Two Questions: Seasonal Songs and Tagalongs

Redartz:  Greetings, gang! Once again, we have a couple of things for  you to ponder over. Let's get right to them, shall we?

1. What songs bring to mind, for  you, a particular season? 

I was thinking about this recently, as Summer is rapidly nearing it's end here in the USA. There's a whole genre known as 'summer songs', and each year much debate can be found on chat sites debating which song will be the 'song of the summer'. But what struck me is that nobody ever speaks about the other seasons! Sure, 'seasonal music' can refer to the holiday-themed tunes you are surrounded with at the end of each year. But discounting those, what songs are linked, for you anyway, to a specific season? I'll give my example right now: Gordon Lightfoots's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". This great tune will be forever associated with Autumn, in my mind. Perhaps because it  was popular in the fall of 1976; I still recall hearing it playing on a radio while helping my Dad rake leaves in the yard. And lyrically, it has some fall-ish elements: referring to the "gales of November". Even the production, the sound of the song, has a wistful feel that almost chills you. So, that's my Fall song.

 Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

2. Name an unusual Team-up / Mash-up that you'd love to see in a comic.  

In the recent post about 'fun' comics, I mentioned the "Archie Meets Batman '66" comics. These days crossovers between companies are returning (although Marvel seems the exception to this), and even crossovers between different media (Green Lantern and the Planet of the  Apes) are becoming a 'thing'. In that spirit, what oddball combo would you like to see; any pairing is fair game. I'm going for some haunted humor in my answer: Casper the Friendly Ghost meets the Ghostbusters! Would Peter and the crew immediately try to capture the ethereal youngster, or would Casper convince the 'busters' to help him corral the "Ghostly Trio"? I'd buy this book sight unseen...

Okay, there's my questions and answers. Now let's hear from you!  

Adventures in Comics: Comics and Halloween!

Redartz:  Welcome, comics and Halloween fans. Enter freely and of your own will...

Comics and Halloween; both so full of fun, it's only natural they'd pick up elements of each other. Kind of like Reese's Cups- "You got chocolate in my peanut butter"; "You got peanut butter on my chocolate". Today we will chat about some of those blending experiences. And I might have to run out and grab some Reese's cups for our Halloween candy dish...

 





One obvious area where comics and Halloween intertwine is, well, comics. I've gotten in the habit of, each year, selecting a few appropriate books to leaf through on Halloween night. There might be a "Tomb of Dracula", or a "Swamp Thing", probably some old monster reprints. But there also will be some Archie Halloween tales, definitely a "Sugar and Spike" issue (Sheldon Mayer never failed to salute All Hallow's Eve on the cover of his classic kid kaper). And most assuredly, there will be an issue of Simpson's "Treehouse of Horror". 


 




Speaking of the denizens of Springfield, that brings us to another annual aspect of Halloween: the specials on tv! My wife and I unfailingly catch "The Great Pumpkin", and Garfield's Halloween Special (both on dvd, conveniently). On the Sunday night nearest Halloween, we always devour "Simpsons Treehouse of Horror", a Halloween tradition for many years now. Those episodes are among the series' best. This season wasn't any different...

What else does Halloween have to offer? Trick-or-treating, and costumes, of course. One of my earliest Halloween memories was of dressing up as Casper. Surprisingly I never went as Spider-Man, but in college I did attend a Halloween party dressed as Mr. X (from the 80's Vortex series by Paul Rivoche). I sadly have no photographic record of that occasion, but I looked pretty much like this (bald head wig included):

Now, at our house this year, there won't be any tricks, but there will be treats. But not just candy; also comics! Giving away (age appropriate, of course) comics with the candy might bring a smile to some of the neighborhood kids. It will help clear a few from my 'dispose of' pile, and it may just help create a few future comics fans. And I'm not alone in this: last week I stopped by our local comic shop, and they were selling bags of Casper Halloween comics, already prepped for trick-or-treats! Man, I'd have loved that when I was going door-to-door as a kid.

So we can see there are many ways that the fun of comics and the fun of Halloween can combine. Perhaps you have some more examples. Do you have any Halloween traditions? Any favorite Halloween-themed comics? Maybe you were the one who did dress up as Spider-Man. Tell us your thoughts, and I'll give you an extra handful from the treat bowl!

The Brave Or The Bold: The Shaved Or The Bald!

Martinex1:  Who is the target audience for comic books?  I contend it is middle-aged men who are going bald.   If I may make my case just take a look at the many pictures below.   Who else could they be appealing to other than the follicle-challenged?   At the very least, I am glad I am not alone in the balding category.  There are countless examples of heroes, villains, and hangers-on, who have been bald. 

Whether in comics, on television, in movies, or with advertisements, bald is beautiful.

But my questions to you are (across all genres):

1. Who are the five best bald characters?
2. Who are the five worst bald characters?
3. Why are there so many bald characters?
4. Can you name all of the characters depicted below?
5. We've captured everybody from the Absorbing Man to Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, but what bald characters did we miss?

Have a fun  Monday!  Best to all BitBA fans out there!  May you all have a full heart and a full head of hair!

Even nature knows it is cool!

Fearsome garb...indeed!

You say he is not bald.  I say he is Balder!

In my opinion, one of the best super-heroines in comic history!

That is not hair on his forehead; Lucy just used a Sharpee marker while he slept!

You may not have thought about it, but the Thing would have looked terrible with hair!

Yes... the Silver Surfer  and his arch-nemesis Mephisto!