all.

Doug: I can't recall which of us was the first to come up with one of our conversation categories, but you'll see sprinkled throughout the bottom of today's post some memorable logos. Sure, some others were tried and they didn't stick. But many of those below have become mainstays around here, like The Open Forum, Discuss, and our Who's the... twins. Hopefully we always manage to throw out an interesting nugget for your rumination. It's not always easy to be original (as evidenced by the number of times we've repeated ourselves), but we try!

Doug: Lastly, I'd again come back to the notion of community. Back at the beginning of February Karen and I recognized that our lives were in places where we couldn't meet our own expectations. So we reached out to our readers for a little assistance and you rose to the occasion (as you always do when we need a pick-me-up). I'd offer you a stat in support of our pleasure at the success of the Guest Writer request: as you read this we have run 51 guest posts/reviews/strips. That number may be more amazing to me than 2000!

Karen: I can't add much to that. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since we started this blog, but BAB has been a consistent part of our lives. While it's true that we've both had more on our plates lately, and we haven't been able to do quite as much, it's been terrific to see the community step up and truly transform the blog into more of a group effort. All in all, I'm very proud of this place and very happy to have met my partner Doug all those years ago -even if we still have never met face to face, or even spoken on the phone!

 

 

 

 

Take 5: Favorite Animated Super-Hero Shows

Karen: Last weekend my husband and I were watching the Green Lantern animated series again, and were struck by just how good it was -the story, the characters, the design, the whole she-bang. It got me to thinking about super-hero animated series, and which ones were my favorites. So without further adieu, I'm going to list my five favorites, seeing as this is a "Take 5" post, and then I'll leave it up to the rest of you to discuss the merits of my list, your own list, each others lists -you get the picture!

1. Justice League: I'm definitely a Marvel fan more than a DC fan, but this show, to me, is just the epitome of animated super-hero shows. A perfect selection of characters, great writing which demonstrated understanding of all those characters and how they fit together, excellent voice casting -Kevin Conroy will always be Batman to me - and stories that drew from the breadth and depth of the DC universe. Plus fabulous Bruce Timm designs. Even when it became Justice League Unlimited it was still a winner. Although the first theme song was the best.

2. Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes: If only this show had gotten another season or two! Instead it was replaced with a watered-down, unwatchable  22 minute ad for toys. This series was everything a Marvel fan could have hoped for. It followed many traditional storylines but subtly incorporated elements from the Marvel films too. The characters acted like they should and we got guest stars from across the Marvel universe. My only complaint would be the art, but it was acceptable if not outstanding.

3. Batman the Animated Series: A classic. It's got Kevin Conroy. Mark Hamill as the Joker. That great opening sequence. This cartoon 'gets' Batman better than any of the films.

4. Green Lantern the Animated Series: This is space and super-heroes done right, with a surprising amount of pathos thrown in. At first I thought I would dislike the animation style, but I came to really enjoy it. The show did a great job fleshing out the main characters and the major storyline in the later half had some spectacular space battles. A sad ending though -I wish they had gotten another season (this is becoming a common complaint).

5. (Tie) Young Justice/ Wolverine and the X-Men: OK, I cheated, but I couldn't decide between these two very good shows! Young Justice was essentially the Teen Titans plus regular guest appearances by the Justice League. Wolverine and the X-Men had a strong storyline that utilized elements of Days of Future Past but put them together in a unique way.

Take 5: Science Fiction Films of the 1980s

Karen: Boy, it's been a while since we did a Take 5! The premise here is to name your five top picks of the post's topic. Last weekend, I happened to put on the old classic Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Predator. I've always enjoyed that film, not only for the fantastic creature design of Stan Winston and his team but for the solid story and wonderful characters and performances by Arnold, Bill Duke, Sonny Landham, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and of course, Kevin Peter Hall as the Predator. It was a great combination of action and science fiction. It also got me thinking about the science fiction films of the 80s. There were so many good science fiction films released in this decade (well, and a lot of terrible ones too). But a ton of great ones that I still think of fondly and will sit and watch just about any time. So why not do some reminiscing? 

Karen: I'll list my five top picks for my favorites of that decade, then you list yours, and let's all discuss. Deal? 

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

2. Predator (1987)

3. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

4. The Thing (1982)

5. Aliens (1986)

Take 5: Bronze Age Pencilers

Doug:  A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used the image above in a post about our Top 5 childhood memories; we followed that one up with a post about favorite Halloween candies.  Today we'll begin an on-again/off-again series of posts that may range from top artists to top rock-n-roll groups to top TV shows.  This will be sort of an extension of our Bracketology polls -- but here you'll get to tell the world how you rank your favorites in a particular category.  Of course, we'd love to hear you sweat about why artist A is just ahead of artist B in your book.  Those should provide some interesting conversations and debates.

