Chew the Fat: Figures; Action and Otherwise...

Redartz:  Most of us have shelves full of books, comics, cd's, lp's, or any of a wide range of other objects of interest. And some of us also have, upon those shelves, figures representing those other interests.  "action figures", Theses figures may be 'action figures', such as Mego or GI Joe, or simply stationary statuettes designed to be 'just looked at'. And obviously those distinctions are rather arbitrary- you can 'just look at' your Mego figures, or you can create adventures with your pricey limited edition statues (very careful adventures). 

 


Personally, I never had any of those beloved Mego figures. Nor do I have any of the currently popular "Legends" figures, or any other superhero representations. Actually, the only one I do have is the 1974 Aurora Spider-Man model kit...





 



Now as for other types of figures, I do have several. One favorite is this small Robot B9 from "Lost in Space". He even speaks ( "Danger, Will Robinson").

 And then there's this set of Simpsons figures; America's favorite family (?) A bit of fluff from the 90's : 

 Finally, perhaps my most treasured figures are these incredible dinosaur figures from Schleich. Incredibly detailed, great poses, and strikingly colorful (and yes, I know a Plesiosaur isn't technically a dinosaur). Several times a year a local box store puts these on clearance, and I indulge in the addition of a couple more creatures to my prehistoric parade...

So that is a look at some of the  'friends' collecting dust around my house. What sort of beings and creatures occupy places of honor at your house?

Rank and File: My Favorite Year...

Redartz:  Greetings all! For this week's discussion; we're going to update / expand upon a post I did several years ago at Doug and Karen's fondly remembered Bronze Age Babies. That post was dedicated to choosing a favorite summer, and sharing the reasons why. Here's a link to that original post (with thanks again to Doug and Karen):  http://bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/2016/06/open-forum-your-favorite-summer.html#links

As our title above indicates, today we are tweaking that subject to select a favorite year. The characteristics of your favorite year will, of course, be subjective; it's your year, you pick the reasons why. Maybe it was the comics, maybe the television, perhaps it was something more personal. Whatever your reasons, what year do you look back upon with the most warmth?

In that previous BAB post, I named 1975 as my favorite summer. For favorite year, I'm sliding back a year to 1974. My reasons: 

Primarily, that was the year I 'returned' to comics.  I say 'returned' because in one sense, I never left- but 1974 was when my junior high pal convinced me to pick up some Marvel (and later DC) books after several years of Archie and Charlton reading. And that reunion with comics lasted, in one form or another, to this very day. 

But 1974 has more to offer than just that personal milestone. Man, what a year to start reading:

 


Marvel brought out the Giant-Size books, and the Treasury Editions,DC had the 100 page giants.  Gerry Conway and Ross Andru had Spidey fighting Molten Man, Jackal and Mysterio. Thomas and Buckler had the Fantastic Four tackling Sub-Mariner, Dr. Doom, Frightful Four and the Silver Surfer. The Avengers were dealing with the Celestial Madonna and Kang (repeatedly). Steve Gerber and Mike Ploog were doing Man-Thing. There were Marvel Value Stamps (yes, I was one of those who clipped them out; mea culpa). Just so much comics fun; it was mind-shattering. 










Ah, but 1974 also knocked me out musically. That was also the year I started following pop music, specifically Casey Kasem and American Top 40; and learned there was something called a "Billboard Hot 100". Some of my all-time favorite singles emanated from that halcyon year. Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown". 

Hues Corporation's "Rock the Boat". Wings' "Band on the Run". MFSB's "TSOP".

 Ray Steven's "The Streak". Steely Dan's "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". Carole King's "Jazzman". 

And that merely scratches the surface. Every week tuning in to AT40 was like magic that year.

So there it is, my testament to 1974. What year gets your vote?

Chew the Fat: The Ups and Downs of Comic Book Romance...

Redartz:  Greetings, gang! It's Valentine's week, and the thoughts of many are turning to romance (or

at least where to buy an affordable bouquet of roses). Accordingly, it seemed appropriate to consider some aspect of romance in comics . 

Specifically, which comic book couples are most interesting/convincing to you? Which seemed mismatched from the start? There are many examples to work from: Lois and Clark, Archie and Betty / Archie and Veronica, Barry and Iris.  No doubt you all will bring up others. But for me, the iconic relationship is that of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.

