A Sunday in July!

Martinex1: Hard to believe June 2017 is in the history books now; let's get started with July.  Today we have reviews, previews, comic strips, and a few brand new recommendations.


THIS PAST WEEK:

We compared Spider-Woman and Dazzler (and Spider-Woman seemed to win) on Monday.   Tuesday during this week's Follow the Leader we had a lively discussion about recommended arcs, stories or titles and what our ultimate reactions ended up being.   Wednesday Redartz led a Rank and File of the premiere comic tales from 1978 in a new "Best of the Year" feature. Thursday we visited memories of museums and zoos.  Friday we looked at What If stories that came "true."  And Saturday we celebrated Birthdays new and old.  Thanks for visiting BitBA as all of your lurking and commentary is always appreciated.   And if you have any ideas for posts, or would like to contribute a Guest Post (those are always welcomed by Redartz and me), please drop us a note at backinthebronzeage@gmail.com

COMING SOON:

In store for us this week are comic characters draped in red, a special Independent Comics day on the fourth, a Follow the Leader that is a little off schedule (Wednesday this week), Redartz will take us on the Retro Metro, and much more!   What can you expect to see?  Well, it wouldn't be BitBA without some comic covers, Marvel and DC characters, some off kilter views and some opinions askew.   So don't be surprised if you run into everything from the Human Fly to Team America this week!

SUNDAY FUNNIES:

It wouldn't be Sunday without us sharing a few strips.  Here are a handful that have an Independence Day feel. (Save them for Tuesday if you see fit)!

RECOMMENDATIONS:

It has been a while since we have made some reading, listening, and viewing recommendations, so here are a few:

Comics: I make the occasional run to the Local Comic Shop to see what is on the racks, and with my younger son's newfound interest in Sonic the Hedgehog digests, I visit a little more frequently.  In all honesty I rarely purchase new comics any more although upon some recommendations here I have picked up Squirrel Girl and others.   Recently I stumbled upon a mini-series (or perhaps its an attached series) that featured the Avengers from the Kooky Quartet era.  The five issue run is written by Mark Waid with art from Barry Kitson.   Although the finale of the story and some of the retcon elements did not sit well with me (for example, shoehorning a new character into the historical mythos), I have to say that I enjoyed this run.   I particularly liked the "feel" of the books which definitely harkened back to a simpler era.   The style of the covers, the interior recaps, and the splash pages brought me back to my youth.  The cover with the team facing off against the Frightful Four in a recognizable layout brought a smile to my face.  Some modern thematic elements popped up that I didn't care for, but to see Hawkeye refer to Cap as "Grandpa" and to see those oddballs interact again really was fun.  And I thought the art was really nice.  Check out the covers and samples below.  3.75 Bronze Medallions.

Music: I've been digging some old CDs out of boxes in the basement, and I stumbled across a couple of bands that I haven't listened to for a while.  I am glad I did because I find I still like the style and music of Echo &The Bunnymen and The Psychedelic Furs.  Ian McCulloch and the rest of the Bunnymen's songs like "The Killing Moon" and "Lips Like Sugar" seemed to play endlessly through my high school years.  And of course, Richard Butler, Tim Butler and the Furs with "Love My Way" and "Pretty in Pink" were right there also (the band became extremely popular after the John Hughes' movie but was previously adored by some classmates much earlier than that film's release; the popularity adding to their outsider' chagrin).  I'd like to see both on stage sometime, and Echo &The Bunnymen are touring and appearing in Chicago soon (along with The Violent Femmes) so maybe I will get my chance. 4.25 Bronze Medallions for both groups.

Television: Joel and Ethan Coen's 1996 darkly comedic murder and police procedural set in the far north Fargo was an instant classic.   I still get drawn into it every time it comes on the air.   But more recently there has been a TV series that is "thematically" based on the movie.   Each season follows a weird set of circumstances that lead to misunderstandings and death; the stories are full of oddities, memorable characters, coincidences, and philosophy.   I just finished watching the ten episodes of the third season, and although sections are weaker than previous offerings, I found the last few hours sticking with me.  A classic battle of good verses evil, chaos verses order, justice verses vengeance rings throughout.   Life is not fair, nor is the outcome of Fargo season 3 easy.  This run starred Ewan McGregor in dual roles as brothers battling over an inheritance, Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a standout and unexpected role as a "femme fatale" (perhaps???),  Cary Coon as the kind but hurting sheriff, and David Thewlis as the creepy puppet master V. M. Varga.  The show is subtly funny, strangely insightful about topics as diverse as middle management and science fiction, and philosophically challenging as well.  In it's roughly ten hours of screen time, you can expect to see an animated robot, a mysterious bowling alley, one extremely bloody episode, a very sweet hug, and a game of bridge.  4.25 Bronze Medallions.

That's it for today folks!  Have a great Summer day. Cheers!