Readers' Write (5): Face-Off! Saturday Night Live vs. Second City TV

While Karen and Doug are on vacation in January, our readers have been entrusted with carrying on the daily conversations.  Today's Face-Off is a do-it-yourselfer.  As we've done in the past, the first commenter gets to pick today's topic of conversation.

Generally speaking, Face-Off is for two singers, comic characters, bands, films, etc. to go up against each other.  For example, we've run a post that asked readers to choose between Captain America's two main partners:  Bucky Barnes and the Falcon.We've also discussed Medusa and Crystal as replacement's for the Invisible Girl.

Thanks for holding it down for us!

David B. says -- Saturday Night Live vs. Second City TV!  And for good measure, why not also throw in a thought for Kids in the Hall and/or Fridays.

BAB Classic: Three Cows Shot Me Down! Avengers #90

NOTE:  This post was originally published on 10 October 2011.

Avengers #90 (July 1971)
"Judgment Day"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema

Karen: Welcome to part two of our overview of the legendary Kree-Skrull War. Last time, the Avengers had barely managed to save the life of an irradiated Captain Marvel, when a towering robot, a Kree Sentry, came bursting in. And that's right where this issue picks up. The Sentry tells the Avengers to just walk away, but of course they don't. Both Wanda and Pietro are quickly put down, and once again it's the Vision that winds up taking on their enemy. As they grapple, the Sentry comments on how, as androids, they are both far above humankind. But a second later they go crashing through the floor, as the Vision increases his mass. Unfortunately, the Sentry recovers first and disappears with Mar-Vell, making a cryptic statement about something called Plan Atavus.
Doug: Even though the Sentry moves through the team relatively easily, I guess I didn't get any feeling that this was a hopeless situation. Now, mind you, I didn't really have any suggestions for our Avenging friends. This is a pretty de-powered version of the team. I enjoyed the scene with the Vision taking the Sentry one-on-one. As you stated last week, this seemed to be a period when the Vision was the superstar of the team, and often found himself in the spotlight.

Karen: The Avengers naturally want to pursue, but are stopped by Cape Security Chief Carol Danvers -that's right, Ms. Marvel, but way before her own super-hero career began. She debriefs them and lets them go. Not knowing where they might find the Sentry and Mar-Vell, they ask Rick Jones for any information he has on the Kree. There's a nice two page flashback sequence, which goes all the way back to the Inhumans back-up stories from Thor, showing how the Kree caused the Inhumans to advance as a race. Then we see the Sentry's first encounter with the FF, as well as Captain Marvel's early missions, and his progression from Kree warrior to rebel.
Doug: This was all well and good, and I mean that sincerely. What Roy gave us, and Steve Englehart later, was a slow, logical reveal of Marvel backstory. Think about it -- at this point the Marvel Universe was only a decade old, and by the time Englehart added a layer or two to the Kree history in his "Celestial Madonna" epic it wasn't much older. This was a great example of peeling that onion -- not retconning. There weren't any zany changes, but details that fleshed out the past of these imperialists. By the way, I'd forgotten the guest appearance from Carol Danvers -- that was a nice surprise!

Karen: The three Avengers and Rick return to the mansion, only to find a message from Goliath (Clint Barton, not Hank Pym) awaiting them.It seems that he got an SOS from Janet Pym, aka the Wasp, and is on his way to Alaska to help her. With that tiny tidbit of info, our heroes turn right back around -knocking down poor Jarvis! - and jump back on the quinjet.

