Short Cuts: Green Army Men, and Their Fellow Troops

Redartz:  Countless millions of these little troopers have fought untold battles across innumerable backyards, for decades. Yes, the 'green army men'. Kids everywhere had boxes of them, myself included. In fact, I had some gray ones (supposedly German soldiers from WWII) and tan ones (Japanese soldiers, from the Pacific theatre). There were tanks, also, and troop carriers. But the main focus was on the 'infantry'. These plastic soldiers faced giant dogs, thundering garden hose floodwaters, firecracker bombs, and many other perils. Never a complaint; they took it all in stride. My friends and I staged huge battles across the yard, and probably lost as many of these in the grass as we managed to keep. At any rate, they provided hours of fun, adventure and imagination. And hey, they were regarded highly enough to rate prominent roles in the "Toy Story" films!

Did you have any of these, or some other low- budget 'action figures'? Perhaps some cowboys and "Indians", or space men?  Did you stage some pretty impressive battle scenes? And did any survive? Dump out your box and let's see... 

BitBA Classic Sunday: George Perez and Other Items!

Martinex1: July is winding down for 2017, and for those of us with younger kids (and those that work as teachers), school is just around the corner.   So what better way to get back in the swing of things than to study a little history.  Today we will be traveling back to one of my earliest guest posts at Doug and Karen's BAB site featuring a neophyte version of the Quarter Bin $1 Challenge  It is interesting to see how even our features evolve over a couple of years.

Before we get back to that though, if you skipped any of our posts this week you may have missed some fun conversation along the way.   If offbeat villains, music listening methods, Saturday morning cartoon bands, comic writer Roger Stern, or daredevil Evel Knievel grab your interest, than take a look at the recent posts.  Coming this week we have everything from little green men to rockets to the moon (and they are hardly related at all).

Without further ado, enjoy this BitBA Classic from June of 2015:

(BAB 6.13.15) Martinex1: I am back with my game of riches, “If I Had A Buck…” A little reminder on how it works: you visit my other worldly comic shop and on the spinner rack sit nine comics. These comics may be from different eras and at different price points. You have a choice to make with the single dollar you have in your hand, so choose wisely and share your opinions.

Last time, we explored the artwork on the Ms. Marvel series from the late 1970s. The challenge was choosing amongst nine cover creators for the same character and title. Today I have a little twist, there will be nine different team titles but with one cover creator. 
 

George Perez is considered by many to be a modern comic art legend. He is ranked up there with all of the greats in the field; and perhaps he is most known for his prolific output, detailed layouts and backgrounds, and handling of multiple characters and teams. I dare say he has drawn nearly every Marvel and DC character over the years, and sometimes they all appeared in a single panel, cover, or poster.  In my purchasing history, his comic covers always drew my eye. There was a level of excitement in the artwork that few matched.

So here is the challenge. I have assembled nine comics, with nine teams and titles, with all nine covers drawn by George Perez. Note that the interiors may have been handled by other artists. Enter the store with only one dollar and make you choices (just as we sometimes had to do as kids by considering the covers closely). Share your decisions, thoughts about Perez, your memories, the cover dynamics, and his handling of the teams. So without further ado, have at it…

Avengers #149; Cover Price $0.25 (Still Only…)

X Men # 128; Cover Price $0.40

Fantastic Four #184; Cover Price $0.30

New Teen Titans #19; Cover Price $0.60

Justice League of America #192: Cover Price $0.50

Legion of Super Heroes #268; Cover Price $0.50

Star Trek #1; Cover Price $0.75

Defenders #53; Cover Price $0.35

Adventure Comics presents "Dial “H” For Hero" #485; Cover Price $0.50

Martinex1:  A couple added comments here today - Perez is known for drawing an inordinate amount of characters, and in these nine covers I cannot even get a firm count of how many Marvel, DC, and other iconic characters he depicted (from Spock to Cyclops to Kid Flash).  It is about forty easily identified heroes.  

I always wondered why George Perez and John Byrne traded off on Avengers covers later in the Bronze Age.  The X-Men cover above was also during the height of Byrne's run.  

On the other hand, when Perez drew a cover and the interior art was by a fill-in or lesser known artist, it was highly disappointing. 

I hope you enjoy looking back at some old posts.  If you have any suggestions for BitBA columns, please contact us at backinthebronzeage@gmail.com.  Cheers all!

Chew the Fat: Inspired by Evel Knievel!

Martinex1: Growing up and in grade school in the 1970s, there was a brief period of time that I was highly influenced by the stunts and antics of Evel Knievel.  And I am sure others were too.  Whether jumping cars or buses on his motorcycle, or attempting to leap the Snake River Canyon in the steam powered Skycycle X-2, the stuntman had the world at attention.  Well, at least he was the talk of the schoolyard.

