Panel Discussion: When "A" Table is Not Just a Table!

Martinex1: We talk about a lot of comics, tropes, themes, characters, and covers here at the BitBA blog, but I don't think we've stooped so low as to talk about the furniture... until today!  One of my favorite Avengers Mansion accoutrements is the conference meeting room table that the Avengers have used throughout their illustrious career.

I first encountered the table in a panel from Avengers #72.  This was a masterfully rendered issue from Sal Buscema and inker Sam Grainger.   Not only did the issue include the first appearance of the maniacal Zodiac, it introduced me to a scene that I would always admire.  There was just something about that huge table, and the chairs with each character's symbol, and the extra-large chair for Goliath that had me examining the image for a long time.  One flaw is that I never understood the Vision's chair symbol.

It appeared again during the same era in Issue # 83 when the Lady Liberators assembled for the first time.

But it had been around for some time, as I eventually stumbled upon these images from earlier Avengers' days.

So it goes back to at least the Don Heck days. Does anybody know where and when that magnificent table first appeared?   Sure they had a table back in the early issues, even as far back as when Kirby first drew the team.  But they may as well have been sitting on milk crates or at my grandmother's kitchen table.  The Hulk looks like he has been banished to the kid's table at Thanksgiving.

I've shared these John Byrne and George Perez images from the classic Avengers #181 before; as you can see the table made it to center stage with the best artists of the era.

 But have you seen Fred Hembeck's version?  Obviously it is iconic enough to be part of a parody.

 But there are even more examples, from Bronze Age George Perez to modern era Perez.

 Michael Golden penciled a version in Avengers Annual #10 and John Buscema used it on occasion, as did others.

 It appeared in animated sequences.  And Namor more recently delivered an Atlantean replacement.

Sure other super-groups had tables, and the JLA and Justice Society had nice furnishings but there is nothing quite like the Avengers' symbolic conference setting.  So the DC versions just had something missing in my opinion.

I contend that for the Avengers, other than the Quinjet and the Mansion, the table is one of the most iconic elements of the book.   I hope to see it appear in the cinema versions sometime soon.  Take a seat at the "A" table and share your thoughts about these panels and this topic.  You may not have much to say, but we have left a place open for you so pull up a seat.  Cheers.

Short Cuts: Your Inner Peter Parker- Taking Snapshots in the Bronze Age

Redartz:  Good day, everyone! You may ask why I mentioned Peter Parker in today's title. Who better to exemplify the role of the photographer!  Of course, we don't have access to the special cameras Pete used, let alone webbing to fasten said camera to high vantage points. And in today's world of ubiquitous smartphones with their high definition digital cameras, the old film camera is largely a relic. 


 
Not so in our beloved Bronze Age. Many of us, surely, had the sturdy Kodak Instamatic. Complete with rotating flashcubes, and those handy drop-in film cartridges. I had a similar one : a GAF Anscomatic, the camera that helped me archive those halcyon days of the late 60's and early 70's. I probably drove my family and friends bonkers with all my picture-taking.




 




Here's a shot I took of my bedroom, about 1971, using that Anscomatic camera. You can see several Monogram model car kits on the bookshelf.










 

 Later on I got a Polaroid- you remember, the camera that allowed you to get your pictures now (or at least within a minute or two) rather than waiting for processing. Many of the old photos I've shared on this blog were taken with those cameras. Much as I love digital photography, I still hold a fondness for those vintage cameras. 









Any other young shutterbugs out there? Share your memories of the cameras, the films, even the commercials (remember those warm, fuzzy Kodak commercials every holiday season?}. Expose us all to your thoughts and memories, and we'll see what develops...

Animation Congregation: Saturday Morning's 'Other' Super Teams

Redartz:  You remember the Super Friends. You remember Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (lots of friendly heroes in the Bronze age, eh?). You may remember the Justice League on tv during the late 60's on Saturday mornings. Ah, but some of the greatest heroic teams of the Saturday morning era never graced a Marvel or DC comic. From the studios of Hanna Barbera, Ralph Bakshi  and others arose completely original teams. Odd powers, strange names, unusual appearances- they offered it all. Let's look at a few...