Doug: Jarvis is like Alfred -- even just a little is always a treat! And hey -- there are two characters who are generally written spot-on. Most writers don't take any liberties with those two.
Karen: We move on to see Goliath landing next to an icebreaker in the frigid north. Jan is distraught. She tells Clint that Hank has disappeared. She and her hubby were investigating a government outpost that had suddenly gone into radio silence. They found a bizarre circle of jungle in the middle of the ice. In the center was a strange tower, with rays projecting out of it. A dragonfly appeared -a foot-long dragonfly! Using Hank's mastery over insects, they rode the critter towards the tower. Suddenly Hank had some sort of epiphany about what the tower was doing -and strapped Jan on the dragonfly and sent her back! After hearing this, Clint takes off, on his own, to find Hank. Our misogynistic Avenger says, "I can't work with women around -not since Natasha and me broke up." Oh brother! As he says this there's an image of Natasha floating above him. Next panel, she's replaced with Wanda- and Clint looks at the image and says, "Now the Widow's face has faded- and it's Wanda I'm seein'!" Now this just struck me as really odd! Typically these floating heads are recognized as representing thoughts, but here we have a character acting as if he can actually see them! Such an odd choice for Roy Thomas to make.

Doug: Do you know what leapt out at me in this series of panels? When you say that Hank strapped Jan to the dragonfly and sent her away, did you notice that he popped her one right before tying her down?!? I couldn't believe it! It's been several years since I've read this story, but I would have thought that given my recent series of posts on my Hank Pym essay that I would have recalled this scene. Nope -- didn't. But there it is, right on the bottom of page 13. To the best of my knowledge, that panel has never been referenced in relation to its much-better known counterpart from over a decade later. And I'd agree with you about Clint's "seeing" the objects of his consternation -- yeah, it's a literary device I suppose, but you'd think that Roy as a former English teacher would have amended the page when it first came back to him.
Karen: Wow, I didn't catch that! You're right, Hank gives Jan a mean back-hand! Different times, I guess. Clint lands and enters the jungle, where he's immediately attacked by some vicious creature. As he punches it out, a ray of light strikes him from behind and he falls. We see that the Sentry and Ronan, the Kree Accuser, are responsible. The Sentry detects the approach of the other Avengers and the two take off to prepare for the coming confrontation.

Karen: When the Avengers, plus Rick and Jan, arrive, they are met by the Sentry -and Goliath! who has been mentally controlled. A fight ensues, while in the tower beyond, Ronan holds Mar-Vell prisoner. Ronan states that his goal is the destruction of mankind; he is going to devolve all life on the planet (that's Plan Atavus). His reason for this is that mankind is too dangerous; humans have a tremendous potential, which could threaten the Kree Empire.

Doug: Wonder when we'll get around to seeing that potential that the human race has? We've sure done a great job of messing things around here by 2011!
Karen: As the heroes battle, the Wasp is knocked out. We see a bestial figure looming in the shadows nearby. Suddenly he is revealed as an ogrish Henry Pym!

Doug: "Ogre" is a great way to put it. Hank's one ugly brute, he is...

Karen: This issue was solid, but still felt very much like what it was: a set-up for what's to come. Still, an entertaining read.

Doug: That we are two issues into something that just feels bigger has built up a ton of suspense. As I said above, this certainly isn't the most powerful Avengers team, and to be honest it lacks for leadership with no Cap, Iron Man, or even T'Challa. While the Vision somewhat fills that role, the dynamic of having Pietro also on the team leaves a bit of tension always bubbling beneath the surface. Here's to looking forward to the next issue!

Readers' Write (4): True or False? The Silver Age Ended When Kirby Left Marvel

While Karen and Doug are on vacation, our readers are setting the day's topic of conversation.  For our "True or False?" posts, the first commenter can pose a statement.  Of course, it should be somewhat controversial, and you of course do not have to believe the statement yourself.  The goal here is to stimulate some lively conversation.  In the past we've had conversations such as - "Rock is dead." and "Fantastic Four is the World's Greatest Comic Magazine."

Thanks for keeping things moving during our break!

J.A. Morris has the question today:  True or False?  The Silver Age ended when Kirby left Marvel.

