TV Guided / Rank and File: High Concept TV Sitcoms!

Martinex1:  Well there's a first time for everything - so today our topic has a double-billed header!    This topic straddles both categories: TV Guided and Rank and Filed!  What a high concept!  And what a coincidence that today's focus is on high concept television situation comedies!

So what is a high concept?  I define it this way (and keep in mind there are many definitions that can apply) - it is a program with a simply stated premise that tends to blend an oddity or an imaginary element into a normally functioning world for the purpose of humor.  The comedy and story rely less on character development than they do on the juxtaposition of the prepositioned conceit.

The pitch for the television program's vision can be whittled down to a general statement or question.  Examples of a possible pitch or show explanation and the resulting program may include:

What if a normal guy married a witch?         Bewitched
What if an alien lived in a suburban home?  Mork & Mindy or Alf or My Favorite Martian
What if a monster family lived next door?     The Munsters and The Addams Family
 
I think you get the idea. 

When we were growing up, these types of shows graced the airwaves and tended to capture my imagination.  They were a lot of fun - full of crazy misunderstandings, pratfalls, puns, and comfortable silliness.

Today's entertainment has shifted, and I struggle to think of any current sitcoms that take this approach despite all of the classic success.  The high concept approach has seemed to have migrated to dramas and film instead, particularly with the semi-serious success of superhero movies and Harry Potter.

I particularly liked Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie; they seemed to run on almost continuous afternoon loops on syndicated stations when I was growing up. I always found the frustration and curiosity of Mr. Tate and Dr. Bellows to be quite entertaining despite the distinct similarities of the shows.   So they are definitely in my top three along with Mork & Mindy.  I can remember the schoolyard discussions around the hilarity of Robin Williams when the show was first spun-off from Happy Days.  But I have to also say that I liked the Munsters - and much more so than the The Addams Family.  My wife and her family watched Alf together and have fond memories of that show.

My least favorite was a short-lived 90's sitcom Meego starring Bronson Pinchot as the title alien who is taken in and protected by three children and their single father.  It had a fairly decent cast, including Ed Begley Jr., Michelle Trachtenberg, and Jonathan Lipnicki, but the comedy was cloying and horribly redundant as Meego always tried to pass himself off as Canadian.  The laugh track was desperately needed as the jokes fell horribly flat.  The shows from the late 60s and early 70s made that goofiness seem so effortless.

So what were your favorite television shows of this type?   How would you rank them?  What were your top choices?  And what was the flop?   Are our kids missing out on some classics and should the genre be reignited or has it run its course?

Follow The Leader: Episode 9: Favorite Comic Strips!

Martinex1: Here we go!  Get in line!  It is Follow the Leader Episode 9!  We've had an excellent response in past weeks, so I think you know how this works now, but just in case...

1) Whoever gets here first (or even second) post a topic starter in the comments that others can jump on and discuss for the day; supply as little or as much detail as necessary to get the ball rolling.

3) The range of possible subjects is broad - comics, movies, music, television, fiction, hobbies, queries, etc.  Try to have the topic touch some aspect of Bronze Age nostalgia if possible.

4) Keep it clean and family friendly.

5) All others...follow the Leader! Your job is to keep the conversation rolling.   (As I said - follow the topic wherever it takes you; a conversation started about comics may lead to comments on jazz for all we know)!

Note:  There is one caveat... if Redartz or I notice that the suggested topic is something we already have in the pipeline, we will let you know and inform you of the projected date for that subject for discussion.  That is just so we don't double up.   Hey - great minds think alike, right?

Off we go!  Time to submit!   Follow the Leader and don't let the interaction quit!

Rank and File: The Big Six!

Martinex1:  Marvel and DC both have premiere super-teams in the Avengers and the Justice League of America respectively. And in each of those teams are a few core members who are considered to be the backbone of the super-groups.   Avengers have the "Big Three" as they have come to be known in Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.   The JLA have the "Trinity" of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

But as individual characters how would you rank those "Big Six"?  Do you have a vested interest in these characters and their stories?  Do you follow and have an appreciation for their solo adventures?  Do they deserve to be in this special class?  In terms of your collecting habits and general consideration of the characters, how would you rank them from one to six?   Share your thoughts on the elite of the elite!

Here are my brief thoughts and ranks (and I will be back later to offer more comments):

1. Captain America - I enjoyed and followed many of his exploits whether solo or on the team.  I feel that the team book actually added to his character by demonstrating his leadership characteristics amongst his peers.