The Mighty Heroes

An early effort by animator Ralph Bakshi and studio Terrytoons (who gave us Mighty Mouse),  The Mighty Heroes ran from 1966 to 67 on CBS, then went into syndication for years. I discovered them on a local Indianapolis after-school cartoon program during the early 70's. It was a quirky, cool show, with a quirky, cool group of characters: Strong Man, Cuckoo Man, Tornado Man, Rope Man and Diaper Man. The villains were equally esoteric: The Monsterizer, The Scarecrow, and many others. The cartoons were a bit formulaic, but very fun. And what a dynamite theme; you all know how much those tv themes count in my book...

Frankenstein, Jr. and the Impossibles

Okay, not technically a team, but they shared a show from 1966 to 68, and also lived on in syndication. A Hanna Barbera production, they joined Space Ghost and Birdman under the HB superhero umbrella. Frankenstein, Jr. (or "Frankie") was the companion of young Buzz Conroy, as together they fought evil everwhere. The Impossibles (Coil Man, Fluid Man and Multi-Man) were  heroes posing as a rock band (a couple years before teen rock band heroes ran rampant on Saturday mornings). Both shows were lighthearted, entertaining and perfect for the Batman Craze era. 

Super 6

The Super 6 was a somewhat less well-known show, on NBC from 1966 to 69. It was produced by DePatie/Freleng, and was also designed to capitalize on the then-unquenchable superhero phase. Their lineup included Granite Man, Magneto Man (yes, magnetic powers, but no mutants), Elevator Man, Captain Whammo, Super Scuba and Super Bwoing (who rode on his guitar; as to his name- I've no idea). Incidentally, their theme song was performed by Gary Lewis and the  Playboys.

 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

Years later, Hanna Barbera returned again to a heroically themed show, this one lasting from 1977 through 1980. The Captain was a rather oddly shaped caveman, accompanied by three teen girls (the "Teen Angels"). The show took inspiration from the popular nighttime detective show "Charlie's Angels". Captain Caveman wielded a big, heavy club, and was known for his cry of "Captain Caaaaaaaaaaaaaveman!".  This show was played primarily for laughs, and it was indeed pretty amusing.

 The Herculoids

The Herculoids was yet another Hanna Barbera show, originating from that same 1966 television season (man, those Saturday mornings were incredible for a kid back then).  They ran for several years, and were reborn in the early 80's as part of Hanna Barbera's "Space Stars" show. The show was rather sci-fi in approach, like it's contemporary Space Ghost. But The Herculoids were a family (Zandor, the father, Tara, the mother, and Dorno, their son) each with combative talents. But the real stars were their creature companions: Igoo, the mighty 'rock ape'. Zok, a winged dragon who shot beams from his eyes (and frequently carried the family on his back). Tundro, who looked like a lumpy rhinoceras and shot fire rocks from his snout. And my distinct favorites, Gloop and Gleep- a pair of form shifting blobs with senses of humor. They made short work of many foes, humanoid and monstrous.

These were some of the shows that fired my youthful imagination, filling some of the hours when I wasn't reading comics. Sadly, many of these shows were gone from the networks by the end of the 60's, (too much violence, they said). Nevertheless, they lived on for years after school and on Sunday mornings. Thank heavens for syndication. Oh, and I was wrong; the Herculoids actually did appear in a Marvel Comic- "TV Stars" issue 3 from 1978. 

How many of these do you remember? And no doubt you have some other Super Teams ready to bring up that I overlooked today. Be my guest!

Chew the Fat: The Greatest Two-part Stories...

Redartz:  Some time back, we ran a post asking for suggested topics. Many of you gave us some great ideas, some of which have appeared, some are still upcoming. Today's post is a result of the great suggestion from frequent commenter William, who put forth "Two Part Stories". An excellent topic; thank you William! Two part stories are much less common in comics today, but once were pretty common. They were appealing because they gave you a cliffhanger to get you back next month, but didn't require a six-month investment of time and fortune. And you can fit both parts of the story in one comic bag!

Now let's consider some of those two issue epics. For my part in today's discussion, I'll stick with Bronze age books, but don't feel you have to do so. Additionally, I'll leave aside some obvious choices ("Death of Gwen Stacy", "Joker's Laughing Fish"). Instead, here are a few personal favorites that might be less commonly mentioned. My choices:

 


Avengers 127 -  Fantastic Four 150, the wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver. Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and Joe Staton started it; Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott finished it. Featuring Ultron , the Inhumans and loads of heroes, it's a showcase for crossover cooperation. Great art in both books, and the story moves beautifully from one team to the other.

 

Conan the Barbarian 43 - 44, "Tower of Blood". Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Ernie Chan and the Crusty Bunkers give us a great Conan/Red Sonja team up. A creepy story which actually features Conan put to stud service. Don't ask; just read it. 








 






Detective Comics 478 - 479, " The Coming of Clayface III". Immediately following the classic Joker story , Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers and Dick Giordano produce another fine tale. We meet the new Clayface, in  a story both horrific and tragic.

Avengers 170 - 171, The Bride of Ultron. An easy pick, with Jim Shooter, George Perez and Pablo Marcos at the top of their game. A dynamite story, fantastic art, excellent covers, it doesn't get much better than this.

Amazing Spider-Man 145 - 146, featuring the Scorpion and the Jackal. Served up by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Frank Giacoia, Dave Hunt and John Romita Sr. It takes place right in the middle of the first Spidey clone saga, and has all the elements that make the web-slinger so great: cool villains, supporting cast drama, and some humor- we get to see Aunt May lecture the Scorpion! Plus issue 146 had some guest inks by Romita, always a special treat.

Action Comics 545 -546, with the new Braniac. Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane were nicely handling the Man of Steel, with a solid, character-driven approach and good Kane artwork. This story had Superman faced with the threat of the recently updated Braniac, and calling in some help from the Justice League and the Teen Titans. 

Fantastic Four 280-281, inroducing Malice. John Byrne and Jerry Ordway give us a whole new look at Susan Storm Richards. Some may not be fond of this story, but I found it fascinating; and helped bring a welcome new strength (and new name) to the Invisible Woman. Loved She-Hulk's dawning realization of Malice's actual identity, and Sue's use of new applications of her force field.












There you have it, a few choice tales from my stack of faves. Now you get to pick your fondly remembered twin tellings. Come on, don't leave us hanging...

Follow the Leader: Episode 40: Conan the Barbarian!

Martinex1: It is our 40th installment of Follow the Leader and we are still going strong!  Thanks to all of you who have initiated and kept these conversations rolling.  This is one of the most popular and visited features on BitBA and it is because of your creativity and contributions.

So what's the topic going to be today?  Will it be related to Music, Creators, Comics, Novels, Movies, Television, Soundtracks, Actors, Food, Characters or something entirely new?

Cheers all!

Two Questions: X-Men Rosters and Savory Snacks!

Martinex1: Here are a couple of questions for you to kick off the work week!

QUESTION 1:  We recently had a lively discussion about the Avengers and narrowing their team to your favorite seven (in perfect Henry Peter Gyrich fashion), but who would you have on your perfect X-Men team of six?  Would you lean toward the originals, or the all-new and all-different, or would you throw some oddballs in?  Who are your core six X-Men (Professor X is assumed as number seven- isn't he)?

QUESTION 2:  We have talked about our favorite candy and sweet beverages over the years, but what is your favorite salty or savory snack from your youth?  Was there any orange cheese puff residue left on your classic comics?