Redartz: Welcome, friends: here's a couple of questions for you to ponder...
1. How would you convince a potential fan today of the greatness of Bronze Age comics? Our hobby seems to be growing in recent years, attracting interest from people way too young to remember the Bronze age of comics. Perhaps it's the film franchises, maybe it's the television series. Could be the attraction of the Walking Dead and other popular series. Anyway, if you wanted to persuade one of these 'rookies' to sample some Bronze age bounty, what would you say? Is there a particular story or series you'd point them to? Or is there some feature of the era that helps it stand out? How would you bend them towards Bronze, as opposed to sampling Silver, going Golden or craving Copper?
2. Do you remember the first movie you saw at the cinema? Think back to when an outing to the movies was a pretty special event. Can you recall that first time you entered a theater, sat transfixed in the darkness, and was dwarfed by the Big Screen? In my case, it was "Mary Poppins": my parents took my brother and I to the Circle Theater in Indianapolis ( an hour's drive from home) to see Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in 1910 London. We both loved it, so much so that we were soon gifted with the soundtrack LP (which Dad was forced to play pretty frequently).
What was your introduction to the magical world of film?
12 comments:
Both of my daughters are into comics, inspired largely by the current group of movies and TV shows. I have steered them to several Bronze Age series via the collected graphic novel route. The first one that I showed them was the Stern/Byrne run on Captain America since that was really the first movie they both saw. From there, I've given them X-Men Dark Phoenix and Days of Future Past, some of Byrne's FF run, and Miller's Wolverine and Daredevil series. On the DC side, it's been mostly Batman (Englehart/Rogers) and just recently, the Flash.
The first movie I ever saw was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Back in my early days (late 60's), Disney would rotate their classics through theatres occasionally, so that was my viewing for a few years. The first non-Disney movie I remember was True Grit, so that was quite a jolt to see. :)
Red - the first one is a tuff one since I am a late Silver / early Bronzer. And, comic choices are such a personal thing. I'd have to present someone with a stack with everything from Sad Sack and Archie to Spidey and Batman with a Spectre and Rawhide Kid in the mix, lol.
First movie was Bambi in downtown Gary, Indiana on a Saturday afternoon. Given that Disney rotated its films every 7 (?) years, I have to imagine I could figure out what year it was. 1966? I recall being dropped off with my younger brother. But those "1940s" scenarios of taking a bus to the movie theatre and chilling all afternoon for $.10 with a hundred other kids was totally foreign to me / kids by the mid 60s. So it wasn't exactly a nostalgic event. I remember being more "concerned" for my health and welfare than enjoying the flick, LOL.
The first film I ever saw at the cinema was "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" in 1973 when I was 7 years old (the film was originally released in 1969 so it must have been a re-release). It was a cheap sequel to "One Million Years BC", without Raquel Welch. But it was the dinosaurs I wanted to see and they were cheaper-looking versions of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion monsters, as well as some lizards pretending to be dinosaurs. But at the age of seven I'm sure I thought it was awesome.
I would put them onto classic storylines if possible. The heyday of the Fantastic Four during the days when the Inhumans, the Black Panther, Galactus, Silver Surfer and more were bubbling out every month would be a good start, but that's actually the Silver Age now that I think on it. For pure Bronze Age goodness, there's the Green Arrow and Green Lantern stories by O'Neil and Adams, the Panther's Rage sequence by McGregor and Graham, and many of the Conan or Kull sequences by Thomas and Smith and Buscema and others. There are the Indy books which broke at the end of the Bronze Age, like Elfquest, Nexus, and Sabre which might sync with a modern audience.
The first movie I have clear memory of seeing was the "The Planet of the Apes". I saw it on my very own, no adult needed, and was amazed at the story and still remember being a bit chagrined at seeing a naked Charlton Heston for a split second or two in the movie. The film made a grand impact right up to today when I'm going to take another look at the newest variation on the theme.
Rip Off
The best aspects of the Bronze Age for me were the pacing and subplots that ran through creator arcs. I think a big selling point to encourage newer readers would be to emphasize the creator arcs, and how long many stayed with the same books or characters--building their visions over dozens of issues. And, just as importantly, the lack of the out-of-control decompression that is a signature of many current books. In the bronze, you get a solidly paced story---not a "stetched-for-the-trade".
First movie--probably Star Wars.
Adam
Q1: I wouldn't try. I mean, I might assign some in a comics class, but unless someone came to me specifically asking about Bronze Age comics to try, I wouldn't offer (on the other hand I would offer some other more recent and non-superhero comics to most folks). If a person did ask, I'd probably start with "Days of Future Past."