2. Iron Man - I actually never liked Iron Man much when he was on the Avengers.  I am influenced by the Jim Shooter era in which Tony Stark / Iron Man came across as self-serving, a bit arrogant, and not very committed to the team.   Having said that it may seem odd that I rank him number two.  Contrary to Captain America, I really prefer Iron Man as a solo character and I feel those adventures live large in my nostalgic memory so he is ranked much higher than expected.  If you asked me about Iron Man in a couple of days, he may slip down this list.

3. Wonder Woman - Surprise!  This may seem like a wild card.   Back during my collecting heyday, I hardly ever picked up a Wonder Woman comic.   But I now find myself more interested in those unexplored and interesting books.  She really has an interesting history (both in her creation and in her stories).  She is more mysterious than the other options here as I actually know very little about her despite her being the one of the most powerful woman in both comic companies' rosters.

4.  Thor - I know Thor is part of the "Big Three," but I never felt he was really that significant in the team book.  I never felt the Avengers added much to or were affected that greatly by his character.  On the other hand, I like the Thor comic - especially the Lee-Kirby stuff . When he is part of cosmic storylines or interacting with the gods of Asgard, I find his characterization quite compelling.   But I almost consider him a non-entity on the super-team.  I could think of others that may deserve the title more.  Was he too powerful to really play well on the team stage?

5. Batman - Thirty years ago, I think Batman would have been much higher on my scale.   I have lost interest in the character.   I truly do like his earlier exploits and the work of Neal Adams and Jim Aparo and Denny O'Neil and others.  But I have soured on the Batman.  He seems to be shrinking rather than growing under the weight of his seriousness and gravitas.  Gotham, the Joker, the Dark Knight - all hold little interest for me right now.

6. Superman - I know he was the first big hero.  And I know he is "great".  But even in the best hands, he bores me and he really always has.   There have been brief spurts where I collected Superman or Action Comics, and the character mustered up enough charisma to carry me through a couple of arcs, but looking back he just draws yawns from me. 

What do you think?  Debate with me.  Disagree with me. Share your own thoughts and preferences.  Where does your heart lie amongst these choices?  What did your pocketbook say over the years in terms of the titles you purchased?  Discuss the "Big Six" on BITBA today.

Antother Peaceful Sunday at BITBA!

Martinex1:  Well we made it through another week!    This weekend in the USA is a holiday weekend, so we hope most of you get to enjoy a three day break and  have a wonderful and relaxing time.  The weather is beautiful in the upper Midwest, so it is time to break out the scooters, wiffle ball and Frisbee.

This past week we took a pop quiz to get to know each other better, discussed the comings and goings of our comic collecting, remembered disaster flicks, imagined commissions, reminisced about vacations, compared Invaders and Freedom Fighters, and shared our enjoyment of Calvin and Hobbes!

As always, we encourage you to look back at the posts if you missed any and to check out our growing sidebar for a myriad of exciting things.

COMING SOON:

This week we have tons of nostalgic fun in store, including but not limited to:

1) Rating the crème de la crème of superheroes!
2) Opening it up for another reader inspired Follow the Leader!
3) Examining some wild and outlandish sitcoms!
4) Heading back to 1974!
5) And more, more, more!

In the typical BITBA fashion, we have some surprises up our sleeves.   Don't be shy - tune in, jump in, and bask in the fun.

SUNDAY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Movies:  I mentioned in passing that I saw another Oscar nominated film recently... the movie Lion.  It is the story of a very young boy who gets lost in India far from his home and family.  His life and struggles are documented in a very touching way.   The acting is tremendous, particularly from the child who plays the main character.   Based on a true story, I was swept into the emotion of the piece and admired the frankness of the relationships.  I do recommend it.   4 Bronze Medallions for Lion.


Music:  Today I recommend the Feelies and particularly their 1988 album Only Life.  I first came across the band in my college days, and I appreciate their rather low key approach while weaving in intricate rhythm and percussion.   Part of the indie scene of that era, their music brings back some great memories of the times.   The band had appeared in one of my favorite movies of all time - Jonathan Demme's Something Wild playing the musical entertainment at a High School reunion in a key and pivotal scene.  There are a few tunes by the Feelies in that film, the best of which is their interpretation of David Bowie's Fame.  I think this album is their best work and represents them well.  4 Bronze Medallions for Only Life. 