Looking back at it, the man who broke countless bones acting out his adventurous schemes, really did capture the American spirit as we headed toward the Bicentennial.  And it surely impacted the pop culture of that decade.

Television shows, books, toys, collectibles, and comics were all suddenly enamored and emblazoned with the wild stunts of the well known daredevil.  When I was in the fourth grade, I desperately wanted the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle (I received roller skates instead and had trouble hiding my disappointment).  For a handful of years Evel Knievel had a cottage industry based on toys made in his likeness and branded with his name.  He was an international hit by any standard.



I am not sure when Evel Knievel branched out to exploring but he sure captured the imagination.

Knievel was everywhere.  For the comic-loving fans, it was hard to miss the advertisements.  Can you remember which books in your collection featured the back covers depicted below?

On television, it would take a lot to convince me that he didn't influence Happy Days or the television Captain America!  The Fonz jumped fourteen garbage cans (unsuccessfully) on the sitcom, and that costume and those wheels for Cap surely owed something to "The King of the Stuntmen." 

There was even a 1974 Saturday morning cartoon, Devlin, that leaned on the Knievel mystique quite obviously.  Check out the show opening in the link here.  

I guess I can give Marvel and Steve Rogers a bit of a break, as the character was riding motorcycles many years prior to the showman's fame but I suspect the addition of the bike to the television show and its increased use in comics had Knievel influences.   On the other hand, nothing can excuse Team America; not only was it late to the party but it was horrible.

More close to home, who didn't envy a kid with the Evel Knievel lunchbox?   And who didn't try to build a ramp to try out with a Schwinn Stingray?   I still have some sore ribs from a failed attempt (Disclaimer: That is not young Martinex in the photo)! 

So let's Chew the Fat!  What were your daredevil memories?  Did you gather with the neighborhood kids and try out some wheelies and jumps?   Were you mesmerized by the Wide World of Sports stunt spectacular?   How much did you pester your parents for the coveted toys?   Share all of that and anything else that comes to mind as today we discuss Evel Knievel and all of his influential impacts.



Panel Discussion (Writer's Edition} - Roger Stern!

 


Redartz:  Today we present a variation on our 'Panel Discussion' theme. We shall consider a writer, in this case the admirably talented Roger Stern. And why shouldn't we address some scripters ? After all, if not for the writers there wouldn't be a panel to illustrate...


Roger Stern was responsible for many of my favorite comics in the 80's and beyond. He has been prolific, writing for most of the 'big guns'- Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange, Captain America, and over at DC he had a long run on Superman. His stories are dramatic, his characters believable and well-developed. Indeed, his characterization skills are among the best in comics writing. Whether giving voice to a hero, a villain, or a supporting cast member, Stern never failed to go a bit deeper than many.

 One great example is this sequence from Amazing Spider-Man 224, between Adrian Toomes (The Vulture) and May Parker's then fiancee, Nathan Lubensky. One doesn't often find treatment of aging and infirmity in comics, let alone handled with this degree of sensitivity. Art, by the way, is courtesy of John Romita Jr. and Pablo Marcos.

 

Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin

Stern's writing skill is evident in everything he touches:
 His classic Avengers run, with John Buscema and Tom Palmer (a run I'm only now discovering, as I'd dropped out by the time it first appeared). 
His excellent work on Dr. Strange, including the fantastic six issues with Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin (his introduction and exploration of Morgana Blessing were engrossing). 
His short but memorable stint on Captain America, with John Byrne ( boy, Sterno had the fortune to be teamed with some greats). 

But I have two more personal reasons behind my fondness for Mr. Stern. An Indianapolis resident while working with Bob Layton in the 70's for a fanzine called Contemporary Pictorial  Literature (or CPL), Roger would sometimes show up in a local comic shop, The Comics Carnival and Nostalgia Emporium. That was my shop of choice, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him on several occasions. He was always generous with his time, and patient with the teenage fanboy I was. He was very friendly, and very interesting to listen to. 
 And a couple years later, Roger won my admiration for rescuing my favorite title- Amazing Spider-Man. I'd enjoyed his work on Spectacular Spider-Man, and was thrilled when he took over ASM (following a rather forgettable period for the title). Stern didn't disappoint. His work on the webslinger puts him second only to Stan Lee as a Spidey writer, imho. 

The list of great stories he gave us would be too lengthy for me to attempt here. But I must give him credit for what may be the single best Spider-Man story,period: "The Kid who Collects Spider-Man", from ASM 248. Doubtlessly most of you have read it, for any who haven't I don't want to spoil it. But it is a MUST READ, if you love Peter Parker. This single story strikes to the heart of Peter and his alter ego masterfully, and in only half an issue (the first half is the conclusion of a fun battle with Thunderball). 

Art by Ron Frenz and Terry Austin

And now, here are some covers from some of Roger's finest. Not a comprehensive array, but a few of my choice picks. Enjoy...