Q2: I can't remember my first film. My sister would take me quite often as a kid to see the Disney revivals others have mentioned. I often think of Star Wars as my first live-action film, but truth is I had seen movies like The Apple-Dumpling Gang and Darby O'Gill and the Little People - but the first live-action movie I probably actually saw in the theater was Escape from Witch Mountain
I agree with Dr. O, I probably wouldn't try. The kids are alright, and their tastes will govern their choices. If someone were looking to start in general, thought, I'd probably steer them to the same origin stories that really got me hooked in the old Fireside books. It's good to see where and how it all started and then move from there to that savoury Bronze Age goodness.
A lot of good stuff already mentioned that I agree with (70s/80s Spidey, Stern's Avengers, Claremont's X-Men, Miller's DD, Englehart on Batman, classic Conan). I'd probably add Legion (especially Levitz/Giffen's later stuff); Wolfman/Perez's New Teen Titans; Conway and Moench's long Batman runs; and All-Star Squadron/Infinity Inc. For those who like to philosophize, Moench's Master of Kung Fu (or even Moon Knight) would work, and for fantasy fans I'd add Warlord to the ubiquitous Conan.
First movie I (sort of) remember seeing was at a drive-in with my parents--Coal Miner's Daughter; I was bored and fell asleep in the back seat. To this day, I haven't seen the whole movie. I remember seeing Empire Strikes Back in either a drive-in or a cinema, so that's probably the earliest one I was actually excited for.
Graham- sounds like your daughters have a great library of quality comics to inspire them. Truly some of the best of the Age.
Also, thanks for bringing up the point about 'first non-Disney' film. For many of us, Disney fare was probably our introduction and sole film experience for years. "True Grit" would have been quite a departure! I think my first non-Disney was Ryan Oneil's "What's Up Doc". I mainly remember the Looney Tunes references.
Charlie- nothing wrong with touting the Silver! And you also make a good point about the difference between movie attendance for kids in 'our time' and that of the 40's. My Dad told of such stories, spending a whole Saturday afternoon there. Those days were long gone even by the early 60's.
Colin J- Excellent starting point; how can you not love dinosaurs on film?
Rip- ouch, nude Charlton Heston; most kids would have preferred to see the apes. I missed that scene for years- first time I ever saw it was the edited version on local tv.
Adam- great observations; those extended story arcs from the Bronze certainly allowed time to explore some heady territory. And a consistent creative team helped a book develop a following and thus an audience for those longer tales.
Dr. O and Selenarch- your points are well taken; most folks will find what interests them. One of the great strengths of the comics medium is that versatility; truly there is something to appeal to everyone.
Mike W- unusual film for a kid to catch early on, even in the back seat! A good film, but perhaps not one to keep the interest of a young person. Of course, those back seats could get pretty comfortable. Voice of experience...
1. I got my nephew into reading Bronze-Age comics by introducing him to the Claremont / Byrne X-Men stuff. He picked up a couple of TPBs at a local convention and really liked them. He always tells me now he only likes "old-school" comics and not the new stuff. However, he's kind of gotten out of comics altogether in the last year or so (since he started driving and dating).
2. Not sure if it's the very first movie I ever went to, but my earliest movie outing memory is seeing "The Song of the South" with my mom and sister in St. Petersburg, FL. Don't know how old I was, but I guess around 4 or 5.
1. I think if I had to I'd try sharing some TPBs and collections like Byrne/Stern Captain America and books like MTU, MTIO, Brave and Bold, JLA, and Avengers - books that were well written, had great art, and shared the vastness of their respective universes with lots of guest stars and locales. It was always the ever expanding interaction of characters that drew me in.
2. I think my first movie was one of the Herbie the Love Bug movies or "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" with Kurt Russell. It was definitely a Disney film and most likely a live action movie. Very hard to recall. I wonder how many kids' first flick was a Disney feature...and with Marvel and Star Wars now in the fold that trend continues.
Well, according to the world of Google, Bambi showed in the theaters in 1966. So I was 5ish and freaking out when my folks dropped me and my 3 year old brother off at the theater on a Saturday afternoon in Gary, Indiana. It was a first-class zoo, like something out of Little Rascals.
Anyhow, I thought Disney had some cast-in-stone schedule of re-releasing their films every 7 years. But Google shows Bambi being re-released at 7 years, 9 years, 10 years. And then along came VHS tapes and on-demand and the Disney mystique vanished. Poof!
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