Redartz: Greetings! Yes, time again to turn to BitBA Assembled to provide us all with a suitably inspiring topic for discussion. More specifically, the first noble commenter to step out and offer a suggestion sets the agenda! The field is open, the time is nigh, the podium is yours...
Redartz: Nobody enjoys a fun, swinging song more than I. Be it Rock, Pop, Dance, or whatever, a bit of fluff music is always a welcome thing. Nevertheless, there are times when one might want more from a song than a good beat. Popular music history is filled with singers, songwriters and bands who have used the stage as a soapbox. From the folk of Woodie Guthrie to the punk of the Clash, many great tunes have filled the airwaves with thought-provoking, cautionary, introspective, or even sometimes angry lyrics.
In High School, I listened to protest songs from the 60's alongside then-current acts like ABBA and Wings. In college I sat around late nights with other art students (man, those Bohemian days of yore) listening to, and discussing, the musical proclamations from the Police , Heaven 17 and U2. In more recent years I've discovered so much more meaningful musings from the worlds of blues, jazz, and soul. It continues to be a most rewarding exploration.
You're probably waiting with great anticipation for a few examples. Well, wait no more; here are three songs which have moved, inspired, and engaged me: one from before our Bronze age, one from the Bronze, and one from after the Bronze (just to cover all the bases, you know).
Sam Cooke; "A Change is Gonna Come"
I'd known Sam Cooke only from his pop songs (which were great). Upon hearing this for the first time, I was mentally staggered. Which is more powerful, the lyrics or Cooke's heart wrenching performance? Impossible to tell, but this song still chills me to the very soul.
Three Dog Night: "Out in the Country"
This song got to me (and still does) on a very personal level. TDN seemed to be singing for me: "...Out where the rivers like to run, I stand alone and take back somethin' worth rememberin'." In my youth, when I was hurting or upset, I sought the refuge of the woods, away from people. Nature remains a source of healing, and this song evokes that well.
Michael Jackson: "Earth Song"
MJ's greatest song, in my opinion. Rarely has this world's painful afflictions been so effectively skewered. As the video shows, the suffering is borne by, and the hope rests upon, the ordinary people all over. I can never hear this, or watch this video, without being brought to tears. Agonizingly amazing.
All these songs, and these performances, hit me deeply. But it's a good hit, and it's an impact that is good for the soul. They make me think, make me feel, make me want to try to make the world a little better. It may be naive or corny, but our world sure needs a little prompting to it's better nature.
And now, it's time for your input. What songs, what performers, have truly moved you; pushed you, made you sit and think in the dark? Let's hear about the music that hits close to home for you...
Redartz: Greetings; this week we are engaging again in a bit of `get to know each other' . Our two questions are somewhat related, and over the years we have possibly touched upon this area. Nevertheless, this week we take a good look at how we spend our time and money when we can spoil ourselves a little. Everyone needs a little 'me time', and it doesn't hurt to give yourself a treat now and then. In that spirit, here's our questions:
1. When you have the opportunity to splurge a little on yourself these days, what do you do / buy ?
2. Looking back over your life, other than comic books, what hobbies/ pastimes did you/ do you indulge in?
As always, I wouldn't ask you to answer anything that I wouldn't, thus here are my responses:
1. Lately I've been busy on Ebay. Splurging generally involves the purchase of a vintage comic, especially a "Sugar and Spike", or a Silver Age horror anthology. . While my collection overall has been shrinking, I still pick up a book here and there. Of course I'm also splurging on music, adding cds to my collection at an unprecedented pace. At this point in time cds seem to be priced dirt cheap, and it's a great opportunity. Just picked up a 5 disc boxed set of "Ken Burns Jazz" for 4 dollars and change. Figure it's just a matter of time before cds become the next hot retro item...
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| A few recent splurges... |
2. My father had many interests, and he passed that trait on to his progeny. At one time or another I've collected coins, stamps, baseball cards, leaves, rocks, fossils, records and Hot Wheels. Most of those phases came and went. But I still enjoy studying fossils, and have a big slab of Ordovician seabed (with crinoids, brachiopods, bryozoans and trilobites) on my desk at work. And then listening to that music mentioned above is another treasured pastime. Add in the watercolor painting, and reading- there's not really time for work, but I fit it in!