Doug:  As you see from the title, today's question asks you to list your Top 5 Bronze Age pencilers.  You decide if you are choosing the artist, his/her style, or his/her body of work -- totally your call.  As I stated, just give a detail or two that might be fodder for the rest of us.  Here's my list (Karen's follows) --

1.  John Buscema.  You name it, he can draw it.  Especially adept at the weird mage or monster, Big John drew beautiful women, cinematic action, and animals par excellence.  His total body of work, from the 1950's all the way up to the end, is unmatched.  He wasn't always the sexiest name du jour, but quality was his hallmark.

2.  George Perez.  Details, details, details.  It was exciting to watch him grow during the Bronze Age.  By the end (and you can choose Crisis on Infinite Earths for that parameter if you want; personally, I'd hate to exclude his Wonder Woman tenure or his partnership with Kurt Busiek on Avengers, volume 3), he was among the best ever.

3.  John Byrne.  I generally hold his tenure on Fantastic Four, sans Joe Sinnott, against him.  If I take that away, and focus only on his other work at Marvel and then onto Legends and the Superman books at DC, he's knocking on John Buscema's door.  In spite of the revitalization that he brought to Marvel's flagship title, I really do not care for the art on that specific run.  But there is no doubt he's a true master.

4.  Neal Adams.  If the man only worked in the Bronze Age, he might get the top spot.  I just love his work.  The energy and exploration he brought to comics was revolutionary.  When I think of Batman, I see Adams' work.  His run with Roy Thomas on the X-Men is a favorite.  And while I don't care for the stories in the GL/GA run, the pictures sure are pretty to look at.

5.  Jim Starlin.  Even I am surprised by this, as I expected to write Sal Buscema's or Joe Kubert's names here.  But after our Thanos reviews, and especially the wonderful Avengers Annual #7, I have to put Starlin on this list.  As Karen and I mentioned, his pencils fell under the influence of several inkers -- and he still looked great, the panels popped with energy, and the storytelling was solid.  That transcendence is the mark of a master, and Starlin wears that hat well.

Karen: I have a  hard time with lists. It seems like my mind changes a great deal depending on the mood I'm in. But I think in this case, I can say the first four men on my list would all be in my top  five no matter what -it's just a question of what order they'd be in on any given day! The fifth selection was more difficult. My list is also very similar to my pal Doug's, so it's going to be rather boring. But here we go:

1. Jim Starlin. I put Starlin first just because he really epitomizes that Bronze Age feel to me. His work is so unique, yet you can see glimpses of all the artists he has studied: the power of Kirby in a fight scene, Kane's sense of anatomy, and the bizarre otherworldliness of Ditko in the weird dimensions his characters roam. I love the detail in his work and his dramatic storytelling. At his best, reading one of his books is an experience.

2. John Buscema. The master of the classical look. Big John straddles both the Silver and Bronze ages, and much of his work that I love really fits in the Silver Age, but he was still prominent in the Bronze Age and when I think of certain characters, it's his work I see in my head.

3. John Byrne. Like my blog partner, I don't care for Byrne's self-inked work on Fantastic Four, but his work with Terry Austin on X-Men is one of my favorite runs of all time. I also liked Byrne on Marvel Team Up, Avengers, Champions, Iron Fist, and a ton of other Marvel titles. A great storyteller, able to convey both action and quiet moments.

4. George Perez. What can you say about the guy? Just an incredible artist, particularly on team titles. I think I liked him best during his Teen Titan years, even though that wasn't my favorite book. I thought he got a little over-wrought during Avengers vol. 3. But the man's work is just spectacular.

The first four were easy. After I had chosen them I came up blank. Who was number 5? I thought of Neal Adams and John Romita Sr., but I felt that my favorite work of theirs was more properly Silver Age. Then there were a number of others I enjoyed but just couldn't pull the trigger on: Sal Buscema, Rich Buckler, Mike Ploog, Mike Grell. Finally I went with:

5.  Dave Cockrum. Cockrum really never stayed on any one title very long, but when he was hot, he was on fire! His Legion work was incredible and revitalized the title. And of course, he brought the all-new, all-different X-Men to life. Beyond that, he was a gifted costume and character designer and came up with some of the best looks in the business. So he's more than worthy of a spot.

Doug:  Now how about you?

Take 5: The Halloween Candy Caste System

Doug:  Several years ago I read a Sunday comic strip about Halloween candy.  The creator set it up as a "caste system" of traditional Halloween treats and it was quite funny!  But, I no longer have a copy, nor could I easily find one on the web -- you'll have to take my word for it!  Anyway, Karen and I thought it might be fun to list our favorites, and those things you cursed as they fell into the bag.  Let's make it a "Take 5", with your "hates" being outside the caste system as "untouchables".

Shall we?

