Follow the Leader: Episode 105: Holiday Traditions - Old and New!

Redartz: Merry Christmas to one and all! May you enjoy a day of rest, fun, peace, and fellowship with family and friends. Eat, drink and be merry; and if you have a moment to spare, share a thought or two. Unlike the grocery stores in our collective youth, we'll stay open Christmas Day...

Follow the Leader: Episode 104: Unwanted Festive Tunes!

Martinex1:  With all of the necessary Bronze Age fanfare...let's get today's Follow the Leader started!

I am sure somebody out there in the BitBA team has a great topic, so pipe in and let's converse!

Follow the Leader: Episode 103: Your Favorite Bronze Age Comic Events!

Redartz:  Hi gang! Welcome to another Tuesday reunion of Bronze age veterans. Once again I'm going to regale you with a recent experience before turning over the mike to you (hope you'll humor me). 

Last weekend I attended the Louisville Supercon; thought you might like a brief report. This was actually one of the best conventions I've experienced. My interest was piqued initially by the solid list of classic creators: Neal Adams, Jim Shooter, Mark Bagley, Bob McCloud, Keith Giffen, Mike Grell, Bob Hall, Al Milgrom, Mike DeCarlo and Jose Delbo.  The 'artists alley' was busy but well organized, hardly any wait for anyone. And kudos to the creators; they were all generous with their time. I had particularly nice conversations with :

Al Milgrom,  who was amused to see a drawing he did for me in 1975 that I brought along; he commented about the change in  his signature...

 Jim Shooter , who discussed at some length his thoughts about the current comic industry. Among them, that the industry today has largely forgotten the fundamental necessity of giving the reader a complete story in an issue; using 'decompressed storytelling' to spread it out over numerous issues. At four dollars a pop, that asks much of the reader. I told him that I considered the comics from the mid 70's to mid 80's to be an apex of comics creativity. He gave high praise and credit to the creators he worked with , among them George Perez, Frank Miller, John Romita Sr, Gil Kane and Walt Simonson...

 Mike Grell (from whom I purchased a very cool drawing of Green Lantern). 

The convention's 3-day schedule was loaded with panels and activites. Of course much attention was given to other pop cultural areas as well, many celebrities from tv and film were there. Gaming, both video and table /rpg was popular.


 

 Cosplayers were everywhere, with some truly breathtaking costumes on display...

And of course there were numerous back issue dealers, and booksellers with tpb's. I picked up a few Christmas gifts , and a few goodies for myself.

Oh, and you could get  your photo taken with the Iron Giant; an amazingly BIG model in which you could pose for a charity benefit.  That was impressive. All told, it was a day well spent; one worth a return next year. 














 And now, we turn to you. What's on your mind this week?  

Follow the Leader: Episode 102: Calendars!

Martinex1:  It is Tuesday! It is Tuesday!  Time for Follow the Leader! Time for Follow the Leader!

I think you get the point... what will the topic be today?  Please get us started!

Comic book series?  Comic book characters?  Artists? Writers? Editors? Movies? Auteurs? Genres? Directors? Books? Novels? Television series? Actors? Food?  Amusement?  Culture?  Bronze Age?

All good times... let's get a discussion going?  Kick us off... and Cheers!

Follow the Leader: Episode 101: Not from the Big Two...

Redartz:  Greetings, all; and welcome to another weekly dose of bountiful Bronze age badinage! You all know the routine; the first commenter names the topic of the day. But before we get to the action, here's a little personal tidbit. Recently my wife and I have been nosing around flea markets and  antique malls , all part of holiday shopping (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). One one such visit recently, in a small town antique shop, I happened to come across a small wicker basket. In said basket lay a stack of bronze age comics! Notable in that they were in pretty nice condition, I leafed through them; most were nothing of interest. But I did pick out two comics from the long-defunct Atlas/Seaboard line, an issue of Iron Jaw and the first issue of Howard Chaykin's Scorpion. I've never read any of those Atlas books, so a dollar each seemed a safe price for the experiment. I'll let you know how it comes out...

And now, the mike is yours! What shall we discuss today...

Follow the Leader: Episode 100: Thankful for Thanksgiving!

Martinex1: We have made it to our 100th Episode of Follow the Leader!  Who is the lucky commentator to get us started today?  And what will the fun-filled, action-packed topic be today?

Let's find out! Cheers all!

Follow the Leader" Episode 99: Following Stan...

Following the Leader...

Redartz:  Hello, friends. Today we interrupt the usual "Follow the Leader" post to pay tribute to a Leader dear to us all. Yesterday the news went out that Stan Lee had passed. Yes, Stan Lee; writer, editor, publisher, promoter, personality. Stan Lee, who co-created most of the Marvelous characters the whole world has come to know and love. Stan Lee, who pretty much originated the "Marvel Style", and laid the foundations for the House of Ideas. Stan Lee, who's hype and enthusiasm fired the excitement and devotion of Marvel Comics fans for decades. Yes, Stan Lee has Moved On, but his legacy will be known forever.

I first came to know the name of Stan Lee as a boy, reading all those great Silver Age Spider-man and Fantastic Four issues. Unlike DC, Marvel comics had credits for the writers and artists, and so the prominent name of Stan Lee quickly became recognizable. And as most of the comics I read had his byline, he became synonymous to me with Marvel. 

Years later I followed his monthly posts in "Stan's Soapbox" (as a little kid, I never read the Bullpen or letters pages). Through those regular doses of Marvel Mania, countless Marvel devotees became familiar with Stan and his florid, manic yet intimate style. Stan made us all feel like part of the gang, like we were 'in on the plot'. And it worked; from the Merry Marvel Marching Society to FOOM to the legions of Marvel fans anonymously reading his tales and watching the films, Stan led them all. Stan was the human face of Marvel, recognizable to the public at large (certainly not to minimize the importance of Kirby, Ditko, and all the others, who were as vital to Marvel's success but not as accessible publicly).  Indeed, Stan became the face of comic books in general in a way that Eisner, Infantino, Kirby or any of the other giants of the medium never really could. Stan was Marvel, and Marvel was Comics; so Stan was Comics.  

Stan, you led me through childhood and into adulthood like a Pied Piper of print. For all your stories, your hyperbole, your craziness, I thank you. If for nothing else than Spider-Man, I thank you (remarkable and poignant that both of Spidey's creators left us this year, Lee and Ditko). Rest well, Stan, I'll still be following you. 

The rest of today's post is in your hands. Share your thoughts, memories and reflections about Stan the Man. 'Nuff Said.