Now then, let's hear about all your interests and indulgences!
Oh, for the benefit of anyone interested in fossils, here is the fossiliferous slab from my work desk. Found in an outcrop near Cincinnati, Ohio on a trip with a group of local rockhounds. A remarkable feeling, pulling such a piece from it's resting place and knowing you're the first creature to lay eyes upon it for some 200 million years plus...
Redartz: Back in the Bronze age, specifically two memorable years in the mid 1970's, Marvel Comics engaged in a noble experiment in four color entertainment. 1974 and 1975 saw the publication of the Giant-Size Marvels! Extra-sized editions of many of Marvel's most popular titles, each appearing on a quarterly basis. Granted, Marvel had published bonus-sized Annuals in the past, and DC had been doing giants for some time; but this was still a leap of faith for Marvel.
Although that 'leap of faith' lasted only about two years, it produced quite a few great stories, and one truly monumental one. Marvel's 'Giant Size' era began with "Giant Size Super Stars", a 35 cent gem featuring the Fantastic Four. This was immediately followed by "Giant Size Super Heroes" with Spider-man; both of these books hold fond memories for me. I'd just started collecting, and these two seemed like a reward for taking that 'leap' of my own!
Marvel had originally planned to release books at the 35 cent level as well as a series of "Super Giant" titles, but apparently that all got too confusing; starting the next month the Giant Size titles all cost 50 cents for 68 pages. The format was a new 'novel length' lead story, followed by a reprint of a classic Marvel tale appropriate to the particular title. All the 'big guns' had Giant-Size editions: Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Defenders. Additionally, numerous other Marvel books got the Giant treatment: Master of Kung Fu, Dracula, Man-Thing. Even an attempt was made at another horror anthology with new stories: Giant-Size Chillers!
As the months went on, Marvel made the Giant format a means to debut new features: Super-Villian Team Up, with Dr. Doom and the Sub-Mariner; and Invaders- telling WWII stories of Marvel's Golden Age Captain America, Sub-Mariner and Human Torch. Then of course, the most monumental of all was the return and reboot of the X-Men by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum; a book that launched one of the most successful franchises in comic book history.
But as 1975 wore on, it looked like the days of the Giants were numbered. The last round of Giants were all reprints, adding such titles as "Giant Size Thor" and "Giant Size Dr. Strange" in a sort of revival of the old Annuals. Those Annuals, incidentally, would return the next year in 1976, which helped offset the sting of losing those monthly Giants.
My personal favorites? I mentioned the Spidey and FF issues above, another huge favorite was Giant Size Avengers 2: with the "Celestial Madonna" and Kang, it was one of the best Bronze age Avengers tales ever. Then there was Giant Size Defenders 3, with Daredevil guest starring; a cool story with the Grand Master. Yet another that I loved was Giant Size Man-Thing (you knew I'd fit that in somewhere, didn't you?) 4: a particularly intense Manny story by Steve Gerber, and the first solo story for Howard the Duck. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It was a huge treat to see these big editions supplementing the regular four color fun we got in the 32 pagers.
In conclusion, here's a selection of covers to prompt your memory and excite your eyeballs. What Giants were your favorites? How did they compare to DC's giants? What other characters should have had Gant sized books? For our UK contingent, did those stories ever see print across the pond? Were you ever fortunate enough to encounter any of the US Giants? This week, we're all Giants...
Redartz: you knew it as soon as you opened the page. He was waiting for you, lurking, plotting. The Leader! Yes, the leader has returned, and he thinks this might be the week when no spectacular subject is broached, when he can take over and have his way with everything and everyone. Prove him wrong; you're wiser, smarter, and much more interesting than he is! So great honor and laurels await the courageous one who names the topic for us!
Oh, and please consider another invitation to join the discussions at our Twitter feed; Martinex keeps the tweets going and the fun flowing!