Doug:

1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2. KitKat
3. Snickers
4. Hershey's miniatures, including Mr. Goodbar, Krackle
5. Charms Blow Pops

Pure Yuck! = black licorice (Good 'n' Plenty, jellybeans, etc.)

Karen: 

1. Milk Duds
2. Snickers
3. Nestle Crunch
4. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
5. Three Musketeers

Dag Nasty = Candy Corn

Take 5: Fabulous Childhood Memories

Doug: In the past few weeks, we've done posts where we've asked you to list things you'd keep and things you'd intentionally lose. Today, as sort of a variation on that theme we're asking you to choose your top five elements of your Bronze Age childhood that you get all warm and fuzzy thinking about. In other words, if someone were to write a biography of you, or give a speech at a roast in your honor, how would they characterize your leisure time as a child in the 1970's (and if you're a bit older than me, feel free to reminisce on the 1960's)? Another way to look at is having a personal time machine -- what elements of your childhood would you want to relive? I'll start.

1. Comic books. As a child of six or seven years old, even eight, I'm sure I didn't have more than 30-40 comics. But what a magical world lay within that small stack! I know at that time, among others, there were Avengers, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men, Justice League of America, Captain America, Batman, Rima the Jungle Girl, Tarzan, Marvel Two-In-One, and Marvel Team-Up. I read those books over and over, traced off of them onto tissue paper, cut out the corner boxes and Marvel Value Stamps -- never concerned with collectability or future value. I know when I was very small I had no sense that the comics came out monthly, so stringing together stories wasn't always possible. It didn't take too long to figure out the "to be continued" motif, and then I tried to keep my eyes peeled whenever I was in places that had magazine racks. I do distinctly recall figuring out that some places had more choices than others. For example, grocery stores may have stocked only 10-12 titles; drugstores with spinner racks were the gold standard of choice!
   
   
2. Megos. Building off my love affair with comics, Megos were a dream come true. I was very fortunate to have a sizable collection of these: Batman, Robin, Spider-Man, Captain America, Green Arrow, the Hulk, the Thing, the Human Torch, Conan, Tarzan, Thor, Iron Man, the Penguin, Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Lizard, Aquaman, the Green Goblin, and Kid Flash. I wiled away hour after hour with these, especially with friends who had other guys -- Shazam, Superman, Mr. Fantastic, Batgirl, the Joker, etc. I'm smiling as I type this. It was a really, really good time. Sometimes the stories would just continue endlessly -- it became almost episodic, breaking for dinner or to go to bed, only to resume the next day. Man...
   
   
3. Planet of the Apes. Most of these memories today come from the short period in my childhood when we moved from the far south suburbs of Chicago to Milwaukee. I was there between June 1973- March 1976, and while I missed Channel 44 out of Chicago that aired the Marvel Super-Heroes and Spider-Man cartoons, I discovered many classic films and even old serials while in Milwaukee. It was also during this time that the Apes movies were first broadcast on television. Captivated isn't the word. Spellbound? I don't know, but whatever it was, they had me hook-line-sinker. In addition to the superhero Megos I listed above, I had 5-6 Apes figures, the treehouse, and a couple of other playsets. When it wasn't the Marvel and DC guys mixing it up, it was the Apes! And when the TV show hit? Catch me, I'm falling! Again, I am washed over by a nostalgic feeling of wide-eyed wonder.
   
   
4. Tarzan. We discussed the Lord of the Jungle just a few days ago. Again, it was during my time in the Badger State that I first beheld Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. I loved those old black and whites. I'll throw in here, too, that I saw most of the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" films during this era. How formative! But back to Tarzan -- again, I was insatiable. The Ron Ely television show was a "can't miss", and was every bit as popular in my elementary aged brain as the $6 Million Man. Did I mention The Wild, Wild West? Jeez -- get me that time machine! Anyway, in the midst of all of this digressing, it was fun to play Tarzan outside with friends. One of us would be a native ally (we didn't care about political correctness back then), or Boy, and we'd explore the neighborhood letting our imaginations run wild. It was quite awhile later, around the bridge between junior and senior high school that I discovered the ERB novels. It was like falling in love all over again.
   
   
5. AM radio. One of my prized possessions as a kid was my black transistor radio with the white ear plug. Just one. It was AM, after all -- who needed two? McCartney's Live and Let Die and Band on the Run, Paper Lace's Billy Don't Be a Hero and The Night Chicago Died, the BeeGees' Jive Talkin', Elton John's Your Song, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, and Rocket Man, Three Dog Night's Joy to the World, and Johnny Wakelin's Muhammad Ali: the Black Superman were all favorites that spilled out of WOKY in Milwaukee. FM radio and album rock? No idea at the time. Just give me those sappy songs and catchy tunes!

So how about you? What five elements of your childhood brought a grin to your face as you were reading my recollections?