BAB Classic: Three Cows Shot Me Down! Avengers #89

Avengers 89 (June 1971)
"The Only Good Alien..."
Roy Thomas-Sal Buscema/Sam Grainger

NOTE:  This post was originally published on 3 October 2011. 

Doug: Welcome to what will be a two months-long examination of perhaps the seminal graphic novel at Marvel Comics. Roy Thomas' 9-part masterpiece known as "The Kree/Skrull War" is one of the oft-lauded stories of the Bronze Age, so it's fitting that we get down to business and review this mammoth here at the BAB. We'll be running posts in the series each Monday (with the exception of Avengers #93, which will run on a Tuesday (due to the fact that Halloween is on a Monday, and you know Karen will want to "monster up" on that day!). Karen and I will take turns being the "lead voice" as we move through, and today I'll drive this train. So strap in -- this should be a fun ride!

Karen: This saga means a lot to me. It's my all-time favorite comic book continued story, and I was there right as it unfolded. Avengers 92 was my first Avengers comic. Now I'm not going to say that when I first read the Kree-Skrull War, I actually understood the story -I was only six years old! But I kept going back to it, and reading it again and again. Over time, I came to see it as more than just cool super-heroes in colorful outfits; this was a true epic adventure. So you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going into this with a biased opinion.

Doug: In case you were wondering about the title of today's post (and indeed this series), it comes from a suggestion Neal Adams made to Roy Thomas at the bottom of the splash page to Avengers #93, Adams' first issue as penciller and co-plotter. Roy had been percolating the idea of the K/S War, but felt like he was meandering with it. Neal asked if he could take it and run, and Roy concurred. Adams decided to use the Skrulls who were left as cows at the end of Fantastic Four #2; we'll see how it turned out in a few weeks, and why Adams chose that phrase as his suggested title.

Karen: From what I gather, there's a little bit of conflict between the two over who came up with what. Of course, Adams was not happy when John Buscema was brought in to wrap up the series.

Doug: We open in slam-bang mode as the Avengers (consisting only of the Vision and Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch) come upon the Kree Captain Mar-Vell. The Avengers accost him, telling him that they mean him no harm and that he must come with them... for his own good. This inflames the seemingly distraught Captain, and it's game on. Of course Pietro takes the lead (a - because he's fast, and b - because he's just like that), but Mar-Vell socks him a good one. Next up is the Vision, but Mar-Vell evades him with a blast; when Wanda steps to the fore, it's retreat-time for the Kree. Landing on a rooftop, Mar-Vell is felled by a blast from a ray-gun... a gun fired by Rick Jones!

Karen: At this stage Mar-Vell still seems to take some pride in his Kree heritage: "Who are you to tell a man of the Kree what to-" It was surprising to see how well he fared against these Avengers, even if the fight was fairly abbreviated.

Doug: Rick doesn't feel too good about what he's done to his former "alter ego". The Avengers nonetheless get Mar-Vell to a quinjet and then whisk him away to the Cape Kennedy Hospital, where they rush him inside and get him hooked up to what looks like a high-tech hair dryer from back in the day (raise your hand if you ever went to the beauty shop with your mom and she sat under one of the things like you see on the cover of this comic).

Karen: As they head off, Wanda points out that she and her brother, being mutants, and Mar-Vell, being an alien, are all strangers in a strange land. Of course the Vision is sitting right there, and certainly he's got it harder than any of them! It's interesting that this group of Avengers is easily the most unconventional and outcast of any group before, and possibly since.

Doug:As the machines hum, Rick flashes back to how this whole thing got started. As he was playing a gig, Mar-Vell appeared to him and showed him a vision of Reed Richards adrift in the Negative Zone (see Fantastic Four #109), being hunted by Annihilus. Somehow Richards had managed to seemingly split himself into multiple images to confuse Annihilus. As Mar-Vell, also adrift in the Neg. Zone, watched as Richards made his way toward a small opening in the fabric of space, and disappeared through it. And so Mar-Vell told Rick that he had to get immediately to the headquarters of the FF.

