Showing posts with label Westerns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Westerns. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2018

Chew the Fat: Falling out of Favor in the Bronze Age...





Redartz:  Many of the toys, snacks, music, and comics we loved in the Bronze age have remained highly regarded, in some cases even increased in regard (consider the effect of the films on the comics upon which they are based). On the other hand, some things haven't fared so well. 



There are many examples, and many reasons for a given thing to 'fall out of favor'. Anyone remember candy cigarettes? Once common at drug store candy counters and in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, those sweet sticks fell victim to the plummeting public perception of real cigarettes, and concern that they might make them more appealing  to children. Same story with bubble gum cigars; another former childhood staple that isn't seen so much anymore.







 

Toys- how about 'klackers', those heavy hard plastic balls connected by a string? I heard they went out due to parental concerns about hand injuries. Then there was Mattel's "Thingmaker", you recall, Creepy Crawlers and such? You wouldn't find an open electric hot plate toy today for kids.
















 



 As for music, recently Colin Jones enlightened me about the fate of Gary Glitter. Apparently his music isn't heard much anymore. Kind of the same story as with Bill Cosby and the Cosby show on television (but what about "I Spy"- never hear anything much about his appearance on that show). 




Comics? Perhaps fewer examples come to mind, but certain genres definitely suffered a loss of attention (westerns, romance, even horror by the late 70's). 

So, can you think of other examples of once-popular phenomena that got swept off the shelf of public approval? Were there books or songs that garnered negative connotations that you liked? And if so, would you still read/listen to them anyway? Did you have any of those 'potentially hazardous' toys (and there were surely many others)? Chew the fat today and discuss the 'fallen' Bronze age...

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Two Questions: The Influence of Art and the Fall of Westerns!

Martinex1: Here are two random new questions to ponder and respond to.  Hopefully they get your mind to wander on a cold Winter day.

QUESTION 1: How important an influence was the great art (from the likes of John Byrne, Gene Colan, and George Perez) to the success of stories penned by prolific writers like Len Wein, Ralph Macchio, Marv Wolfman, David Michelinie and Mark Gruenwald?

(Thanks to our friend Doug for inspiring question #1).
Ralph Macchio
David Michelinie

Marv Wolfman

Len Wein

Mark Gruenwald
Michelinie / Perez

Macchio / Colan

Wein / Perez


Gruenwald / Perez (c) / Byrne (i)

Wolfman / Perez
Wein / Jim Aparo

Michelinie / Bob Layton

Wolfman / Gil Kane




















QUESTION 2:  Is there still life in the Western genre or has it truly been left in the past?





You Might Also Like --

Here are some related posts: