Panel Discussion: Looking for Adventure at DC...

 

Redartz:  It occurred to me recently that most of our comics discussions have focused on Marvel. With some reason, actually- I was always a Marvel Zuvembie first and foremost, so I write what I know. That said, there has been a great deal of DC in my collecting and reading as well. Going waaaaaaaay back to the beginnings, Superman was my first superhero title. Which I enjoyed, but the first DC book that really drew my interest was Adventure Comics. And it remained a favorite even into my college years. 

Adventure 369, an early favorite

 

 

 What was it about "Adventure" that grabbed me?  At first it was Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes. At the time, about 1967, Jim Shooter was writing it and Curt Swan was drawing it. Swan's art was familiar, as I'd seen it on the Man of  Steel. And Shooter was learning the ropes of scripting, developing talents I'd come to appreciate years later in the Avengers. Which of course I didn't know at the time, it just seemed that the stories with these super powered teens were more...convincing, more real, more dramatic. Compared, that is, to what was offered in "Superman" and "Action Comics". Superboy was familiar, but it took awhile to get used to so many other characters. Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Braniac 5; they even had cool names. Perhaps it was the combination of these factors that made "Adventure" an early read for me.  And I'll always be grateful to 'Adventure" for introducing me to the Legion, a group which would become one of my top picks, under Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen.

 

 

 

 

 

A few years later, upon returning to comics in a serious way, "Adventure" again piqued the interest. Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo's Spectre tales were solid reading, and obviously the art was fine. I also got a kick out of "Black Orchid" (created by Sheldon Mayer, when he wasn't giving voice and life to
Sugar and Spike). Not being a fan of Aquaman, his takeover of hte book didn't excite me. Still later Superboy took over as the lead feature, which kind of had a Silver Age feel despite being published deep in the Bronze. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But my favorite incarnation of "Adventure Comics" appeared in the later 70's, when Superboy moved into his own book: "New Adventures of Superboy".  Meanwhile, the original "Adventure" became a Dollar comic; no ads and a great lineup of features. Deadman, the JLA, Wonder Woman, Flash; a pretty  good deal for your dollar. Personally, I most relished Deadman by Len Wein and Jim Aparo, and the Justice Society by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton ( one highlight of that feature was the impressive death of Earth 2 Batman). . Sadly the book soon shrank back to 'normal' size, but it still featured a nifty cast: the new Starman , by Paul Levitz and Steve Ditko (!), and the wonderful Plastic Man by Martin Pasko and Joe Staton. Great book, one of the best of the era and often overlooked. 

Eventually I dropped "Adventure Comics" when it converted to an all-reprint digest format. But the title (and it's distinctive, original curvy logo) always stayed close to my heart.  Next up: a selection of Bronze Age Adventure Comics covers, showing the range of headliners it carried. Any fellow 'Adventurers' out there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chew the Fat: When The "Camp" Kept You Away From Comics!





Martinex1: Has there ever been a portrayal of your favorite heroes that did not live up to your standards of  "seriousness"?  As you know I loved comic books and I still do, but when younger I always felt that there had to be an earnestness to the heroes.  And I was always a little underwhelmed when they were treated with less gravity than I expected.  I am not saying I was right - certainly I was probably too dedicated to their standard portrayal in my youth.  For me, characters had to be on model in both depiction and characterization. That is partially why I admire Jim Shooter; he generally seemed to keep the artists on point and on model when handling the Marvel cast of characters (although below I do include some examples from his era of leadership that may seem counter to that thought).  When the character's portrayal was simplified or humorous it turned me off.  For me that is true for the protagonists, villains, and even various supporting casts.  Camp had to be handled very carefully in my eyes.


So even though Spidey Super Stories was designed for children and for easy reading, I couldn't stomach the silliness.  How about you?

 

 

And even though I can laugh at Silver Age antics and appreciate it within the context of the time, when I first ran across issues like these I had a hard time.  How about you?

I enjoyed whenever my favorite heroes made it to the television screen, but even at a young age I wanted the characters to be respected, so goofy portrayals left a bad taste in my mouth (even if I would never miss an episode no matter what).   How about you?

I had nearly complete runs of The Avengers and Marvel Team-Up, but these examples left me cold and I left them on the spinner rack for a long time.   This would have seemed appropriate to me in Mad Magazine (and I would have been perfectly fine with that), but to have such silly portrayals and antics in the main books never sat well with me.  It is odd I know, but did anybody else feel the same way?

 

 Did anybody see this TV version of the JLA?  What did you think?  Did it make you cringe?

 

 

Or how about Garrett Morris as Ant-Man and John Belushi as the Hulk?  This I liked - it was funny but it was in the right context. And it was strangely spot-on.   Why do I consider this differently?



And how about Spider-Man on The Electric Company?  Good or bad for you? I am not certain how I feel.

On the other hand, I know exactly what I feel about The Thing from Hanna-Barbera! "Ring thing, do your thing!"  This did no-Thing for me!

I loved the Super Friends every Saturday morning, and yet I had mixed feelings about them on occasion. Were they too dumbed down?  What do you think?

 

 

Whatever you feel and whatever you think, please let us know.  Chew the Fat today about the level of gravitas acceptable for your favorite heroes!  Share your own examples!  Where do you draw the line or do you have no line at all to draw?  Let's get the BitBA conversation going!  Cheers!

Chew the Fat: The New Universe!

Martinex1: Today we need all of the BitBA lurkers, commentators, visitors, and drifters to join in and help out with the conversation...because I know virtually nothing about the topic today.  We need to Chew the Fat about Marvel's New Universe!

In the late 1980's under the guidance of Jim Shooter, Marvel launched a new brand that ostensibly was to focus on "super" characters in the real world.  The original premise (and rather than reboot the existing Marvel Universe) was to explore what it would be like to have powers on our very own planet.  This of course was originally how Stan Lee charted Marvel in the beginning; and this was a bit of an update on that concept in the '80s.

A number of titles launched (see below) and this is where my knowledge is virtually nil.  The New Universe arrived right during a lull in my collecting so it is a gap that I have not filled. The brand existed between 1986 and 1989 with eight titles (the longest ran for 32 issues).

I've managed to pick up some tidbits like Jim Shooter wrote Star Brand before his departure from the company; later it was written and drawn by none other than John Byrne.  Mark Gruenwald and Paul Ryan worked on D.P.7.  Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz created Kickers Inc. And Archie Goodwin penned a number of titles. Both John Buscema and Mike Zeck contributed covers to Mark Hazzard: MERC.

Take a look at the covers and brief descriptions below.  And please share all you know about the New Universe!  Recommendations and warnings are all welcome today. 

D.P.7 focuses on seven powered individuals on the run from an agency hunting the paranormal.

 Justice focuses on a vengeful knight from another dimension who doles out alien justice.

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Kickers Inc. focuses on powered football players who hire out their services.

 

Mark Hazzard: MERC follows a Vietnam vet who hires out for mercenary work. 

 Nightmask can enter people's dreams.

 Psi-Force are also on the run from the government, but together they can become a psi-hawk!

 Spitfire follows a team using an armored construction suit to assure the tech stays in the right hands.

 Star Brand follows the adventures of a teen who receives the mysterious alien brand.

There you have it...now let's get the conversation started! (Somebody please say you have read some of these books)!