Karen: This just reminds me that I need to get my hands on some of those pre-Starlin Captain Marvel comics. I'm not even sure how Rick and Mar-Vell got joined. I'm certain I've read it somewhere but it escapes me now. Of course it's a total rip-off (or homage, take your pick) to the original Captain Marvel and Billy Batson.

Karen: Another thing to point out is that already in this first issue, Roy is bringing in threads from other comics (Fantastic Four) and weaving them into his tapestry. By the time he was done with this story, he had done an incredible job of connecting characters and events to really explore and expand the Marvel Universe.

Doug: Rick did as he was told, but Mar-Vell suddenly ordered him to switch places. As Rick banged together the bracelets which served as the catalyst for the body-switch, Mar-Vell appeared and Rick Jones was himself exiled to the Negative Zone. Mar-Vell started into the Baxter Building, but after being confronted by a security guard chose the express route -- by flight! Landing on the 35th floor, Mar-Vell gained easy entry, and then ripped open a steel door to gain access to the Negative Zone portal room. The mission is now evident -- to figure out a way to allow Mar-Vell and Rick to occupy the same space coincidentally. As Rick screamed in fear of being watched by an unseen nemesis, Mar-Vell figured out how to open the portal. Rick jumped through, but at the same time so did someone else -- Annihilus! And at that very same minute, the Avengers arrived, serving as "got your backside" assistance to the out-of-town FF! Needless to say, a melee ensues, and it's a real free-for-all.

Karen: I don't know -it's pretty one-sided. Quicksilver bounces harmlessly off Annihilus, and for some reason, which makes absolutely no sense, Wanda's hex power can't affect him. It's only the Vision who really gives him difficulty.

Doug: The Vision orders Rick to flip the switch that allowed passage to the Neg. Zone; Rick does just that, and Annihilus begins to feel the pull of the neg-gravity. He latches onto the Vision, who goes first diamond-hard, and then intangible. As Annihilus had let up a bit, he's not ready and is sucked back into the Neg. Zone. You know, it was cool to see someone else's baddie guesting in the Avengers' mag -- I'd have liked to have seen more! In all of the confusion, Mar-Vell ducked out and snagged a quinjet. He took off for Florida and Cape Kennedy -- boy gonna hijack himself a rocket ship!

Karen: Maybe it's just because I always liked him, but doesn't it seem like the Vision was always saving the day way back when?

Doug: The Avengers give pursuit, and we come back to the present with Mar-Vell hooked to the machine. The Avengers had noticed abnormally high radiation levels left in the Baxter Building near where Mar-Vell stood. It was now a race to find the Kree Captain, and make him well. As Mar-Vell was being treated, it became apparent to his doctors that if the nega-energy wasn't entirely eradicated it could come back. The Vision offered to exchange his own solar energy with Mar-Vell if it would help. Hooked up, the process was completed, with both heroes down for the count.

Karen: That process seemed a little confused. The technician said they were almost out of power, and the Vision offered to supply his power -but the art and caption has him blasting Mar-Vell with his solar jewel! Very odd.

Doug: Cut to the Kree homeworld, where the Supreme Intelligence has encountered Ronan the Accuser, one he had formerly banished. But Ronan had returned, crushing the Supreme Intelligence's guardians. Claiming that he was now in control, Ronan is even able to activate the Kree Sentry -- as fate would have it, on ice at Cape Kennedy... but no longer!

Karen: As far as I'm concerned, this is the only Sentry!

Doug: Oh, I couldn't agree more! You may have just raised a future topic -- comic book characters who never should have existed...



Doug: And come back tomorrow for a bonus post: a little Discuss-ion!

Readers' Write (3): Who's the Best... Anthropomorphic Character?

While Karen and Doug are on vacation in January, our readers have been entrusted with carrying on the daily conversations.  Today's "Who's the Best?" is a do-it-yourselfer.  As we've done in the past, the first commenter gets to pick today's topic of conversation.