Movies (again): And as an aside - 4.75 Bronze Medallions for Something Wild (1986).  The seamless mix of humor and suspense grabs me every time; the change of tone seems to shift on a song transition in the scene mentioned above.  It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but I recommend it frequently.  Ray Liotta is at his best in this debut.  And Jeff Daniels plays an everyman with a twist in a subtle performance that in retrospect is quite complex.   Melanie Griffith is the mystery woman.  And Demme creates something experimental and fun before he became more well known for Silence of the Lambs a few years later.  The story follows Daniels' character Charlie Driggs, a seemingly straight-and-narrow banker,  as he goes on an impromptu adventure with Lulu/Audrey (Melanie Griffith) on a road trip to her hometown. 


Have a great day and as always...Cheers!

Off the Bookshelf: Calvin and Hobbes

Redartz:  Hello, pop culture fans! For this episode of  "Off the Bookshelf", we pull a collection of a truly landmark comic strip, originating from the tail end of our beloved Bronze Age. Debuting in 1985, "Calvin and Hobbes" detailed the adventures and imaginations of Calvin, a young, mischievous (Very mischievous) boy and his tiger friend Hobbes. The strip was the creation of the hugely talented Bill Watterson, who made the comic a joy both visually and intellectually. It was both a cogent recollection of childhood, and an evocative commentary on adulthood. A pretty good trick for a newspaper strip.

Calvin as superhero Stupendous Man

  
Calvin's life is filled with all the triumphs and troubles every kid goes through, and Watterson remembers every detail. Calvin has a powerful weapon against the challenges of  a 20th. century child's world: a vivid imagination. He faces off against teachers, bullies, neighbor kids, parents, and babysitters with a great range of approaches. Calvin may be a spaceman, a dinosaur, an insect. He makes a time machine, a cloning machine. His snowman-building is an art in itself, always executed with Calvin's unique approaches. 

Calvin's greatest ally in all this is his stuffed tiger Hobbes. Hobbes is the voice of common sense and reason to Calvin's chaotic nature. The best of friends, they complement each other and together try to figure out, and to simply enjoy, the mysteries of this world we live in. Of course, they also engage in wild fights and suicidal schemes. Calvin often ends up on the short end of argument with Hobbes, his youthful human nature being a weakness. Hobbes, on the other hand, is rather proud of his non-human status, and seldom fails to rub that fact in. There were some folks who debated whether Hobbes was 'real'. He was real to Calvin,  and he was certainly real to me. Question answered.

The strip itself covered an astounding spectrum of issues. The logic (and illogic) of sports. School, youthful crushes, science fiction. The pleasures and miseries of camping. There is no way I can adequately describe all that Watterson touched on in this strip. But he did so with great wit and humor. And, at times, with poignancy (as when Calvin faces the death of a baby animal he found). And at other times, with a rather sharp edge of satire (as Calvin and Hobbes ponder the inanities of the 'adult' world). 

Calvin the T-Rex

And praise must be given, also, to Watterson's artistic abilities. The characters are wonderfully designed, and their setting is just rendered enough to express the story. On occasion, Watterson amps up the imagery, producing scenes any comic illustrator would envy: 



 And at times, the artwork truly shines with subtlety and  sensitivity:













 I discovered this strip in our local newspaper right after college, and was an instant addict. I followed Calvin and Hobbes through ten years of thought-provoking enjoyment. When Watterson retired the strip in December 1995, I (along with millions of others) was devastated. The strip touched me like no other ever had, with the possible exception of "Peanuts". Calvin and Hobbes entertained me, educated me, inspired me. I dreaded the thought of losing all that. 

But the pain of losing that daily dose of boy and tiger was lessened:  Andrews and McMeel was wise enough to publish collected editions of the daily strips, starting in 1987. Nicely produced, on good stock, the books make Watterson's art even finer. A particular favorite of mine is "Calvin and Hobbes' Lazy Sunday Book". All Sunday strips, with bountiful coloring. You really get the feel of Spaceman Spiff as he zooms across some ravaged planetscape. Plus, Watterson starts off the volume with some great illustrations of Calvin in action. A great package; the only downside is that I can't pick it up and just peruse a strip or two. I always get caught up and have to read it through.

Several of these books grace my bookshelf (several, but not yet enough). Those wonderful collected volumes keep Calvin and Hobbes nearby, always and forever. Thank heavens for that...

The Brave Or The Bold: Invaders, Freedom Fighters, or the Various Crusaders?

Martinex1: Here we are with a new edition of  The Brave Or The Bold  where we  conduct a face-off between like entities and get your opinions and preferences.   When I started developing today's post, I thought it was going to be a simple compare and contrast of two retconned WWII super-hero teams - the Invaders and the Freedom Fighters.  And indeed it is that but it is also something more as I will go off on a few tangents this time around.   So please stick with me here folks as my comments start to meander.   Let's get started.