Much has been written about them and their relationship. Indeed, the comic site CBR has been running a series tracing the evolution of Pete and MJ, from the beginning onward: it's a fascinating read, and here's a link:  https://www.cbr.com/tag/if-her-hair-was-still-red/

Although some prefer Peter's relationship with Gwen Stacy , and some may prefer the Black Cat (and some may hearken back to Betty Brant), I found the Pete/MJ merry-go-round engaging (pun intended) , and nicely developed over many years. Indeed, the lengthy time I spent reading about them perhaps explains why I feel most disposed towards them as a couple. I followed them from the uneasy period following Gwen's death through their wedding, and pretty much all the way up to Amazing Spider-man 700, when "Superior Spider-man" kicked in (Doc Ock took over Peter's body; don't ask, you'd have to have been there). Pete and MJ had many ups and downs, separations , fights, and misunderstandings (both during courtships and wedded years), but

there were many truly touching scenes. Their first kiss at the airport in ASM 143; their awkwardness in the wedding (annual 21), MJ's support and empathy during Aunt May's apparent death  (ASM 400, an excellent tale shamefully undercut by later retconning). 


 And that's just the tiniest tip of a very large iceberg. For brevity's sake, let's just say that Peter and MJ are my comic couple of choice. So who are yours?

Chew the Fat: " ...Like it was Yesterday..."

Redartz:  Greetings! As another occasional departure from our usual "Follow the Leader" tradition, we have a topic today prompted by some discussions I've recently read on Facebook.Also inspired by a current project at our house: going through boxes of photos and negatives, scanning and sorting all those images. Seeing some of those photos for the first time in 40+years helped trigger this flashback.    Specifically, it's one of those "a favorite book and how I got it" stories. 

The book is Amazing Spider-Man 146, and the story takes us back to April 1975. It was a school day, but it was to be a short day: we were starting Spring break at our middle school, and they were letting us out after lunch. Actually, after a lunchtime presentation in the auditorium, wherein a local magician was performing to the accompaniment of then-current pop music. Additionally, it was also the day that our local comics shop got the new books in. So it was a red-letter day all around!

Anyway, after the program ended, my comic collecting buddy and I left the school: with Earth, Wind and Fire still ringing in our ears. We were determined to walk downtown to the the comic shop and see what was in. Walk, because the school buses didn't run to that location; besides it was a fine, warm Spring day. So walk we did, about a mile and a half, past the graveyard, past the park, over the river, and downtown to our destination. 

Our rather small town was blessed with the existence of a comic book store; an uncommon thing back then. My pal and I were there each week, religiously. And this week held a bonus: my favorite title was in, Amazing Spider-Man. Grabbing a copy, I opened it up to find another surprise: this issue had inks by John Romita Sr.! I liked Ross Andru's version fine, but Romita was always my favorite. So it was great to see  him inking Andru this issue, giving the book that classic Romita polish.

Then there was the story. Continuing the Scorpion story from issue 145 , and the Gwen Stacy return; plus an appearance by the Jackal! Top all this off with  a dramatic Romita cover (what kind of creep is Scorpion anyway, threatening a helpless old lady in a hospital bed?), and you have a real winner. So waiting to read it was impossible. My buddy lived a short distance from there, so while walking to his house, I eagerly read the comic (and somehow managed to avoid walking off a curb or into a tree). 

Ah, to be 14, out of school for a week, in the sunshine, and carrying a beloved comic- doesn't get much better than that. And there you have it, many thanks to you all for patiently allowing a bit of reminisce today. Feel free to comment about this issue, or about any such special comic /day you might recall!
 

Riding the Retro Metro: Mid December, 1976!

Redartz:  Season's greetings, one and all! For a bit of a holiday indulgence, today we've pulled the ol' Retro Metro out of the garage for a trip back to the middle of December, 1976. Just to get a taste of the festive excitement and cultural diversion we all enjoyed waaaay back then...



First off, here's a look at the popular music that might have been playing while we eagerly scoured the Sears Wishbook for Christmas treasures . But to be honest, at that time I wasn't actually wishbooking, I was going out on my very first date (yes, with an actual girl; took her to see "2001: A Space Odyssey" at the local cinema; might explain why I never got a second date with her).



Popular on the US Billboard charts:
 "Tonight's the Night" by Rod Stewart
"The Rubberband Man" by  The Spinners
"Muskrat Love" by The Captain and Tennille
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" by Elton John

 Apparently the impact of the holiday season on the US pop charts in 76 was minimal. Although, the  Captain and Tennille hosted a televised Christmas variety special , joined on the schedule by Bing Crosby's White Christmas Special and Perry Como's Christmas in Austria.

  Meanwhile, across the big pond...