Generally speaking, "Who's the Best?" is for historical topics.  For example, in the past we've started conversations such as "Who's the Best -- Thor Artist?" and "Who's the Best -- Frankenstein Monster?"  Start a conversation that is broad enough to elicit an ongoing conversation, and that even might lend itself to tangential musings.

Thanks for holding it down for us!

Anonymous and Redartz say:  Today we're talking about favorite characters in the vein of Rocket Racoon, Howard the Duck, etc.  Who's the best?

Readers' Write (2): Discuss... Bad Episodes of Good TV Shows

While Karen and Doug are on vacation in January, our readers have been entrusted with carrying on the daily conversations.  Today's Discuss is a do-it-yourselfer.  As we've done in the past, the first commenter gets to pick today's topic of conversation.

Generally speaking, the Discuss category is for narrow topics.  For example, in the past we've started conversations on topics such as the Sub-Mariner, Animal House, and the Captain America television movies.

Thanks for holding it down for us!

David B. wants to Discuss -- really bad episodes of good TV shows.

BAB Classic: TV Party Tonight! - The Muppet Show

NOTE:  This post was originally published on 19 October 2009.

 
Karen: Grab your popcorn, a glass of soda, and let's have a TV party! Tonight's show: The Muppet Show!

The Muppet Show is one of those TV shows that had a distinct impact on those of us born between the mid-60s and early 70s. In some ways a natural progression from the kiddie-aimed Sesame Street, The Muppet Show brought a humor that could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Filled with slapstick, goofy skits, as well as musical numbers and guest stars, it was not to be missed in many households- including mine!

The show premiered in 1976 as a syndicated, half-hour variety show. In my area (Southern California), it was shown on Saturday nights at 7 pm. The cast of Muppets included Kermit the Frog as the beleaguered show manager, his sort-of girlfriend, Miss Piggy, as the diva, Fozzie Bear, Kermit's friend and struggling comic, and a plethora of other characters, such as the Swedish Chef, Dr. Honeydew, and kibitzers Statler and Waldorf. The show itself mimicked a vaudeville show, but with plenty of backstage antics. Over the years, a long list of guests appeared on the show, including Elton John, Rita Moreno, Gene Kelly, and even Alice Cooper (Alice was actually considered scary back then)!


The show had a number of on-going sketches, but my personal favorite was probably Pigs in Space, or Piiiigs.... in..... Spaaaaace! Even though I was a die-hard Star Trek fan, I still appreciated this parody, with dim-witted Captain Link Hogthrob, first officer Miss Piggy, and weirdo scientist Dr. Strangepork! They cruised through space aboard the Swinetrek, their oddly-shaped spaceship.

But probably the very best thing about the Muppet Show was the opening theme. All these years later, I still feel happy when I hear it.

Readers' Write (1) - What Makes a Good Villain?

While Karen and Doug are on vacation in January, our readers have been entrusted with carrying on the daily conversations.  Today's Open Forum is a do-it-yourselfer.  As we've done in the past, the first commenter gets to pick today's topic of conversation.

Generally speaking, the Open Forum is for broader topics.  For example, in the past we've started conversations such as "The Role of Inkers" and "What's So Great About the Bronze Age?"  Start with a topic that is broad enough to elicit an ongoing conversation, and that even might lend itself to tangential musings.

Thanks for holding it down for us!

The Prowler wants to know:  What makes a good-looking villain?  His suggestion is the boots...

Happy New Year from the Bronze Age Babies!

 

Doug:  Here's to a safe and happy 2014 for all of our readers and their families!  We hope last night and today you're having a blast -- family, friends, food, and football!  Does it get any better?  Be well!

 

Remember, The Vacation, Part Deux, begins tomorrow.  The inmates will be running the asylum each Tuesday, Thursday, and on the weekends -- January 2014!