In 1969, Roy Thomas created the Invaders, a team from the war years in Volume 1 / Issue 71 of The Avengers.  During a convoluted game of chance and wits between Kang the Conqueror and the Grandmaster, Yellowjacket, Vision, and the Black Panther were transported back to occupied Paris where they fought the reimagined Timely era heroes.  Captain America (with his triangular shield), the original Human Torch, and Namor the Sub-Mariner were banded together as an allied fighting force for the first time in the Marvel years. (Just for fun I share below not only the original Avengers cover, but also the cover from the UK reprint, and a scene from the battle penciled by Sal Buscema, as well as the scene reimagined from the Invaders' view with Frank Springer art from Invaders Annual #1).

In 1975, Thomas spearheaded an ongoing book starring the old-time trio and thus the Invaders title was born.  They fleshed out a gap in Marvel history and added another team book to the growing roster of Marvel comics. 


The following year, in April 1976, DC rolled out their own WWII heroes using the old Quality Comics' heroes in the Freedom Fighters ongoing.  The team consisted of Uncle Sam, the Ray, Phantom Lady, Human Bomb, Doll Man, and Black Condor.  The series was initially plotted by Gerry Conway, scripted by Martin Pasko, and pencilled by Ric Estrada.   The team had earlier appeared in Justice League of America issues 107 and 108 in 1973.

So in many ways Marvel and DC were following similar paths.  They resurrected heroes from defunct (or evolved publishers) Timely and Quality.  They modernized the heroes a bit in terms of scripting and action, and set them in adventures back during the battles of the early 1940s. 

Later in their series, additional characters would join such as Union Jack and Spitfire into the Invaders and Firebrand  into the Freedom Fighters.  Take a look at some of the art and covers from the two series.

Martinex1:  I followed the Invaders much more closely, but I did think the covers and art for Freedom Fighters was pretty effective, although I never quite liked Uncle Sam's fighting togs and hat.

Martinex1: It is pretty easy to see some of the parallels with these teams.  They even had similar tag lines in "The Greatest Superheroes of  World War II" for Marvel and "The Gallant Warriors from World War II" for DC.

Martinex1: Just as the series started to get some steam going, there was a wild unofficial crossover experiment conducted by the creators.  In the early months of 1977, both headlining teams battled enemies named the Crusaders.  These "villains" were analogs of the opposing company's heroes. 

So the Freedom Fighters fought Americommando (Captain America), Barracuda (Sub-Mariner), Fireball (Human Torch), Rusty (Bucky) and Sparky (Toro).  And the Invaders fought Spirit of '76 (Uncle Sam), Captain Wings (Black Condor), Ghost Girl (Phantom Lady), Dyna-Mite (Doll Man), Tommy Lightning (Ray), and Thunder Fist (Human Bomb).  All of this was conducted under the watchful creativity of Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins for Marvel, and Bob Rozakis and Dick Ayers at DC.

Martinex1: The DC villains had a convoluted origin as they were comic book heroes come to life (talk about meta, meta, meta - even their hidden identities reflected comic creators with the names Marvin, Roy, Arch, and Lennie).   They were the pawns of the archenemy Silver Ghost.  The Marvel villains were dupes of a Nazi spy who gave them their powers.  Invaders #15 was one of the first comics I ever purchased (bought in a three-pack poly bag) and still brings joy when I re-read it despite the quirky Frank Robbins art.   I liked those Crusaders and wanted them to stay together in the end but alas they disbanded never to be seen again.

Martinex1:  But there is another level of complexity in regards to Crusader teams as Archie Comics (later the Mighty Comics Group) has their own team in The Mighty Crusaders. The Archie team debuted prior to all of the above in September of 1965.  The initial series was written by Jerry Siegel with art by Paul Reinman and Frank Giacoia.   And even though the hero team fought in contemporary times, they were led by a flag costumed hero with the moniker of The Shield.   Other members included the Fly, Jaguar, Black Hood, and the Comet amongst many others.   The team had a few different incarnations including a version under the Red Circle Comics label (an arm of Archie Comics in the '80s) and another under DC's imprint Impact Comics.

Martinex1:  So we've covered a wide and varied amount of territory today from Invaders to Freedom Fighters to the Crusaders.  And please don't even get me started on the below characters!

So what do you think?  Which ongoing title did you like the best?  Did you like the time and setting of WWII comics and adventures?  Did you find a fascination in the various Crusader teams?  What did you think about the "unapproved" crossover?  And what about the Mighty Crusaders - did anybody follow that series?

There is so much to talk about, so join in gang and have your say about the brave or the bold on BITBA today!