 High on the UK Music charts:  
"Under the Moon of Love" by Showaddywaddy
"When a Child is Born" by Johnny Mathis
"Somebody to Love" by Queen
"Portsmouth"  by Mike Oldfield
"Bionic Santa" by Chris Hill

At least in the UK there was some holiday spirit represented on the audio airwaves. Johnny Mathis for the traditional types. And "Bionic Santa" for the more contemporary. I'd never heard of this, and had to investigate. So here it is...

Quite amusing; much like the 'break in' comedy records of Dickie Goodman that chuckled up the pop charts in the early to mid 70's.

 
Of course the Christmas season was well in evidence on the television airwaves by mid-December. 1976 saw the debut "Rudolph''s Shiny New Year", a sort of sequel to the classic 1964 Rankin/Bass "Rudolph".

If you were scanning the channels during those wintry weeks, you also might have caught Frosty the Snowman, and the Grinch.

You just gotta love Jimmy Durante belting one out in the snow!

 

And everyone knows that you don't get to watch all that tv wonderment without paying the price in commercial advertising. So here are several such ads that would have been running back then. How could anyone ever forget the Norelco Santa riding his shaver?
 

Ronald McDonald gets into the holiday act, along with a few friends...

 

Next up, a familiar tune from the folks at Coca Cola...

And finally, for all those who invited 'Andre for the holidays'...

Meanwhile, down the street at the local magazine vendor, the spinner racks were full of four color holiday fun. Archie and the 'kid' books were more winter themed, but Marvel certainly had some spirit. Always loved that Spider-Man cover. Incidentally, DC was kind of sparse with the Christmas covers this season...

And there you have it, folks: Hope this evoked a few fond memories for those of us who were around at the time. I also hope you share some of those memories, thoughts, impressions, good feelings and bad jokes. From your friends at BitBA to all of you, the very best of wishes for the holidays and the year to come!

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1982!

Redartz:  Hello gang; are you ready to delve into some of the finest four color offerings of that vintage year 1982? I am too, so let's jump right in. As always, the choices are simply my subjective picks , based upon personal enjoyment, history, and whether I've read it or not. After all, can't really make a call on an unfamiliar book...

Here we go:   

Amazing Spider-man 229-  "Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut", by Roger Stern, John Romita Jr. and Jim Mooney. One of the high points of Stern's admirable run on the title. A showpiece for Peter Parker's determination and self-sacrifice.













Dr. Strange 53-  "The Land of the Pharoahs" by Roger Stern, Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin. A very clever, entertaining climax to the all-too-brief run by the Stern/Rogers team. The intertwining with the classic Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four tale is most engaging. And Doc never looked better.












 

X-Men / Teen Titans-  "Apokolips...Now", by Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson and Terry Austin. Arguably the greatest inter-company crossover ever. Claremont voices both teams, and both mega villains, perfectly. And Simonson  inked by Austin? Spectacular.












Marvel Graphic Novel:  The Death of Captain Marvel- "The Death of Captain Marvel", by Jim Starlin. A poignant tale of loss and nobility, with many fine moments among the gathered individuals. Starlin gives Mar-vell a sendoff worthy of a warrior. And Starlin's writing and drawing carry it off in fine fashion.















Legion of Superheroes 293-  "Within the Darkness", by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen and Larry Mahlstaedt.  Darkseid is revealed as the power behind the "Great Darkness", one of the Legion's greatest sagas ever. This spectacular tale reveals why the Levitz/Giffen/Mahlstaedt Legion was my favorite DC title back then, even more than the Titans.














Love and Rockets 1-  Numerous stories by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez. Fantagraphics' long running series starts here, and with great artistic and literary form. Great, great reading.













 

Fantastic Four 243-  "Shall Earth Endure?", by John Byrne. Everyone vs. Galactus, indeed. One of Byrne's best FF stories, art and story definitely at the top of his game. Loved seeing Spidey and Daredevil sit back and watch.
















 

Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures-  Several stories by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty. Terrific old-school detective fare with great characterization. Beatty's art at times makes me think of Ditko, and that's a high compliment.












 



Marvel Graphic Novel: God Loves, Man Kills-  "God Loves, Man Kills", by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson. A melodramatic, but affecting, tale of prejudice with Marvel's Mutants. Nice to see Brent Anderson's take on them.











 


Fantastic Four Roast-  "When Titans Chuckle", by Fred Hembeck, Jim Shooter and just about everybody. Enough puns and visual jokes to fill a dining hall full of heroes, which is pretty much what happens. Absolutely, the "Just Plain Fun" book of 1982!














Another Marvel- heavy year, in my opinion. But the indies are really starting to make an impact, and DC still has a lot to offer. The new formats such as miniseries and graphic novels add some serious competition to the monthly newsstand titles. All things considered, it's a great year to be reading comics. Your thoughts and nominations?