Happy New Year 2016 from the Bronze Age Babies!

All the best to you and yours in the New Year!

http://legacy.nerdywithchildren.com/7-items-marvel-comics-nursery/

2016

Goals Achieved, and New Resolutions

Doug: Here we sit, on the cusp of a New Year. I generally don't pay much attention to "special" days like January 1st. To me, it's just a date on the calendar. Take my birthday for example. I know some people get all bent out of shape if they don't get the family out to dinner on THE DAY. Me, whatever whenever. So while I might be in the minority on such things, this time of year seems a time to regularly reflect on what just was as well as look forward to what might be. Here in BAB land, that might have a little something to do with comics, music, DVDs, etc.

Doug: One goal I sort of achieved was the dissolution of my comics collection. While I still have around 125 books staring at me, the project I started in August of 2014 is basically done. As I mentioned yesterday I am moving now into other things. You want some Slurpee cups? Stick around -- those may just hit eBay sometime in 2015. Another goal I had was to read The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. While I generally enjoyed it, I found it a little different than I'd anticipated. Previously I'd only seen the DVD of the same name -- to say it condensed the story would be an understatement. Lastly here, and I've said this a bunch, my decision to finally seek out Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier material was a wise one. I'm looking forward to continuing that exploration in the coming weeks and months.

Doug: So what else is on my horizon? Some of you are going to laugh, some will be incredulous... I want to read Don McGregor's "Panther's Rage" storyline. I have never read it. I came to Jungle Action after that long arc had concluded. I bought the Black Panther Marvel Masterworks a few years ago (it's a massive book), and have never committed to plowing through it. I really want to check that off my to-read list in 2016.

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Doug: I want to commit to myself to continue reading stuff that's out of my normal superhero wheelhouse. I've remarked over and over how much I enjoyed Marvel's Monster of Frankenstein series, and my first foray into Swamp Thing was intriguing. I'd like to get back into the two Adam Strange Archives that I purchased. And I still have quite a few Joe Kubert Tarzan stories to read. What's on my bookshelves right now could keep me pretty busy.

Doug: The cinema will beckon several times, as the next Captain America flick, The Legend of Tarzan, and Dr. Strange will be slam dunks. I will most likely see X-Men: Apocalypse. But I guarantee that I am totally up in the air on whether or not to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as a first-run film. My enthusiasm is virtually non-existent for that one.

Doug: OK, enough of my musings -- what are you thankful for and/or looking forward to as 2015 yields to 2016?

Happy New Year from the Bronze Age Babies!

Happy New Year 2015!

 Tomorrow we're in full VACATION MODE and it will be up to the readers to carry the conversations. Get ready...

And, here is some more promotional artwork for Avengers: Age of Ultron to follow yesterday's revelations. Enjoy! 

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!

Happy New Year, 2013, from the Bronze Age Babies!

All the best to you and yours as we enter 2013.  Come back tomorrow for our first installment of "BAB Classic", and join the conversation every day in January.

Holiday Comics -- Have a Favorite?

Doug:  Earlier this fall, Karen and I were debating what to do with our schedule as we'd made up our mind that we were going to take a vacation in January.  For those of you who look up and down the sidebar, you know that we have sort of a "coming soon" feature.  A long time ago we announced about six months worth of stories or topics that we were going to review.  As it became obvious that December was going to be an issue in filling the Mondays as we do with our partner reviews (we didn't want to be stuck in the middle of a storyline as January dawned), I asked if we could do a couple of Christmas comics.  Of course, nothing really leapt immediately to mind; about the only one I could come up with off the top of my head was the Spidey/Stegron/Lizard clash that ran in Amazing Spider-Man #'s 165-166.  Later, I recalled that an early Marvel Team-Up was set over Christmas.

Doug:  Since we nixed the idea, at least for this year, I thought we could at least throw this out there to our readers and perhaps get some suggestions that we might use next year or even later.  You know we do up Halloween pretty big around here each year, but I don't know that we've ever really hit on another holiday with a comic review.  So what do you know of that is maybe a favorite Bronze-era story of yours?  Of course there are no guarantees that either Karen or I would have a particular book that gets nominated, but hey -- shopping is fun, and who knows?  You might inspire us!

Happy New Year from the Bronze Age Babies!

Here's to hoping 2012 is a better year for all of us, but particularly those who have faced hardship over the past many months. We're nothing if not resilient! Be well!

-- Doug and Karen

Doug: So, does anyone have any big plans or upcoming major events to speak of in 2012? I'll start off today's comments with my own doings: The biggest event coming our way this year will be the graduation of our younger son from high school and his move to college in the fall. That will bring on some uncharted dynamics for our household, specifically in regard to my wife and I. It will have been 21 years since we've been in the house alone on a full-time basis. There will be a sense of re-discovery, as we are certainly not the same people we were in 1991 when our oldest was born. But we are looking forward to the challenge. We are also looking forward to the trips to Indiana to see the boys, as they will both be attending the same college, northeast of Indianapolis. The youngest is going to play soccer, competing for a starting spot at goalkeeper. The oldest continues his pursuit of a career in sports broadcasting.

Other than that, I know that I'll be in Washington, DC in July again this year, teaching at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for a week. And hopefully along the way I'll be purchasing many more Bronze Age goodies to add to my growing library -- which I will in turn pass on to you, the faithful reader, for your commenting pleasure! Everyone, be well!

Karen: Sorry to jump in so late, but better late than never, I suppose. In 2012, I hope to find an agent to represent my fiction writing. I also hope to resolve a health issue that has been hanging over my head since April of this year. I don't make resolutions, but I will say that I want to do better at staying in touch with family and friends this year too. I'm also looking forward to taking a few trips with my husband this year. May the arrival of 2012 bring new hope and new opportunities for all of us.