Redartz: I've long had a fascination with Outer Space , originating with watching the Apollo astronauts and their adventures as a child. I tuned in to "Lost in Space". I read books about the stars and planets. I even got a small telescope one Christmas, and eagerly focused it on the moon. Therefore, it's only natural that space-based comic books would be appealing. Chances are that many of you found such comics attractive as well (after all, how can you resist the Vastness of Space and All It's Mysteries?).
When it comes to the subject of the cosmos, comics have approached it in several ways; directly and indirectly. There have been fact based, scientific comics (for instance, Dell's "Man in Space"). Then there are comics that deal with the stars via the star drives of Science Fiction (say, "Mystery in Space"). And of course there are the books whose protagonists are themselves spacefarers ("Captain Marvel", and so many others). All these types of comics are on the table for our discussion this week; and if you're so inclined feel free to bring up your favorite comic stories that may only deal with space under specific circumstances (for example, any who love to read about the Fantastic Four traveling to that infamous Fifth Quadrant of the Andromeda Galaxy to deal with the Skrulls).
You may ask, "Okay, Red; what ones did you like?" Glad you asked. Although the straightforward, scientific space comics are rather uncommon, I definitely liked the second and third categories. Especially the Science fiction variety; my fondness for anthologies is common knowledge here at BitBA. Two titles in particular always got my dollars: "Mystery in Space", and "Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction". One DC, one Marvel; after all, fair is fair.
"Mystery in Space" in our Bronze age, was a DC revival title in 1980 that featured a handful of short stories in each issue. With sharp covers by Joe Kubert and interior art by the likes of Marshall Rogers, Steve Ditko, Jim Aparo, Trevor Von Eeden, Mike Golden and many others, MiS was full of fine visuals. The stories ranged from 'meh' to 'Holy Cow'; but they never failed to entertain.
"Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction" was also an anthology, but it was a black and white magazine format publication from Marvel; debuting in 1974. Like "Mystery in Space" above, "Unknown Worlds" ended up as a rather short-lived title. Nevertheless, during it's limited run it gave us a load of good stories and top notch art. I had just begun my comics collecting career at that time, and was amazed at the quality of the magazine from issue number 1. The first issue artists included Neal Adams, Mike Kaluta, Al Williamson, Frank Brunner and Gene Colan. Pretty impressive debut. And also like "Mystery", in Unknown Worlds the stories themselves varied a bit. but if memory serves the overall entertainment level was pretty high.
As for the other space-oriented books: obviously there were many that I loved: Jim Starlin's "Warlock" series, and in particular the Avengers Annual 7 / Marvel Two in One Annual 2 masterpiece. In the pursuit of brevity we'll leave it at that for now; let's get ready to hear from you. The Universe is large, and so is the subject. Proceed to launch with all your thoughts about comics and space; and if the fates allow, I'll meet you someday in orbit (I still haven't given up hope yet)...
Redartz: It's a momentous week for fans of pop music: ABBA has released two new songs ahead of a new album due in November! Those of us who are fans of the Swedish foursome have waited some 40 years (and I was a fan from their start, back when my friends looked at me cockeyed as they played their Aerosmith and Nazereth lps). For most of that time the likelihood of new ABBA tunes seemed remote. Nevertheless, here we are, and here they are; back with their engaging melodies and catchy hooks. Few acts in rock history could execute a pop song as effectively, as satisfyingly, as Anni-frid, Bjorn, Benny and Agnetha. Indeed, no less than Pete Townsend called the single "S.O.S." the greatest pop single ever made.
And therein lies our topic for the week. What do you consider the perfect pop single? Yes, there are countless candidates that you could name. My pick- I'd have to agree with Mr. Townsend; "S.O.S." remains a stunningly rich performance, and is still greatly enjoyable even after countless listenings.But that's simply my opinion. What's yours? What are the greatest stand out singles of the rock era? What were your favorites, and why? And feel free to share your thoughts about ABBA, as well. I'll be setting aside funds for their "Avatar Concert" (ABBAtars?) next year...
