 |
| The first Bronze Age Babies masthead, c. June 2009 |
Doug: Karen started it. She did. In 2007 I am almost positive I'd never read a blog. Oh, sure -- I knew what a blog was. But I don't think I'd ever read one. She twisted my arm, though, and along with a third partner we embarked on the "Two Girls, a Guy, and Some Comics" site. Around 18 months later we landed here in this little corner of the Internet, where it's been childhood and teenage memories every day since. Here's what we said on June 16, 2009:
You've come across a blog that we hope will be a lot of fun.
Your
hosts are Doug, a high school social science teacher based in the
Midwest, and Karen, a research scientist based in the Southwest. We're
about the same age, and despite our lack of geographic proximity, had
some similar interests and experiences growing up throughout the
1970's-1980's. Lyndon Johnson was president when we were born, and
Ronald Reagan was about to leave the White House (make whatever joke you
feel is necessary right here!) when we were wrapping up college.
You'll
see discussions of all things pop-culture. One week we might take a
look at a film of the era (like Planet of the Apes or Logan's Run), another
week it might be a review of a comic book story (Amazing Spider-Man #'s
121-122 -- the deaths of Gwen Stacy and of the original Green Goblin).
We'll tell you what music we were listening to at a given period of our childhood, and what toys we were playing with.
So stop by from time-to-time, and be sure to leave a comment or reminiscence of your own.
Doug: That was the only post we published that June. In July, we ran five.
Doug: In the succeeding 7 1/2 years we've published almost 2300 posts, 679 of which were reviews; we've also sent out almost 13,000 tweets. There have been 3.7 million pageviews on our blog (Holy cow!). And
some of you have been alongside us almost every step (and occasional misstep)
of the way. Today, for the foreseeable future, the Bronze Age Babies goes into
hibernation.
Karen: This isn't an easy decision for either Doug
or me. The BAB, as we've come to call it, has been a consistent part of our
lives, and we truly value the community that has been created here. It's become
much greater than anything we could have imagined or hoped for back in
2009, and we want to thank you all for contributing to it. Reading
your comments and engaging with you, getting to know everyone -well, it's just
been terrific. But a lot has changed over the years, and we're both at a
point now where we have too many other demands on our time to continue the BAB
with the care it deserves.
Karen: Personally, I want to say thank you for
listening, as I've discussed all the geeky things I love, and for
making me feel welcome. As a woman, and a girl growing up loving comics,
monsters, and science fiction, this has not always been the case. So thank you from
the bottom of my heart for treating me like "one of the guys" and
either nodding along with me, or telling me when you thought I was full of BS,
but always doing it in the spirit of good-humor and respect! It means a lot to
me. I hope as I manage to come out from under what is currently an oppressive
work load, I'll have more time to roam the various comics blogs and I'll
see some of you out there.
Doug: Karen said "to continue the BAB with the care it deserves". To some extent this blog has become like a child;
certainly a member of the family. It's been in need of more care than we've
been able to give it on our own, so we certainly don't want to leave this space
today without a grateful nod to all those who've contributed as guest writers
and guest reviewers over the past couple years. And even before that it was so
helpful to us when our friends and readers left us recommendations in the Suggestion
Box or during one of our requests for creativity. That was more valuable
than you could imagine. But to Redartz and Martinex1 -- you guys were willing
to come aboard as "staff writers" (you know Karen and I felt like big
shots when we expanded this operation!) and truly take days of posting off our
plates. Your presence as regular contributors added new life to the BAB, taking
us into conversations that were uniquely your own. We have all been better for
it. Thanks so much. And one more shout-out to Dr. Oyola for the professional-looking mastheads we've used over the past three years or so. He did good work, didn't he? Above and below are samples of what I used to cobble together with PowerPoint.
Doug: So what's ahead for me? I am going to read some comics without the
mindset of writing about them and scanning from them, that's what I am going to
do: just read. I had placed the graphic novel
March on the sidebar as an
upcoming review topic. I finished reading the third and final volume the
morning of October 22nd. While you won't see any extensive thoughts from me
here, I will just say "
read it" -- in these turbulent
political times, every American should; indeed, there is meaning for every
human being regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin. I tweeted to
Representative John Lewis (D-GA), the author of
March, and told him that
he is an American hero. I got a response, and I treasure that.
Doug: But I am going to miss the conversations about comics. You all
have been my "regulars" at the comic shop on a Wednesday new-arrival
day. The community we sought when we began is a real thing in my life now --
you should know that you've left over 36,000 comments on this blog. That will
be missed -- those days when some among you came back again and again to keep a conversation rolling... those were special times. You have come here over the years not to show off your knowledge
or to argue; the opportunity for reflection of a shared experience will become
a void for me, I know. So I will need to create a presence of my own on other
blogs that do something similar to what we have done here -- perhaps among our
Super Blog Team Up partners. And down the line?
I've for years fancied a blog dedicated to comic books with art by John
Buscema. Maybe someday...
Karen: I can echo Doug and say I will miss the
conversations. Already, as I write this days before you all read it, I feel a great
swell of emotion, knowing that I will no longer get up each morning and
(because of the time difference) see your comments in my inbox. And even if I
was too busy to participate in a discussion, I still was happy to know that the
BAB was providing a few minutes of fun for you all. I know that you'll find new
places to go - perhaps even hosted by a few stalwarts we know?? - but
being able to help create this space is something I'm proud of. If I ever
manage to get some spare time again, I might wind up blogging, but it might be
about more free-ranging topics. I may have said all I have to say about comics.
I mean, it's been 7+ years!
Karen: Before I lock up my desk and turn off the light, I want to give props to my partner. He has worked so hard on this blog, really taking on the
role of publisher, and adding so much extra, like the Twitter feed, to create
something special. I may have started us blogging, but Doug has been the
driving force behind BAB for years. On top of that, he's just a flat-out good
person, as I'm sure you've all gathered. There's no way we could have gone so
long, done so many reviews together, without his hard work and good will. So
cheers partner.
Doug: Stop it… you’re making me misty. Karen has also been a rock, even in
those times when life threw her a few curveballs. She has stretched me as a
writer (shoot, partnering with an author whose thoughts run in
Back Issue? Give
me a break…), and as I’ve said many times, I have read so many comics because
of the BAB. I always appreciated the days when her posts ran, as her passion
for topics on which I am not well-versed shined loud and clear. We've made a great
team. And who knows? Maybe we aren’t finished talking comics. We have agreed to
reach out to each other whenever we find a Bronze Age nugget worth discussing.
But when that happens, those conversations will occur via email.
Doug: And to this day, believe it or not, the
Bronze Age Babies have never spoken to each other.
Thanks for reading!
EPILOGUE: As Karen alluded above, our readers will have an alternative space to check out. Beginning tomorrow, November 3, 2016, Martinex1 and Redartz will be hosting a new blog. Please patronize them and leave them a comment at their new address, Back in the Bronze Age... You won't be disappointed, as we've already seen previews of several of their ideas. It is going to be fun!